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teresab78's review
4.0
Good
3.5 stars. I didn’t like Garth much in book one but he grew on me. I was glad there was more plot than sex though the sec was hot.
3.5 stars. I didn’t like Garth much in book one but he grew on me. I was glad there was more plot than sex though the sec was hot.
alexleo13's review
4.0
I really liked this story, as it mixed quite well light BDSM with D/s, May/December aspects (even though the "old" Garth was not even 40!), Mpreg and shifters and a good storyline. The murders and investigations were a plus and helped to give depth to the story besides the romantic aspects. In fact, I would say that Cass and Garth story is actually low on the romantic side at the beginning (besides the hot bed scenes) but by the end of the book, their connection was strong and well balanced. Given that I have not read the first book of the series, I had some trouble understanding the world where Cass is a hybrid and Garth "wanted to be an alpha" but then ended up being the one pregnant. There is never mention of omegas, like in other shifter stories, but only mates, all important side couples are in same-sex relationships and there are many side characters, so sometimes I was a little bit confused about who was paired with whom. An overall very enjoyable read.
katmoreid's review
5.0
Garth is an atypical alpha; his inner desire isn't to protect but to submit. He doesn't want to be different but he is, so he pretends. Cassius knows Garth is his and knows he wants to submit. Garth struggles a lot with accepting who he is and with the fear of what others would say if he revealed his true self. I loved this story; it was beautiful and different. Take a chance on this one, you won't regret it!
sultanaofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
karentje's review
4.0
Loved this story! I'm so glad I gave this author a try:-)
May/December stories are a favorite trope of mine, especially ones where the younger MC is more dominant than the older one, so this book was right up my alley. Throw in some shifters and destined mates and I couldn't be happier!
This book is very well-written, both with regards to character development and the different plots in the book. The pacing and dialogue are excellent and I really liked the secondary characters and what they brought to the overall world of the book.
Garth is not likeable at all, on the surface, and it's always a treat to have a seeming grouch meet that special someone that makes them feel loved and brings out their finer qualities. Cassius was able to do that for Garth, in an amazing way. Garth is so vulnerable, and Cassius is the only one who seems to get that. Loved that aspect of their story!
Garth and Cassius have great chemistry together, but at the same time it is also very much a love story! There's a lot more to the connection between Garth and Cassius than just "mate-driven" lust and sexual compatibility. Don't get me wrong, the steamier scenes are quite satisfactory in their own right ;-)
I'll have to re-read this one! Definitely a keeper :-)
May/December stories are a favorite trope of mine, especially ones where the younger MC is more dominant than the older one, so this book was right up my alley. Throw in some shifters and destined mates and I couldn't be happier!
This book is very well-written, both with regards to character development and the different plots in the book. The pacing and dialogue are excellent and I really liked the secondary characters and what they brought to the overall world of the book.
Garth is not likeable at all, on the surface, and it's always a treat to have a seeming grouch meet that special someone that makes them feel loved and brings out their finer qualities. Cassius was able to do that for Garth, in an amazing way. Garth is so vulnerable, and Cassius is the only one who seems to get that. Loved that aspect of their story!
Garth and Cassius have great chemistry together, but at the same time it is also very much a love story! There's a lot more to the connection between Garth and Cassius than just "mate-driven" lust and sexual compatibility. Don't get me wrong, the steamier scenes are quite satisfactory in their own right ;-)
I'll have to re-read this one! Definitely a keeper :-)
atheresa's review
1.0
DNF. The story idea about a younger Dom was great. The BDSM was sloppy. This was the 3rd Kiki Burrelli book I've tried and they are getting better, but the writing was still akward and rough.
samanatha's review
3.0
3.5/5
Oh the joys of May-December love. There is something about the age difference that I just love. And this is an atypical approach in that it is our younger man who is the dominant. And it works really well here.
[b: Under His Control (Hybrid Heat #2)|40172450|Under His Control (Hybrid Heat #2)|Kiki Burrelli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526713570s/40172450.jpg|62322237] has a lot of heat to it. The couple is not shy about how they feel toward one another. And the D/s is moderate here. While there is not a lot of pain play, there is some humiliation and a lot of power exchange. And it was so much fun watching Garth yield to Cassius. If there was more of that and more of the MC, I would have strongly preferred this book.
An underlying message of this book is what can happen to a person who denies who they really are. Garth clearly is unhappy forcing himself to play out a role and live a life that does not work for him. The process of change has some bumps to it, but eventually Cas and Garth find themselves in a better place. This felt very true to real life in which people make themselves miserable living how they think they should rather than exploring what they really need and want.
I am not sure if I’ll continue with the series since the elements that initially interested me most, MC and shifters, are so rarely utilized or discussed. While I enjoyed the two I’ve read so far, I might have to accept that this is not the series for me.
Available on KU.
Happy Reading!
Oh the joys of May-December love. There is something about the age difference that I just love. And this is an atypical approach in that it is our younger man who is the dominant. And it works really well here.
[b: Under His Control (Hybrid Heat #2)|40172450|Under His Control (Hybrid Heat #2)|Kiki Burrelli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526713570s/40172450.jpg|62322237] has a lot of heat to it. The couple is not shy about how they feel toward one another. And the D/s is moderate here. While there is not a lot of pain play, there is some humiliation and a lot of power exchange. And it was so much fun watching Garth yield to Cassius. If there was more of that and more of the MC, I would have strongly preferred this book.
An underlying message of this book is what can happen to a person who denies who they really are. Garth clearly is unhappy forcing himself to play out a role and live a life that does not work for him. The process of change has some bumps to it, but eventually Cas and Garth find themselves in a better place. This felt very true to real life in which people make themselves miserable living how they think they should rather than exploring what they really need and want.
I am not sure if I’ll continue with the series since the elements that initially interested me most, MC and shifters, are so rarely utilized or discussed. While I enjoyed the two I’ve read so far, I might have to accept that this is not the series for me.
Available on KU.
Happy Reading!
disloyalorderof's review
2.0
This was okay but there was not enough real focus on the emotional change in the older romantic interest. Not satisfying.
jamietherebelliousreader's review
4.0
4 stars. And I thought the first book was great (which it was, I'm not taking anything away from that) but this one blows the first book completely out of the water!
Kiki Burrelli is an author that I've been reading for a while now and she just always delivers. When it comes to M/M shifter romances she pretty much is the Queen and I will read whatever she writes. I think this series might just be her strongest to date. Everything about it just works. The characters are wonderful and complex, the side characters are ones that you meet in previous series but even if you haven't read those series you still get a good sense of who they are as people. The story for this book in particular was great and again just like how I felt with the first book, a lot deeper than I was expecting.
Garth was a mystery to me in the last book. I liked him despite him being a raging asshole but I didn't really know what to make of him overall. This book made all the sense of the world for his character and why he was so angry and bitter. He goes through wonderful self discovery and growth and just seeing him come to terms with who he is and stop trying to be what he thinks he should be for everyone else was so good. A lot of that does have to do with Cassius and their relationship but also just Garth having to really learn to let go of that fear of being judged for not being the alpha he thinks he should be. It's a wonderful transformation seeing him from how he started off when we first meet his character to the end of this book.
I honestly fell in love with Cassius from the moment he was introduced. Side note, let me just say that he is significantly younger than Garth and is also his alpha. God, I'm such trash for that trope. Younger alpha/older beta or omega. Sign me the fuck up. Please and thank you. Anyways, Cass has his own interesting back story as well and I love that even though he was so young the author didn't write him so immature. He was levelheaded and smart and he knew exactly what he wanted which I appreciated. He was the perfect counterpart for Garth and their relationship worked on so many levels.
The synopsis makes you think this is just BDSM smut, and there is plenty of that in here don't get me wrong, but there's more than that as well. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Kiki Burrelli is an author that I've been reading for a while now and she just always delivers. When it comes to M/M shifter romances she pretty much is the Queen and I will read whatever she writes. I think this series might just be her strongest to date. Everything about it just works. The characters are wonderful and complex, the side characters are ones that you meet in previous series but even if you haven't read those series you still get a good sense of who they are as people. The story for this book in particular was great and again just like how I felt with the first book, a lot deeper than I was expecting.
Garth was a mystery to me in the last book. I liked him despite him being a raging asshole but I didn't really know what to make of him overall. This book made all the sense of the world for his character and why he was so angry and bitter. He goes through wonderful self discovery and growth and just seeing him come to terms with who he is and stop trying to be what he thinks he should be for everyone else was so good. A lot of that does have to do with Cassius and their relationship but also just Garth having to really learn to let go of that fear of being judged for not being the alpha he thinks he should be. It's a wonderful transformation seeing him from how he started off when we first meet his character to the end of this book.
I honestly fell in love with Cassius from the moment he was introduced. Side note, let me just say that he is significantly younger than Garth and is also his alpha. God, I'm such trash for that trope. Younger alpha/older beta or omega. Sign me the fuck up. Please and thank you. Anyways, Cass has his own interesting back story as well and I love that even though he was so young the author didn't write him so immature. He was levelheaded and smart and he knew exactly what he wanted which I appreciated. He was the perfect counterpart for Garth and their relationship worked on so many levels.
The synopsis makes you think this is just BDSM smut, and there is plenty of that in here don't get me wrong, but there's more than that as well. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
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