If the MCs had stuck to the primitive vocabulary of "want" and "mine" instead of choosing to use the dreaded ILYs, this would have left me feeling much more satisfied. As it is, the second half of the story just felt contrived and saccharine - as much as a story with this premise can be saccharine.Basically, what should have been a violent, lush, dangerous tale of protection and possession was turned into a sugary romance for the sake of LIAW. I saw no leopards other than the shifter himself, one of the MCs, but I did see two people who don't speak the same language and have only known each other for a month in pretty unconventional conditions profess undying lurve to each other.That said, the story was well-written and very pleasant, and... well, the sex was hot. Let's not kid each other, that's always a pretty important element. I am a shameless fan of K. Piet and S.L. Armstrong. They are one of my favorite writing teams and I always look forward to reading more books written by them. When I saw this short story up for review, I immediately grabbed it because I know whatever these two authors write, I will most likely love. Sure enough, Jungle Law was a creative and interesting story about a leopard shape-shifter and the young man he saves.Kaanan is a leopard shape-shifter who does what he can to protect his fellow peers from the horror of human destruction. Because he’s watched many of his kind hunted down and murdered again and again, he’s not a fan of the human race and prefers to live as a leopard than his human counterpart. When he spots a helpless, young man fleeing from a hunting party he surprisingly feels compelled to help man. Soon, he rescues the man, Deshi, and for the life of him, Kaanan can’t understand why he’s so drawn to him. As they start to communicate, there is a burning attraction and emotional connection that sizzles between them. But, Kaanan doesn’t believe that the sweetly innocent Deshi can survive in his harsh world and vows to return him safely home. Will Deshi be able to convince Kaanan to stay together?I loved this short story! My only gripe is that it is so short and just when I really began to get into it the story was over. I really appreciated the fresh spin these authors gave on the typical shape-shifter story and loved the way the relationship developed between the two characters. For such a short story, it reads as a longer one and is very fast-paced and uniquely told. I hated to see this story come to an end and pray that one day the authors will one day continue writing about these likeable, noble characters.Since this book is a free read under the ‘Love is Always Write’ series the awesome M/M Romance Group is hosting at the Goodreads site.
What do You think about Jungle Law (2012)?
This was really good. I love her style of writing and the topic was interesting. Good stuff
—Salma6T
3.5 stars.As usual with the short stories - too short.
—tdizzle
