REVIEWED BY CINDY

TITLE: Rescuing Jack

AUTHOR: Caitlin Ricci

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 200

Blurb:

Werewolves are real. Marius enjoys the irony that everyone calls him a dog whisperer, not just because he’s a werewolf, but for his work at the local animal shelter. He has a unique talent for pairing families with their perfect pets upon first meeting them. But he’s still looking for acceptance and a forever family of his own. Then Jack comes into the rescue looking for a big, mean dog. To prevent Jack from making the wrong choice, Marius convinces him to adopt a needy spaniel mix instead. But when Marius learns Jack is tormented by horrible memories while at his apartment, he opens his home to the sweet, scared man. As their relationship grows, Jack feels comfortable telling Marius about the horrors he suffered. Marius hopes his steady presence, protection, and love can help Jack reclaim the pieces of himself broken on that terrible night.

Review: The blurb of this story totally drew me in. I have a special fondness for shifters and broken men being fixed by patience and love. It kind of lived up to the promise.

I like the idea of shifters having come out in the world and how the reactions to this run the gamut from acceptance to hatred and intolerance. I also like how the paranormal part of this story is not what drives the whole thing. That’s left to the main characters and what they are dealing with.

Marius is sweet, kind and patient, everything Jack needs to help him recover from the most horrible experience of his life. Jack is damaged and understandably so. He goes to the shelter Marius runs looking for protection from his nightmares but ends up finding Missy, a dog that needs him as much as he needs her.

Clara, Marius’s partner in the shelter is kind of annoying. She’s supposed to come across as protective of her shifter friend but mostly seems bitchy for no reason. Her irritation and impatience with a man who was clearly terrified made me wonder what kind of person she was. Seth, the other person who works at the shelter is alternately sweet and snarky and I liked him a lot.

Watching Jack and Missy bond made me smile. They have both been so hurt and it’s adorable how they help each other in their times of need. I also love how she is the catalyst that keeps bringing Jack and Marius together.

Marius’s reaction when he finds out what happened to Jack was muted but believable. Every time Jack started to relive what happened to him, my heart broke for him. At first I thought that the way Jack kept bringing sex in this story was coming a little fast but then I saw them for what they were; Jack’s attempts at taking back something that was taken from him and his need for something normal in his life.

My biggest issue with the story was the ending. It feels rushed and incomplete. I know we are supposed to be left with the feeling that there is hope for the future, but it just felt cut off.

Over all, it’s a good hurt comfort story, but it just needed a little something more.

Rating:

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press