Book – Pete and the Werewolf
Author – Cassandra Pierce
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
No. of Pages – 61
Cover – Nice
POV – 3rd person, one character
Would I read it again – No
Genre – LGBT, Paranormal


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


This was a decent story, for the length of it, but it felt like it could have been better if it had been longer, even just by about 50 pages or not.

Pete's POV was a great choice, since he didn't have the inside scoop on anything, so was the objective outside observer for the reader to follow. He was our eyes and ears, our suspicious mind in a voice and thought process that we were able to follow. However, his relationship with Vladimir was really quick. It's not quite insta-love, but there is definitely kissing on the first day and Pete getting a little obsessive and stalker-ish after a short amount of time. Personally, I might have believed the fast pace of the relationship more if Vladimir admitted at the end that it was all a cover-story. That might help along the fact that they were inseparable right from the word go. I found Pete too obsessive about the relationship for my comfort, considering the amount of time they'd been together, but on the other hand, the timeline wasn't consistently recognised, so they might have been together for months and I just wasn't aware.

There were a few editing issues, but very little of them which was great to see, and an inconsistency of name. It's called Hope Harbour in the blurb and the beginning of the book, but only once; for every other instance it's called Hope's Harbour. That niggled at me a little.

Overall, the ending was all a little too neat. It was clear to me, most of the way through, that there were only two real suspects and I was right, in the end. Pete accepted things too quickly, the relationship was too fast and the book was too short for the amount of plot and sub-plots. A decent read, but one that could have benefited from a little more detail, a more obvious timeline for the reader to follow and a few extra pages.

A creative story for those who love paranormal romances with shifters. My first book by this author and I would try her again in the future.

I liked the story and the world-building but unfortunately the romance was underdeveloped. Time jumps in the relationship and not even fade to black romance meant that it was hard to feel any chemistry between the leads. I'd have liked several more chapters to fill in the blanks and give us just a modicum of heat.

Pete is living an ordinary life working as a waiter in a small town while taking care of his aging grandfather. Then Vladimir walks into Pete's life. He's instantly smitten, but when strange things start happening around town and Vladimir also starts acting strange, Pete can't help wondering just what he invited into his bed and his life.

This was definitely a good read. The idea of werewolves and their watchers was an interesting one and I enjoyed the way it played out in this story. (I can't go into too much detail without giving away the plot.) I also really liked the characterizations: Pete just trying to figure his life out, Vladimir also trying to figure out life, but in such a different way, and then Pete's grandfather, whose changing dynamics were so interesting.

While I did like all of that, the problem I had with the story was everything happened too quickly. The entire book felt rushed. There was very little build-up of Pete and Vladimir's relationship, not enough time given to explain the supernatural aspects of the story, and the ending happened so abruptly it felt like it all came out of left field. If Pierce had taken a little more time to let the story flow at a better pace, this book could have been marvelous.

3.5/5

First of all, I received an arc from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

19th of April at 18:53 – I just started this book, and I’m at 12% already.

19th of April at 19:08 – What to say? This is, in my opinion, more of a short story than a book, because I’m practically done with it. Pete saw Vladimir, said hello, a page later they are hooking up. A couple of pages more, Vladimir says F# off for a few days, and suddenly “I’m sorry. I just have super intense feelings for you”……. Really? (46%)

19th of April at 19:27 – I’m done. Finished the book. So, basically, this is a short-fantasy with a whiff of paranormal and romance. Is it good? Yes. But, it lacks content. It skips way too many information that would make the story a lot better. Simply said: the plot was good, well written, could have gone deeper into details. Corny sometimes, confusing others, suspense and action a little at the corner of the page…. If you want to know what I mean read the book, and see if you don’t agree with me that this short-story had some big potential to be a really good 350-450 page book, with perhaps even a sequel.

The story starts off really well. As I kelp read I need more information on the characters. There was somethings that happen and I was like did I miss something but the end wrapped up nice.

The story started off really well and I fell right into it. I enjoyed the town and “society” that the author developed. However, as the tale went on, the story started to lose its pull on me. First, I believe some of it has to do with how the author constructed the story, followed then by the lack of character development.

First,the author's style. I was a bit frustrated with some of the characters actions, especially since they were not explained until the end. Wrapped up into a nice package for the reader to accept. Honestly, I found some of the explanations an easy out, and in one character's instance there wasn’t really an explanation.

Now about character development. While I did enjoy the story between Vladimir and Pete, I didn’t really feel a connection between them. It was hard to believe they were anything more than available for one another. In addition, without a solid background, it is hard for me as a reader to invest in the characters that the author developed, much less the story she created. In the end, Pete and Vladimir get a HFN, while two of the supporting characters get a HEA.

IMO, this story does have potential. The backbones of the story are good, it just needs a bit of fine tuning.

Side Note: If you are in need of a bit more detail let me know. I just try to omit writing spoilers into my reviews.