Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Cole Frasier, a famous horse trainer, has had a troubled year, so when he is offered work at triple his asking price. He jumps at it. But the horse he is working with is much more than just a horse.Derek Dancing Hawk is stuck in his horse form, but something about Cole makes him want to shift. While the bond between the two men strengthens, the shift is brought on when Cole ends up in a fight. But shifting might have just made things worse for both Derek and Cole.
While their boss uses the secret to force the two of them in a money-making gimmick, the Enforcers who ensure that the secret is kept are not going to take Derek prancing about as a horse lightly. What fate awaits these two as they find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place…?
The beginning of this story is bogged down with too many descriptions, most of them unnecessary which makes getting in sync with the book a little harder. As such the first chapter tries too hard to get everyone on the same page. But the moment we get to the second chapter things get infinitely better and the story becomes quite interesting.
As such what captured my imagination was Derek as Midnight Blood, there was something about his mannerisms as a horse that were true to both aspects of his being, as a horse and as a human. I commend the authors on getting Derek spot on. Because as a horse he is really able to get across the fact that he is a horse-shifter and a human being. All in all what works is that Derek really gets you on his side from the beginning, with his attitude and his personality.
While Cole who has his own issues, finds a challenge in Midnight Blood. But it soon becomes quite clear that Midnight is not just his outside facade of a horse but a remarkable being on the inside. As such Cole comes across as a well-mannered guy who stands up for his beliefs.
What I loved about the book was how the story weaves in and out of Derek and Cole’s relationship. How circumstances bring them closer. Also all the little moments they share together are adorable. More than anything seeing them together is the best part of this book and how the story brings about new aspects in their interactions with each other.
The story hits kind of a slow patch around the half way mark which seems to drag on forever. In fact this is where story fails to make a mark, the story builds up to a point where circumstances need to be resolved to ensure a future to Derek and Cole’s relationship and personally I don’t think things got handled so well. What should have been quick, decisive and a major relief becomes prolonged with too many unnecessary situations during which Derek and Cole who are the strength of this book hardly spend any time talking and things drag for a quite a long time and ultimately don’t bring a lot of relief.
As such a lot of things go unexplained in this book. A major chunk of side characters in this book are the villains. We have the head honcho Mr. Lopez who is a perfect example of a scumbag, Joe who has more brawns than brains and assorted body-guards who are just pains in the ass. And then there is Elizabeth whose character seemed quite unhinged from the very start and seems to be dealt with in the worst way possible and I never understood Cole’s sympathy towards her. While the side characters on the side of good are not much better, there is Mike who would have been a cute addition except he has no role in the story and is just unwanted baggage in the book. I didn’t quite understand Jean she just didn’t give off grandmotherly vibes. The side characters best depicted were the various enforcers Sebastian, Gabriel and Avorial they get the job down without tagging on when not required.
What the story needed was a tighter plot, fewer side characters and a bit more background on the retained side characters. But what convinces me this book is worth a shot is Cole and Derek, I mean seeing them together living their life is charming, seeing them tackle challenges and just enjoying life in each other’s company was worth reading the book.
The cover is by L. C. Chase. I loved the horses on the cover but the men on the cover didn’t quite match my idea of Cole and Derek.
ebook, 200 pages
Published February 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634768122
Edition LanguageEnglish
Published February 12th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634768122
Edition LanguageEnglish
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 