I enjoyed Kim Fielding’s Brute so much, that I decided to dive right into another of her books at once--- Good Bones:
Skinny, quiet hipster Dylan Warner was the kind of guy other men barely glanced at until an evening’s indiscretion with a handsome stranger turned him into a werewolf. Now, despite a slightly hairy handicap, he just wants to live an ordinary—if lonely—life as an architect. He tries to keep his wild impulses in check, but after one too many close calls, Dylan gives up his urban life and moves to the country, where he will be less likely to harm someone else. His new home is a dilapidated but promising house that comes with a former Christmas tree farm and a solitary neighbor: sexy, rustic Chris Nock.
Dylan hires Chris to help him renovate the farmhouse and quickly discovers his assumptions about his neighbor are inaccurate—and that he’d very much like Chris to become a permanent fixture in his life as well as his home. Between proving himself to his boss, coping with the seductive lure of his dangerous ex-lover, and his limited romantic experience, Dylan finds it hard enough to express himself—how can he bring up his monthly urge to howl at the moon?
In the “gay paranormal” genre, shifter stories are incredibly popular; there are sooo many of them out there. (Shifter novels seem to be more numerous than tales of vampires or the Fae or what have you.) I’ve read a handful of these books, with mixed results; while my reading experience has been pleasant enough, I can’t say that most of the novels distinguished themselves in any particular way. J.L. Merrow’s Camwolf was probably the best story of this sort that I’ve read so far.
Well, I’m happy to add Good Bones to the upper tier of shifter stories---though with my limited experience in the genre, perhaps that isn’t as high a compliment as I intend it to be! This book was completely unlike the other Kim Fielding fantasy stories I’ve read; if I hadn’t known she wrote it, I probably would never have guessed that this was written by the same author who was responsible for Brute and the Stasis trilogy. Though the subject matter and overall tone are different than her other books, what all her stories do have in common is a polished writing style and very likeable characters.
The story is told from Dylan’s point of view, and because of this perhaps we don’t get to know Chris quite as well as I would have preferred. I really was curious to learn at least a little more of his backstory. While a few facts are dropped regarding his past---and they give us a hint as to why he’s a bit defensive and skittish when it comes to relationships---I wanted to know more. Likewise, I wouldn’t have minded having even a few additional paragraphs telling us more about the fellow who turned Dylan in the first place. I sense a quite tragic story there, but we never get to hear it. While he’s the villain of the piece, Dylan’s “alpha” doesn’t come into the story very much.
Adding to the book’s appeal for me, is the fact that it talks a bit about home renovation---I love stories where an old house is being done over! All the details seem to be pretty accurate in this regard, with the exception of how quickly the two fellows make the repairs/do the remodeling. Painful experience has taught me just how long and drawn-out this kind of work can be---it ALWAYS takes much longer---and costs much more---than you think it will.
So---if you’re a fan of shifter stories, this gets a definite recommendation. And heck, even if you are unfamiliar with the genre and are only into fantasy in a more general sense, I’ll still recommend it---I liked it.
I’ve become an admirer of Fielding’s work, and look forward to her next book (coming out in February). I believe she has already written a sequel to Good Bones, though there is absolutely no time-table on a release. But---I’ll buy the book in an instant, when it comes out---I wouldn’t mind finding out what happens to these two fellows next.
Skinny, quiet hipster Dylan Warner was the kind of guy other men barely glanced at until an evening’s indiscretion with a handsome stranger turned him into a werewolf. Now, despite a slightly hairy handicap, he just wants to live an ordinary—if lonely—life as an architect. He tries to keep his wild impulses in check, but after one too many close calls, Dylan gives up his urban life and moves to the country, where he will be less likely to harm someone else. His new home is a dilapidated but promising house that comes with a former Christmas tree farm and a solitary neighbor: sexy, rustic Chris Nock.
Dylan hires Chris to help him renovate the farmhouse and quickly discovers his assumptions about his neighbor are inaccurate—and that he’d very much like Chris to become a permanent fixture in his life as well as his home. Between proving himself to his boss, coping with the seductive lure of his dangerous ex-lover, and his limited romantic experience, Dylan finds it hard enough to express himself—how can he bring up his monthly urge to howl at the moon?
In the “gay paranormal” genre, shifter stories are incredibly popular; there are sooo many of them out there. (Shifter novels seem to be more numerous than tales of vampires or the Fae or what have you.) I’ve read a handful of these books, with mixed results; while my reading experience has been pleasant enough, I can’t say that most of the novels distinguished themselves in any particular way. J.L. Merrow’s Camwolf was probably the best story of this sort that I’ve read so far.
Well, I’m happy to add Good Bones to the upper tier of shifter stories---though with my limited experience in the genre, perhaps that isn’t as high a compliment as I intend it to be! This book was completely unlike the other Kim Fielding fantasy stories I’ve read; if I hadn’t known she wrote it, I probably would never have guessed that this was written by the same author who was responsible for Brute and the Stasis trilogy. Though the subject matter and overall tone are different than her other books, what all her stories do have in common is a polished writing style and very likeable characters.
The story is told from Dylan’s point of view, and because of this perhaps we don’t get to know Chris quite as well as I would have preferred. I really was curious to learn at least a little more of his backstory. While a few facts are dropped regarding his past---and they give us a hint as to why he’s a bit defensive and skittish when it comes to relationships---I wanted to know more. Likewise, I wouldn’t have minded having even a few additional paragraphs telling us more about the fellow who turned Dylan in the first place. I sense a quite tragic story there, but we never get to hear it. While he’s the villain of the piece, Dylan’s “alpha” doesn’t come into the story very much.
Adding to the book’s appeal for me, is the fact that it talks a bit about home renovation---I love stories where an old house is being done over! All the details seem to be pretty accurate in this regard, with the exception of how quickly the two fellows make the repairs/do the remodeling. Painful experience has taught me just how long and drawn-out this kind of work can be---it ALWAYS takes much longer---and costs much more---than you think it will.
So---if you’re a fan of shifter stories, this gets a definite recommendation. And heck, even if you are unfamiliar with the genre and are only into fantasy in a more general sense, I’ll still recommend it---I liked it.
I’ve become an admirer of Fielding’s work, and look forward to her next book (coming out in February). I believe she has already written a sequel to Good Bones, though there is absolutely no time-table on a release. But---I’ll buy the book in an instant, when it comes out---I wouldn’t mind finding out what happens to these two fellows next.
Good Bones