Don't...

The blurb for this book made it sound like just my sort of thing, but I've ended up deciding not to continue reading about a quarter of the way through. It's a bit hard to put my finger on why the book didn't grab me, but I think the bottom line is that the idea of the main character, Jack, submitting to an unknown, unseen Dom who has apparently bugged his home, his phone and work, didn't seem realistic. The situation came across as way too creepy and not at all sexy. The breaking point came when Jack started cutting himself at the behest of the still-unknown Dom. Everyone has their kinks, and you shouldn't judge people by what turns them on, but self-mutilation crosses a line for me from "wow, he's hard core" to "um, I think he needs to consult a mental health professional about why he's doing that".

DNF @ 48%

My first issue with this book is the insta-love. Now don't get me wrong - some instances of insta-love are alright if done right. Perhaps guy A witnesses guy B saving kittens, or helping an elderly person across a busy street. Or guy A accidentally save guy B's life while guy B's on the run from some shady bad doers. Just...something.

But here? All guy B (Jan) ever did was show up with a broken car. And all I can attribute guy A's (Jack's) attraction to guy B was all superficial (because let's face it, there was no time for these two men to get to know one another before their eternal love came into the picture). Jan was a good looking bloke with a broken car. So the fact that Jack, a man with psychological issues, a crappy past, and a self-proclaimed "never good with relationships" kind of guy, should fall head over heels for this good lookin' fella. Right?

Right.

And let's not forget the growly "mines" that took place not even 24 hours after these two guys acknowledged one another. I didn't realize Jack was an alpha werewolf who just claimed his mate.

It wasn't all bad at first. There was an interesting dark twist with who I will dub "the voice." But then Jack met Jan and this became some fluffy insta-love story with the occasional reminder that something is amiss.

And even the plot-twist almost mid-way into the book, while interesting and certainly sparked my interest, sank quicker than the Titanic. Because I could see where this story was heading (and based on some reviews, I am not wrong) and I just didn't feel like reading this anymore. Not because the road ahead is something I couldn't stomach, but because I can't stand the driver (i.e. Jan).

Did I mention how much I dislike Jan? So uninteresting. Bland. Boring. I started skimming when the POV switched to him.

So in conclusion, I don't mind menage. I love BDSM. And dark stories make my heart flutter (especially if there's lots of blood and gore and,and non-con! pants). But when you introduce a relationship I can't necessarily buy with an uninteresting lead character (Jan), well...I just really don't feel up to this story anymore. Even if it does get better, I shouldn't have to read almost half of the story to get to that point.

So just not for me.