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Portal City Protectors #1
Mated to the Capo
After an epically bad blind date, and far too much tequila, waitress/bike messanger Zoey Eastgate swore off men forever and got a tattoo that says ‘love bites’. Maybe she shouldn’t have tempted fate. Because now love, in the form of a very powerful Mafia wolf, has bitten her right on the ass, on a full moon. And according to the Blood Oath Pack, the “moon-bite” means she is now the mate of Dominic Lombardi.
Now her new “husband” is appearing everywhere – no matter how far she runs and no matter how well she hides. He’s crowding her world, refusing to take no for an answer, letting her know that on the next full moon, she’ll be his bride. If only her body didn’t respond so strongly to the Capo of the most corrupt mob pack on the west coast. If only he didn’t threaten her family and her livelihood one minute – and then serenade her with sexy Italian love songs which she can’t understand a single word of, the next.
If only new dangers weren’t rearing their ugly head and threatening not just Zoey, but all of Encantado, the supernatural sin city she calls home. When dark magic comes too close to home, will she stop running long enough for her wiseguy werewolf to claim his bride – or will she find herself fitted with a cement overcoat, sleeping with the fishes?
Now her new “husband” is appearing everywhere – no matter how far she runs and no matter how well she hides. He’s crowding her world, refusing to take no for an answer, letting her know that on the next full moon, she’ll be his bride. If only her body didn’t respond so strongly to the Capo of the most corrupt mob pack on the west coast. If only he didn’t threaten her family and her livelihood one minute – and then serenade her with sexy Italian love songs which she can’t understand a single word of, the next.
If only new dangers weren’t rearing their ugly head and threatening not just Zoey, but all of Encantado, the supernatural sin city she calls home. When dark magic comes too close to home, will she stop running long enough for her wiseguy werewolf to claim his bride – or will she find herself fitted with a cement overcoat, sleeping with the fishes?
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2018
809 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Georgette St. Clair
68 books968 followersGeorgette St. Clair writes hot, sexy romances starring Alpha heroes. The road to love may be rocky and fraught with peril (and humor and scorchtastic sex and healthy heapings of snark), but her shifters will stop at nothing to claim the women they love.
Georgette has worn many hats in life: newspaper reporter, EMT, internet marketer, cocktail waitress, temp, nurse’s aide (not in chronological order).
When she’s not rescuing fur-babies, she spends her days in a fantasy universe where she nudges her smart-mouthed, take-no-gruff heroines onto paths which will set them on a collision course with true love.
Georgette has worn many hats in life: newspaper reporter, EMT, internet marketer, cocktail waitress, temp, nurse’s aide (not in chronological order).
When she’s not rescuing fur-babies, she spends her days in a fantasy universe where she nudges her smart-mouthed, take-no-gruff heroines onto paths which will set them on a collision course with true love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
February 14, 2019
Okay so there’s a lot going on here. We have two rival wolf packs, portals, witches, wizards, gouls, vampires etc. Different strengths of magic and secrets, lies and betrayal.
It’s safe to say it’s a busy little book.
It’s a different but entertaining read. Zoey Eastgate is given a moon-bite by Dominic Lombardi the Blood Oath Pack Capo. A moon-bite is the wolf claiming its mate and it supersedes everything else. Zoey is less than impressed by this and fights Dominic every step of the way.
It’s a crazy little read and made for an entertaining break. It’s certainly not a book to be taken seriously but I quite liked it.
December 20, 2018
This one wasn't too bad. The heroine was a bit on the annoying side, and there seemed to be A LOT going on plot-wise, so the main couple didn't spend a whole lot of time together. Still, I enjoyed it well enough...
March 13, 2019
God I needed that! I have forgotten how much I enjoy this author’s book.
The fairytale world she created where magic folks lead life separate to humans, where ghouls, trolls, portals and ogre threatens peace and where phoenixes fly freely is different and fascinating. But what I loved most in this book was the humor. I laughed so many times especially on heroine’s snark and sass. She was an absolute sweetheart. The hero was alpha through and through who sang a love song as a way of groveling.
I loved the secondary characters they were different yet complimented the story nicely. Epilogue was so sweet.
Recommended.
The fairytale world she created where magic folks lead life separate to humans, where ghouls, trolls, portals and ogre threatens peace and where phoenixes fly freely is different and fascinating. But what I loved most in this book was the humor. I laughed so many times especially on heroine’s snark and sass. She was an absolute sweetheart. The hero was alpha through and through who sang a love song as a way of groveling.
I loved the secondary characters they were different yet complimented the story nicely. Epilogue was so sweet.
Recommended.
December 21, 2018
Great book, Funny, amazing alpha guy!
This book has mafia capos, shifters, Mages, Witches!
No OW drama or cheating!
*One thing that i really don't get was the need to make the h curvy or chubby just to be "different"! Her "life" doesn't fit her profile! The girl runs a bike 5 days a week for 5/6hours! how can she be chubby!? She needs to eat her body weight in food at every meal!!
This book has mafia capos, shifters, Mages, Witches!
No OW drama or cheating!
*One thing that i really don't get was the need to make the h curvy or chubby just to be "different"! Her "life" doesn't fit her profile! The girl runs a bike 5 days a week for 5/6hours! how can she be chubby!? She needs to eat her body weight in food at every meal!!
December 26, 2018
I tried. I like Ms. St. Clair's plots more than the actual execution, so I check in every once in a while to see if things have changed. Unfortunately, this one fell short as well. I really love the idea of this 'verse, but it's clunky in the way it parses out the information necessary to believe in it, and the romance, what draws me to this in the first place, is weak at best.
It's a pass for me, but I'm ever hopeful because Ms. St. Clair does have a gift for coming up with some really interesting takes on shifter mythology.
It's a pass for me, but I'm ever hopeful because Ms. St. Clair does have a gift for coming up with some really interesting takes on shifter mythology.
October 22, 2019
New author and series for me. What could have bumped this up for me would have been more of a build up to the mating. The storyline was interesting as well as the world St. Clair built these elements overpowered the MC and FMC.
Found myself several times more focused on the unknown portal, the upcoming pack war, and the possibility of a ghoul attack. This drowned out Dominic and Zoey. There was personality missing from each character. They were dabbled with but I didn't feel as if I knew them by the end.
Hopeful to see some character growth in book 2.
Happy reading! DD
Found myself several times more focused on the unknown portal, the upcoming pack war, and the possibility of a ghoul attack. This drowned out Dominic and Zoey. There was personality missing from each character. They were dabbled with but I didn't feel as if I knew them by the end.
Hopeful to see some character growth in book 2.
Happy reading! DD
December 31, 2018
Zoey Eastgate knows she is in trouble when her latest gig at work ended up with her butt bit by a Shifter Capo from the Blood Oath Pack. The moon-bite has Dominic Lombardi waiting to claim Zoey as his mate. The only problem is that Zoey is not interested in being his mate. Dominic is not put off though as he has a plan to woo his mate. Problem is someone is causing problems in the pack and it might put Zoey in danger.
This was a lot of fun. Completely different then other shifter books. I thought Dominic was suave and Zoey is a complete nut. Wonderful read, refreshing.
This was a lot of fun. Completely different then other shifter books. I thought Dominic was suave and Zoey is a complete nut. Wonderful read, refreshing.
April 10, 2019
3 1/2 stars
Good read. Interesting world that was created. I didn’t like how everyone talked about her changing but it was never addressed in the book. Did she turn? Or did she just couldn’t turn? They said she might die but the author skipped right over it.
Mafia and shifters. What can one say?!
Good read. Interesting world that was created. I didn’t like how everyone talked about her changing but it was never addressed in the book. Did she turn? Or did she just couldn’t turn? They said she might die but the author skipped right over it.
Mafia and shifters. What can one say?!
July 20, 2019
A great read
Sometimes I take a punt on a book. A blurb captures my eye and, despite not knowing the author, I take a chance. Some you win, some you lose - this one felt like a pretty decent success. Whilst it didn't have quite the finesse say of KF Breene, I still really enjoyed this story and didn't want to put it down.
There is quite a lot going off in the book, which meant the 'romance' took a bit of a back seat at times. However this is something I not only expect but PREFER in a paranormal, sci-fi or paranormal genres. For me contemporary is the place to focus solely on the lovey-dovey, if you aren't going to make the most of the paranormal setting, why bother? There was also some good solid world building, which I would love to see added to in future books.
Personally I really liked both Zoey and Dominic, yes you could argue they were a little cliched at times, but good writing, a pacy plot, interesting side characters and plenty of humour more than made up for that. I totally bought the intense sexual attraction between Zoey and Dominic, the love part felt a teeny-tiny bit rushed BUT there was a very touching passage where Zoey and Dominic really connected emotionally and that was enough for me to happily go along with things.
There is so much potential for the series to expand and grow in many different directions. The possibilities really are limitless. I feel that this is one of those series' that will improve with each book and opportunity to learn more about this world and the people within it. I've already bought book 2 and can't wait to find where this adventure leads me!
Sometimes I take a punt on a book. A blurb captures my eye and, despite not knowing the author, I take a chance. Some you win, some you lose - this one felt like a pretty decent success. Whilst it didn't have quite the finesse say of KF Breene, I still really enjoyed this story and didn't want to put it down.
There is quite a lot going off in the book, which meant the 'romance' took a bit of a back seat at times. However this is something I not only expect but PREFER in a paranormal, sci-fi or paranormal genres. For me contemporary is the place to focus solely on the lovey-dovey, if you aren't going to make the most of the paranormal setting, why bother? There was also some good solid world building, which I would love to see added to in future books.
Personally I really liked both Zoey and Dominic, yes you could argue they were a little cliched at times, but good writing, a pacy plot, interesting side characters and plenty of humour more than made up for that. I totally bought the intense sexual attraction between Zoey and Dominic, the love part felt a teeny-tiny bit rushed BUT there was a very touching passage where Zoey and Dominic really connected emotionally and that was enough for me to happily go along with things.
There is so much potential for the series to expand and grow in many different directions. The possibilities really are limitless. I feel that this is one of those series' that will improve with each book and opportunity to learn more about this world and the people within it. I've already bought book 2 and can't wait to find where this adventure leads me!
August 17, 2019
Action, fights, a territory war, a reluctant mate … what more could a reader want?
Cover:
Professional and relevant, genre-appropriate.
Editing/Proofing:
Mostly flows well and is devoid of typos, misspellings, pretty much anything I’d find distracting.
Character Development:
This was excellent; I really enjoyed Zoey’s values, wit and easy-to-relate-to lack of self-worth and smart-ass demeanor. Dominic is misunderstood, partially by design due to old wounds. Excellent continuity in this department and it makes a frustratingly good combination, if that makes sense. :)
Overall:
The gripped me pretty early on; I was intrigued by the world and entertained by the banter.
When I put it down, I found I missed it. St. Clair officially sucked me in early on. It’s fast-paced with lots of dialogue and drama. Also made me laugh out at times.
Regarding personal reading preference: A few occurrences of over-explanation were present, serving to pull me back out of the action when I should’ve been the most invested. I enjoyed how this series handles mating for the wolves, and loved the fact that Zoey doesn’t just fall over in love right away or compromise any of her values; it gives it legitimacy for me.
St. Clair has a fun way of telling a story and I’ll seek out more of her books for sure. Oh, and there’s action and crime and a mafia-esq territory war … none of these things hurt a bit!
4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Cover:
Professional and relevant, genre-appropriate.
Editing/Proofing:
Mostly flows well and is devoid of typos, misspellings, pretty much anything I’d find distracting.
Character Development:
This was excellent; I really enjoyed Zoey’s values, wit and easy-to-relate-to lack of self-worth and smart-ass demeanor. Dominic is misunderstood, partially by design due to old wounds. Excellent continuity in this department and it makes a frustratingly good combination, if that makes sense. :)
Overall:
The gripped me pretty early on; I was intrigued by the world and entertained by the banter.
When I put it down, I found I missed it. St. Clair officially sucked me in early on. It’s fast-paced with lots of dialogue and drama. Also made me laugh out at times.
Regarding personal reading preference: A few occurrences of over-explanation were present, serving to pull me back out of the action when I should’ve been the most invested. I enjoyed how this series handles mating for the wolves, and loved the fact that Zoey doesn’t just fall over in love right away or compromise any of her values; it gives it legitimacy for me.
St. Clair has a fun way of telling a story and I’ll seek out more of her books for sure. Oh, and there’s action and crime and a mafia-esq territory war … none of these things hurt a bit!
4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
December 20, 2018
💭
I thought the story was good, it had good characters and I liked the mafia werewolf angle. I wasn’t so fond of Zoey just avoiding Dominic for every little argument. Dominic was kind of closed off but he got better towards the end. They had good chemistry but the back and forth with Zoey avoiding him and wanting nothing to do with him got old for me fast.
I thought the story was good, it had good characters and I liked the mafia werewolf angle. I wasn’t so fond of Zoey just avoiding Dominic for every little argument. Dominic was kind of closed off but he got better towards the end. They had good chemistry but the back and forth with Zoey avoiding him and wanting nothing to do with him got old for me fast.
October 19, 2019
Zoey is an earth witch that's also blessed with map magic. What most people today wouldn't do to gain that power for themselves. Z lives in a magical city filled with many shades of supernatural beings. From witches, werewolves, mages and daywalkers you name it. At least she fits in magically. As a curvy gal however she tends to feel out of place from time to time. Thankfully she's got her boss/friend (also a witch) to help keep her head on straight. So tonight Zoey will be representing her friends catering business by working the werewolf mafia party *sigh*.... Little does she know that her ENTIRE life will change by end of evening!!! The mafia runs everything in her town, and unfortunately lately have been increasing the rates for projecting money. Not just that, but until "paid their due" no garbage pickup. Suffice to say Zoey's already got opinions about these furrfaced jerks, but she WILL be professional !! Everything seems to go well until one chomp of *his* teeth on her bum from our of nowhere! The nerve of this guy.... And OW does it hurt! Immediately fleeing the scene she just had to get away.
Last thing she expected in the morning was Kalinda questioning her limping as she was still in extreme pain, and asking WHY Dominic a high ranking mafia guy would do this. Sadly Zoey had no answers since she'd in no way provoked him. Though some answers would be revealed when Dom and his two sidekicks suddenly appeared at the catering shop!
SURPRISE! With that one bite Dom and his wolf choose Zoey as their mate. They have until the full moon to.complete the mating... Or not. However Dom had let it be known he actively intends to woo our Zoey until then. In between all this crazy there's also insane pack political stuff going on, weird and unexplained magical events and beings appearing that shouldn't....like ghouls . People and business owners are scurrying away in the middle of the night like they'd never even been there. Something is definitely going on! So many things are happening at once that it's easy to be distracted. Thankfully, since Zoey lives far from her overbearing family in this book, I LOVE that she seems to have formed a family by choice and of the heart. A family that will fight for each other and those they LOVE. Oodles of suspense , action, mystery, romance and all around supernatural craziness. I LOVE everything about this book and can't what to see this fun, feisty, strong, caring, cast of characters pop up again in future books 😊.
🚨🚨WARNING: might find yourself doing air fist pumps along the way, cheering I our main character Zoey as she continually fights for herself, those she loves, and those in her city!! I dare you NOT to immediately b wish to get the remainder of those books currently released in the series once you finish this one.
I know that *I* greatly looking forward to reading book two! Enjoy reading and take the trip of a lifetime. May we all have a little bit of Zoey within us!!
Last thing she expected in the morning was Kalinda questioning her limping as she was still in extreme pain, and asking WHY Dominic a high ranking mafia guy would do this. Sadly Zoey had no answers since she'd in no way provoked him. Though some answers would be revealed when Dom and his two sidekicks suddenly appeared at the catering shop!
SURPRISE! With that one bite Dom and his wolf choose Zoey as their mate. They have until the full moon to.complete the mating... Or not. However Dom had let it be known he actively intends to woo our Zoey until then. In between all this crazy there's also insane pack political stuff going on, weird and unexplained magical events and beings appearing that shouldn't....like ghouls . People and business owners are scurrying away in the middle of the night like they'd never even been there. Something is definitely going on! So many things are happening at once that it's easy to be distracted. Thankfully, since Zoey lives far from her overbearing family in this book, I LOVE that she seems to have formed a family by choice and of the heart. A family that will fight for each other and those they LOVE. Oodles of suspense , action, mystery, romance and all around supernatural craziness. I LOVE everything about this book and can't what to see this fun, feisty, strong, caring, cast of characters pop up again in future books 😊.
🚨🚨WARNING: might find yourself doing air fist pumps along the way, cheering I our main character Zoey as she continually fights for herself, those she loves, and those in her city!! I dare you NOT to immediately b wish to get the remainder of those books currently released in the series once you finish this one.
I know that *I* greatly looking forward to reading book two! Enjoy reading and take the trip of a lifetime. May we all have a little bit of Zoey within us!!
June 26, 2019
What a rich world this story is! I loved getting lost in the enchanting world of magic, shifters, trolls and other supernatural creatures. This story was amazing in the depth the author’s took to really make a new, different and fresh story!
The story is a shifter romance, a mafia read, with supernatural elements and a humorous adventure that takes the reader on a ride. The characters are well developed with depth and humor; while the plot was detailed. I loved the connection between the two main characters and really felt their passion and lust (then eventually love).
I also loved that this is a HEA and safe read. There was no other woman/man drama, no triggers and no cheating. Just a fun romance story! I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review.
The story is a shifter romance, a mafia read, with supernatural elements and a humorous adventure that takes the reader on a ride. The characters are well developed with depth and humor; while the plot was detailed. I loved the connection between the two main characters and really felt their passion and lust (then eventually love).
I also loved that this is a HEA and safe read. There was no other woman/man drama, no triggers and no cheating. Just a fun romance story! I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review.
July 3, 2019
I enjoyed it. I like at times when the world knows about the magical realm. It allows the author to make the world her own without having to stay in a set perimeter.
The characters were all likable and I can see some spin of stories happening for them.
All in all a good read.
The characters were all likable and I can see some spin of stories happening for them.
All in all a good read.
March 12, 2025
Rating: 💜💜💜
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Narrator Performance: 🎧🎧🎧.5
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Narrator Performance: 🎧🎧🎧.5
September 29, 2021
Ok, so I liked the banter between the MCs, and their personalities, but that was about it. I skimmed the final 25% of the book like crazy, and I didn't care for the plot at all, it felt flat.
That's it.
Sorry, it had potencial but it was boring.
That's it.
Sorry, it had potencial but it was boring.
September 30, 2025
A fun read. Very predictable, but fun. Just a little plot twist, but predictable. Even so, I'll gladly read more by this author.
Read
January 26, 2019The story was good but the novel needs editing. Sentences stopped ubruptly. Switched to first person and back to third person within a single paragraph. Repeated words.
May 30, 2020
I just love this author, because her books are always so much fun to read and get lost in. Thus Portal City Protectors Book one was just amazing. The storyline is excellent and the characters are fun and quirky. i am looking forward to reading book two.
December 21, 2018
It's an interesting take on mafia romance. I would have liked more on the mafia part. Zoey was never ok with Dominic's life in that regard and he couldn't understand her point of view on it. He was really closed off most of the book. Really cocky a little too much for my taste. However, he was a gentleman and did treat her well for the most part. I think the mate/moon thing was a tad confusing especially in the end when we find out it wasn't what Zoey thought or the reader. Not only made her question things but me as well. There were some parts that bothered me. A lot of her characters seem to run off like brats when things don't go their way. Seems a juvenile kind of thing to do and to write characters in that way. She's done some of those characteristics before in other books and it's irritating and takes away from the story. This was an ok book but not superbly written. More details on some things. Just didn't flow for me.
December 21, 2018
Mafia shifters.....very different but in a good way❣️
Well, this was a deliciously new and delightful paranormal romance story! Zoey is an Earth witch and one night while working for a catering business, she gets moon-bitten by the Blood Oath Pack’s Capo, Dominic. A string of unfortunate events keep occurring and the Pack races to try and figure out what’s happening and in the meantime, Zoey tries to avoid Dominic and being his “mate”.
I have to admit the book took me a little bit to get into only because of the unfamiliarity with the characters and also the different paranormal beings, but once I had that under bonnet I was racing to the finish! Loved the story and the ending and will certainly be keen to buy more books in this series😍
Well, this was a deliciously new and delightful paranormal romance story! Zoey is an Earth witch and one night while working for a catering business, she gets moon-bitten by the Blood Oath Pack’s Capo, Dominic. A string of unfortunate events keep occurring and the Pack races to try and figure out what’s happening and in the meantime, Zoey tries to avoid Dominic and being his “mate”.
I have to admit the book took me a little bit to get into only because of the unfamiliarity with the characters and also the different paranormal beings, but once I had that under bonnet I was racing to the finish! Loved the story and the ending and will certainly be keen to buy more books in this series😍
June 13, 2020
Ok the synopsis of this book is very misleading. I found this to actually be a really cute book! Dominic isn't the rude guy that the synopsis says, and I actually really loved his character! Zoey isn't a pushover either, and her cheerfulness, along with her sass, make her a relateable character. Like seriously, this synopsis makes the book seem more...dominating(?) than it actually is. So just ignore the synopsis and go into this book. I definitely loved it. It wasn't even that explicit in the few scenes we got!
June 25, 2019
Action packed and hot shifters... what more could ya ask for in a story right?? Well let me tell ya, You get that and a whole lot more with Mated to the Capo.
I read this book without reading the blurb first so I didn't know what I was in store for...
I have never read a story quite like this, it's not only shifters, it's a torn world where all magical creatures are within their own Portal Cities.
Mated to the Capo is filled with action from the very start and I loved every minute of it and can't wait to see what else in store in the City of Encantado.
I read this book without reading the blurb first so I didn't know what I was in store for...
I have never read a story quite like this, it's not only shifters, it's a torn world where all magical creatures are within their own Portal Cities.
Mated to the Capo is filled with action from the very start and I loved every minute of it and can't wait to see what else in store in the City of Encantado.
August 13, 2019
My what big teeth you have!
Just a smidge of magic rooms you to living in magic cities even when you were just a green thumb... Zoey lived a meager live as catering waitress and bike messenger under the watchful eyes of the werewolf enforcers. When the Capo bites here on the rear claiming her as his mate Zoey is thrown into a whirlwind romance, gang war, and ghoul attacks threatening the city and her friends. Funny, fast moving, and a very good read. Moving on to the second book in the city!
Just a smidge of magic rooms you to living in magic cities even when you were just a green thumb... Zoey lived a meager live as catering waitress and bike messenger under the watchful eyes of the werewolf enforcers. When the Capo bites here on the rear claiming her as his mate Zoey is thrown into a whirlwind romance, gang war, and ghoul attacks threatening the city and her friends. Funny, fast moving, and a very good read. Moving on to the second book in the city!
January 9, 2022
The first in a series.
Zoe is a witch and is bitten by a wolf shifter with a mate bite. He is a capo for a shifter mob. She tries to avoid him. A rival shifter mob is trying to take over her town. This story is filled with steamy scenes, and action and violence. The city is filled with supernatural creatures, because the government segregates them from humans. I like the variety of creatures.
Zoe is a witch and is bitten by a wolf shifter with a mate bite. He is a capo for a shifter mob. She tries to avoid him. A rival shifter mob is trying to take over her town. This story is filled with steamy scenes, and action and violence. The city is filled with supernatural creatures, because the government segregates them from humans. I like the variety of creatures.
June 20, 2019
I can totally see myself reading this book again, with ist good flow, interesting plot and unexpected twists. I really liked this book as it did not have the typical alpha-male werewolf falling for his mate and the mate just being like "ok cool" and then life goes on. This story was interesting in the way that the female and not werewolf half of the couple does not just fall for the alpha-male act and actually makes him work for it.
October 17, 2019
Great Start!!
This is a great start to this series. The story is full of all kinds of mythical characters from shifters and witches to trolls and all other kinds of creatures in between. The world building and storytelling was well done and kept you fully engaged in the story. The main characters are fantastic and funny but sexy too.
The whole story was an all around great start to what is sure to be a great series. I can't wait to read the next one.
This is a great start to this series. The story is full of all kinds of mythical characters from shifters and witches to trolls and all other kinds of creatures in between. The world building and storytelling was well done and kept you fully engaged in the story. The main characters are fantastic and funny but sexy too.
The whole story was an all around great start to what is sure to be a great series. I can't wait to read the next one.
Want to read
September 3, 2023Amz Purch. Sept. 3, 2023
December 2, 2019
A very confusing dynamic in this book. It had everything and it’s own signature story but it did not seem they meshed all to well together… We have the old standard – the body self-conscious h that is used to show body positivity and then adding the super hunky guy that is super into her out of no where and then it starts to go into some weird tangents and directions. The h doesn’t trust or know the H and is super suspicious of his mob boss persona considering she is anti all that senseless violence thing. And this is where the very interesting world building contributes to this confusion. We have a dangerous magic world with kill or be killed environment where all these characters that are caught in the cross fire are shown to try to make a living and it seems they are trying to create some sort of this day San Francisco and no where is that addressed in any open way by the author, left for the guesswork by the reader.
There is introduction of the mob boss hierarchy in a very scary way where the H is called off just to go off a guy and he is totally cool with that and offers no explanation to the h when he has to go and do that even though she is very freaked out by it. And even though this type of ask no questions violence, which the h is very against, she forgets about it following some few more interactions between the two in which they reach some sort of “carnal” agreement that is just beyond words and thus beyond the understanding of the reader… At some point I was following along and even liked the introduction of that whole urban Millennial vibe where they go and do urban foraging, I think they call it, behind the dumpsters of stores for food and even the attempt to create a sort of council for the improvement of their neighborhood but then the H who is supposed to be the hero comes along and is in fact the head of this mafia style organization that collects protection money from struggling businesses without a backward look if they can afford it or not. That there, the contradiction of that situation irks me the most. Especially since it was never fully resolved. Some characters were given a sudden happy ending just to shut them up and remove them as the eye sores in the impending happy ending h is getting to. Some baddies had their throats unceremoniously ripped out – talking about the corrupt protection money collector at the very beginning there, yayks. If that had happened in front of me done by my potential love interest I would not be so eager to jump into bed with him a few short conversations later. That dude would need to have some more explaining to do shifter or no-shifter. I mean the dude was throwing so many red flags all over the place the h was just too overloaded by them that it short-circuited her brain and she turned into a totally unknown and unremarkable person at the end.
And that ending did this world building and story no service. Everything was just wrapped up super fast and neat with a totally unrealistic bow on top. And we get that nice clincher of the h’s possible pregnancy. A doi! Totally unnecessary. Could have just spent a bit more drawing out the characters development and fleshed out the feel of the world more to make it feel that the ending served was indeed fitting for this setting.
There is introduction of the mob boss hierarchy in a very scary way where the H is called off just to go off a guy and he is totally cool with that and offers no explanation to the h when he has to go and do that even though she is very freaked out by it. And even though this type of ask no questions violence, which the h is very against, she forgets about it following some few more interactions between the two in which they reach some sort of “carnal” agreement that is just beyond words and thus beyond the understanding of the reader… At some point I was following along and even liked the introduction of that whole urban Millennial vibe where they go and do urban foraging, I think they call it, behind the dumpsters of stores for food and even the attempt to create a sort of council for the improvement of their neighborhood but then the H who is supposed to be the hero comes along and is in fact the head of this mafia style organization that collects protection money from struggling businesses without a backward look if they can afford it or not. That there, the contradiction of that situation irks me the most. Especially since it was never fully resolved. Some characters were given a sudden happy ending just to shut them up and remove them as the eye sores in the impending happy ending h is getting to. Some baddies had their throats unceremoniously ripped out – talking about the corrupt protection money collector at the very beginning there, yayks. If that had happened in front of me done by my potential love interest I would not be so eager to jump into bed with him a few short conversations later. That dude would need to have some more explaining to do shifter or no-shifter. I mean the dude was throwing so many red flags all over the place the h was just too overloaded by them that it short-circuited her brain and she turned into a totally unknown and unremarkable person at the end.
And that ending did this world building and story no service. Everything was just wrapped up super fast and neat with a totally unrealistic bow on top. And we get that nice clincher of the h’s possible pregnancy. A doi! Totally unnecessary. Could have just spent a bit more drawing out the characters development and fleshed out the feel of the world more to make it feel that the ending served was indeed fitting for this setting.
January 15, 2019
Also. Hm. Es war ein gutes Buch. Vor allem wenn man es gegenüber all die anderen Shifter-Bücher / Novellen sieht, die einfach nur over the top sind. Die in denen das alpha Männchen sagt „DIE DA GEHÖRT MIR!“, er mit ihr schläft und damit die Geschichte wieder beendet ist. Und davon gibt es wirklich viele.
Diese hier ist da etwas anders. Ausführlicher. Mehr Background. Viel mehr Plot. Ein Plot den ich sogar sehr spannend fand. Ich mochte auch den Charakterbogen, den Dominic vollzogen hat.
Klar, muss man den Trope schon mögen - Alpha Gestaltwandler beißt seine vorherbestimmte Partnerin und ist sofort auf sie eingestellt. Aber ich mag es ab und an doch ganz gerne. Wenn auch nicht in „größeren“ Fantasy Romanen oder in Romance Novels, die nicht dieses Klischee behandeln.
Hier ist es ganz gut gemacht. Selbst wenn das Tier im Manne sich sein Weibchen sucht (um es mal ganz platt auszudrücken) und der Mann sich komplett auf die Frau einstellt, ist die Frau meist doch eher überfordert. Das war auch hier der Fall, aber anders als bei anderen Shifter-Stories hatte sie hier Zeit ihn etwas kennen zu lernen, hinter seine Facade zu schauen und sich in ihn zu verlieben.
Das ging dann doch noch immer recht schnell, vor allem für alle die Slow burn romances mögen, aber hey. What do you do?
Was ich nicht verstehe ist, dass die Heldin hier als Chubby / Curvy / Fat dargestellt wird - was eigentlich super ist! - aber sie ist Fahrrad Kurier. Sie radelt beruflich durch die Stadt. Wie kann sie da Chubby sein? Dann müsste sie sich ja echt mies ernähren, um das dann zu halten, oder?
Davon abgesehen muss ich aber auch anmerken, dass viele Plotpunkte einfach sehr schnell aufgehoben wurden.
⬇️
Ich hätte mir einfach mehr gewünscht. Auch von der Welt.
Die Welt in der die Protas leben, ist fantastisch und faszinierend und so anders als die anderen Magie-Systeme von denen ich bisher gelesen habe. Magie Zonen und diverse Levels von magischen Fähigkeiten. Die diversen Arten von Magie und dass die Muggel unter den Magischen Wesen von Ihnen wissen. Klasse!
Ich hätte nur gerne sooo viel mehr Zeit dort verbracht. Wie ist das Verhältnis zwischen den nicht magischen und den magischen Wesen. Wie sehen kräftige Magier aus.
Ich bin wirklich angetan vom Worldbuilding und will mehr wissen.
Alles in allem denke ich, dass das Buch zu kurz war. Ich hätte mir mehr von allem gewünscht.
Diese hier ist da etwas anders. Ausführlicher. Mehr Background. Viel mehr Plot. Ein Plot den ich sogar sehr spannend fand. Ich mochte auch den Charakterbogen, den Dominic vollzogen hat.
Klar, muss man den Trope schon mögen - Alpha Gestaltwandler beißt seine vorherbestimmte Partnerin und ist sofort auf sie eingestellt. Aber ich mag es ab und an doch ganz gerne. Wenn auch nicht in „größeren“ Fantasy Romanen oder in Romance Novels, die nicht dieses Klischee behandeln.
Hier ist es ganz gut gemacht. Selbst wenn das Tier im Manne sich sein Weibchen sucht (um es mal ganz platt auszudrücken) und der Mann sich komplett auf die Frau einstellt, ist die Frau meist doch eher überfordert. Das war auch hier der Fall, aber anders als bei anderen Shifter-Stories hatte sie hier Zeit ihn etwas kennen zu lernen, hinter seine Facade zu schauen und sich in ihn zu verlieben.
Das ging dann doch noch immer recht schnell, vor allem für alle die Slow burn romances mögen, aber hey. What do you do?
Was ich nicht verstehe ist, dass die Heldin hier als Chubby / Curvy / Fat dargestellt wird - was eigentlich super ist! - aber sie ist Fahrrad Kurier. Sie radelt beruflich durch die Stadt. Wie kann sie da Chubby sein? Dann müsste sie sich ja echt mies ernähren, um das dann zu halten, oder?
Davon abgesehen muss ich aber auch anmerken, dass viele Plotpunkte einfach sehr schnell aufgehoben wurden.
⬇️
Ich hätte mir einfach mehr gewünscht. Auch von der Welt.
Die Welt in der die Protas leben, ist fantastisch und faszinierend und so anders als die anderen Magie-Systeme von denen ich bisher gelesen habe. Magie Zonen und diverse Levels von magischen Fähigkeiten. Die diversen Arten von Magie und dass die Muggel unter den Magischen Wesen von Ihnen wissen. Klasse!
Ich hätte nur gerne sooo viel mehr Zeit dort verbracht. Wie ist das Verhältnis zwischen den nicht magischen und den magischen Wesen. Wie sehen kräftige Magier aus.
Ich bin wirklich angetan vom Worldbuilding und will mehr wissen.
Alles in allem denke ich, dass das Buch zu kurz war. Ich hätte mir mehr von allem gewünscht.
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