Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Skinny, quiet hipster Dylan Warner was the kind of guy other men barely glanced at until an evening’s indiscretion with a handsome stranger turned him into a werewolf. Now, despite a slightly hairy handicap, he just wants to live an ordinary—if lonely—life as an architect. He tries to keep his wild impulses in check, but after one too many close calls, Dylan gives up his urban life and moves to the country, where he will be less likely to harm someone else. His new home is a dilapidated but promising house that comes with a former Christmas tree farm and a solitary neighbor: sexy, rustic Chris Nock.

Dylan hires Chris to help him renovate the farmhouse and quickly discovers his assumptions about his neighbor are inaccurate—and that he’d very much like Chris to become a permanent fixture in his life as well as his home. Between proving himself to his boss, coping with the seductive lure of his dangerous ex-lover, and his limited romantic experience, Dylan finds it hard enough to express himself—how can he bring up his monthly urge to howl at the moon?

 

Book Review

As many of my fellow readers know, I am a humongous, monstrous, colossal and mammoth lover of shifter stories. (Good use of adjectives, huh?) Having only recently discovered the works of the very talented Kim Fielding, you can imagine my joy when I realized she wrote a paranormal shifter set of stories. What was even better was discerning that 'Good Bones' is far more about the foundations of things, whether a home or a relationship, than it was about werewolves. This in no way shape or form detracted from my enjoyment of the book, and, in fact, it may have enhanced it. The fact that Dylan is a werewolf isn't the primary focus of the tale, instead the author chose to weave a story around how being a werewolf has changed his life and his whole world, for better or worse.

Dylan has had a few too many close calls in the past two years since becoming a werewolf so he looks for a place with some acreage that isn't too rural. He can telecommute for work and only go into the office one day a week preventing the possibility of him changing while stuck in traffic. He finds a gorgeous old two-story Victorian on thirty acres with just one neighbor nearby. He falls in love with the house and its fixer upper mentality as the house is still stuck a little in the 50s and the 70s. Meeting his new neighbor, Chris, is a little different as from first glance the guy is a beer swilling, cigarette smoking redneck who urinates off his back deck. His very unattractive back deck. But Chris has construction knowledge so Dylan hires him to help renovate his home. One day into tearing down the kitchen and two arguments break out with Chris thinking Dylan sees him as a hick and trailer trash and Dylan thinking Chris views him as an uptight, corporate big shot who puts on airs to seem as if he knows where the "little guy" is coming from. What a beginning to their relationship.

What Dylan finds working day by day next to his hot neighbor is that Chris isn't what his first impression was. And when the desire between them goes up in flames, well that is unexpected but oh so welcome. What is not welcome, however, is Dylan's old lover and the guy who made him into a werewolf, Andy, back poking his nose into Dylan's life and wanting them to be pack. Dylan wants nothing to do with Andy and just wants him to go away and leave Dylan alone. With all this going on it's a surprise to Dylan when he realizes that he's actually in a relationship with Chris. Sweet Chris, of the abusive and abandoned childhood, who had to live a rough life just to get by. Sarcastic Chris, who hides his vulnerability inside and reacts in anger every time he gets afraid. Two men who have no experience with relationships and they're in one, although Chris knows there is some secret that Dylan is hiding, and it's breaking Chris's heart that Dylan won't open up and let him in.

The secret was bound to come out, of course, but I liked the way the author wrote it. I liked the ending which left Dylan and Chris in a state of future possibilities, places where the next volume can take them. I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to the sequel because these guys are pretty irresistible. Thank you, Kim, for another wonderful read.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/60671 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	20-April-2012
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/good-bones-by-kim-fielding-2234-b