Review: A surprisingly amazing story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2013
Having just finished this, I'm not really sure what to say. I loved the story. Axton is so melancholy and grumpy. He's not exactly the friendliest person but he's so... real that I just wanted to squeeze him and never let go. Throughout the story, you see what Axton goes through. His repetitive life and how Leander disrupts that, how Axton is trying to cope with Leander always around and the feelings Axton can't seem to get rid of for his gorgeous neighbor.Leander is, quite honestly, a douche bag. He's nice and charming but can be manipulative and mean if he finds amusement in it. He grew on me, even though there were times I didn't like him, and he brought out something in Axton that made Axton want to show his belly. It's cute and sweet and... well, I'm not sure what else to say.I adored the two together. I just cannot express how much I loved experiencing the two form a friendship. It's a slow-burn type of book but it's only one sided. They flirt occasionally and they banter a lot but their time together is precious and their time apart is heartbreaking. There are funny moments and sad moments, happy moments and heart-stopping moments. It's an adventure if you really let yourself sink into the story and ignore its flaws.I adored this book, especially Axton, but it still has it's problems. It could have used a lot more editing. There were typos and mistakes throughout the book but mainly there were brief paragraphs interspersed through the book from Leander's POV even though the rest is from Axton's POV. The head hopping is disorienting at first but I got used to it eventually. Beyond that, I'm left with a lot of questions by the end of the book. Where will Axton and Leander go now? Are they in a relationship? Is it a long-distance relationship? Are they monogamous? Most of all, I want to know if Leander is still going to be acquiring girlfriends left and right like he was and how will Axton react to that?In the end, this was a phenomenal story. It's slow and really gets into Axton's head, his paranoia, his panic and his misery but then you see how Leander makes Axton happy, even though he's angsting over Leander as straight. It's intense at times but I really loved how they built a solid relationship before they got into anything intimate. It gave credence to Leander being gay for Axton. A lovely story and nothing like a normal shifter story. Definitely recommended for those looking for something with character depth and a change from the usual cliched shifter story.Having said all that, I really hope there's more to come of Axton and Leander. It would be great to get a story from Leander's point of view and to see them in a different setting than the cabins and mountains. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books by Ms. Wayne in hopes my wishes come true!