Bark at the Ghouls

What is with the blechy cover? These guys are supposed to be in their mid 20’s but here they look more like sneering kids. Definitely not like the grown-up hipster and the rough around the edges handyman they are in the story. I think I’d prefer one of those stock shirtless guy covers to this thing. Okay, covering eyes now so I can get on with the contents of the book.

Dylan is an architect in a big city hiding a big secret. Once a month he turns all wolfy and stalks the land for fresh meat. An ex-boyfriend gave him the lycanthropy bite and ever since he’s been struggling with his dual nature. He wants to run but fears hurting someone so on the advice of his brother and sister-in-law (who are aware of his secret), he buys a fixer upper of a house out in the boonies despite his reservations. There is a smaller rundown house within view of his property but he ultimately decides one neighbor is better than hundreds. But what he wasn’t betting on was having a neighbor like Chris.

Chris is a flannel shirt wearing, pee outside when no one’s looking type who lives in a paid for house and works small construction jobs only when he has to. He is grouchy and infuriatingly sexy. Dylan is a quiet, hipster type complete with soul patch who prefers to keep to himself. He needs to work and does not understand a guy like Chris. They don’t get along but because they live so damn close they find a way to make it work. Dylan hires Chris on to help him renovate the house and they argue and sidestep their mutual attraction and Chris often storms off in a pissed off huff but he always returns. After spending so many hours together they give in to their attraction and sexy times happen. It’s all rather homey and sweet until Dylan’s secret, Chris’s temper and Dylan’s evil ex-boyfriend threaten to get the best of them.

This is a great sexy little read about two guys working through the kinks in a brand new relationship and I just loved Chris who has some of the best lines in the book

“I thought you were one of those hipster assholes who says he wants to grow his own food but faints dead away the first time he realizes there ain’t no artisan falafel in the entire county.”

Their failure to communication felt very real and never teetered over into annoyingly overdone territory. It felt right and it felt real when they fought over silly little things and got all snarly (but never mean) with each other. I loved the fact that they weren’t all kissy, ooey-gooey in love from the first moment their eyes met. The secondary characters are sparse but are well developed and add some depth to Dylan’s character. There is just enough danger and action to keep the plot moving without taking away from the romance. I can easily recommend this book to any werewolf-romance fan sick of the whole soul mate crap.