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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
The rating is because a number of scenes in the book felt forced and because there were continuity issues. Both of these issues weren't horrible, merely distracting, and I would have still enjoyed the story if it weren't that I really dislike this type off daddy/boy relationship.
Obviously whatever works for the couple is what they should do, but I found it highly annoying that the "boy" was in charge for the book outside of one, maybe two, scenes. At first he needed to be, and aggressively did so, and then he didn't need to be so he channeled that into being a brat with a temper. Which his daddy took. In fact "daddy" spent most of the book apologizing for one thing or another. Of course when daddies make mistakes they should apologize, but this was well beyond that. I kept waiting for him to take control, but he never really did.
Obviously whatever works for the couple is what they should do, but I found it highly annoying that the "boy" was in charge for the book outside of one, maybe two, scenes. At first he needed to be, and aggressively did so, and then he didn't need to be so he channeled that into being a brat with a temper. Which his daddy took. In fact "daddy" spent most of the book apologizing for one thing or another. Of course when daddies make mistakes they should apologize, but this was well beyond that. I kept waiting for him to take control, but he never really did.
BECOMING DADDY WOLF is the first book in the RGB Security series and I honestly cannot wait for this series to continue.
We start off with Ren, a wolf shifter and one of the partners of said security firm being tortured and the person he was trying to save dying. He comes back from this with severe PTSD (no surprise). Arie is 'just' a human and is the receptionist for the security firm. He has had a crush on Ren for the past two years but never acted on it. Everyone else is aware of his crush but says nothing. Ren knows Arie is his fated mate but doesn't act on it. You can see where this is going, right?!
There is a whole load of caregiving in this book - usually by Arie to Ren as he tries to help him recover from his torture. I'm being honest here... the Daddy side? Yeah, that didn't really work for me here. It was more about Ren and his wolf admitting and being with Arie. You can be dominant in a relationship without having a Daddy. Those parts seemed almost awkward to read about, not quite fitting in as nicely with the rest of the story.
But that was my biggest niggle. The rest of the book, I absolutely loved. I adore all the different characters and can think of at least half a dozen more I want stories for.
A great start to a series that I look forward to reading more from. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 15, 2023
We start off with Ren, a wolf shifter and one of the partners of said security firm being tortured and the person he was trying to save dying. He comes back from this with severe PTSD (no surprise). Arie is 'just' a human and is the receptionist for the security firm. He has had a crush on Ren for the past two years but never acted on it. Everyone else is aware of his crush but says nothing. Ren knows Arie is his fated mate but doesn't act on it. You can see where this is going, right?!
There is a whole load of caregiving in this book - usually by Arie to Ren as he tries to help him recover from his torture. I'm being honest here... the Daddy side? Yeah, that didn't really work for me here. It was more about Ren and his wolf admitting and being with Arie. You can be dominant in a relationship without having a Daddy. Those parts seemed almost awkward to read about, not quite fitting in as nicely with the rest of the story.
But that was my biggest niggle. The rest of the book, I absolutely loved. I adore all the different characters and can think of at least half a dozen more I want stories for.
A great start to a series that I look forward to reading more from. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 15, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for rating.
I enjoyed reading this book, even though at times not a lot happened. E.g. a month passed with Ren staying with Arie and no mention on how they adjusted. Also the opening scene where Ren is hurt is not fully explained, ditto a later situation when one of them is hurt, where although the plot explained what the motivation was, seemed trivial for the level of violence.
I like the relationship that is established with Arie's brother Leon, it was a close, relaxed communication between them.
In all, looked forward to reading this book, and enjoyed the characters and the environment that is built up around them, even if at times it feels like more a journal of events than a directed plot for a story. But expect there'll be more to follow as a series so that isn't a bad thing.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
I enjoyed reading this book, even though at times not a lot happened. E.g. a month passed with Ren staying with Arie and no mention on how they adjusted. Also the opening scene where Ren is hurt is not fully explained, ditto a later situation when one of them is hurt, where although the plot explained what the motivation was, seemed trivial for the level of violence.
I like the relationship that is established with Arie's brother Leon, it was a close, relaxed communication between them.
In all, looked forward to reading this book, and enjoyed the characters and the environment that is built up around them, even if at times it feels like more a journal of events than a directed plot for a story. But expect there'll be more to follow as a series so that isn't a bad thing.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
3.5 stars ~ I really enjoyed this story until about 75% where, IMO, it fizzled out. As if the momentum of the story was just gone. I still liked it, but I think it could’ve been more.
I’m generally not a fan of the daddy trope, but the plot for this one compelled me to read it. In this mm shifter romance, human Arie has been working as the receptionist at RGB Security for more than two years. And for the entirety of his time at the office, he’s had a hopeless crush on one of his hot bosses, Ren. For his part, Ren, a wolf shifter, has done his best to act disinterested in Arie, despite his wolf recognizing Arie as his mate from the start.
When Ren returns injured from an overseas mission, he turns to Arie for comfort and support. As he’s healing, a whole series of events unfold leading to Arie learning about his status as Ren’s mate.
While I haven’t read a lot of shifter romance, I enjoyed this story a lot. The spice level is much lower than I anticipated given the undeniable chemistry and connection between Ren and Arie, but I still enjoyed it. I hope the author writes more in this world.
When Ren returns injured from an overseas mission, he turns to Arie for comfort and support. As he’s healing, a whole series of events unfold leading to Arie learning about his status as Ren’s mate.
While I haven’t read a lot of shifter romance, I enjoyed this story a lot. The spice level is much lower than I anticipated given the undeniable chemistry and connection between Ren and Arie, but I still enjoyed it. I hope the author writes more in this world.
I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot, the caretaking, forced proximity and pining was nice and while Ren denying himself his fated mate felt a bit contrived it still worked for me. But unfortunately the last part of the book left me bored, and the Daddy aspect felt tacked on and undercommunicated rather than a natural development.
Arie has a crust on Ren but Ren has a secret. Arie is actually his mate but Ren is still recovering from something that occurred on his last job. The author did an amazing job of showing how mental health can affect someone and how it changes their life. This is a slow burn story in the best possible way. I am looking forward to the next in the series.
ARC review
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Book safety, tropes and tags down below.
I have to say, I really liked the world the author has created with this one. Of course there was a lot of character introductions, considering it's the first book in the series, but that's to be expected. I'll likely read the next book as well. The author did a good job making you interested in the side characters without completely overwhelming you with information.
As for this book specifically, I was highly intrigued by the blurb. Arie has been crushing on his boss Ren for two years. Unbeknownst to Arie, they are actually fated mates, which Ren has kept secret. I do wish we got a better explanation as to why it was kept a secret, but I thought their eventual friendship and relationship was very sweet, and the fact that Arie gave Ren a bit of a hard time over it made up for a lot of it.
The book starts with Ren having gone through something highly traumatic, and our MCs start building a closer friendship when Arie supports Ren while he works through some of his trauma. I commend the author for making this a slow process, including some rough moments and therapy. Absolutely no magic d*ck in sight, people! Speaking of d*ck, this is a slooow burn (we're talking the 90th percentile here folks). BUT, when we finally got down and dirty, it was very good. We even got some surprise knottage, which I'm always here for.
One of my favorite moments was very early on when Arie cuddles Ren while he's in wolf form (oh, he's a wolf shifter, I guess I forgot to mention that), and it was very cute. More of that in the next book, please! We got some other cute and funny moments too:
"For a few seconds I was sure he would throw the fruit at me, but instead, he turned the glare to my direction, before pointedly chomping on the banana in a way that made my c*ck want to crawl inside my body. Point taken."
"'Can I get the kisses first, and the good pain pills second?' Very, very quietly he added, 'I don't wanna miss the kisses."
"'What did Daddy just say?' he asked sharply. 'I dunno, maybe Daddy should stop talking about himself in third person and-ow!' This smack was much harder."
I enjoyed how even though Ren is the big bad wolf, as well as an alpha, it was Arie that took on the caregiving and supportive role early on in the book, even though he's *only* human. Arie and his brother had a fallout with the rest of their family, partially because of speciesism, so it was nice to see the MCs being equals. This only strengthened their eventual Daddy/boy dynamic, in my opinion. When Ren eventually assumed the Daddy role, we understood why that made sense for him, and because we've seen them being equals, the power exchange felt authentic, and like something they both wanted, not just needed. I love Daddy/boy, but if you don't, I will say it was pretty mild overall.
Unfortunately, this book did have what might be my biggest pet peeve: no character descriptions. I know Ren is 6 foot 2 inches tall, but that is sadly all we got. I like knowing what the characters look like. We got quite a thorough description of Arie's brother, Leon, so I think we should have gotten one for our MCs as well. Other than that, I was entertained throughout the book, and even though the tropes are familiar, it was done in a way I haven't read before, which was neat!
Book safety
Cheating: No
OM drama: No
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Strict top/bottom or vers: Strict roles (only one scene where this is applicable)
TW/CW
Discipline (corner timeout), violence, murder, blood, hospitalization, PTSD, mental health struggles, stalking of side character, hate crime (beating), homophobia, speciesism, religious bigotry, explicit sexual content
Tropes & tags
Shifter/human, wolf shifter, boss/employee, fated mates, slow burn, friends-to-lovers, knot, Daddy/boy, domestic discipline, workplace family, rock star brother, hurt/comfort, caretaking
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Book safety, tropes and tags down below.
I have to say, I really liked the world the author has created with this one. Of course there was a lot of character introductions, considering it's the first book in the series, but that's to be expected. I'll likely read the next book as well. The author did a good job making you interested in the side characters without completely overwhelming you with information.
As for this book specifically, I was highly intrigued by the blurb. Arie has been crushing on his boss Ren for two years. Unbeknownst to Arie, they are actually fated mates, which Ren has kept secret. I do wish we got a better explanation as to why it was kept a secret, but I thought their eventual friendship and relationship was very sweet, and the fact that Arie gave Ren a bit of a hard time over it made up for a lot of it.
The book starts with Ren having gone through something highly traumatic, and our MCs start building a closer friendship when Arie supports Ren while he works through some of his trauma. I commend the author for making this a slow process, including some rough moments and therapy. Absolutely no magic d*ck in sight, people! Speaking of d*ck, this is a slooow burn (we're talking the 90th percentile here folks). BUT, when we finally got down and dirty, it was very good. We even got some surprise knottage, which I'm always here for.
One of my favorite moments was very early on when Arie cuddles Ren while he's in wolf form (oh, he's a wolf shifter, I guess I forgot to mention that), and it was very cute. More of that in the next book, please! We got some other cute and funny moments too:
"For a few seconds I was sure he would throw the fruit at me, but instead, he turned the glare to my direction, before pointedly chomping on the banana in a way that made my c*ck want to crawl inside my body. Point taken."
"'Can I get the kisses first, and the good pain pills second?' Very, very quietly he added, 'I don't wanna miss the kisses."
"'What did Daddy just say?' he asked sharply. 'I dunno, maybe Daddy should stop talking about himself in third person and-ow!' This smack was much harder."
I enjoyed how even though Ren is the big bad wolf, as well as an alpha, it was Arie that took on the caregiving and supportive role early on in the book, even though he's *only* human. Arie and his brother had a fallout with the rest of their family, partially because of speciesism, so it was nice to see the MCs being equals. This only strengthened their eventual Daddy/boy dynamic, in my opinion. When Ren eventually assumed the Daddy role, we understood why that made sense for him, and because we've seen them being equals, the power exchange felt authentic, and like something they both wanted, not just needed. I love Daddy/boy, but if you don't, I will say it was pretty mild overall.
Unfortunately, this book did have what might be my biggest pet peeve: no character descriptions. I know Ren is 6 foot 2 inches tall, but that is sadly all we got. I like knowing what the characters look like. We got quite a thorough description of Arie's brother, Leon, so I think we should have gotten one for our MCs as well. Other than that, I was entertained throughout the book, and even though the tropes are familiar, it was done in a way I haven't read before, which was neat!
Book safety
Spoiler
Cheating: No
OM drama: No
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Strict top/bottom or vers: Strict roles (only one scene where this is applicable)
TW/CW
Spoiler
Discipline (corner timeout), violence, murder, blood, hospitalization, PTSD, mental health struggles, stalking of side character, hate crime (beating), homophobia, speciesism, religious bigotry, explicit sexual content
Tropes & tags
Spoiler
Shifter/human, wolf shifter, boss/employee, fated mates, slow burn, friends-to-lovers, knot, Daddy/boy, domestic discipline, workplace family, rock star brother, hurt/comfort, caretaking
Eu gostei bastante até uns 80% quando começa todo o lance de "Daddy" mas também não é culpa do livro, tá no nome eu que não percebi pra onde ia levar. Porém não é nada exagerado eu que não curto isso de tratar o parceiro como filho (sim, o livro mesmo não tolera isso e meio que muda no fim, mas eu não gosto) e não me incomodou total. E eu não me incomodo com chamar o outro de Daddy, mas isso ser toda uma dinâmica não me agrada. Mas se curtir acho que é um bom livro. Eu gosto dos personagens, eu gosto que o Ren busca terapia (!!!!). O livro é bem centrado na recuperação mental do Ren e depois na física do Arie. Acho que podia ser um pouco mais aprofundado nos temas, mas é um livro curto e rápido de ler. No fim, é um livro ok.