Review: Enjoyable Romance With Light Fantasy Elements
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2012
This stand alone paranormal romance was an enjoyable reading experience.  It reminded me just a little of the characters and tone of the Change of Heart series which I love.This story begins with Jude Shea waking up in the night, going for a walk to clear his head from the stress of his unsuccessful job search, and helping to rescue a huge dog from being attacked by other dogs.  One large vet bill later and he is now the proud, temporary owner of the dog he decides to name 'Joe'.  Over the next few days, Jude and Joe are inseparable including when Jude has to help coordinate an affair for his friend and winds up running into his former boss- the last man Jude wants to see.  His former boss and his former boyfriend cheated on him and this is the reason Jude no longer works the PR job he once loved.  Apparently, things came to a grinding halt after he left so he is offered his job under a new boss.But before he can begin to enjoy this return to work, Jude is suddenly thrust into a parallel world courtesy of Joe.  Joe wasn't an ordinary dog.  He is really a Guardian who must take the form of a dog in Jude's world unless he is mated and the form of a man in his own world.  Joe is really Eoin who kills two birds with one stone when he gets Jude through the 'gate' into his world.  They run from some bad characters sent to hunt down Eoin and would have killed Jude in the process, but Eoin was already planning to bring Jude into his world where he can finally tell Jude that they are mates.Eoin is a bit highhanded about it at first.  As a guardian, he has only known the harsh life of a soldier who guards the life of his baroness.  His cold, hard demeanor and massive strong physique generally terrifies and intimidates those around him.  But to his joy, Jude is not like anyone else.  Jude not only accepts his new circumstances, but he accepts this new Eoin- well on Jude's terms anyway.  Eoin finds that his little mate isn't a pushover.Before the two can settle into their matehood, circumstances in the form of a plotting ruler separate them and put their lives in danger.  Ultimately, Eoin desires to send Jude back into his own world with no sure promise that they will be together again though he wants it more than anything.The plot was filled with a variety of humor, excitement, passion, and intrigue.  I really enjoyed how the writer handled the transition moments though I know some would complain that Jude accepted things too easily.  I'm not a big one for angst so I suppose that's why I'm willing to let it go particularly since there were other things going on to cause barriers to their happiness anyway.  The parallel world that Eoin is from is like stepping back into medieval times.  The only real paranormal elements are the Guardian dog shifters like what Eoin is and the Gryphons another form of shifter which don't get much explanation.  Truthfully, an explanation was unnecessary and would have bogged down the plot.Jude's character is more the main character in the story and I really enjoyed getting to know him.  He's like Mary Poppins in that he's nearly perfect in every way, but this advantage of looks and personality doesn't seem to get him very far much of the time in his own world.  I love that he saw beyond the surface to the real Eoin and that Eoin recognized how special Jude was too.  Eoin was another favorite in that he comes off as this big tough dominant guy, but underneath that he's just waiting for Jude to come along and teach him about living and loving beyond the world of waging war.It was a very enjoyable read that I can recommend to those who like mate-bond type romances that are light on the paranormal.