Desiring Red
by Kristin Miller
Synopsis:
I’m indecisive when it comes to my shoes. Choosing a werewolf mate who’ll be with me until I croak? Pardon me while I take some time to think on it. But a steamy encounter before the final ceremony changes everything.
Reaper, the Omega’s eldest grandson, is fiercely loyal, scorching hot, and built for pleasure. He brings down my defenses, and before I know what’s happening, I succumb to the heat in his touch and the skill of his mouth. I’ve only just met him, but I need him like no other.
As part of my pack duties, I must parade in front of the Alpha, who has first choice of the pre-shifters. Rumors of his dark desires run deep, and I’ve always been intrigued. But the forbidden passion blazing between Reaper and me is too primal to deny. By pack law, Reaper can’t have me until the Alpha makes his choice…but Reaper’s never been one to follow the rules.
Review:
The cover makes this one look like a menage, which it’s not–yet–this is the first part in a series (A Dark and Dirty Tale) in which there’s at least one more book coming (Dominating Red). One or more of those could definitely be in Ivy, the main character’s, future, but it doesn’t happen in this one.
What we do have is the beginning of a story–a super fast read; I kept an eye on how much of the book/how much time my Kindle said I had to go and couldn’t figure out how everything could possibly be resolved by then, only to find out that it wasn’t. That was a relief, really, because more is going on here than can reasonably be finished up in way less than 100 pages!
I liked Ivy a lot, though I didn’t quite get why their pack culture demands female pre-shifters choose a mate before their first shift, which is what she’s tasked with doing as the story begins–choose, or the choice will be made for her. Maybe there isn’t more of a reason than it’s just tradition, but I felt like I wanted more justification than that.
It did remind me of one of my favorite Demotivators, though:
Not completely understanding this part of it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story; I’d just like to comprehend the urgency a little more is all. Is there an actual reason for it?
Anyway…
On the day she has to announce her choice, Ivy encounters not one, but two sexy werewolf men–Reaper, the mysterious, out-for-revenge one who should be alpha but he’s too busy trying to avenge his parents’ death, and his cousin Lukas, the one who’s been made alpha in his place. Both men seem to have a lot going on in their favor; she has some pretty steamy scenes with one, and some maybe even more delicious innuendo-heavy ones with the other.
Meanwhile, the alpha may not be the sensitive, sensual guy he came off as in their initial interview, and Reaper’s got his own agenda going on and claims to have nothing to offer Ivy other than a few hours of sensual bliss. (He gets a good head start on that part in this book, at least, I’ll give him that.) Along with Ivy’s choose-a-life-mate pressures and a pack mystery that Reaper has to solve before he can take off again, it’s clear that this series has its work cut out for it. I’m anxious to see what will happen next–fortunately, book 2’s due out in just a few weeks!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
