Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: A Snarl a Splash and a Shock
SERIES: Lions Tigers and Bears #2
AUTHOR: K C Wells
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 316 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022
BLURB:
As part of a military team, Crank needs to keep his head on straight. His unit depends on it. So the recurring sensual dreams he’s having—the ones featuring a shark shifter with dark brown hair and eyes—really screw with his focus. Especially since the shifter is a guy.
Greenland shark shifter Vic can’t stop thinking about Crank, a human military guy he met when Vic got called in for a consult. Crank seems handy with anything that flies, and Vic would be happy to have him at his back, in more ways than one. And that’s a problem—firstly because Vic’s in love with his boyfriend, Saul, but also because Crank is sarcastic, irreverent… and straight.
The problem comes to a head when Saul discovers Vic has been dreaming about a man who isn’t him. Saul does not share. But when Crank starts invading Saul’s dreams too, he has to reassess his feelings. His life may depend on it.
Exploring the growing connection between the three of them will have to wait, though. The upcoming mission demands the team’s full attention. They’re about to discover something huge, and they have badly underestimated the enemy….
REVIEW:
Vic is an oral historian shifter. Crank is an ex-military, straight, what you see is what you get human, guy. Saul, Vic’s boyfriend, is ex-military and also human. First, there’s a meeting, then the dreams. Honesty ensures transparency and makes life complicated, but it can also give the men something extraordinary – each other.
A Snarl a Splash and a Shock is the second in the Lions Tigers and Bears series. The first book – A Growl a Roar and a Purr was superb – it set the scene for the series and was a darn good read. This second installment is more character development – before, I suspect, the big finish in the next novel.
The story is told in the third person from multiple viewpoints and was technically excellent. As much of the scene-setting was already accomplished, relationships were the focus, with the underlying shifter arc slightly less at the forefront. The scenario of a straight man entering a gay-fated mate’s relationship made for interesting reading, and as men are highly sexual beings, this aspect is reflected in the manuscript. It was also lovely to read the continuation of relationships already forged in book one.
In this well-paced, well-thought-out story, the history and mechanics of shifters and their mates are still being discovered. Add into the mix some unscrupulous scientists, and just about any scenario is possible, providing some fascinating twists and turns – leaving me on the edge of my seat with anticipation. As almost anything is on the table, the story arc has the potential to be somewhat of a brain ache. Evil has a long reach and can come from almost any source. However, a crack team of ex-military with a strong sense of duty and camaraderie must surely prevail? But, before that can happen, the full capability of the enemy must be understood.
This novel contains a super range of characters, from the despicably evil, the super good, the conflicted, and more. I found inter-relationship dynamics most amusing. The journeys of Vic, Saul, and Crank made for splendid reading.
Then, after a long line of expletives, I had to accept that this tale is continuing to a third novel. It is impossible not to compare the stories in the series, and although book two is an excellent read, I connected to book one more. Maybe it suffers from what I call – sequelitus. The first in any series provides a new sparkly exciting world that upends your insides. Whereas in the second, everything is altogether more familiar, so the impact isn’t as great.
RATING: 
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