This was so good! I don't usually have much love for werewolf books but I wanted to read this because I've liked everything else I've read from this author. Well, whaddayaknow, I thought it was freaking awesome! I loved Paul and Simon right from the beginning of this book. Simon was absolutely adorable in wolf-form. I really loved the goofy aspect of his personality that translated over to his human side as well. Paul was really caring and nice to absolutely everybody around him, human or animal. I really liked that both of them communicated well with each other and were always respectful and adult around each other. I loved Paul's reaction to learning Simon had been keeping big secrets from him. I also really liked a lot of the side characters, both wolf and human. The author did an excellent job with the world building in this. I was ranting and raving about the injustices in the werewolf pack as if it were a real thing. She had me legitimately caring about the safety and health of the pack as a whole. And she took two things that frequently don't work for me in shifter books - mate bonds and strict pack dominance hierarchies - and made them work. I was quite happy with the way both of those elements played out in the end. There were some excellent feels in this as well. When Paul had a bad day at the clinic I cried a wet spot onto my pillow, and I am not a big crier. Simon's occasional snarkiness with the pack and Paul's "scientific" approach to some things had me laughing. The sex scenes in this book really worked for me - and my feelings about sex scenes usually range from "don't care" to "do not want" so that's saying something. I'm obviously not in a werewolf pack and I still loved and was inspired by some of the speeches Aaron gave near the end about pack dynamics and mate bonds. There was a whole paragraph there that I wanted to quote for awesomeness. I won a copy of this during the M/M Group's Anniversary Celebration - thanks so much to Kaje Harper for donating it! Cannot wait to read the next ones! I love shifter stories, especially gay shifter stories and this was no exception to that love. There is a slightly different spin to the shifter mystic in this one. These shifters have some of the usual shifter benefits, but not all. The creation of this community was clear and complex. The inhabitants had both good and bad traits just like "normal" humans. Theirs is a harsh world that must protect the secret of their existence. Paul is a works too hard as the sole veterinarian of his own practice and works much to hard for his own health. He is compassionate. On a snowy night he stops and rescues a large dog that he thinks was victim of a hit and run. He is drawn to the dog and thinks about keeping if he can save its life.Simon is a gay shifter, a fact not accepted by most of his pack. Gay pack members are ordinarily killed when it is discovered. Simon has some support but not all. Someone wants him dead and left him to die in the snow on that lonely road. Since Paul first sees him as a "dog" Simon must retain his wolf while in the clinic. Simon returns as a human to make sure Paul does not keep searching for the "dog" he had saved. Simon is drawn to Paul both by his wolf and his human side. He knows Paul is his mate. This puts Paul's life in as much jeopardy as Simon's. I felt the attraction between Simon and Paul. Yes it was quick, but they were "true mates" so I con forgive the speed. I enjoyed Simon's attempt to woo Paul but not be too overpowering. They made an adorable couple. Of course not all could go easily for them and that is the story. Paul's rections were believable.Kaje Harper knows how to write and how to capture her reader's attention. I will continue reading this series.
What do You think about Unacceptable Risk (2011)?
I couldn't put this book down - review to come at a later date. :)
—666emo
