crumbofcare's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Everything I wanted in a Christmas shifter novella. This was a fun and quick, festive read.
fuunosenshi's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing extraordinary. The smutt was OK. It's kind of instalove-ish. Definitely insta-lust.
hazelmoonlight's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Nice little fast paced book you can read in 1 sitting
honey1382's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katebuysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zellapaige's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing is poor, the plot is underdeveloped, and the storyline lacks creativity. At first, I thought that despite those drawbacks it would at least be decent erotica, but it isn't even that. There are a few good sex scenes (though they lean heavily into female virgin tropes which isn't to my personal taste), but as the 'plot' develops the frequency of the sex scenes drops off and the reader is left with the poor writing. If I hadn't gotten a free audiobook, I never would have finished reading it.
The audiobook is also shit. I often didn't realize lines were dialogue rather than internal monologue until well after the line had been said. No vocal indicators showed the switch between internal and external voices. Similarly, there was no distinction between the perspective shifts of the characters. The book is a dual POV between the love interests, but I often didn't know the perspective had shifted until well after the change. If I had cared more about this book and these characters, I would have been rewinding a lot to figure those perspective shifts out.
The audiobook is also shit. I often didn't realize lines were dialogue rather than internal monologue until well after the line had been said. No vocal indicators showed the switch between internal and external voices. Similarly, there was no distinction between the perspective shifts of the characters. The book is a dual POV between the love interests, but I often didn't know the perspective had shifted until well after the change. If I had cared more about this book and these characters, I would have been rewinding a lot to figure those perspective shifts out.
lynn_the_greyhound_mum's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy C.D. Gorri’s work and this book was no exception good story and likeable characters. Wish it hadn’t finished at 75% though.
allandanybooks's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A pretty good werewolf romance
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve mentioned before that years ago, before we had kids and evening responsibilities, my husband and I used to indulge in something we called Good Wine, Bad Movie Night. The idea was that there is a certain brand of cheesily bad movie, that when watched just a little drunk turns marvelously horrid. So, one of us would pick up a Good Wine (or what passed for good for a broke couple) and the other would pick a Bad Movie. Then we’d drink and be merry. We watched a lot of B-grade sci-fi and questionable anime. But it was fun.
I mention this memory because Charley’s Christmas Wolf has many of the same qualities as the bad movies of Good Wine, Bad Movie Night. It is bad. There is no getting around that fact. We’re talking the heyday of Ellora’s Cave bad. But there is also something gloriously indulgent in accepting it for what it is. You have to laugh at it, but stop short of doing so mockingly, because it knows what it is. It’s not trying to be something else and you have to respect that.
The whole thing is super rushed. The love is instant. There is no character or plot development. The sex is questionable. The book tries to be both a dub-con and a hot romance and fails at both. The dialogue is atrocious, etc. But throughout it all, if you take another sip of wine and relax into it, it’s worth the good-natured laugh.
I mention this memory because Charley’s Christmas Wolf has many of the same qualities as the bad movies of Good Wine, Bad Movie Night. It is bad. There is no getting around that fact. We’re talking the heyday of Ellora’s Cave bad. But there is also something gloriously indulgent in accepting it for what it is. You have to laugh at it, but stop short of doing so mockingly, because it knows what it is. It’s not trying to be something else and you have to respect that.
The whole thing is super rushed. The love is instant. There is no character or plot development. The sex is questionable. The book tries to be both a dub-con and a hot romance and fails at both. The dialogue is atrocious, etc. But throughout it all, if you take another sip of wine and relax into it, it’s worth the good-natured laugh.