Reviewed by Marieke
TITLE: Of Monsters and Men
SERIES: A Forever Home series #2
AUTHOR: Caitlin Ricci
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 181 pages
BLURB:
Seth’s life looks idyllic on the surface. He has a great job at the pet rescue with a fantastic boss, who happens to be a werewolf. He is getting his degree at the local university and has a best friend who understands that the most intimate thing for Seth is a kiss. But when it comes to relationships, Seth’s perfect life is a jumbled mess. No guy stays around because eventually, they always want more than Seth, who is asexual, is able to give. Seth wants love and a relationship, but not the sex that everyone puts so much value on.
Seth tries for something more with the man he has a crush on, but when that ends Seth feels like he’s back to square one. So when his boss’s brother, Jeremy, pushes his way into Seth’s life, insisting that he won’t press for more than Seth is comfortable sharing, Seth is wary. All of Seth’s experience says it won’t last long. But Jeremy is one werewolf who is used to getting his way, and might just be patient enough to wait for Seth to see he means what he says.
REVIEW:
Seth works at the animal rescue where we met Marius and Jack in the previous book. We also met Jeremy there when he was asked by Marius to take care of Jake’s rapists, so the characters are already familiar to the reader.
In the beginning of the story, Seth helps one of his ‘customers’ bury his diseased cat. Seth likes Peter and has had a crush on him for a while. But when Peter kisses him and starts to feel him up, Seth runs. The next time he sees Peter he explains about his asexuality.
That’s when his (asshole of a) roommate comes in. Ryan is Seth’s kiss and cuddle buddy. They don’t have a relationship, because Ryan needs sex and Seth can’t give that to him. Ryan is excited that Seth has agreed to talk with Peter and right before Peter arrives he slips Seth some drugs. Seth ends up in the hospital because of a bad reaction to the drugs, and kicks Ryan out of his apartment. Things don’t work out with Peter either because of the sex thing.
In steps Jeremy, who is, in Seth’s words, an asshole. Yet they hit it off and start hanging out, kissing and cuddling. Jeremy is Marius’s brother and also a werewolf with a special power. He always assumed that once people knew what he could do and what he does, they’d hightail right out of there. But Seth’s okay with it, even agrees sometimes.
I really wanted to read this book because I loved the previous one. I liked Seth in Jack’s book, so I was eager to read his story. The way it starts with Peter though, made me feel like there is more to Seth’s asexuality than he lets on. But as the story progresses, we are assured there is nothing other than that.
Seth’s reactions bug the hell out of me after a few incidents. He’s quick to anger and hurt. He sulks and seethes before going back to talk it out. But even for the reader who is supposedly getting ‘inside’ information, his asexuality makes no sense. I know what it is and how it works, but if I’d have to go by this author’s explanation, I would be confused as hell. Seth’s aversion to nakedness is weird after all he does with Jeremy, his distrust one minute, his confidence the next is strange. And the therapy sessions are so awkward, it makes me cringe at the thought of it.
Yes, I liked the idea of an asexual guy falling in love. Yes I liked Jeremy, even his rough personality. I even didn’t mind that there was absolutely no sex in the book at all. But Seth’s reactions and reasoning’s made the book way less pleasurable than it could have been. I had trouble keeping focused and getting through it. The end was better though, and redeemed a few of the bad things for me.
All in all, not my favorite read but an interesting topic.
RATING: 
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