Release Day Review ~ Just Like Cats and Dogs by BA Tortuga
Title: Just Like Cats and Dogs
Series: Sanctuary
Author: BA Tortuga
Release Date: January 25, 2017
Category: Paranormal, Shifters
Pages: 206
Can cats and dogs ever get along, let alone fall in love?
Sam knows you can never go home again. As an orphaned feline shifter raised by wolves, being an outcast is nothing new to him. But the pack is still his family, and when one of them passes away, Sam returns to the New Mexico desert to say good-bye.
Gus is a loner who rarely returns to his pack, but as fate would have it, Sam is there when he chooses to visit. The history between Gus and Sam is tumultuous, to say the least, but when Gus gets an eyeful of the grown-up and gorgeous version of his childhood bully, he can’t control his reaction. And he isn’t alone.
The attraction is powerful, but so are their differences. And with trouble brewing in the pack and danger surrounding them, Sam and Gus might not have the opportunity to seek common ground.
This action-packed shifter novel is the ultimate opposites attract and enemies-to-lovers romance, and it includes a bonus novella, In the Dog House.
First Edition published by Torquere Press, 2011.
4 Stars!
It's a very different world of Shifters Gus, a wolf, and Sam, a panther, live in.
Sam, a sleek black panther, grew up in a large adoptive family. The only cat in a house full of wolves where he never quite fit in. Although his parents loved him as if he was their pup, he only ever felt comfortable on his own. Moving to New York to pursue a dream career in dancing wasn't perfect but it was working for him. That is until he gets a call from his mother asking him to come home for his father's funeral.
Gus is a wolf with great potential to lead. Unfortunately, he has no desire to become Alpha. Gus would rather spend his time digging for rocks and mining for gemstones, then traveling to various vendors to sell them. It's a life that works for him, especially since he's gay. While home for the Gathering, a beloved member of the pack dies and he attends the funeral. The last person he was looking forward to seeing was Sam. He can see how much his father's sudden death is affecting Sam and Gus has this unexpected need to comfort him. It makes no sense because the two men hate each other and always have.
I enjoyed reading about Gus and Sam quite a bit. They were different than I expected when I first started the book and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but it definitely grew on me.
Shifters are different in this world. They are much more primal and as their animals, it seemed they were lead almost entirely by their animal brain and instincts. They were still themselves they were just pushing their human side to the back, I guess.
****Tongue lolling, Gus laughed a lupine laugh. There was no way he was going to be able to change back right now, not during the gathering. He could surprise the kitty, though. He pounced on that paw a little, growling playfully. The paw disappeared, the wild, rolling purr making him bounce. His butt went up, his head went down, and he wagged, waiting for the paw to reappear. Gus saw the shadow of the motion before the paw itself. Oh. Playing. He loved playing.
Barking like mad, he bounced some more, then nibbled at the offered paw. Fun! ****
There were moments like this throughout the whole story and it made me smile because it was cute how much animal behavior they displayed. Yet, we can't forget they are human, too.
The pack and family were quite different than what I'm used to as well. The pack did not accept Sam, not even knowing that their good members had adopted him and raised him as their own. His family, even though they loved him, didn't completely accept him as a member of the pack either. It was sad that he felt so left out wherever he went (other cats disliked that he smelled of wolf pack).
Gus was sweet as well as a bit of a grump when it came to people. While wolves might be social animals, Gus didn't seem to truly care for people outside of his family and close members of the pack. He enjoyed tormenting Sam as a child and as adults, he really hadn't changed much other than loving to get a rise out of him, which is more of a turn on than anything else. He can't seem to stay away from Sam too much and he can't get enough of Sam's sassy mouth and angry attitude towards him.
Sam and Gus really are great together and completely balance one another. They had excellent chemistry and some of their steamy scenes were burning up my Kindle. Together they are a fierce pair which is good because they seem to go through a lot of things before they can even think about riding off into the sunset. A funeral, pack attack, imprisonment, kidnapping, you name it, these poor men experience it. At least at the end of the day, they were great for each other and extremely entertaining.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
It will be mine
ReplyDelete