Tame a Wild Human by Kari Gregg

I recently was given a copy of Tame a Wild Human from Riptide Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  Here is the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

Drugged, bound, and left as bait on the cusp of the lunar cycle, Wyatt Redding is faced with a terrifying set of no-win scenarios. Best case: he survives the coming days as a werewolf pack’s plaything and returns to the city as a second-class citizen with the mark—and protection—of the pack. Worst case: the wolves sate their lusts with Wyatt’s body, then send him home without their protection, condemning him to live out the rest of his short life as a slave to the worst of humanity’s scorn and abuse.

Wyatt’s only chance is to swallow every ounce of pride, bury his fear, and meekly comply with every wicked desire and carnal demand the wolf pack makes of him. He expects three days of sex and humiliation. What he doesn’t expect is to start enjoying it. Or to grow attached to his captor and pack Alpha, Cole.

As the lunar cycle ends, Wyatt begins to realize that the only thing to fear more than being sent home without the pack’s protection is being sent home at all.

I don't understand the draw of stories like this. I'm sorry but I don't see how we, as a people, can continue to glorify rape culture like this. There is no romance or feelings of any kind to redeem this story. I did finish the story but I found that it just generally was not for me. I respect that this story may be someone else's cup of tea but I can not wrap my mind around this. I want to be clear that there are explicit mentions of rape, gang rape and general disregard for consent. Steer clear if those are triggers for you. This book was not for me but I highly suggest that you make up your own mind on it.

You can click here to find this story on Goodreads. You can also find author Kari Gregg on her website.

The King of Dublin by Heidi Belleau and Lisa Henry

I recently received a copy of The King of Dublin through NatGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.  Here is the cover and Goodreads blurb:

Twenty years after a deadly pandemic ravaged the world, Darragh Fergus Anluan and the people of his village have carved out a hard but simple life in the Irish countryside. But with winter comes sickness, and Darragh must travel to Dublin in search of medicine. What he finds there is a ruined city ruled by a madman, where scavenging is punishable by death . . . or conscription.

Ciaran Daly came to Ireland with aid and optimism, but instead was enslaved by the so-called King of Dublin. After months of abuse from the king and his men, he has no reason to believe this newcomer will be any different. Except Ciaran finds himself increasingly drawn to Darragh, whose brutish looks mask how sweet and gentle he really is.

The tenderness Darragh feels for the king’s treasured pet is treason, but it’s hardly the only betrayal brewing in this rotten kingdom. Rebellions and rival gangs threaten the king’s power, but not nearly as much as Darragh and Ciaran—whose only hope for freedom is the fall of the king.

This book was kind of a quandary for me. It is really well written but the subject matter was what kind of ruined the book for me. I feel like the more books we see out there with non-consent, dubious consent, rape, torture and sexual slavery, the more we are promoting rape culture as a whole. I believe that everyone has the right to the kinks that they like but there was little positive in this book. I came away from reading it wishing for more positive. I wanted to believe that something good could come out of all the pages I had just read. It felt very... off putting. There is so much rape culture in the story that it really ruined the little romance that was to be had. The other works from Heidi Belleau that I have read have been edgy and not always what I would call romance. I loved her book "Wallflower" but there were elements of rape in that as well. (It was brief and no where near as awful as the scenes you will have in King of Dublin.) I know- to each their own, but this book was just not for me. The long wait until the very very end for any positive after pages and pages of rape and torture was a bit much for me. I think that the things we read should leave us in a better place than we were in when we started. If you are into the dark and the angsty, this might be a good fit for you. I just caution that anyone reading pay attention to the Trigger Warnings on this one.

You can check out other reviews for this book on Goodreads.  The King of Dublin will be published on February 24th and can be preordered from Riptide Publishing now.You can find Heidi Belleau can be found on her website, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. Lisa Henry can be found on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.  I had to give this book 2 Fairies because it just was not for me.  There was too much that made me nauseous for not enough of a Happily Ever After reward, no matter how well written it was.

Freshman Orientation (Pauer Bautam University #1) by Brandon Reed

I received Freshman Orientation through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  Here is the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

Welcome to Pauer Bautam University... where gays... young and old... come to play.

Hunky college senior Ryan Kelly hasn't gotten any in weeks... but that's about to change. A new wave of freshmen are swarming the college campus, and he's got his eyes set on a young hottie named Sean. Will Ryan's dry spell finally come to an end?

I found this one to be not only super short but super shallow.  I felt like it needed more.  More development, more characterization and just more.  If you are looking for M/M erotica with no plot- then this is for you.  I like my characters to have a little more to them and I enjoy a lot more from the plot in a romance.  It seemed that all Ryan cared about was sex and getting it as often as he could.  His feelings for Sean do not come across as believable based on the little we see from Ryan.  Being in his head as I read this made me feel dirty and uncomfortable.  Ryan really came across as a worthless sleeze.  I felt really bad for Sean at getting taken in by Ryan.  The ending was too abrupt and just unbelievable from a creep like Ryan.  He didn't seem to have feelings of any kind and then he's suddenly dropping the L- word.  Not likely.  I would love to see more from Brandon Reed and I hope that this one was not an example of all his work.

You can find Freshman Orientation on Goodreads.  I give Freshman Orientation 2 Fairies for a book that just left me wanting more development and a better lead character.

Giving an Inch (Professor's Rule #1) by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormly

I received a copy of Giving an Inch from Riptide Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  Here is the cover and blurb:

School is back in session.

History grad James Sheridan thinks his biggest problem in life is trying to find a suitable outfit for his upcoming Ph.D. candidacy exam. That is, until he accidentally texts a changing-room selfie meant for his fashionable sister to his ex, the domineering Professor Carson.

James and Carson haven’t seen each since James fled their power games two years ago. Back in his undergrad days, Carson was his Professor, and not just in the academic sense: a man of unusual tastes and extreme sexual demands, James had been happy to sate Carson’s savage appetites. Too happy, in fact. He never could trust himself not to let Carson push too far.

Now James is older and wiser, and sharing some seriously flirtatious vibes with a cute menswear rep. When Carson replies to James’s errant text, ready to pick up where they left off, James can’t help being drawn back into Carson’s control. It’s only when Carson suggests involving the salesman that James has to ask himself how far is too far, and whether he’s willing to go there with Carson again.

This was just not my cup of tea.  I did not find the warnings on the galley comprehensive.  For example- I have issues with humiliation, dubious consent and domination that borders on abuse.  I felt that this story contained all three.  If a read found those things triggering- like I did- this could be an uncomfortable read.  It is not purely gay BDSM.  The short story reads fairly quickly and the reader never really does get a chance to wrap their mind around why James ever had anything to do with Carson.  It really needed more.  It was a passable short but I didn't get that invested in James.  I needed more than a super hot love scene.