Snared

by J.L. Merrow

When Martin Lowrie rescues a wildcat from a snare, he thinks a few scratches and a tetanus jab are the worst consequences he'll have to face. But then he meets the enigmatic and strangely compelling Calum. He spends the night with the handsome, unsettling Irishman and discovers Calum's secret: he's the wildcat Martin rescued, in human form. But Calum's not the only werecat in the village, and the others aren't so keen to risk Martin revealing their secret, no matter how much Calum wants to protect Martin from harm.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Short Stories, Contemporary, Fantasy

68 pages, ebook

First published May 12, 2010

About the author

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through was a 2013 EPIC Award finalist, and her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards.

JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow

Reviews

[Bookwatcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes... just sometimes, overdoing something can be annoying as hell!


So.... this book
Is good... but... dammit... not for me. It's a pity! I looooove shifter stories so YEY to a werecat story... but... I wish Calum would not name Martin all freaking time he talk to him!
It's sexy, for something like 2 pages... read (for example):
"Ah! Martin, Martin. You know I don't want a thing you're not willing to give"
can be a huge turn on, but... after a while... it's just creepy... Calum keep saying Martin name, all the time, without stop, and each speech.

So, yes, I liked it, but no, it's not my J.L. Merrow favorite book.
Muscling Through is my favorite book
Pressure Head, Hard Tail are two J.L Merrow I would recommend too
But Snared... no. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it much.

Quick observation:
Martin: 485 times repeated
Calum: 265 times
Yeah... I can understand Martin as a narrator would have his name appearing more times than Calum but... 220? Probably 100 are Calum talking to Martin

and Observation 2: No way David Bowie's pelvic thrusts can be too much!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn’t like anyone in this story. And it was just a bit on the weird side. It just didn’t work for me.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
The premise was something that I thought I could enjoy. Plus I like her other stories. BUT, there is something "wrong" for this story for me to like it better. Maybe it's the overused words of "Martin" (yes, Callum seems to name Martin in every single line over conversation :p) -- or maybe it's how the story ends. I don't practically enjoy how it seems that Martin's choice is taken away from him by that one bit -- even if he claims to feel freer afterwards. Maybe it was just me and the mood that I was in, that I couldn't enjoy this story as much as I wanted to *shrugs*

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smooth little story about a guy who rescues a wildcat from a snare, and as a result finds he is entangled in something just as potentially deadly. I liked the narrator's tone, and the take on shifters has a slightly different flavor. The story arc is pretty short and simple, but the writing is good.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

artin is on vacation in Scotland. He sees a wildcat caught in a snare and saves it, but ends up badly scratched. The next day he meets Callum in the pub. Callum is Irish but in Scotland for a month and invites Martin back to his place. Martin's a bit weirded out and Callum acts kind of strangely, but they have some hot smexin' (sans any mention of condoms). He wakes up to hear Callum arguing with someone. Getting up he's freaked to find out his B&B landlady turn into a werecat and want to attack him. While he's watching her fight with Callum another young woman bites him, meaning he'll turn into one as well to keep their secret. After a rough couple of days he's awaiting the first changing during the full-moon and can't figure out why Callum is being such an asshole about it. He finds out later why. I found the people of the town quite unsympathetic, especially in their zeal to keep their secret and I found Callum a bit annoying in his roundabout way of approaching everything. Also Martin's paranoia all the time with people thinking he was gay just by looking at him made me want to smack him, although I think he got over that by the end. On the whole I enjoyed this although I'd be curious what happens to Martin and Callum now that they are mates.

[Seregil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally a bit of variation on the were theme! Not that I don't like the classical MM were stories, but after reading a few it's like you read them all.
This is a short story and though it doesn't have any groundbreaking original elements, it does a aproach the story differently: the little town atmosphere, the almost playfull way it's revealed that werecats exist (followed by being passed off as a joke), the fact that the character act acording to their particular personal histories (and the impact it had on how they trust people) and the fact that "hey, we are mates" is not something that means the whole universe will conspire to make the relationship happen.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good paranormal m/m romance about a man on a hiking holiday who gets scratched up freeing a wildcat from a trap, not knowing that things aren't ever going to be the same again.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable and entertaining story by this consistently excellent writer.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Interesting idea/plot concept but no matter how much I tried I couldnt bring myself to like Calum.

I think the author was trying to make calum seem mysterious and secretive by evading questions. But to me he just came off as confusing.

This is a good read if you want a different take on the shifter theme. I liked the story but because of my confusion and irritation with Calum I cannot rate this story higher. This might just be my own hang up and you will find yourself loving him. Each to their own :)

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second cat shifter book I’ve read and again I’m quite surprised as to how much I enjoyed it, something different. Martin and Calum were both very interesting mc’s, especially Calum with his Irish way of talking and his cheeky but mysterious banter. It was a short story but it really held me, couldn’t put it down, I like this author style.

[Laks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Shifter Romance

Well...this was not as good as I expected. I am a fan of J.L. Merrow and I love her particular style of British humor and characters. But that specific style is absent here and that makes this just an ordinary Shifter story.

[Pamela Raglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Worth Reading

This is gemlike in its compact beauty. No long expositions, just crystal clear storytelling. And a very good story it is. There's meeting and meeting again and a marvelous ending.

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of silly fun.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought it was a good read, enjoyed Martin and Callum--didn't like the others "Bad Kitties" Short and sweet. Recommend reading

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like that Martin turns into a werecat.

[Walford · Rating 2 out of 5]

maybe too brief to really engage but competently done

[David Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

JL Merrow's "Snared" was a fast-paced supernatural romance that I quite liked. It began well - action in the first line - and ended well - made tears come, not usual for me.

The story involves were-cats, which make a pretty good a metaphor for being gay. They are both dangerous and yet vulnerable, a combination that captures the mixture of qualities that make them loveable. This fantasy treatment of the factual Scottish phenomenon of wildcats resonated nicely.

There were elements that seemed a bit strained, and the characterization was odd - though it was consistent. Merrow herself describes Calum as a kind of Heathcliff type, and I wasn't drawn to that kind of brooding, mysterious sullenness. However, there was humor and dramatic tension, which, along with the sub-culture motif, the in-fighting and acceptance/price tension, worked quite well.

Overall a very enjoyable read. Well-written and compassionate. Merrow is a powerful romance writer, and understands the importance of the resonance of things of the heart. The world she presents is rather arcane, and might have had a deeper, more resonant underpinning, but it was creditable, and besides, I just can't dislike a story that ends in tears - for the reader. And the metaphor of love relating to the act of freeing a trapped dangerous-but-helpless wild creature is just plain beautiful.

[Josephine Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the premise of this novella, as it concerns a hiker rescuing a wild cat from a snare, only to later meet and fall for the werecat in human form. I already knew that I love JL Merrow's prose, as she weaves humour into her writing and really knows how to bring a setting to life with a few vivid details. In Snared she paints a beautiful picture of a remote Scottish village, only to reveal the tensions and hidden secrets lurking beneath the surface.

The two main characters of Martin and Calum are both loners, finding it hard to communicate, and it is this lack of understanding of each other that drives the plot in the latter half. In some ways their lack of ability to express themselves also distances the reader from them, and I think this is the main thing that would prevent me from giving it top marks. However, in all other ways it was an entertaining read and I certainly enjoyed the couple of hours I spent on it.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good nor bad. Just okay mostly. I didn't like Martin getting bitten just to keep him quiet. I think he would've anyway because of Callum and it was absolutely cruel to do so without his consent. Pretty ruthless. I don't think I would've been okay with that. I would've been angry and I would've kicked that girl's ass even if she kicked mine in return. And the lying about his possible death? Another thing I hated. In fact, I don't really know why he stayed with Callum. They weren't that great together.

[Ro · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. There is just too much held back from Martin, yes, who's name is used incessantly by Calum the were cat. He is bitten by force by another were, a avoided by Calum, yelled at, hidden,and never told until the last second, by someone else, that the chances of him dying are huge. Calum does Not come across as a mate worried about his partner, but a coward worried about his own skin. Martin, even though a se ret keeper himself, deserved more.

[willaful · Rating 1 out of 5]

This m/m shifter story didn't work for me at all. Calum gives off such a creepy, smarmy vibe -- he seems to be legally obligated to call Martin by name in a significant manner about every five words -- that I kept expecting him to do something horrific, like bite Martin's penis off during sex. And Martin was just a doof. I felt no chemistry between them whatsoever.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. I didn't really feel this one as much as I wanted too. I wasn't able to get a good handle on Callum's feelings with his hot and cold attitude and I felt as confused as Martin was for most of the book. I enjoyed the end but would have liked a little more time with them as a couple. As it was, it felt like a tentative HFN despite the 'mate' comment.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way it's written, almost poetic.

They never took his shirt or the jacket off but now he's naked. Magic. :)

I like that the author didn't spell everything out. The reader had to infer why Calim acted the way he did and it was more than just what might have happened. He was already thinking of Martin as his mate and he was grieving, scared to be too close.

[Merith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is more a 3.5 than a true 4. The story was good, but I had trouble with the contention between Martin and Calum. The situation was more than awkward, not just between the two, but with the whole town.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I didn't like Calum at all. The way he used Martin's name in every sentence was really creepy. Actually, I think the only character I did like was Martin. I might read this one again, but maybe not.

[Julesmarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre. And so many things made me so uncomfortable.

Some Favorite Quotes:
"Not very grateful things, cats, are they?"

It was life, it was more than life; it was living itself, distilled into one perfect night.

[Ken Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best romannce, but it is damn cute.

[Indigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars - I choose this story because I love cats. Unfortunately, it was such a laborious read, it killed any enjoyment I could feel. A let-down on my expectations. 0.5 star for the writing style.

[Cerulean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paranormal mm romance. A man takes a trip to Scotland and is scratched up after he frees a cat from a snare. This leads to a few complications.
I only wish it had been longer.