Chasing Shadows by Jez Morrow

Summary:

Upon witnessing a sultry, naked young man turn into a wolf after a car crash, Detective John Hamdon thinks he must be pretty messed up. When John's beautiful hallucination arrives at Chicago police headquarters as a new detective, John knows he's perfectly screwed. John can't tell anyone he saw the new man turn into a wolf when John doesn't believe it himself.

Detective René Bast from New Orleans is sexy, irresistible, and all wrong. John finds it tough to investigate a series of murders when he's sure he's riding shotgun with the perp. John knows his new partner has a past, but Bast's records got washed away by Hurricane Katrina. Even as John digs into Bast's ties to a Chicago crime lord, Bast won't stand still to be hunted. It's clear that John Hamdon is running from his own past. Bast turns the hunt around, even as he's falling for the man he may need to kill

Reviewer: Red Dragonfly
I honestly don’t know what to make of this story! I am all game for a werewolf story as they are my favorites but this proved to be an unusual one. Bast is a loup-garou (man-wolf) with a special ability: he chases dark shadows that reside in human bodies and kills them. He meets John when the latter hits him with his car and sees him in both forms. They meet again when Bast joins the police force where John works and the mystery starts to unravel.

Okay, although I was confused at times by some of the comments or some of the descriptions, eventually I was able to understand the plot (with a little difficulty at the beginning, lol). It is not your usual shifter book if you are a shifters lover, but I kind of liked the ending. The writing is good although it is not very clear at all times, especially when the writer jumps from chapter to chapter. I would give it 3 stars.



Publisher: Torquere Press
Review Courtesy Of: ManicReaders

Beloved Captor by Jez Morrow

Summary:

Desdaine has fallen hard for space fighter ace, Jess Laren. The trouble is, Laren is a hero on the wrong side of the interplanetary war.

As a senior intelligence officer in the Ilzec Empire, Desdaine thinks his attraction to other men is his own secret. But when Laren is shot down in Ilzec airspace and found guilty of spying, Desdaine receives orders to carry out the execution. Desdaine didn’t think his outlawed desire was obvious, but apparently someone sees through him, and wants to know where Desdaine’s loyalty truly lies. Shamed and furious, Desdaine makes the only choice he can…

Reviewer: WhiteDaisy
Desdain's immediate attraction for Jess was like a magnet into this plot. I have to say wow, what a hard emotional start into a story. It really set the starting scene well.

Jess and Desdaine are warriors on opposites sides of an interplanetary war between Ilzec Empire and Raudan Empire. They first met on "The Isle of Song or Island of Sin", which is neutral ground. Desdain is a Savar or Death Angel, not truly a human. He was strong, physical, sexually potent, and beautifully attractive. Desdaine, who is a senior intelligence officer for Ilzec Empire, was chatted up by Jess Laren, a Flight Leader and an spacefighter ace from Raudan Empire. Desdain was well informed about Jess. He was Jess' secret admirer and knew everything there is to know about the man.

Some time after their first encounter, Jess' Laren airspace was shot down and he is found guilty of spying on Raudan Empire. Desdaine receives orders to carry out Jess' execution, with this Desdaine would show his true loyalty. The game was set on both of them. Desdaine and Jess were played out. Desdaine showed his loyalty and fired on Jess, without knowing he would fire with blank patrons.

For his loyalty, Desdaine got a reward, a war prize, Jess. Desdaine had to chose, to let Jess be killed or save Jess' life by keeping him as his prisoner. And with this decision our romance begins and their own mind game began. Jess was set to run away, but with each game he played on Desdaine, Jess soon figured out it was useless.

I really liked Desdaine's character, he was emotionally hidden and vulnerable it was hard to follow how deeply he felt for Jess. On the other side, Jess was a prisoner and he hated Desdaine with a passion. Jess wanted to lure Desdaine into his bed and use him.

The main red line in this story was set around Desdaine emotional vulnerability and Jess' need to run away. Each reader has to be prepared for a game of words in this story. Jess and Desdaine talked with sarcasm and hard, mean words. We could see they fought with words and hidden emotions. I really loved this, as it was well written and emotionally pulling. Jez Morrow did a great job. I'm giving this story 4 stars.

Publisher: Torquere Press
Review Courtesy Of: ManicReaders