This is a reread. People will argue about this but facts are facts - if you enjoy Mary Calmes' writing, then you will love this. If you are not a fan, then you will not like this. (My question is, if you do not like an author's style, why do you read them?)
The author spends the first part of the story developing the world the story is set in and does a wonderful job. Her characters grow into the world and fit. This is not a slow-blooming romance, but one that has grown over time and then is announced as a fact. The main conflict is one that shoves one of the main characters out of observation mode in life and into decisions that finally take him forward. This book is a well-developed emotional meal for me, but then I do not enjoy soul torture or the pits of despair writing that can be found there.
I can predict that I will reread this series every couple of years and enjoy it each time. ( )

4.5 Stars rounded up 'coz it was a gift from the author! :)

Oh Mary Calmes, why do I love your books so much? There is just something in the way you create your characters that I just can't help but love them.

I really liked that this particular book is from the point of view of the "alpha" character. Other books have tended to by from the "submissive" character's point of view, so this one jumped out at me.

While I felt I was missing some information at the start of the book (it kind of dives right into the middle of the story), it didn't take very long until things became clearer (and without a huge info dump.) Not a technique I would recommend to every writer; it takes skill to be able to pull it off without causing me to fling my book into the corner out of sheer frustration.

I'm looking forward to reading more about the characters living at L'Ange! There will be more, right?! ( )

Old Loyalty, New Love by Mary Calmes

Paranormal romance. 1st in a series. M-M.
Alpha pack dynamics. Ethics and goodness overcomes the criminal. Possessive shifters. Hot sex. Sublime mated romance.

Excerpt:
“I’ll call you later.”
“Yes. Please.”
“You’re being stupid.”
“Because you were purposely baiting me instead of simply giving me the words you know I needed to hear.”
“Words are cheap. Actions mean more.”
“Words secured by action are best.”
“What the h does that mean?”
“You say, ‘Roman I won’t sleep with anyone’ and then don’t. That’s best.”
He was exhausting. “You know I only want to sleep with you,” I blurted out.
His sigh was both annoying and sweet at the same time. “Now, you see? Was that so hard?”
I could actually visualize my hands around his throat, squeezing.
“You’re thinking about throttling me, aren’t you?”
He really did know me very well.”
Excerpt from Old Loyalties, New Love by Mary Calmes ( )

Just...meh.

Not bad, not great. By the end I was bored enough to skim the last chapter. I'm skipping the rest of the series entirely.

I think one problem is the shifter angle. This particular paranormal world was not at all interesting. I'm also not crazy about shifter animals other than wolves. Bears? Deer? Lions? Nope. And ohmygod I even came across a hedgehog shifter once, wtf? So jackals don't interest me.

What I need right now is some Derek Hale-type shifting.

And one must never question the call of Sterek. ( )

This blurb had me at “jackal shifter” – not exactly a commonly written about species, and with Mary Calmes’s ability to build exciting shifter worlds (her ‘Change of Heart’ series is one of my favorites), I was intrigued to see what she would come up with next. Additionally, you have one main character, Quade, who is a bodyguard, older, and with lots of mystery in his past, and another, Roman, who is physically scarred and emotionally troubled while having had a massive crush on Quade for years. A set of potentially explosive characteristics if I’ve ever seen one! The story that results by the time Quade’s old pack gets involved is action-packed, tension-filled, and so emotional it made me want to alternately slap Quade for being so obstinate and hug Roman for being such a champ. Amazing!

Quade has quite a few issues. He is “tall, dark, and mysterious” to a T, but he is also honorable, dedicated to his job as Roman’s bodyguard, and entirely too determined not to admit he is as much in love with Roman as Roman is with him. With a lover’s betrayal in his past on top of everything else, Quade could be the poster child for “not relationship material”. And yet – he has spent eleven years seeing Roman grow up, survive several tragedies, and become a man who knows exactly what he wants. I loved seeing the seemingly implacable Quade squirm when Roman finally decides enough is enough and goes after Quade, no holds barred. Watching Quade deal with his old pack, his previous lover, and a whole new direction in his life kept me glued to my seat and turning the pages as quickly as I could devour the words.

Roman may be the younger man in this couple, but in many ways he is wiser. He knows himself and what he needs exceptionally well, and what he has had to endure (physical disfigurement when he was seventeen, the loss of his parents a few years later) has made him more mature than most of his peers. Dealing with rejection due to his scarred face on a daily bass has hardened him, and the emotional walls he has built around himself so he can survive are formidable. Despite all that, he is not a hermit. Yes, he is careful about letting anyone new close to him, but a large part of that is due to all the gold diggers who are after him. The one person he has never held at a distance is Quade, and once he decides it is time they become a couple in every sense, he is unstoppable. He has known Quade for eleven years and has seen a lot more, understands a lot more, than Quade suspects. Roman will NOT be deterred, and he will NOT be left behind – no matter what Quade may have decided. This makes him the ideal partner for a man who never intended to let anyone close to his heat again.

If you like unusual, gripping love stories with a paranormal touch, if you are intrigued by two men who are ideal for each other but have one of them refusing to admit it, and if you’re looking for a read that is as emotional and filled with passion as it is suspenseful and action-packed, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. Yes, I am totally hooked on this new series!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspiner Press for the purpose of a review.
( )