Dirk Greyson

It doesn't matter if this author writes as Andrew Grey or as Dirk Greyson, he produces one fantastic, adventure and a sizzling hot romance. I liked that both Gage and Forge were strong lead characters. They had both been in the army, and they stood up for themselves. Forge and Gage reunited after losing track of one another for seventeen years, so you had to root for them to get the destiny they both so deserved. The suspense was great, and the story moved along like a well-oiled machine churning out a second chance, steamy, sexy romance with a genuine bond between two loving men.… (mehr)

To know that you have a mate and not being able to find them must be one of most tragic experiences in a shifter’s life. But to have found your mate only to lose them – potentially forever – must be a lot worse. This is what happens to wolf shifter Falco in this story, when the boy he recognizes to be his mate at age thirteen inexplicably vanishes weeks later, and my heart broke for both of them. But it isn’t the only obstacle to happiness Falco has to face – there is his power-obsessed uncle who is a homophobic and rather ruthless alpha, a marriage Falco is supposed to enter into with the goal of producing pups, and the pack directive that same-sex relationships are “deviant” and to be eradicated by banishment.

Falco and his uncle, who became alpha by challenging and defeating the gay successor Falco’s father had appointed before his death in an accident, do not see eye to eye. Falco’s ideas about running a pack are totally different from his uncle’s, but even though he is second in command, there is not much he can do. His uncle is not the listening kind of man, and acts more like a king – even a tyrant – than a pack alpha. Falco isn’t ready to challenge his uncle, and knowing that the pack might not accept him even if he did succeed is not exactly an incentive.

Carter has pretty much forgotten about the short weeks he spent in Falco’s town when he was in seventh grade. The aunt he stayed with left him some property recently, and Carter decides to open the pet store he always wanted. He is only half a wolf shifter, and his sense of smell is not as strong as Falco’s, but he does recognize Falco as his mate as soon as he steps into his store. Carter isn’t one for immediate intimacies, mate pull or no mate pull, so he insists they get to know each other first.

Carter and Falco’s dates are sweet with a strong side order of hot, but they are also dangerous. Falco’s uncle keeps coming after him about getting married, a jealous shifter who wants to be beta just like Falco has his own ideas, and things quickly come to a head when Falco decides his mate is more important than fitting in with his birth pack. He’s got some tough decisions to make, and between that, his increasing feelings for Carter, and all the pack politics and shenanigans, this quickly turns into a suspenseful, intense story that I really liked.

If you enjoy shifter stories with fated mates, evil alphas, and young shifters who need to grow up in a hurry if they want to survive, if two young men finding their place in life is your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is a mix between suspense, romance, and shifter politics, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (mehr)

When I first read the blurb for ‘An Assassin’s Holiday’, a story about a man out to kill Santa Claus, it sounded like an unusual, potentially fascinating story to me. Assassins – and I may have said this before – captivate me. I am not a bloodthirsty person, but my excuse is that I assume that assassins kill the “bad guys”. Of course that is nonsense since anyone can hire a specialist to kill anyone else, but still. The romanticized assassins who get written about or appear in movies is always someone with their own code of conduct, sometimes even a conscience. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed – this story is absolutely enthralling, emotionally touching, and left me smiling.

Brick, the main character of this story who tells it in first person, is someone with a code of some kind even before he runs into Robin. He is a cold-blooded killer who is very good at his job, no question about it, but he also knows that most of the people he assassinates probably deserve it. The he runs into Robin, and his world turns upside down. The first crack in his protective walls is the fact that Robin spends his free time playing Santa Claus for orphaned children – kids just like the one Brick used to be. His defensive systems suffer further attacks the longer he watches Robin, to the point where Brick realizes that something weird is going on. As Brick contacts Robin and more details about “the case” emerge, Brick has some tough decisions to make. His attraction to Robin is a huge part of that, but the other is Brick’s innate sense of right and wrong, alive and well even after years of killing people for money.

Robin is an amazing man. He also grew up in an orphanage, but his life took a very different turn. Robin is an eternal optimist, full of joie de vivre, and determined to find the good in the worst people. His way of approaching Brick stole my heart, and the light he brought to Brick’s life, even though his life was threatened, was truly heartwarming.

If you like unusual holiday stories, if an assassin learning about the hope and light of Christmas strikes your fancy, and if you’re looking for a read that successfully combines suspense with warm emotions and a perfect ending, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. I love it and put it straight in my favorites folder.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (mehr)