Review: Great concept, but the execution...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2012
I bought this and "Alpha's Prerogative" after reading a sample of the latter. The characters are intriguing, the story's solid, and the sex is hot, but unfortunately, the author has some stylistic issues that are making me second-guess my purchase:* Very few authors can write an accent or dialect well, and sadly, this author is not one of those. The constant "ye" for "you" and "me" for "my" was grating, especially once it was established that the brothers are second-generation Irish-American and shouldn't have much of an accent at all. I grew up in Chicago and subsequently lived in Boston for thirteen years; I've never heard anyone Irish or Irish-American speak like that.* I loved that Declan was not stereotyped as being "gangsta"; seeing a well-written black character is the main reason I read the sample. I think it's awesome that he's Irish--although again, not a fan of the attempt to write the accent--however, if he's Irish, then he's NOT "African American". It's perfectly okay to refer to him as black, and if the author wasn't sure, then please, ask someone!* Along with this, there's the issue of poor research in general. On the date at the Irish Pub (not clear if that was supposed to be the name of the place?) Travis goes in and orders a Sam Adams? In a BOTTLE? I'm surprised the wait staff didn't pitch him out on his ass! If he's not a Guinness guy, any Irish-style pub worthy of the name would have Harp on draught, and a selection of other beers that don't require a fork. It's a small detail, but those details are important.* There were quite a few typos, misplaced abbreviations, and misused apostrophes throughout the story, suggesting the author didn't have an editor or a beta reader look over the story before posting it.Had it not been for these issues, I'd have given "Werewolf at the Zoo" four stars without hesitation, and possibly even five, but as is, it was a struggle to read to the end, and I feel badly about that.