Devon's Gamble

Wolves' Heat #2

by Odessa Lynne

Don’t run if you get caught unless you want claws in your spine and teeth in your neck and two hundred pounds of lust-crazed wolf on your back.

First contact between humans and the alien species they’ve nicknamed “wolves” couldn’t have been more tranquil. The wolves shared their superior technology and knowledge in exchange for a new home, and thousands of wolves abandoned their aging spacefaring ships to settle in Earth’s forested mountain regions.

But the wolves held some secrets too close and humanity has begun paying the price.

Once every three years, humans become sexual prey to a species that has no control over the urge to mate because of an unexpected and devastating attraction to human scent.

Heat season has arrived and Devon’s taken a dangerous bet that’s put him dead center in the midst of a pack of wolves.

When a wolf claims Devon as a heat mate, Devon has to choose: submit, or die…

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This story contains explicit sex, graphic language, and sexual situations that some people might find offensive. Male/Male Sexual Content. For anyone who likes hot male/male loving with a strong dose of Alpha romance and some action adventure for added spice!

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Shapeshifters, Gay, Romance, Fantasy

211 pages, Nook

First published August 11, 2013

Reviews

[Adrian Fridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this after the lukewarm first book (re: my review), but now I love this series. I don't think you need to read the first book to understand what's going on because there's plenty of explanations to catch you up. If anything, the previous book would just flesh out some of the backstory and fill in some blanks where information is implied.

As the title says, this book is about Devon and his gamble. He's brash and willing to take risks for the sake of money, which is actually meant to protect his friends from a debt he owes. And his chemistry with Kem is fantastic. You got two strong-willed guys fucking and bickering until they realize they have feelings for each other; it's awesome. Devon is the opposite of reluctant, so the pacing matches his willingness to dive right in and get a dick up his ass. That means a lot of sex and a lot of tug-of-war with Kem, who gets amusingly confused with Devon's aggressive submission.

In terms of plot, we get to see Devon's side to the conflict between humans and the aliens known as "wolves." He's the guy who set up the tech that's been allowing the human renegades to find the wolves' dens and destroy them, but he didn't originally know that's what it'd be used for. He needed the money and he thought he was protecting people from getting lost or captured. He's willing to help the wolves, but he's also still miserably in love -- on a platonic level -- with Brendan, his childhood friend who's become a sociopathic leader of the renegades.

The world-building continues to be immersive, and I'm glad that the heat sex got the focus that it deserves. Devon and Kem are a very engaging pairing, and I recommend this book/series for folks looking for a fresh take of "wolves in heat" with a sci-fi twist. I mean, I devoured this book in a day, literally the day after finishing the previous book, so I'm totally biased in favor of the story.

And apparently the series gets even better with Brendan's redemption arc in Brendan's Fate.

My reviews for the rest of the series: Book 1, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, and Book 6

[Rachel Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a LOT, more than the first one I think. I really loved Devon, his attitude and his strong-minded nature. He and Kem seemed to have more passion and intensity than Ian and Craig. I like that it overlaps with what happened in the first book, but from Devon's POV and I look forward to starting the next in the series.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely liked this book better than the first one. I liked Ian's Choice, too, which was why I even picked up Devon's Gamble, but there was something about Devon's perspective that I can only describe as young and refreshing and exciting. I was actually impressed by the stark difference in the tone and prose between the books; Devon's character was so well-drawn out to be very different from Ian, and he gave new insights to the new Earth with all the wolves as we knew it from the first book. I appreciated how we knew more about "Third" or, in this book, Kem, and the reason for his attack on Ian. I thought it was perfectly believable, and it was nice to see the loose ends tying up.

I loved Devon; he was reckless and had spunk and courage that bordered on stupid. But he was realistic and it was hard not to be fond of him despite his loud mouth and 'aggressive submission'; he was the first to acknowledge himself as an asshole and that self-awareness endeared me more than anything else. His rough manner of speaking which was also adapted in the narration style was the primary reason that made the book distinctly different from the first, and I really appreciated that. It felt more believable to read from his point of view, to see things as he did. I was surprised to know that he got his medicine from the wolves when they first arrived - the reason why he couldn't really hate them - I thought it gave more depth to his character and made me sympathize with him better.

I was very happy with the lengthy exposition of Devon's reunion with Kem and the events after that; I thought they had so much to talk about, which they totally did, thank goodness. I thought it established that they were for a serious commitment even after the heat season. I was rooting for their happy ever after from the beginning, and I was not disappointed.

I'm not really sure how I feel about Brendan at this point; I really kind of hate him, so I'm kinda meh about his little role in this... prophecy thing that the wolves have going on. Brendan was a dick, and he hasn't done enough to earn him good points in my book. I hope the next book doesn't turn out to be too terrible; I'm really enjoying the series thus far.

P.S. Gerald and the nameless wolf who helped Devon get back to Kem was interesting to read about, though. I wish we could have learned more about them.

[Hc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devon comes across as such a real character.. major flaws and seriously mouthy and aggressive submissiveness. I actually liked this one better than Ian’s story. Just goes to show that one perspective doesn’t necessarily give you all the facts. Ian and Craig’s story gives POV of ‘third’ being out of line and attacking Ian. We learn that Devon was also injured by this cold eyed wolf who’s displayed as creepy. From Devon’s POV, we get to see a whole other side to this.

With the twist at the end of punishment for certain parties, it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

more of this series please? *bats eyes*

[Qin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it better than the first instalment, if only because Devon proves to be a much more bratty character than Ian and as such it is extremely rewarding to see him adjust to his new life as a mate to an Alpha Wolf hardly any less loquacious than Craig. As Devon is, or rather was, Brendan's boytoy, for whom he clearly still carries a torch despite knowing how conniving and manipulative the man can be - Brendan being the mastermind behind Ian's and Devon's coming into Wolf territory during the mating season for convoluted reasons -, we get to see more of this fascinating character, whose sheer complexity pleased me immensely and whose fate we get a tantalizing glance at near the end. Among things that irked me was the stiff and rather stuffy personality given to the Alpha Wolf Ken, even though he eventually shows a fiery temper and passion fully equal to Devon's, and the tasteless running joke on his tatooted penis. But this is a light issue compared to the more complete picture we get of Wolf culture; among other tidbits, we learn that they are divided into semi-independent packs under the leadership of a First Alpha.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Devon and Kem (aka third). Devon is reckless, big mouthed but oh so good. Kem is his perfect counterpoint. I fell in love with these two characters, and I loved being able to see more of them in following books. It's a great read, but might be a bit confusing if not read after Ian's book

[Pamela Raglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

I've read all, at this time, 9 books in the series. Everyone of them is excellent!
Devon has a brash attitude and pushes his luck...a lot. Going in wolf territory during heat season? Wow. Devon 's dubious decisions make for an entertaining ride, though.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Devon and Kem!

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too wordy. Disliked Devon.

[Omega696 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I read the second book of this series again?

I liked Devon. He's not perfect by any means but he's interesting and real.

There's not much we know about Kam. No idea why Devon even likes the guy, since he's not saying anything except: SUBMIT! End of conversation. Once I had an idea to check how many times this word is repeated in the book but I lost count.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand this one a little bit more then the first one, since that one just left you confused. The whole mating between Kem and Devon seemed to work better then Ian and Craigs in my opinion. I don't know, it's worth a read if you're stuck and don't mind reading books that over lap.

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Rosy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I continued on this series because this book was even better than the first one!!!

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A bit like the first with enough difference to keep it interesting.

[René · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*