Cover Design: Natasha Snow
Length: 85,000 words approx.
Blurb
Instead, he finds the Salgado pack, and the earth beneath his feet shifts. Damien has seen the Salgado children in his school: Koko, who is in his class, and Hakan, two years older and infinitely unreachable. Damien is suddenly introduced into a world that had only ever existed in his imagination, where there is magic in the forest and the moon. He meets creatures that look like monsters, but Damien knows that monsters have the same face as anybody else.
Over the years, Damien and Hakan grow closer. First, just as friends and foster brothers in the Salgado house, and then into something heated and breathless when Damien joins Hakan at college. Despite what he may yearn for in the darkest part of the night, Damien knows, deep down in that bruised and mealy part of his core, that he’s not good enough to be part of the Salgado family, their pack. He’s not worthy of calling Hakan his home.
Even though he knows in the end it’ll hurt him, he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can.
CONTENT WARNING: This book contains themes of emotional and (nonsexual) physical child abuse and the subsequent emotional, cognitive, and behavioural impacts.
This one is a bit different than the usual shifter romance. The shifters are there along with the pack mentality, scent marking, full and half shifts, etc. But the story is more about Damien, who is orphaned at nine and is then put into the foster care system where his experiences are anything but pleasant. Parts of his story were truly heartbreaking, and I'll admit that I spent a fair amount of the beginning of this story wondering where it was going. Nevertheless, it is a compelling story and we do eventually get to the romance, but that's just a small part of Damien's journey. He has an uphill climb as he tries to figure out his place in the world while also dealing with all the self-doubt and low self-esteem instilled in him during his time in the system. Even when he finds a home with the Salgado's, he struggles and can't quite let his guard down. The writing style is also a little different, especially with the lead-ins for memories and dreams. It has a storyteller feel to it, which would normally be a source of contention for me, but with this one, it somehow works. I will say that the above mentioned wondering was laid to rest once everything came together. It may have been a journey, but it is a engaging story and I enjoyed the trip.
September 3 - Gay Book Reviews, Joyfully Jay, OMG Reads, MM Midnight Cafe, September 5 - Jessie G Books, Making It Happen, On Top Down Under, September 7 - Momma Says: To Read Or Not To Read, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, September 10 - Bonkers About Books, Wicked Faerie's Tales & Reviews, September 12 - Megans's Media Melange, Mirrigold, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Reads, Bayou Book Junkie, The Blogger Girls, MM Good Book Reviews
Author Bio
When Marina was a child she couldn’t sleep. Night after dissolving night she just couldn’t sleep. Nothing much worked – until she started making up stories in her head. Suddenly, the transition into unconsciousness was a smooth dive into calm waters.
Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did decades ago.
Marina hopes to write in a variety of romance sub-genres, from contemporary to supernatural to sci-fi. Her style, however, tends to focus on character-centred stories that explore different facets of the human experience, such as mental health. She also enjoys writing explicit, drawn-out sex scenes, so expect those to be a prominent feature of her stories.
Marina tends to keep to herself unless prompted, so don’t be shy in approaching her!
Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did decades ago.
Marina hopes to write in a variety of romance sub-genres, from contemporary to supernatural to sci-fi. Her style, however, tends to focus on character-centred stories that explore different facets of the human experience, such as mental health. She also enjoys writing explicit, drawn-out sex scenes, so expect those to be a prominent feature of her stories.
Marina tends to keep to herself unless prompted, so don’t be shy in approaching her!
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