Reviewed by Dan
This is a Series Review of The Beast Within Trilogy
AUTHOR: J. Ashburn
PUBLISHER: Self Published
SERIES REVIEW:
I enjoyed this shifter/werewolf series. It was a little different than most, because Alec Ashcroft was born a werewolf. He just didn’t know it until he started having dreams of claws, blood, and his partner Matt torn to pieces in their bed. Rather than talk about with anyone, he runs away to the mountains, leaving his partner, his sister, his good job and his nice home to protect them all. I’ve never turned into a werewolf, but I’m pretty sure I’d talk to my partner and my sister really damn quickly if I started growing fur and fangs!
The story moved along well through the three books, and was well written, but there were three fairly major items which caused me to rate it lower than I would have otherwise.
First and foremost was Alec’s serial monogamy. He dumps poor Matt, who he has been with for years…drives off to the mountains and instantly starts getting all horned out over Philip…but then goes to the woods and falls for Luca…but then goes back to Philip. It was confusing as hell, and while I do believe in love at first sight, it doesn’t happen over and over and over for the same person unless they are only looking for “Mr. Right Now”!
Secondly, to be honest there were quite a few simple typos that should have been caught during editing.
Lastly, this series must be read in order, and you must read it all to have closure. The books are cliffhangers, something I’m also not fond of, but by reading them all at the same time I got past that.
Those issues aside, I enjoyed the books and I would say that I liked them. This was my first read of anything by J. Ashburn. I will look for other works by the author in the future.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: Man and the Beast
LENGTH: 201 Pages
BLURB:
Alec Ashcroft is afraid. Afraid of himself, the black outs, the hunger, and of what he might be capable of doing. See, Alec is a shifter, a wolf and he doesn’t know how to control his extraordinary power. Refusing to put his boyfriend Matt or his family at risk, Alec runs away from everything. He must protect others from his dark side and hopefully find the answers he’s been seeking all of his life.
The town of Redfern seemed the perfect escape, lots of forest land and animals to hunt, until Alec met Luca. Dark, seductive, sexy, Luca is like Alec and the scent of him drives Alec wild. He shows Alec how to control and use his power to his advantage and soon Luca exerts his allure over him. The two become entwined in a passionate and wild relationship with Luca even inviting him to join his pack high up in the mountains above town. Is this enigmatic new stranger to be trusted or is there something more sinister going on? All Alec wants to believe is that he’s finally found someone to calm the Beast Within.
REVIEW:
I’m glad I stumbled on this book on Amazon and asked the author if I could review their series!
Alec Ashcroft has a problem. He has been dreaming of blood, and having blackouts, and waking up outside and covered in blood. His sight, hearing and smell have all increased overnight exponentially. But what can he do when starts feeling the hunger and dreaming of his boyfriend Matt torn apart in their bed with blood and body parts everywhere.
Alec runs away. He can’t put Matt or his own sister Rachelle at risk from the beast he is becoming. Alec realizes he is a werewolf, but has no idea how or why.
Alec runs until he get to the small town of Redfern, far up in the mountains. He settles in, getting a job as a waiter at a local restaurant and living in a room upstairs, and flirting with Philip the hot gay bartender. But when Alec almost loses control with Philip, he backs off and decides to have nothing further to do with him. He will just have to survive and figure out how to combat his wolf side.
But something is pulling him to the woods. One day on his daily run he stumbles on a beautiful dark and sexy man named Luca. Shockingly, Luca is like him. Another werewolf, and there are others. All sexy gay men. Luca says Alec is his mate, but Luca and the others are hiding a dark secret. What will happen when Alec discovers the truth?
This book is full of action, well written and it holds onto you until the very last page….when you have to run and grab book two.
RATING: 3.5
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TITLE: Lure of the Beast
LENGTH: 130 Pages
BLURB:
The adventure and romance continues as Alec finds more intrigue and desire in the town of Redfern. Alec and Philip finally decide to stop running and settle down but Alec’s sister Rachelle has other plans. Still angry at becoming a whelp, a newborn wolf, she is determined to make Alec’s life a living hell.
To add fuel to the fire a new shifter enters town, adding a new temptation to Alec’s relationship as the Pure Blood- one of the oldest and strongest of the wolf shifters-closes in on Alec. What does the Pure Blood want with Alec and will finding out destroy the happy life he’s found in the sleepy mountain town?
REVIEW:
In this installment, we learn what happened to Alec’s sister Rachelle after she was bitten and taken off to the local hospital near the end of book one. She escaped from the hospital and ran off into the mountains, almost starving to death over the winter. It is now spring, and she is back with a vengeance. Her inner wolf blames Alec for what has happened to her. It is all his fault she reasons, because she wouldn’t have been there to get bitten if she hadn’t been following her stupid brother who ran off with saying a word.
Non-logical, but her blood rage increases and she starts hating Alec more and more. When she is approached by the Pure Blood, Vincent, he feeds in to her paranoia and she agrees to help him get her brother, once and for all.
There is also a new shifter in town. Tarn is not only a wolf shifter, but also a cat shifter. He has a way with a guitar and can draw shifters to himself. When they’re drawn to him, his music makes them want to have sex with him. Sounds like a handy “gift” to have! 🙂 Only because Alec is now firmly with Philip is he able to resist Tarn’s charms.
I liked this one as well. One warning, this one ends at a total cliff hanger, so make sure you have book three available to start immediately!
RATING: 3.5
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TITLE: Moon of the Beast
LENGTH: 148 Pages
BLURB:
There is seemingly no escape for Alec and Philip when the Pure Blood is led right to the White Wolf. Rachelle finally stands with her brother to fight for his new life and his right to love and it’s an all out war for survival with casualties on both sides.
It’s a race against time to stop the Pure Blood from completing the moon ritual with the only thing he needs….the White Wolf. Alec, Philip and Rachelle will need all of their friends, old and new as the full moon draws near. Is their love enough to stop this threat once and for all? The answer will change the entire shifter world forever.
REVIEW:
As I said at the end of the second book’s review above, books two and three flow directly into each other. Almost mid-thought.
The battle is approaching. Alec, as the white wolf, has two choices. Be killed and drained of every drop of his blood by Vincent, the Evil Pure Blood, or fight and kill Vincent. Rachelle is now firmly on Alec’s side, and with Philip, Max, Jai, Tarn, Adam and a new friend Cameron they must face near impossible odds.
I’m not going to give a lot of spoilers on this one. The story reaches a logical conclusion and the story lines are almost all tied up, except for Matt, the man Alec abandoned in Book One, but his story will be reviewed below.
It probably comes as no surprise that everyone doesn’t get out alive. I liked this story and was happy with the ending of the trilogy. Who will win? How does Luca being back change the dynamics? I guess you’ll have to get the books and find out!
RATING: 3.5
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TITLE: Matt’s Story: A Beast Within Short
LENGTH: 42 Pages
BLURB:
Ever wondered what happen to Matt after Alec left him? Now’s your chance to find out!
Matt comes to terms with being alone and begins to put his life back together but there’s more in store for the corporate hot shot then he could ever imagine.
REVIEW:
Did you, like me, wonder what happened to that poor guy Matt in book one? Put yourself in his place. You come home one night and your partner of the last several years is just gone! He took his clothes, his personal items and left you a short note about how it wasn’t you, it was him, blah, blah, blah. Wouldn’t you want your story told?
As you all know, not a word about him since. Well, I’m happy to say that is no longer true. With the release of “Matt’s Story” we have some closure on Matt.
Matt has met this super-hot guy named Ryan in a gay bar. He pushes every one of Matt’s buttons, and once they hook up, it is fantastic. They seem relationship bound.
But what will happen when Ryan wants to go camping in the mountains above Redfern? There are still werewolves running around in those hills! Watch out boys, they’ll eat you up!
Great closure for the loose end of Matt! And no, that wasn’t a spoiler that they get eaten!
RATING: 3.5
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