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Chasing Shadows
Upon witnessing a sultry, naked young man turn into a wolf after a car crash, Detective John Hamdon thinks he must be pretty messed up. When John's beautiful hallucination arrives at Chicago police headquarters as a new detective, John knows he's perfectly screwed. John can't tell anyone he saw the new man turn into a wolf when John doesn't believe it himself.
Detective René Bast from New Orleans is sexy, irresistible, and all wrong. John finds it tough to investigate a series of murders when he's sure he's riding shotgun with the perp. John knows his new partner has a past, but Bast's records got washed away by Hurricane Katrina. Even as John digs into Bast's ties to a Chicago crime lord, Bast won't stand still to be hunted. It's clear that John Hamdon is running from his own past. Bast turns the hunt around, even as he's falling for the man he may need to kill.
Detective René Bast from New Orleans is sexy, irresistible, and all wrong. John finds it tough to investigate a series of murders when he's sure he's riding shotgun with the perp. John knows his new partner has a past, but Bast's records got washed away by Hurricane Katrina. Even as John digs into Bast's ties to a Chicago crime lord, Bast won't stand still to be hunted. It's clear that John Hamdon is running from his own past. Bast turns the hunt around, even as he's falling for the man he may need to kill.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2012
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Jez Morrow
10 books203 followersI am a madam's granddaughter.
I write homoerotic fiction.
Scarlet Blade is a swashbuckling romance between a dashing Spanish nobleman and a fallen priest in colonial California.
In Chasing Shadows the trail of a killer leads two Chicago police detectives to each other.
Beloved Captor is a sci fi love story between a prisoner of war and his keeper.
Sovereign's Gladiator is a tale of lust, loyalty, betrayal, and love between a sovereign and his bodyguard.
Touch of a Wolf starts in a Philadelphia alley with anonymous sex between a young graduate student and an ageless wolf shifter from Valley Forge.
Force of Law is a Pretty Woman tale, but with a tomcat garage mechanic in the Julia Roberts role.
Shadow of a Wolf takes place in contemporary Washington DC. The men are wolf shifters.
Lover and Commander is science fiction.
The men are space fighter pilots.
In Name of a Wolf I'm back to wolves, but Craiglaren is a sort of highland neverwhere neverwhen.
The stories always involve two men. No threesomes. Always erotica. A strong plot. Always an HEA.
Other than that, I never know where the next road leads.
I write homoerotic fiction.
Scarlet Blade is a swashbuckling romance between a dashing Spanish nobleman and a fallen priest in colonial California.
In Chasing Shadows the trail of a killer leads two Chicago police detectives to each other.
Beloved Captor is a sci fi love story between a prisoner of war and his keeper.
Sovereign's Gladiator is a tale of lust, loyalty, betrayal, and love between a sovereign and his bodyguard.
Touch of a Wolf starts in a Philadelphia alley with anonymous sex between a young graduate student and an ageless wolf shifter from Valley Forge.
Force of Law is a Pretty Woman tale, but with a tomcat garage mechanic in the Julia Roberts role.
Shadow of a Wolf takes place in contemporary Washington DC. The men are wolf shifters.
Lover and Commander is science fiction.
The men are space fighter pilots.
In Name of a Wolf I'm back to wolves, but Craiglaren is a sort of highland neverwhere neverwhen.
The stories always involve two men. No threesomes. Always erotica. A strong plot. Always an HEA.
Other than that, I never know where the next road leads.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 29, 2012
2.5 stars. Ok paranormal m/m romance that could've been a five-star read if it hadn't jumped all over the place - to the point that I'm not convinced there's not part of a chapter missing.
August 2, 2014
A writer that never fails to entertain me..
April 27, 2012
This review was originally written for Hearts on Fire Reviews and can also be found there.
I've just finished reading this book and I'm at a loss as how to rate it. There were some aspects of it that I really liked and then there were others that I really could have lived without.
John is a detective who hits a wolf with his car while rushing to the rescue of his lover who has a history of suicide threats. But during the accident something inexplicable happens, the wolf turns into a man underneath John's car and John doesn't know anymore what is reality and what a car crash consequence.
Then Bast, another detective comes to work in John precinct and John knows he was the wolf underneath his car, but still isn't insane enough to share the information with anyone. Dancing around one another, fighting criminals and resisting the mutual attraction maybe wouldn't even be so bad if John wasn't convinced Bast is behind every single one of their cases.
I'm pretty much convinced that this will be a 'love it or hate it' book even to those people who actually manage to understand all of it. I loved the guys, their banter and personalities, I was also pretty crazy about the idea of the story, but everything else was just too jumbled up for me. The plot jumped too widely and too fast, while a couple of places seemed as if they were missing a chapter in between. I was confused for the most part, trying to catch all the story strings, but the whole time I seemed to have been three steps behind.
The twists were amazing and nicely done, but the complicated plot and disjointed writing just about killed the romance and smothered the wonderful personalities the guys had. Bast seemed to be blowing hot and cold which I found annoying and I was hurt for John way too much. After the long 'introduction' into the story, I expected the couple to be explosive and otherworldly, but that didn't happen either.
I can't help it but think this could have been a great story. With a bit more focus and a 'cleaner' plot John and Bast would have ended up as one of those couples - you know, the ones we just can't stop talking about and that seem to end on top of every list. I still like Jez Morrow's penchant for original and the capability to take shifters to another level. We'll definitely be meeting again.
I've just finished reading this book and I'm at a loss as how to rate it. There were some aspects of it that I really liked and then there were others that I really could have lived without.
John is a detective who hits a wolf with his car while rushing to the rescue of his lover who has a history of suicide threats. But during the accident something inexplicable happens, the wolf turns into a man underneath John's car and John doesn't know anymore what is reality and what a car crash consequence.
Then Bast, another detective comes to work in John precinct and John knows he was the wolf underneath his car, but still isn't insane enough to share the information with anyone. Dancing around one another, fighting criminals and resisting the mutual attraction maybe wouldn't even be so bad if John wasn't convinced Bast is behind every single one of their cases.
I'm pretty much convinced that this will be a 'love it or hate it' book even to those people who actually manage to understand all of it. I loved the guys, their banter and personalities, I was also pretty crazy about the idea of the story, but everything else was just too jumbled up for me. The plot jumped too widely and too fast, while a couple of places seemed as if they were missing a chapter in between. I was confused for the most part, trying to catch all the story strings, but the whole time I seemed to have been three steps behind.
The twists were amazing and nicely done, but the complicated plot and disjointed writing just about killed the romance and smothered the wonderful personalities the guys had. Bast seemed to be blowing hot and cold which I found annoying and I was hurt for John way too much. After the long 'introduction' into the story, I expected the couple to be explosive and otherworldly, but that didn't happen either.
I can't help it but think this could have been a great story. With a bit more focus and a 'cleaner' plot John and Bast would have ended up as one of those couples - you know, the ones we just can't stop talking about and that seem to end on top of every list. I still like Jez Morrow's penchant for original and the capability to take shifters to another level. We'll definitely be meeting again.
April 30, 2012
I have loved everything by this author, until this book.
This book had some good parts and awesome ideas but it executed them poorly. As a reader it felt like we were always kept at a distance and in the dark as the story jumped around. I never really knew what was going on and it seemed like huge ginormous chunks of the story were missing.
And then stuff that the reader was left out of would be answered, but it was only like half answers. I don’t like feeling like I’m only getting part of a story and left wondering “where is the part of the story that links these random scenes together, so they will make sense?” those scenes never came, unfortunately.
And the biggest one was the huge jump at the start of chapter six. The end of chapter five they don’t like each other and have barely talked. Six starts who knows when and
I hate this “it happened, don’t ask why or expect details or it to make sense” style of writing. The story was pretty much all down hill from there.
Oh and i was really bored the last half. it seemed repetitive and even though i wasn't tired i fell asleep reading this. I don't remember that ever happening before. I am the type to not sleep because i'm reading but this...
This book had some good parts and awesome ideas but it executed them poorly. As a reader it felt like we were always kept at a distance and in the dark as the story jumped around. I never really knew what was going on and it seemed like huge ginormous chunks of the story were missing.
And then stuff that the reader was left out of would be answered, but it was only like half answers. I don’t like feeling like I’m only getting part of a story and left wondering “where is the part of the story that links these random scenes together, so they will make sense?” those scenes never came, unfortunately.
And the biggest one was the huge jump at the start of chapter six. The end of chapter five they don’t like each other and have barely talked. Six starts who knows when and
I hate this “it happened, don’t ask why or expect details or it to make sense” style of writing. The story was pretty much all down hill from there.
Oh and i was really bored the last half. it seemed repetitive and even though i wasn't tired i fell asleep reading this. I don't remember that ever happening before. I am the type to not sleep because i'm reading but this...
April 28, 2012
Huh? I found the story to be very disjointed with events occurring out of nowhere and then touched upon or explained much later. There didn't always seem to be a reason for some things???!!! Like, there were some "throw away" scenes that didn't progress the story in what I consider a quality manner.
Maybe it will make more sense if there is a sequel? I enjoy this author's writing (love, love, love "Force of Law" and "Lover and Commander") but this one didn't grab me at all.
Disappointeding.... 2 1/2 stars.
Maybe it will make more sense if there is a sequel? I enjoy this author's writing (love, love, love "Force of Law" and "Lover and Commander") but this one didn't grab me at all.
Disappointed
May 21, 2015
I loved this book. It flowed beautifully for me, and I don't really understand what other reviewers are referring to when they say they felt something missing. It was beautifully understated, and it was suspenseful and compelling throughout. While it should have felt like common ground and old tropes shabbily put together, given the fantasy tropes, it was anything but. Surprisingly, it felt fresh and original. Nothing this author has written has led me to believe he/she was capable of this quality, as I haven't liked most of his/her other works.
The pacing was fast, and I thought both MCs were believable and appealing. Very well drawn out. I can't believe this is the same author who wrote Force of Law, which was rather shallow and didn't come out remotely as well.
This was terrific, however.
The pacing was fast, and I thought both MCs were believable and appealing. Very well drawn out. I can't believe this is the same author who wrote Force of Law, which was rather shallow and didn't come out remotely as well.
This was terrific, however.
December 12, 2012
This book by far is the strangest book ive ever read. But Jez Morrow is such a freaking genius that anything she does is amazeballs. If you can kind of let go of what you thought this book is suppossed to be you can really enjoy it. All of jez's books are so unique and this is no exception.
Its not a oove at first sight book but the love proves itself to be stronger than anything the couple is faced with. This story is strange but beautiful and I highly reccomend it. Its not even close to a cookie cutter MM romance that we have been used to. You cant help but love it! :-)
Its not a oove at first sight book but the love proves itself to be stronger than anything the couple is faced with. This story is strange but beautiful and I highly reccomend it. Its not even close to a cookie cutter MM romance that we have been used to. You cant help but love it! :-)
March 16, 2019
Well i, for one, really liked it. It was really well written. And though somethings were very difficult to read, like death of little Daniel, it was very well balanced by humour. And funny one at that too.
Those two had awesome chemistry. I just think that im going to remember this book. So, so what if i dont know what happened that night? I can ignore that.
Those two had awesome chemistry. I just think that im going to remember this book. So, so what if i dont know what happened that night? I can ignore that.
June 14, 2012
3 1/2 Hearts
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
John’s involved in a crash when a dog runs in front of his car. But, he isn’t sure if he is hallucinating or not, when he briefly sees a hot man under his car. But, when the man turns up at his station, as a new detective, he has suspicions from the start. Bast is John’s suspect when the murders begin, because John knows what he saw and he is determined to take Bast down. Bast knows that John knows and digs into John’s past to find something to hold over him, but neither man can count on their own feelings anymore.
Jez Morrow produces some wonderful shifter stories that draws the imagination out. The beginning of this book is quite bizarre and slightly dark and shows us with actions what is later explained in further detail, so we can get clearly in our mind how it could happen. The legend of the loup-garou was really good and differs from the werewolf stories that we usually get with the loup-garou fighting the evil shadows. I really liked the way that Bast was portrayed, was he good? Or was he bad? We teeter between the two, as we wonder just what side he will fall on.
I will admit that I got thrown a bit when I started chapter six and I thought that I had missed something, but that was the way it was actually written. it just felt like there should have been more warning or at least a hint of what was to come and I can see where Bast had started to soften towards John… but love. It was thrown in from nowhere. I also really wanted to know how John came to fall into the trap and I really did think that as revenge it went too far. I was just really glad that Bast took it into his own hands and evened the score.
There are a couple of twists in this book that are quite good, but there are a couple of loose ends that do get tied up, but as they start to play out you wonder where the hell the storyline is going with it. But, explanations do clear everything up, it just felt a little disjointed. The relationship between Bast and John is more complex than you think, as we find out that John hasn’t been quite himself, but they are cute together when they finally figure it out.
I will recommend this to those who like a slightly darker shifter story, shifters with a difference, a more complex story line with some twists and turns and a couple that aren’t instant mates.
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
John’s involved in a crash when a dog runs in front of his car. But, he isn’t sure if he is hallucinating or not, when he briefly sees a hot man under his car. But, when the man turns up at his station, as a new detective, he has suspicions from the start. Bast is John’s suspect when the murders begin, because John knows what he saw and he is determined to take Bast down. Bast knows that John knows and digs into John’s past to find something to hold over him, but neither man can count on their own feelings anymore.
Jez Morrow produces some wonderful shifter stories that draws the imagination out. The beginning of this book is quite bizarre and slightly dark and shows us with actions what is later explained in further detail, so we can get clearly in our mind how it could happen. The legend of the loup-garou was really good and differs from the werewolf stories that we usually get with the loup-garou fighting the evil shadows. I really liked the way that Bast was portrayed, was he good? Or was he bad? We teeter between the two, as we wonder just what side he will fall on.
I will admit that I got thrown a bit when I started chapter six and I thought that I had missed something, but that was the way it was actually written. it just felt like there should have been more warning or at least a hint of what was to come and I can see where Bast had started to soften towards John… but love. It was thrown in from nowhere. I also really wanted to know how John came to fall into the trap and I really did think that as revenge it went too far. I was just really glad that Bast took it into his own hands and evened the score.
There are a couple of twists in this book that are quite good, but there are a couple of loose ends that do get tied up, but as they start to play out you wonder where the hell the storyline is going with it. But, explanations do clear everything up, it just felt a little disjointed. The relationship between Bast and John is more complex than you think, as we find out that John hasn’t been quite himself, but they are cute together when they finally figure it out.
I will recommend this to those who like a slightly darker shifter story, shifters with a difference, a more complex story line with some twists and turns and a couple that aren’t instant mates.
December 20, 2015
3.5 stars.
This book was a bit of a challenge to read (and it was a book I chose for two reading challenges. lol) I read a review from a good friend and she explained it right. It's confusing and a lot of the times you think parts of a chapter were missing. But since I had read previous books by this author before, particularly Touch of a Wolf and LOVED it enough to read 3x, I decided to stick it out. I'm glad I did. This was a book that shook me out of the same wolf/mate/mine scenario and put a different spin on characters.
I really liked John, and felt sad for him at the same time. Ren was a questionable character, kind of a wild card and at first I didn't think John and Ren were suppose to be together, so I keep waiting for another character to show. However, as the story moved forward, in a somewhat jerky fashion, you find out about both characters, their strange and sad backgrounds. The story it self was kind of sad with parts of horror tossed on. I keep reading, even when I had my doubt (as you can see by the long time it took me to finish). There is a moment toward the end where you don't know where it was going to go.
I would say I did enjoy this, even with the story being a jerky flow. I like that this was very different than other werewolf stories I've read. I would recommend if you are looking for a change of pace.
This book was a bit of a challenge to read (and it was a book I chose for two reading challenges. lol) I read a review from a good friend and she explained it right. It's confusing and a lot of the times you think parts of a chapter were missing. But since I had read previous books by this author before, particularly Touch of a Wolf and LOVED it enough to read 3x, I decided to stick it out. I'm glad I did. This was a book that shook me out of the same wolf/mate/mine scenario and put a different spin on characters.
I really liked John, and felt sad for him at the same time. Ren was a questionable character, kind of a wild card and at first I didn't think John and Ren were suppose to be together, so I keep waiting for another character to show. However, as the story moved forward, in a somewhat jerky fashion, you find out about both characters, their strange and sad backgrounds. The story it self was kind of sad with parts of horror tossed on. I keep reading, even when I had my doubt (as you can see by the long time it took me to finish). There is a moment toward the end where you don't know where it was going to go.
I would say I did enjoy this, even with the story being a jerky flow. I like that this was very different than other werewolf stories I've read. I would recommend if you are looking for a change of pace.
December 30, 2015
This book is a bit difficult to review. It's not that the writing is bad, I'd say it's too plain, too monotone, without ever raising true narrative tension. The plot rambles around without a direction, jumping around in a way that makes you think some part of the book is missing, never reaching a true climax. Some events are baffling, since they happen without a reason and no explanation is given . I like the characters, tough some of their reactions are off (). I like the characters, and the setting has some interesting ideas (tough, however, once again several things are mentioned but never explained, like the difference between loup-garou and werewolves), but the story falls flat. Everything gets resolved too quickly. It would have benefited from a better structured plot and more pages to develop it. The story doesn't grip you in, doesn't make you really empathize with the characters. It's a story that's forgotten as soon as you read the last line.
June 14, 2012
I had been on a Jez Morrow marathon when I got to this one, and I was happy to see that she had gotten an editor, or somehow learned a more connected style of prose than, say, Sovereign's Gladiator. Anyway, I was quite taken with the premise of this one, vigilante loup-garou (NOT werewolf, although I don't see the difference myself) (I guess you have to be Cajun to be a loup-garou) Harry-Potter-esque chasing Horcruxes - he has to eliminate them, and sometimes that involves killing the host. Very interesting stuff. I was wrongfooted with the name Bast, though, thinking the Egyptian cat god was a weird name for a wolf, but it turns out it comes from Sebastian. John really got put through the wringer in this one, some I'm thinking unnecessary for the plot, but we needed Bast to feel sympathy for him.
May 9, 2012
This was a difficult one to review because this book has some major issues. The biggest issue is that it skips worse than my 80's record collection. In one section in particular I actually went back looking for the chapter I must have accidentally missed. I see from the other reviews that I am not alone in this opinion.
It was redeemed by the fact that I loved the characters and the premise of the loup garou was genius. It's just a shame it was let down by the choppy writing style which left me confused, a lot. Since I did love the mythology of the story I will probably buy the next book (if there is one. There seemed to be a set up for it) but, if it's as muddled as this one then I'm afraid we'll have to part ways.
It was redeemed by the fact that I loved the characters and the premise of the loup garou was genius. It's just a shame it was let down by the choppy writing style which left me confused, a lot. Since I did love the mythology of the story I will probably buy the next book (if there is one. There seemed to be a set up for it) but, if it's as muddled as this one then I'm afraid we'll have to part ways.
July 23, 2012
A bit like a tv drama were viewers don't get to see everything that is happening. Readers get to read about one event and the nest thing we know something else is going on but we only get to see an end result I thought it got a bit boring 20-30pages from the ending.
October 5, 2012
I read this book shortly after it was released, but did not realize that I had failed to rate it. I really like this author and her style of writing. This book was okay. It just didn't feel complete. I will upgrade my score if she puts out a sequel. My all-time favourite book of hers is FORCE OF LAW. I would love a sequel to that novella!
April 28, 2012
What I would like to say is "wow" after my read. It's totally different type of Wolfie story...good concept with a nice buildup to the story plot. There are a few haphazard moments but not enough to over rule my stars.
April 25, 2012
Really liked this. Hope there is a follow up book.
May 12, 2012
Rating 2.5 to 3
May 20, 2012
Jez Morrow's books are usually amazing - Force of Law is one of my favorite books, but I don't know what went wrong with this one, but I couldn't even finish it...
August 12, 2012
3.5 stars
September 2, 2012
I didn't understand the reason behind John in the abandoned building. It never explained why that happened.
November 14, 2013
I really like this author and her writing style but this book did not work for me. I liked the plot but the way it was written was a bit confusing.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews