tiffanyann's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
mx_manda's review
4.0
So.
When I first started reading this series, I made a terrible mistake: I assumed it was like other SFR series where it really didn't matter if you read them out of order, because they're all pretty much the same—some so much so that they literally repeat their own dialogue in certain points every time. I wasn't prepared for these, to put it mildly.
I had started with Chaos Croc—didn't get it, was confused. Tried this one. Was very confused and couldn't wrap my head around what was going on and why. Decided to start back at the beginning and finally figured things out by book 2 when it all clicked into place for me, and decided I would reread the books I started with and review them as it happened.
Well, today is finally that day for Mutt. More than 18 months later.
TW/CW: stalker ex, heroine on the run, memories/mentions of past violence committed to the heroine, the most dubious of consent and rape, mention of a rape, kidnapping/confined, stalker/obsessed hero
I say this every NL review I write, but I'll repeat it again: There are no marshmallow, safe Alphas in these books.
There are plenty of writers who write "monsters" and "beasts" who are 100% neither of those things. No shame, just don't expect them here. You wanted a monster, you're getting a monster. Lucas writes beasts and monsters who....act and think like beasts and monsters. While these cyborgs are part human, their humanity is always jaded and broken by their treatment, and it's rarely driving things. You're getting the beast paired with the coldness of the machine with little shots of soft from parts of these characters who want something soft for themselves.
Warning, mild spoilers ahead. They are contained under spoiler tags, but these do not always work.
While some of Lucas' shifters are almost soft bois, Reid...is not. He does have a heart-rending, desperate need to belong to someone and have someone belong to him, but he's also an obsessed stalker of a cyborg with an unstable personality and takes what he wants and seems to have no qualms about being disliked. So. No, he's not Nice. He's not waiting for verbal consent. And despite being a canine, he's super distrusting. And he's on a lonely mission:
Clara is...well, a big ball of trauma looking for a place to land and grasping at whatever straws she can. I'm not a fan of the Orphan/Foster Kid Who Makes Terrible Life Choices Trope—I've bagged on it in other book reviews—and the inevitable "being a mother will fix everything for me" that often comes along with it. As far as Lucas' heroines go, Clara is not a favorite, because she's very flat. I'm still not sure I could tell you much about her except that she has unusual eyes and a need and hate for domineering men. She spends the entire story wanting a Thing, then vehemently denying she wants that Thing.
I do agree with the more critical reviews of this story that it doesn't feel as polished as others in the series. There are several loose threads that are left hanging or get clipped right at the end in an unexpected way that's not as fulfilling.
But.
I do like that this story did fill in a little of the world building with details like dates and more clearly stating what life is like for women on Earth, as well as hinting at details in the next story. While the Trentians are mentioned several times in this story, there still wasn't much fed to us about them, leaving them largely shrouded in mystery along with what exactly is going on with Earth's government/s. Except that some "Trentian" women—I'm assuming hybrids—may be on Earth.
So this is far from a perfect story, but I still found myself really liking it.
When I first started reading this series, I made a terrible mistake: I assumed it was like other SFR series where it really didn't matter if you read them out of order, because they're all pretty much the same—some so much so that they literally repeat their own dialogue in certain points every time. I wasn't prepared for these, to put it mildly.
I had started with Chaos Croc—didn't get it, was confused. Tried this one. Was very confused and couldn't wrap my head around what was going on and why. Decided to start back at the beginning and finally figured things out by book 2 when it all clicked into place for me, and decided I would reread the books I started with and review them as it happened.
Well, today is finally that day for Mutt. More than 18 months later.
TW/CW: stalker ex, heroine on the run, memories/mentions of past violence committed to the heroine, the most dubious of consent and rape, mention of a rape, kidnapping/confined, stalker/obsessed hero
I say this every NL review I write, but I'll repeat it again: There are no marshmallow, safe Alphas in these books.
There are plenty of writers who write "monsters" and "beasts" who are 100% neither of those things. No shame, just don't expect them here. You wanted a monster, you're getting a monster. Lucas writes beasts and monsters who....act and think like beasts and monsters. While these cyborgs are part human, their humanity is always jaded and broken by their treatment, and it's rarely driving things. You're getting the beast paired with the coldness of the machine with little shots of soft from parts of these characters who want something soft for themselves.
Warning, mild spoilers ahead. They are contained under spoiler tags, but these do not always work.
While some of Lucas' shifters are almost soft bois, Reid...is not. He does have a heart-rending, desperate need to belong to someone and have someone belong to him, but he's also an obsessed stalker of a cyborg with an unstable personality and takes what he wants and seems to have no qualms about being disliked. So. No, he's not Nice. He's not waiting for verbal consent. And despite being a canine, he's super distrusting. And he's on a lonely mission:
Spoiler
he's a plant on Earth at a "cyborg fertility" clinic to ensure that the human government never figures out that cyborgs can biologically reproduce. He's there to sabotage all attempts, if he can not outright chase the candidates off by being extremely hostile and rude. That 0% success rate is intentional. (My first read through, I didn't know enough to pick up on this and found it weird.) Despite this, he can not help but find himself helping others in need, especially women, who end up there. So a lot of his chase off attempts involve funding what the women are really there for. His beast wants to protect even when his human tells him it's a way to get attached and cause nothing but trouble.Clara is...well, a big ball of trauma looking for a place to land and grasping at whatever straws she can. I'm not a fan of the Orphan/Foster Kid Who Makes Terrible Life Choices Trope—I've bagged on it in other book reviews—and the inevitable "being a mother will fix everything for me" that often comes along with it. As far as Lucas' heroines go, Clara is not a favorite, because she's very flat. I'm still not sure I could tell you much about her except that she has unusual eyes and a need and hate for domineering men. She spends the entire story wanting a Thing, then vehemently denying she wants that Thing.
I do agree with the more critical reviews of this story that it doesn't feel as polished as others in the series. There are several loose threads that are left hanging or get clipped right at the end in an unexpected way that's not as fulfilling.
Spoiler
Though, I will admit that having the convict ex get picked up by the popo before he can actually get to Clara does have a very real believability to it. But I'm not sure it was necessary to have Reid do anything at all at that point. And the rape of Marsha's girlfriend held hostage felt unnecessary and only there to give Reid an excuse to kill her captor. This universe Lucas has created is awful enough for women without "needing" to fridge one to give him motivation to act.But.
I do like that this story did fill in a little of the world building with details like dates and more clearly stating what life is like for women on Earth, as well as hinting at details in the next story. While the Trentians are mentioned several times in this story, there still wasn't much fed to us about them, leaving them largely shrouded in mystery along with what exactly is going on with Earth's government/s. Except that some "Trentian" women—I'm assuming hybrids—may be on Earth.
So this is far from a perfect story, but I still found myself really liking it.
phallucee's review
4.0
I didn't like this novella quite as much as the other books in the series but it was still good. The H was a bit of an asshole (because he's a dog shifter who is fighting his need to build a pack). I felt like it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been although that's how it often is with novellas.
I listened to the audiobooks of the previous three and this was the first one I actually read (I guess no audiobook version of it yet) and it almost seemed at times like I wasn't reading a book from the same series. Maybe it's because I was reading this instead of listening to the wonderful narration done for the previous books or because this one takes place on Earth instead of in space.
Here are the parts I didn't really like:
A part that confused me was when she discovered his hidey-hole of security feed and secret files where she discovers stuff about him and his past. She then calls him a liar and I just don't really understand what she found that made him a liar or why she was so upset. From what he said to her, what she found out makes her a liability, I guess because she discovered secrets about Cyborgs and thus, she could put them in danger.
I like how Alpha Reid is and the sexy times are sexy BUT I have some issues with Naomi's choice of words for her H's during sex like sneering, smirking and such. Those are unattractive facial motions that would really kill my mood. I wouldn't want my partner sneering at me during sex or smirking. I'd want to punch him in the nuts!
What I liked:
Anyways, the whole series is really good imo and I've loved every book and the H/h's in each so I would definitely recommend this series! There are aspects of the series that make it only 99% perfect to me, like never addressing the different lifespans of the H and h but as I've learned this is finally addressed in the 5th book. I just wish it was mentioned in each book.
I'm going through these pretty quickly, almost a book a day so I'll be sad when I catch up and have to wait for the next or when Naomi finishes the series.
I listened to the audiobooks of the previous three and this was the first one I actually read (I guess no audiobook version of it yet) and it almost seemed at times like I wasn't reading a book from the same series. Maybe it's because I was reading this instead of listening to the wonderful narration done for the previous books or because this one takes place on Earth instead of in space.
Here are the parts I didn't really like:
Spoiler
I didn't like that he let her leave him - for 2 months! He followed her after some time and kept an eye on her but c'mon, she's pregnant and he just let her go.A part that confused me was when she discovered his hidey-hole of security feed and secret files where she discovers stuff about him and his past. She then calls him a liar and I just don't really understand what she found that made him a liar or why she was so upset. From what he said to her, what she found out makes her a liability, I guess because she discovered secrets about Cyborgs and thus, she could put them in danger.
I like how Alpha Reid is and the sexy times are sexy BUT I have some issues with Naomi's choice of words for her H's during sex like sneering, smirking and such. Those are unattractive facial motions that would really kill my mood. I wouldn't want my partner sneering at me during sex or smirking. I'd want to punch him in the nuts!
What I liked:
Spoiler
We get to see Dommick and his mate at the end of this book and his baby girl is finally born! I kinda hate that he wasn't in the room for the birth or afterwards because he went a little crazed and had to be put in quarantine though. :(Anyways, the whole series is really good imo and I've loved every book and the H/h's in each so I would definitely recommend this series! There are aspects of the series that make it only 99% perfect to me, like never addressing the different lifespans of the H and h but as I've learned this is finally addressed in the 5th book. I just wish it was mentioned in each book.
I'm going through these pretty quickly, almost a book a day so I'll be sad when I catch up and have to wait for the next or when Naomi finishes the series.
bookishfairy's review
3.0
I was more interested in the story than the previous two books, but I had that same issue of the book going so slow. I basically DFN-ed, reading only the last few chapters. I’m sad
tweetatweet1's review
2.0
Didn't enjoy. So many things done off in the background. The hero never even faced the villain. Then he kind of half asses remembers it. The heroine didn't run into the villain either. The epilogue was about two other characters in another book. Just was confusing in several places. I'm disappointed because the premise was good
mousegoddess's review
1.0
I liked things about the characters but this book had serious consent issues in addition to this author's usual need of an editor. It's not as bad as many, but when the story isn't compelling enough to make me forget the errors are more obvious. plus, even if issues of consent had been handled properly, the story honestly is plotted in a way that really requires more room. I don't know that it needed to be a full novel but it could have used a couple more chapters at least.
bookpauper's review
2.0
2.75
This didn’t seem to have a “flow”. The story was almost disjointed. It sputtered and then would race forward; just kinda odd pacing. Also, the main characters: I didn’t really get their issues and I suppose that could just be chalked up to the length. I mean, I got what their issues were but the emphasis seemed to be on the wrong issues. Obviously not my favorite but that won’t keep me from picking up the next one.
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