Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Stealing His Heart 
SERIES: Dreamspun Beyond #36 & Connoll Pack #1
AUTHOR: Bru Baker
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019
BLURB:
Love sneaks in like a thief in the night.
Danny’s parents raised him to believe his wolf was a curse. He’s part of the wealthy and powerful Connoll Pack, but only nominally. He abandoned that world to volunteer with supernatural kids, and he isn’t looking for a mate….
Max is a shifter who is also a detective. He’s working a case that could make or break his career. Danny’s caught up in the case he’s on, and he’s also irresistible. They’re a bad match—Max, an Alpha having trouble with his new powers and Danny, who trusts Alphas as far as he could throw one. But they can’t get enough of each other, and they might bond before they even see it coming.
They could be amazing together, but they have to get past a few obstacles—especially since someone close to Danny might be involved in the thefts Max is investigating.
REVIEW:
What happens when an Alpha finds his mate? Everything is accelerated. The physical attraction, the need to protect, bond, lust, love, the whole shebang. That’s what happens between Alpha Max and Danny. However, Danny doesn’t know Max is an Alpha. Danny doesn’t like Alpha’s because all his life, Alphas have tried to stop him doing what he wants.
Danny comes from a privileged background – one he rejected and was effectively disowned by his parents. He formed the Janus Foundation for supernatural kids. A burglary brought Detective Max Torres to Danny’s door. Despite Danny not being Max’s type, Max’s instincts were on alert – he knew Danny was his mate.
Told in the third person, the story is technically sound. As all literature is subjective to reader preference, most stories will have elements that one likes and those they aren’t so keen on. And they will differ from reader to reader. Stealing His Heart is no different.
Novels are notoriously difficult to start, and I get that there’s a lot of information authors want to get out there. In this story there’s some information dumping, some repetition which slows progress, and the odd detour describing elements not wholly necessary to the arc, but which give a bigger picture.
Max is new to his Alpha status and has yet to feel comfortable in the role. The family he comes from though are superb. Ray and the other siblings are up front and comical about their nosiness while older relatives are caring and thoughtful. Danny’s family and Max’s are like chalk and cheese. – One image conscious, the other family conscious. I greatly enjoyed the yin and yang of the respective family cultures. I also enjoyed the way Danny and Max (lust aside) emotionally came together through the bonding process.
The relationship between Max and Danny is the main arc, but there is the side arc of robberies taking place with no evidence of entry or exit. I am a fan of detective books and tv series, so when these parts appeared, I made sure I had a cup of tea by my side, and a do not disturb notice handed out. The police aspects were not frequent, but when they appeared, they were a highlight.
As far as the order of events goes, several of them start with words akin to ‘it had been weeks since’ as such, I found it a little difficult to follow the timeline. Occasionally, actions are mentioned, but the results never forthcoming. It’s like announcing you’ve just come back from Disney but telling me about your holiday to Spain instead. There’s an occasion where a PI finds Joss and another where Danny’s mother goes to visit the foundation. In both instances, I know the event happens, but not the results of them.
Overall, I enjoyed Staling His Heart. Yes, I got a little confused in places, but I never got bored. When one sees so many families fall apart or go their separate ways, it was lovely to read a story where people who didn’t have functional family found one within the Torres Pack.
RATING: 
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