What do you think?
Rate this book
Banded Brothers #1
To Have a Human
Carey Gale always knew about shifters. It was difficult not to know when your best friends could turn into some of the deadliest beasts. When he gets a daytime job to support his band working at a shifter owned business, he doesn’t expect to fall hopelessly in lust with Broden Lyall, the company’s alpha. Sadly, Broden thinks little of humans. He considers them helpless and weak. But when hunters come after Carey’s friends, Broden learns that not all humans are alike, and he will do anything to have one slim, blond human
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2012
19 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Amber Kell
179 books1,282 followersAmber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 19, 2019
First off I want to say that this book would have been a four star read if not for a large dialog scene that jarred me out of the story. This was very annoying because the story is really fun.
Carey Gayle is not a human to be messed with, ask his shifter band mates they will tell you. Raised by a father that lives and breaths the Special Forces, Carey is quite capable of taking care of himself, and his family. I believe this is why I didn’t have an issue with this being yaoi style, because Carey is such a strong character you know it is what he wants.
So in saying this, I have to say that this is one of my favorite human/shifter stories, I just wished the dialog was a bit more polished before print.
Carey Gayle is not a human to be messed with, ask his shifter band mates they will tell you. Raised by a father that lives and breaths the Special Forces, Carey is quite capable of taking care of himself, and his family. I believe this is why I didn’t have an issue with this being yaoi style, because Carey is such a strong character you know it is what he wants.
So in saying this, I have to say that this is one of my favorite human/shifter stories, I just wished the dialog was a bit more polished before print.
March 7, 2020
Pues no es una historia de lo más wow pero me hizo pasar un buen rato mientras leía. Las historias con shifters casi siempre me ponen de buenas y esta ha cumplido mis expectativas.
La pareja entre Broden y Carey estuvo muy meh, me gustaron mucho los personajes pero jamás pude ver lo que quería de ellos dos como pareja. Soy consciente de que probablemente, después de ese final, Carey ya le tendrá más confianza a Broden pero me hubiera gustado leerlo, o sea no sé, siento que la pareja no evolucionó como yo esperaba que lo hiciera🤷🏽♀️.
La pareja entre Broden y Carey estuvo muy meh, me gustaron mucho los personajes pero jamás pude ver lo que quería de ellos dos como pareja. Soy consciente de que probablemente, después de ese final, Carey ya le tendrá más confianza a Broden pero me hubiera gustado leerlo, o sea no sé, siento que la pareja no evolucionó como yo esperaba que lo hiciera🤷🏽♀️.
January 27, 2013
This is a quick, fun read with some quirky shifters, an interesting and unusually powerful human main character, and more background than can be explored in one book. As a start to a series it held my interest, and I am looking forward to finding out more about the entire "band" of friends Carey has collected around himself. The family they have created for themselves is definitely not any kind of "standard".
Carey is self-confident, a brilliant hacker, and determined to be independent. Too bad he ends up with a macho cat shifter, who thinks he needs protection, Yeah, right! Carey has real trouble accepting that overbearing possessive attitude, and as the plot unfolds, it becomes very clear that Carey is a force to be reckoned with. His past is fascinating, and I suspect we'll be hearing more details as the series progresses.
Broden is a piece of work! He is so arrogant that he doesn’t even see how capable Carey is of dealing with a lot more than Broden gives him credit for. His basic prejudice, that humans are weak, stops him from seeing Carey's true abilities. Boy, is he in for a surprise. Luckily, I never had the feeling he was malicious or hateful about it, or I would have had to really dislike him. Broden is just blissfully unaware of reality – which comes to cost him dearly when the wolf shifters attack his pride.
These two are just at the beginning of their relationship, and the book ended before they could really get going (other than between the sheets). I certainly hope we'll get to see more of them, and how they deal with a human/shifter mating. If you like shifter books, if you enjoy reading about cat shifters and one human fighting wolf shifters, and if you're a fan of Amber Kell's work, you will probably like this novella.
Carey is self-confident, a brilliant hacker, and determined to be independent. Too bad he ends up with a macho cat shifter, who thinks he needs protection, Yeah, right! Carey has real trouble accepting that overbearing possessive attitude, and as the plot unfolds, it becomes very clear that Carey is a force to be reckoned with. His past is fascinating, and I suspect we'll be hearing more details as the series progresses.
Broden is a piece of work! He is so arrogant that he doesn’t even see how capable Carey is of dealing with a lot more than Broden gives him credit for. His basic prejudice, that humans are weak, stops him from seeing Carey's true abilities. Boy, is he in for a surprise. Luckily, I never had the feeling he was malicious or hateful about it, or I would have had to really dislike him. Broden is just blissfully unaware of reality – which comes to cost him dearly when the wolf shifters attack his pride.
These two are just at the beginning of their relationship, and the book ended before they could really get going (other than between the sheets). I certainly hope we'll get to see more of them, and how they deal with a human/shifter mating. If you like shifter books, if you enjoy reading about cat shifters and one human fighting wolf shifters, and if you're a fan of Amber Kell's work, you will probably like this novella.
April 23, 2013
What a refreshing change of pace this story is. Carey is an incredibly strong and capable human brought up by his Special Forces father among various shifters. He is the leader of his pack of misfit animal shifters, including a bear, an eagle and a crocodile. They have been all been friends since childhood and are in a rock band together. Carey also happens to be a pretty good computer hacker.
Broden is the alpha of cat shifters. He is a jaguar, though apparently the pride consists of various cat species. Broden meets Carey and believes Carey is his mate, regardless of his human status. They hit a few bumps each time Broden has to be reminded that Carey is strong enough and capable enough of taking care of himself against other shifters.
Ironically, the tables get turned on Broden and Carey gets to show what he is made of. I really enjoyed this story. It moved along at a nice pace, with a bit of excitement in the end, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Broden is the alpha of cat shifters. He is a jaguar, though apparently the pride consists of various cat species. Broden meets Carey and believes Carey is his mate, regardless of his human status. They hit a few bumps each time Broden has to be reminded that Carey is strong enough and capable enough of taking care of himself against other shifters.
Ironically, the tables get turned on Broden and Carey gets to show what he is made of. I really enjoyed this story. It moved along at a nice pace, with a bit of excitement in the end, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
December 4, 2012
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! It was a quick and fun read that made me chuckle in places and kept me entertained for a few hours. I absolutely loved Carey and his family of shifters - each character was interesting and I would love to learn more about them all (particularly Eaton, who made me laugh out loud with the marshmallow scene!). I also really liked how Carey wasn't weak or a pushover, but was really able to stand up for himself and fight his own battles. He wasn't willing to let Broden, or anyone else for that matter, walk all over him. This story left me hoping that we'll see much more of these characters in the future.
April 24, 2013
This was a cute, fast read. I really liked that it was a bit different than other shifter stories because of the whole human alpha thing.
I liked Carey especially since he was such a badass. The fact that he wasn't a whimpering human who got himself kidnapped was a plus for me. Broden, a jaguar shifter and the alpha of his pride, was actually weaker than Carey, which was kind of funny. But also a bit sad because he was able to get kidnapped so easily. They are cute together, though, and of course I loved that they were mates!
Sadly, though, this story has no real depth. Neither Carey nor Broden know anything about each other aside from where they work and that Carey is in a band. I also felt like the big resolution in the story was very weak. I was expecting something intense and suspenseful but was left disappointed when barely anything but talking happened. On a side note, the blurb is rather misleading. 'Hunters' are actually a pack of wolves who are going after Carey (by kidnapping Broden) not Carey's friends. Also, we never got to see Broden in his jaguar form *pout*.
Overall, not a bad story but not exactly a great story either. It had a lot of potential but fell short on achieving that potential. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the next in the series because it features a crocodile :)
I liked Carey especially since he was such a badass. The fact that he wasn't a whimpering human who got himself kidnapped was a plus for me. Broden, a jaguar shifter and the alpha of his pride, was actually weaker than Carey, which was kind of funny. But also a bit sad because he was able to get kidnapped so easily. They are cute together, though, and of course I loved that they were mates!
Sadly, though, this story has no real depth. Neither Carey nor Broden know anything about each other aside from where they work and that Carey is in a band. I also felt like the big resolution in the story was very weak. I was expecting something intense and suspenseful but was left disappointed when barely anything but talking happened. On a side note, the blurb is rather misleading. 'Hunters' are actually a pack of wolves who are going after Carey (by kidnapping Broden) not Carey's friends. Also, we never got to see Broden in his jaguar form *pout*.
Overall, not a bad story but not exactly a great story either. It had a lot of potential but fell short on achieving that potential. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the next in the series because it features a crocodile :)
March 19, 2013
I really liked this one. It’s the same old story, of course. Setup for a series with a deceptively weak, but it truth super-powerful bottom who becomes alpha mate. Devious guy, too.
But it was fun. Maybe not quite mushy enough, although it did have that too. Carey just wasn’t a very mushy sort of guy. Really, in the face of the fun I had reading this I did not care too much about awkward transitions or minor character fluctuations. Could have done with more detail and just… more, but this is the author’s style and the brevity in her case definitely has its perks. Happy book. I wish I had the entire series and not just the first two volumes. :3
But it was fun. Maybe not quite mushy enough, although it did have that too. Carey just wasn’t a very mushy sort of guy. Really, in the face of the fun I had reading this I did not care too much about awkward transitions or minor character fluctuations. Could have done with more detail and just… more, but this is the author’s style and the brevity in her case definitely has its perks. Happy book. I wish I had the entire series and not just the first two volumes. :3
April 3, 2013
This was a quick fun read. I really enjoyed this little group of friends with the leader being human, a croc shifter, bear shifter and eagle shifter. Some people will probably read and roll their eyes at the whole set up of this story, but it is quirky and kinda funny. I look forward to the next one in this series just to see what kind of mischief this group will get into.
December 12, 2012
This story is easily said to impersonal, to undeveloped and simply BORING! An advice to Amber Kell do yourself a favour and write something new and not about shifters, your books are washed out. This fist books is bland as a paper with no real pull.
December 14, 2012
The blurb seemed written for a different book. The 'hunters' were a wolf pack and the come after his mate not his friends! No real connection between the MCs and I found it a bit boring and a little anticlimactic!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2012
Great start to a new series.
April 23, 2013
Nothing deep or mind shattering, but it is different and grabbed my attention. Can't wait to read the next one.
October 20, 2023
I've been wanting to read stories by Amber Kell for a good while now, but if this book is indicative of the rest of her work then I'm not impressed.
While I did enjoy the cast and did like the two MCs --cat!shifter pack alpha Broden, and human found-family pack-accepted-alpha of his band Carey-- together, the book moves so quickly it's hard to feel any attachment. This reads like something Kell rushed writing just to have something to sell; nothing feels fleshed out, not the plot and not the developing relationships (the focus is entirely on the two MC leads, but there are hints of other relationships to come for the series).
I can almost forgive the rushed writing for the plot since I wasn't here for the plot anyway, but that would be it. If you're here for a sweet romance, look elsewhere. If you're here for hot cat!shifter/human smut, the book is lacking. The sex scenes are also rushed, downright boring, and Broden never shifts, certainly not during sex, only ever fanging out and in a moment he and Carey aren't even alone for. I do give the book points for claiming/mating bites, but that concept leads to another huge problem in this book.
Carey constantly talks to his band pack about not wanting any shifters, certainly not a potential exclusive romantic partner, to look down on him or see him as a weak, frail human. Carey was brought up by his father to know how to fight and protect himself, giving him the skills to even take down shifters, and easily win in a 3-on-1 pretend hunt match with his shifter packmates. Broden was brought up to keep vigilant of the differences in strength between shifters and humans so as not to forget himself and accidentally cause harm. Broden talks about wanting to protect his human mate, and worries about his chosen mate's safety.
The problem is that neither man actually confides in the other about their upbringing's influence on their worldviews and personal capabilities. Broden never tells Carey about being brought up to view humans as more fragile than shifters. Carey never tells Broden about how his father raised him to have the skills to handle himself safely even against shifters. When Broden's pack tells him to reassess his view on Carey's capabilities, he listens but still doesn't talk to Carey about it very well, usually getting shut down by Carey. When Carey's packmates remind him he is an outlier for humans as most really are fragile compared to shifters, Carey brushes it off. Carey constantly gets instantly defensive toward Broden when he expresses genuine worry over Carey, the way a good partner does when they just don't want to see their partner get hurt, and never lets Broden explain what he means.
At one point Carey's father appears to meet Broden, and upon telling them there are enemy shifters after Carey who have already killed someone, when Broden expresses natural worry over the safety of his chosen mate, all Carey chooses to hear is that Broden doesn't think he can handle himself because he's human. Carey then decides to angrily storm off, all while his father laughs at Broden and tells him he's unworthy. For caring about Carey's safety. It's infuriating. Broden is not wrong to worry about his partner. Carey literally has not told Broden what he's capable of, Broden has no knowledge of what Carey can do to keep himself safe. It's not unreasonable for someone to worry about their partner in the face of danger; even if Carey was a shifter instead of a human, Broden being worried for him, his mate, would still not be unreasonable.
I skim read everything else at that point just to get done with the book so I could mark it as read. Miscommunication is one thing, but deliberately choosing time and again not to properly talk to your partner and then expecting them to just know everything you haven't told them is one of the most infuriating things to me.
While I did enjoy the cast and did like the two MCs --cat!shifter pack alpha Broden, and human found-family pack-accepted-alpha of his band Carey-- together, the book moves so quickly it's hard to feel any attachment. This reads like something Kell rushed writing just to have something to sell; nothing feels fleshed out, not the plot and not the developing relationships (the focus is entirely on the two MC leads, but there are hints of other relationships to come for the series).
I can almost forgive the rushed writing for the plot since I wasn't here for the plot anyway, but that would be it. If you're here for a sweet romance, look elsewhere. If you're here for hot cat!shifter/human smut, the book is lacking. The sex scenes are also rushed, downright boring, and Broden never shifts, certainly not during sex, only ever fanging out and in a moment he and Carey aren't even alone for. I do give the book points for claiming/mating bites, but that concept leads to another huge problem in this book.
Carey constantly talks to his band pack about not wanting any shifters, certainly not a potential exclusive romantic partner, to look down on him or see him as a weak, frail human. Carey was brought up by his father to know how to fight and protect himself, giving him the skills to even take down shifters, and easily win in a 3-on-1 pretend hunt match with his shifter packmates. Broden was brought up to keep vigilant of the differences in strength between shifters and humans so as not to forget himself and accidentally cause harm. Broden talks about wanting to protect his human mate, and worries about his chosen mate's safety.
The problem is that neither man actually confides in the other about their upbringing's influence on their worldviews and personal capabilities. Broden never tells Carey about being brought up to view humans as more fragile than shifters. Carey never tells Broden about how his father raised him to have the skills to handle himself safely even against shifters. When Broden's pack tells him to reassess his view on Carey's capabilities, he listens but still doesn't talk to Carey about it very well, usually getting shut down by Carey. When Carey's packmates remind him he is an outlier for humans as most really are fragile compared to shifters, Carey brushes it off. Carey constantly gets instantly defensive toward Broden when he expresses genuine worry over Carey, the way a good partner does when they just don't want to see their partner get hurt, and never lets Broden explain what he means.
At one point Carey's father appears to meet Broden, and upon telling them there are enemy shifters after Carey who have already killed someone, when Broden expresses natural worry over the safety of his chosen mate, all Carey chooses to hear is that Broden doesn't think he can handle himself because he's human. Carey then decides to angrily storm off, all while his father laughs at Broden and tells him he's unworthy. For caring about Carey's safety. It's infuriating. Broden is not wrong to worry about his partner. Carey literally has not told Broden what he's capable of, Broden has no knowledge of what Carey can do to keep himself safe. It's not unreasonable for someone to worry about their partner in the face of danger; even if Carey was a shifter instead of a human, Broden being worried for him, his mate, would still not be unreasonable.
I skim read everything else at that point just to get done with the book so I could mark it as read. Miscommunication is one thing, but deliberately choosing time and again not to properly talk to your partner and then expecting them to just know everything you haven't told them is one of the most infuriating things to me.
December 24, 2017
2.5 Stars
I think it's time for me to break up with this author. And you know how sometimes the explanation comes down to something like, "Its not you, it's me"? Well, in this case, it definitely wasn't me.
The writing was stilted, the dialogue tried too hard to be witty (and failed), the plot was overly convoluted, the characterization completely inconsistent and seriously? Carey (the human MC) is gorgeous, a ruthless hunter, a rock-star AND a brilliant hacker? JFC, even the Scoobies were more diverse in their skill sets and had as many in their little hodgepodge gang as he does with that band of his.
And even more depressing? Broden's crazy-possessive nature wasn't all that hot; it felt way more stalkery and obsessive. Mate or no, that was a bit much.
I think it's time for me to break up with this author. And you know how sometimes the explanation comes down to something like, "Its not you, it's me"? Well, in this case, it definitely wasn't me.
The writing was stilted, the dialogue tried too hard to be witty (and failed), the plot was overly convoluted, the characterization completely inconsistent and seriously? Carey (the human MC) is gorgeous, a ruthless hunter, a rock-star AND a brilliant hacker? JFC, even the Scoobies were more diverse in their skill sets and had as many in their little hodgepodge gang as he does with that band of his.
And even more depressing? Broden's crazy-possessive nature wasn't all that hot; it felt way more stalkery and obsessive. Mate or no, that was a bit much.
December 2, 2012
A fun read from start to finish. I feel that this one is much better than 'Lessons for Lewis'.
The characterizations of the MCs and secondary characters were quite well paced and snippets of background stories of each one were given here and there without being a bit info dump.
The MCs were more of less Ms. Kell favorite types, the deadly Alpha mates and the hapless Alphas. However, this one felt quite fresh and fun to read.
Overall, it looks like a promising start to a new series. As much as I like this one, I would hope that Ms. Kell would commit to a finish other series before continuing with this one.
The characterizations of the MCs and secondary characters were quite well paced and snippets of background stories of each one were given here and there without being a bit info dump.
The MCs were more of less Ms. Kell favorite types, the deadly Alpha mates and the hapless Alphas. However, this one felt quite fresh and fun to read.
Overall, it looks like a promising start to a new series. As much as I like this one, I would hope that Ms. Kell would commit to a finish other series before continuing with this one.
April 28, 2013
This got an extra star because the human was not a wimp-o-rama who needed constantly to be saved. That does not mean this little book is without issues. On the contrary - there is much tell, little show, and less depth to the characters. In spite of that I got totally into it. I enjoyed Carey greatly - even if he had his immature type moments where he acted like a teenage boy. I liked the side characters almost as much as the MC's!
And, can I just say, I LOVE ADEN - Carey's father. He needs his OWN STORY. He seemed really hot to me - commanding. I mean the guts to do what he did to talk to Carey -- took some major kahones. I will definitely pick up the next two!
And, can I just say, I LOVE ADEN - Carey's father. He needs his OWN STORY. He seemed really hot to me - commanding. I mean the guts to do what he did to talk to Carey -- took some major kahones. I will definitely pick up the next two!
November 4, 2014
Not to be picky but I can't see how they worked everything out when one of them was passed out. When Broden was kidnapped he was thinking his mate was a helpless human even if he knew he shouldn't have said it and after he was rescued he never even apologized. They simply said "I love you"'s to each other and that was it. WTH? He didn't even ask how he was rescued. For God's sake. Not to mention things turned out so lackluster it's not even funny. Meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2012
No chemistry between the MC's at all. Boring story, boring dialogue and unforgivably boring sex.
December 6, 2012
Great new series
I loved all the characters
Only is was far to short lol
December 2, 2012
Very enjoyable. Characters are interesting & humorous. Looks like a good start to a great new series. I'm looking forward to the next book.
December 2, 2012
Great story and I loved the characters. Great start to the series and can't wait for the next story.
September 19, 2013
I really liked that the human was the alpha of his mis-matched gang of shifters and totally tough enough to protect himself from whatever came his way!
August 1, 2017
Well it is what is expected from most short books in this genre. Shifter meets mate, and claims him after a lot of growling "mine" and sex. That plus serious editing problems, from incomprehensible and meaningless phrases which are probably left overs from sloppy copy and pastes to incomplete or misplaced and irrelevant sentences to the usual expected typos.
I guess it is safe to say that an other characteristic of this genre includes lack of proof reading and any kind of editing . It seems that these books are written as fast as possible and sent to the publisher or self published immediately after typing the very last word.
I guess it is safe to say that an other characteristic of this genre includes lack of proof reading and any kind of editing . It seems that these books are written as fast as possible and sent to the publisher or self published immediately after typing the very last word.
September 22, 2017
I am undecided whether I liked this book or not. This is my first book from this author. I am hoping that after reading the second book it will help make up my mind.
July 31, 2019
Shifter FOREVER MATES type series.
April 26, 2021
Cute but I found Broden a bit too arrogant.
November 5, 2015
Reviewed by Lori
Book provided by the publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
This was a fun read, it really was. What I mean when I say this is that the characters really entertained me, kept me on my toes, and I had a couple of good laughs while reading this.
I know I usually talk about the main protagonists first but I think I’ll save them for last as they are just delicious.
First, I want to talk about Carey’s best friends. They form a band that plays at different venues and have known each other forever. These group of shifters are loyal to Carey and depend on him to help direct them in their day to day lives. He’s their alpha. These dudes tease Carey mercilessly about Broden and it’s just too funny. They want Carey to be happy and love him like a brother. Each of these guys have their own back story and I wonder if more books will be written. I hope so. I want to know more.
We also get a glimpse into Carey’s family life and get to meet his father. This guy is military and is all about protecting the things and people he loves and has instilled these morals into his son. Even though his presence is very brief in this book, he really made an impression on me and I feel that he provides a glimpse into Carey and how his personality works.
Now I’ll get to the protagonists. Carey was an unusual character. He was a human alpha in a group of shifters. I loved that idea. I never read about that before and it made me happy to see. Most alpha males are some kind of shifter and here we see a human being in charge of a bunch of shifters. He was unassuming in his nature and the way he carried himself. He wasn’t massive in strength and size. He wasn’t the kind to throw his weight around and talk about how great and fabulous we was. He didn’t need to do that. All one has to do is look at him, at the kindness that he shows other people, the love and kindness he shows his friends in his pack, the work that he does for his job, to see that he’s so much more then meets the eye. He’s been trained as if he’s been in the military and knows all about defending himself. He’s also sexy as sin so that doesn’t hurt either.
Broden was such a great character to read about. He was a cat shifter and an alpha to boot and he has some very definite opinions about humans and their fragility and not being able to defend themselves against shifters. He lacks tact, he’s arrogant, and he’s clueless. He’s also an honorable man, he’s loving, and he’s generous. He’s trying to overcome what he thinks he knows about humans but he’s not quick enough. He has unusual strength and stamina and is used to people obeying his every command. He has a lot to work through and deal with. I really liked this guy despite his shortcomings. How could I not? Carey likes him too and that’s good enough for me.
Book provided by the publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
This was a fun read, it really was. What I mean when I say this is that the characters really entertained me, kept me on my toes, and I had a couple of good laughs while reading this.
I know I usually talk about the main protagonists first but I think I’ll save them for last as they are just delicious.
First, I want to talk about Carey’s best friends. They form a band that plays at different venues and have known each other forever. These group of shifters are loyal to Carey and depend on him to help direct them in their day to day lives. He’s their alpha. These dudes tease Carey mercilessly about Broden and it’s just too funny. They want Carey to be happy and love him like a brother. Each of these guys have their own back story and I wonder if more books will be written. I hope so. I want to know more.
We also get a glimpse into Carey’s family life and get to meet his father. This guy is military and is all about protecting the things and people he loves and has instilled these morals into his son. Even though his presence is very brief in this book, he really made an impression on me and I feel that he provides a glimpse into Carey and how his personality works.
Now I’ll get to the protagonists. Carey was an unusual character. He was a human alpha in a group of shifters. I loved that idea. I never read about that before and it made me happy to see. Most alpha males are some kind of shifter and here we see a human being in charge of a bunch of shifters. He was unassuming in his nature and the way he carried himself. He wasn’t massive in strength and size. He wasn’t the kind to throw his weight around and talk about how great and fabulous we was. He didn’t need to do that. All one has to do is look at him, at the kindness that he shows other people, the love and kindness he shows his friends in his pack, the work that he does for his job, to see that he’s so much more then meets the eye. He’s been trained as if he’s been in the military and knows all about defending himself. He’s also sexy as sin so that doesn’t hurt either.
Broden was such a great character to read about. He was a cat shifter and an alpha to boot and he has some very definite opinions about humans and their fragility and not being able to defend themselves against shifters. He lacks tact, he’s arrogant, and he’s clueless. He’s also an honorable man, he’s loving, and he’s generous. He’s trying to overcome what he thinks he knows about humans but he’s not quick enough. He has unusual strength and stamina and is used to people obeying his every command. He has a lot to work through and deal with. I really liked this guy despite his shortcomings. How could I not? Carey likes him too and that’s good enough for me.
August 30, 2015
**Grammar**
Carey is the only human in a band of shifters. He loves his friends and he would do anything for them. He is their alpha and he wants to protect them, and the feeling is mutual. Carey isnt the typical human, his father is in the special forces and since Carey was only a kid he thought him all he had to know to be able to survive in a world full of shifters and to escape any dangerous situations. Carey isnt naive or shy, and is used to have one night-stands. Broden is a jaguar shifter and the alpha of his pack, he is strong and handsome and used to have all he wants. When he enters the bar where Carey and his friends are playing, he soon decides that he wants the human and later will follow him to the bar and flirt with him. The attraction btw the 2 is strong and soon they leave the bar and go home together. There they have sex and Broden marks him as his mate.
The book is short and all happens too soon and i would have liked a better plot and some explanations, and i must say that on start i didnt like how the 2 MC interacted. Carey seemed a bit too slutty for my liking. At least we dont read about any other sex scene if not btw Carey and Broden.
Anyway to make it short, when Carey is threatened by a wolves' pack, that wants to use his hacking skills and make him work for them, Broden tells Carey that he will protect him and that also if he has some shifters friends he is still in danger. These words annoy Carey, bcs pratically Broden is saying that he is an useless human that needs protection and he doesnt know that Carey's father (a sexy bad ass) thought him all about guns and fights since he was small. Carey is pissed and leaves Broden house, and the big cat cant stop him.
Later Broden gets kidnapped by the wolves like an idiot and isnt that funny????.
Carey and his friends, helped by Carey's father will free his mate(all happens in like 1 page and is ridiculous..).In the end Broden will understand that maybe there is more behind the fragile human appearance of his mate.
The 2 will soon have the mating cerimony,they are both in love, but Carey wants still to wait some time (dont ask me why.... doesnt make any sense)
The mating with a shifter will give the human a longer life.
Like i said, at start i wasnt liking the book, it become better when reaching the middle but nothing great. The relationship btw the 2 MC is not well described, while i liked to read about Carey and his friends together. Broden at start is a strong alpha, but later becomes a kitty that is almost scared of his mate. There were so many possibilities with this plot and maybe another author would have been able to do a better job.
I will continue read the series and see what happens next.
Carey is the only human in a band of shifters. He loves his friends and he would do anything for them. He is their alpha and he wants to protect them, and the feeling is mutual. Carey isnt the typical human, his father is in the special forces and since Carey was only a kid he thought him all he had to know to be able to survive in a world full of shifters and to escape any dangerous situations. Carey isnt naive or shy, and is used to have one night-stands. Broden is a jaguar shifter and the alpha of his pack, he is strong and handsome and used to have all he wants. When he enters the bar where Carey and his friends are playing, he soon decides that he wants the human and later will follow him to the bar and flirt with him. The attraction btw the 2 is strong and soon they leave the bar and go home together. There they have sex and Broden marks him as his mate.
The book is short and all happens too soon and i would have liked a better plot and some explanations, and i must say that on start i didnt like how the 2 MC interacted. Carey seemed a bit too slutty for my liking. At least we dont read about any other sex scene if not btw Carey and Broden.
Anyway to make it short, when Carey is threatened by a wolves' pack, that wants to use his hacking skills and make him work for them, Broden tells Carey that he will protect him and that also if he has some shifters friends he is still in danger. These words annoy Carey, bcs pratically Broden is saying that he is an useless human that needs protection and he doesnt know that Carey's father (a sexy bad ass) thought him all about guns and fights since he was small. Carey is pissed and leaves Broden house, and the big cat cant stop him.
Later Broden gets kidnapped by the wolves like an idiot and isnt that funny????.
Carey and his friends, helped by Carey's father will free his mate(all happens in like 1 page and is ridiculous..).In the end Broden will understand that maybe there is more behind the fragile human appearance of his mate.
The 2 will soon have the mating cerimony,they are both in love, but Carey wants still to wait some time (dont ask me why.... doesnt make any sense)
The mating with a shifter will give the human a longer life.
Like i said, at start i wasnt liking the book, it become better when reaching the middle but nothing great. The relationship btw the 2 MC is not well described, while i liked to read about Carey and his friends together. Broden at start is a strong alpha, but later becomes a kitty that is almost scared of his mate. There were so many possibilities with this plot and maybe another author would have been able to do a better job.
I will continue read the series and see what happens next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2015
This is a really good shifter story and I can't wait to read more. Kell switches it up a bit by making the "small little guy" totally kick ass. He is the one who
January 13, 2013
Carey Gale is human but that does not mean he is too weak to be a shifter’s mate. Cat shifter Broden Lyall learned this lesson after Carey had to rescue him from the wolf shifters who had kidnapped Broden.
To Have a Human is an impressive action as well as passionate story. The characters are creditable plus the plot is fascinating. Carey has a welcoming personality that seems to inspire shifters to want be his friend. In fact, all of his band members are shifters; they all love and respect Carey. What Carey lacks in strength, he makes up for with his skills as a highly trained warrior. Broden is the alpha in his small pride of cat shifters. Although Broden’s cat is happy to have Carey as a mate, the man side of Broden worries about Carey being able to fit in. Broden is soon proven wrong in his conjecture. Carey and Broden are a perfect match in every way.
Amber Kell has created a superb happy-for-now saga that I enjoyed immensely.
To Have a Human is an impressive action as well as passionate story. The characters are creditable plus the plot is fascinating. Carey has a welcoming personality that seems to inspire shifters to want be his friend. In fact, all of his band members are shifters; they all love and respect Carey. What Carey lacks in strength, he makes up for with his skills as a highly trained warrior. Broden is the alpha in his small pride of cat shifters. Although Broden’s cat is happy to have Carey as a mate, the man side of Broden worries about Carey being able to fit in. Broden is soon proven wrong in his conjecture. Carey and Broden are a perfect match in every way.
Amber Kell has created a superb happy-for-now saga that I enjoyed immensely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews