Author: Charlie Richards
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Pages/Word Count: 108 Pages
At a Glance: Anther gargoyle finds his mate – and we also get to hear about my favorite thing in this series – gargoyle babies!
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: Into the Paranormal World: Sometimes falling down the rabbit hole involves a rather painful and embarrassing face-plant.
Wren Cleaver only wants to keep his goddaughter safe. Having looked after Penelope since her parents died when she was sixteen, Wren is used to keeping tabs on her. It’s hard for him to remember that she’s an adult. It’s also hard for him to accept that she’s dating a man twice her age, GolrenRabenau. When Wren drops by her home one evening to talk to Penelope about her involvement with Golren—who he discovers is not who he says he is—Wren arrives just in time to see her climb into the man’s SUV. Wanting to know where Golren is taking his goddaughter, Wren follows them to the grounds of the massive Falias Estate, a place, according to town gossip, has been shrouded in mystery for decades. Sneaking onto the grounds, Wren thinks the arboretum will be a safe place to sneak inside so he can learn a bit more about the place’s occupants. Unfortunately, he’s faced with the shock of his life…massive snakes. Watching them transform into humans would cause anyone to faint from shock. Right?
Review: Tempting the Bear is book 12.0 in this series, and they are probably best read in order since a lot about gargoyles is explained in previous books. I found this to be one of the most enjoyable books in this series so far. There was humor and drama and my favorite – gargoyle babies !
Wren is the human owner of the local restaurant where a lot of action has taken place in previous books in this series. His goddaughter has taken up with one of the residents of the mysterious Falias estate outside of town. He’s worried about her, so he follows one day when she leaves her house with her boyfriend. Somehow he manages to sneak onto the property and into the arboretum – where he sees two huge snakes transform into humans. Needless to say, this causes quite a shock – so much so that he faints and hits his head. The shifters take him to see Dr. Perseus, the head doctor at the compound, and it turns out that Wren is his mate.
So, if it isn’t enough that now Wren has seen shifters, he also then is exposed to the whole paranormal world, including his gargoyle mate. Perseus only has one form (gargoyle) since he hasn’t mated yet, and his imposing presentation both stuns and arouses Wren. However, at some point he becomes convinced that none of this is real and he’s in some sort of dream or fugue state from being hit on the head.
While Perseus is trying to figure out a way to help his mate to get to know him, Wren is dealing with some annoying stuff at his place of business. He’s being continually harassed by a crooked inspector who wants a payoff in sexual favors. Wren is no prude, but this awful guy is married, and he’s basically conducting a shakedown to get sex in exchange for a clean health code inspection. Definitely not something Wren wants any part of.
Perseus decides to try to woo Wren through food. :) He’s a restaurateur, so probably nobody ever cooks for him. Given how much Perseus likes to eat, he decides the way to the man’s heart might be through his stomach. His surprise is definitely effective, not only for Wren, but there are some unintended surprises from this visit as well.
Wren takes a little while to come around, but frankly, the mate pull is fierce, and he won’t be able to resist for long. He’s been alone for some time and really wants to have a connection with Perseus. He’s impressed with Perseus’s compassion as a doctor, his loyalty and his dedication to his community, and his fierce possessiveness of Wren. They are also very sexually compatible as it turns out!
Besides Perseus’s pursuit of Wren, we also see him taking care of his practice and checking in with parents of a sick young gargoyle baby (my favorite Vaclar- YAY!) and confirming the expectation of another gargoyle baby. :) Honestly, I just love this mPreg storyline with these gargoyles and their mates. So adorable these babies!
All in all, a really fun and quick story that left a smile on my face and has me looking forward to the next installment of this series, to see who will find their mate and who is the next to be having a gargoyle baby.
You can buy Tempting the Bear here:
