Bethany reviews ‘Control’ by Mary Calmes and Cardeno C. Published by Dreamspinner Press on April 17th, 2014, 220 pgs. Released on Audible on December 17th, 2014, narrated by Greg Tremblay 7 hrs 44 mins.
Why I listened to this book: This week is Review It Again and both Cardeno and Mary are auto buys for me so I thought it was the perfect time.
Check out Marc’s review for it here: Control
Vy Aleknos is the leader of a hawk shifter flock. Openly gay since he was a teen, Vy is proud and self-assured on the outside, while secretly worrying he’ll be forced to spend his life alone because two males can’t be mates. When bear shifter Robert Cimino appears in Vy’s small town, Vy realizes his concerns were unfounded – he has a male mate, and a sexy, dominant one to boot.
Robert is a bear shifter who refuses to shift. Immediately attracted to Vy, he deviates from his normal pattern and seeks more than a one off with the powerful, bristly hawk. But Robert’s affections are rooted in his human form, and when Vy discovers Robert doesn’t recognize him as his mate, he pulls away. If Robert wants to stay with Vy, he must convince a man deeply ruled by his animal instincts to give their relationship as humans a chance.
You know how they say that trouble comes in threes? Well sometimes perfection also comes in threes, like in the form of this audio book. Seriously this was the trifecta of awesomeness for me, I mean Mary Calmes, Cardeno C., and Greg Tremblay. Mary and Cardeno are auto buys for me, I mean I don’t think there are many books that either have written that I have yet to read. And Greg narrating this was just the icing on the cake. I could listen to anything he narrates.
So as much as I love both of these authors, I worried a bit at how the story would flow. When two very well known authors collaborate together you can sometimes tell the difference in story. Both these authors have very distinct way of telling a story, and I have read a lot from both of them so I was concerned I would be able to tell who was writing what part. Well let me tell you that was not the case with this book, it flowed beautifully, there was no way to tell who was writing what.
Now you are probably wondering why since I have read most of these authors books that I have yet to read this one. Well I guess the biggest reason was what I stated above. The second was while I do love a good shifter book, I wasn’t quite sure I would like one with a hawk shifter and a bear shifter falling for each other. I mean talk about total opposites attract.
But after just the first two chapters I was kicking myself for not reading this sooner. Vy was not what I was expecting for a hawk shifter, my first thought was that he would be passive and timid. OMG he is the farthest thing from passive, he is downright scary sometimes. He is the leader of his flock and he demands respect and obedience. The one thing he is not looking forward to is finding his mate. Why you ask? Well he is afraid the fates will send him a female mate, so imagine his pleasant surprise when he realizes his mate is male. A very big, very macho looking male bear shifter.
Robert is a bear shifter who refuses to shift, wait what? Yep he has gone years without shifting. So this was a first for me, when I read shifter books they typically always shift and for a lot of them shifing is vital to their well being. This one goes into how not shifting, Robert relies primarily on his human form. And while I liked reading about Robert not shifting, what I really enjoyed was reading about how these men navigate their relationship. With one of them shifting so often, like a second skin, and the other who refuses to give in to his animal.
There were plenty of ups and downs for these two, but the biggest was Robert not recognizing that Vy is his mate. Take that, and Vys need to be in control of everything except for in the bedroom. That is where Roberts needs to dominate and own Vy, show him that its ok to give up control there. As always when I read a Mary or Cardeno book I look forward to the HEA, even if they make me work for it. This was a brilliant collaboration and I highly recommend this book, because if you are a fan of either of these authors you won’t regret it. And the narration alone is worth owning this one, so give up a little control (LOL) and go buy this book.
Where to buy: DSP ~ Audible ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ ARe
About the authors:
Mary Calmes lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two children and loves all the seasons except summer. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will so not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and falling into the work. She can even tell you what her characters smell like. She loves buying books and going to conventions to meet her fans.
Cardeno C.—CC to friends—is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few awwws into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.
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