Review: Muscle and Bone by Mary Calmes
SYNOPSIS:
You belong to me and I know it down deep, in muscle and bone, where my wolf lives.
Avery Rhine isn’t an average homicide detective with the Chicago PD. In fact, Avery isn’t an average anything. Sure, as an omega he knows he’s at the bottom of the food chain, but that’s never slowed him down. He’s got a great life, complete with a loving family and a best friend who’d take a bullet for him, so what more could he possibly want or need? Except, maybe, for the world to change. And to find someone to spend more than one night with, but that isn’t high on his list of priorities. He’s never been one to believe in destiny or whatever else the fantasies sell about there being someone special out there meant just for him.
Then a chance encounter at a party changes everything.
Graeme Davenport has no delusions about finding his true mate. The consensus is that if an alpha doesn’t find their other half by the time they’re thirty, the chances of it ever happening go from slim to none. He’s not a mere alpha, though; Graeme is a cyne who sits at the pinnacle of lupine hierarchy, so he’s obligated by tradition and duty to choose an omega now, sign a contract, and bond with him. Love is not part of the equation.
When Graeme and Avery meet, their fierce attraction to each other flies in the face of reason and logic. Avery’s intense physical reaction to the alpha is something he’s never experienced before, while Graeme, who has always been the soul of discretion, loses all his inhibitions to desire for the man he wants to possess. They are two very different men trying to navigate expectations, separate reason from innate primal drive, and do it while working together to solve a murder.
It will take everything they are to find a middle ground, and to learn to trust in a fated kind of love.
REVIEW:
This book was a delightful surprise. I have read Mary Calmes in the past and have mixed opinions on her stories but I have never read a standalone by her. This novel was the perfect mixture of tension and romance, filled with plot twists that completely took me by surprise and left me reeling.
I don’t think I can start this review without saying how much I adored this unconventional omega, Avery. He was such a strong character who refused to conform or stick to stereotypes. I loved his vibrant personality but also his endless confidence, he was a man who knew what he wanted and he refused to settle for anything less. In contrast, Graeme was the perfect counterbalance to Avery. While Graeme seems at first abrasive and insecure, he actually has a huge heart and is the perfect alpha to compliment Avery. And while neither character seems to be looking for love, I couldn’t help but cheer for the solace and security they found in one another.
The beautiful romance aside, the plot had me captivated. We have a murder that turns out to be so much more as Avery, Graeme and friends search for answers. I was left shocked as secrets are revealed, betrayal and deceit run rampant, and when all the dust settles…I went back and re-read the chapter to make sure that really happened. I love a mystery where I would never be able to put the pieces together until all is revealed, and that is exactly what happened here. Did I think certain characters got off too easily…yes. But am I thrilled by the closure and ending, absolutely.
My only complaint is as the story ended, I wanted more. I just could not get enough of Avery and Graeme…and I just found out there is a second book that features Linden and another delightful character so YAY! Basically, this book was the shifters book I have been looking for. A perfect escapism read that had me immersed in a stunning world filled with mystery and high risks with a sweet and sexy romance.
LINKS:
