Getting it up

Fur and Fang by Sean Michael


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really wish I could give half stars in my reviews on goodreads because this one is definitely one I would give 3.5 stars to.

Summary: Danger. Fur. Fangs. Bared claws, ready to defend territory and mate. The stories in this collection have all this and more! In Sean Michael's pirate story Law of the Jungle, Captain Marco is delighted with his crew's gift of a big, emerald-eyed cat. He's even more happy when he finds that the cat is also beautiful as a man. Will danger end their relationship before it begins? In Snake Oil, by BA Tortuga, old west drifter Haskell is just passing by the snake oil salesman's traveling show when he senses the presence of an old friend. Can he teach Truett to be human again? Lost Tiger, by Sean Michael, has were-tiger Torao escaping from the circus. Greyson finds Torao and decides to help this strange man, but will Torao's old Keeper find a way to drag him back to the circus? Finally, in Alpha, by BA Tortuga, werewolf Cage thinks he's found a safe place in his cabin in the woods, at least until the former occupant, alpha wolf Roman comes back for it. Will they be able to get along, and survive the attack from outside their brand new pack?

What I liked about this book: This collection of short stories is fun to read (and a quick read too) but because the stories are short, the conflict is readily resolved with a very sit-com feel. In a way, I'm pretty glad the stories had happy endings because as you're reading them, the angst is sometimes so heady that you wonder how the author is going to pull off the happily-ever-after... after all. Of the four stories in the book, I enjoyed the last one the most and yes, it's because I'm partial to the wolves over the kitty cats.

Law of the Jungle: I had trouble following the speech a bit on this one even though it had Spanish words in the dialogue. I do fault Stanza on some of my issue with the dialogue as this book did not convert well and most of its formatting went out the window when I loaded it to my iPod Touch. The sensuality in this story was as furry as Marrrrrrco's cat and while I tried not to picture Johnny Depp (he's my go-to pirate image) it was difficult with this one.

Snake Oil: I really enjoy BA Tortuga's works and this short story had all of the elements of a great, erotic story. The almost fable-esque way of the prose was beautifully done and the basic lovestory at the very root of it made this story a vividly delicious read!

Lost Tiger: This one was a fun read especially when we see Torao's point-of-view as a caged tiger. How many times have you looked at your pet and swore you could read its mind? Torao's outlook on the Man's world is not just fun, but enlightening and while he's learning how to be a man, he teaches Greyson how to be a mate. The long, sensuous lovemaking scenes in this one will definitely have you purring and panting!

Alpha: Yes, I'm partial to the wolves but that also means I'm more critical of their storylines and how they're written. Boy, did this story not disappoint! Not only was the wolf pack behavior written with such stark reality that you forget you're reading shifters, the love story between Cage and Roman is sizzling from its first claiming. Don't miss out on this one!

Excerpt from Alpha: Okay, maybe he needed to get the kid sorted out now. Setting the eggs aside, Roman pounced, covering the kid's ass and back with his body, his teeth sinking into the back of that vulnerable neck.

The cub yelped, hands scrabbling on the counter, body arching underneath him, trying to throw him off. Roman just went almost boneless, putting all of his considerable weight behind his teeth, pressing down. He could feel the panic, the fight as Cage panted and struggled, even as that compact body sank to the ground.

Smart cub. So smart. Roman went after him, covering him, just pressing down all the way to the floor. He knew the kid needed total submission to understand, to really know.

Breath coming quick and harsh, Cage finally stilled under him, just the softest noises filling the air.

"Shhhh." He bit down gently before moving back to turn Cage to his back. He nuzzled the throat, then the belly, and then the soft, fuzzy balls, Cage shivering under him but holding still. "Good. That's good."

He got a quiet little sound --not quite a moan, not quite a whine. The cub's scent was hot, strong, male, and promising. The only thing that might burn was the bread, so Roman covered Cage with his body again, rubbing back and forth, their cocks pressing. His whole body rocked at the feel, involuntary but so, so right.

All those muscles bunched, arching beneath him and rubbing back. Cage's lips parted on a growl, eyes rolling and wild. Roman bit down against the skin of Cage's throat, feeling it nearly split beneath his teeth, licking it to soothe after. He just kept rubbing, needing so bad.

Cage's cock started leaking, leaving wet lines on his belly, his prick, this new scent filling his nose and making his lip curl. His mouth watered, making him reach between them and pull at both their cocks, rubbing his own pre-come into Cage's skin, too, pushing them back and forth.

Cage pushed up, long tongue sliding over his shoulder, tasting him, licking at him as Cage humped up into his hand. He growled. So long. Too long. Grunting, he smacked down against Cage, biting, licking, snarling his fucking joy. His teeth scraped along Cage's throat, the thin skin catching, the salty taste filling his mouth. Heat sprayed over his hand, Cage howling with it, the sound almost surprised.

There. Right there. Roman came so hard he saw stars, his head snapping up and back, his vision filled with nothing but Cage and the look on the cub's damned face...

His hands were busy, even as he came floating down, rubbing his scent into Cage's skin. Marking the cub. Claiming. His.

So his.

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