| Title | : | Pretty Poison |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 2940148931812 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Nook |
| Number of Pages | : | 147 |
| Publication | : | First published December 14, 2013 |
Noah fell from an eighth story balcony as a toddler, cracking open his skull and shattering his body. The accident would’ve killed a human, but even shifter blood can’t heal some damage. After the pack recommended a mercy killing, Noah’s family ran. But there’s no outrunning the mating pact formed before Noah’s birth.
Wade, the new alpha, chooses an adult Noah to fulfill the pact. Wade believes the previous alpha was a fool to reject Noah as a weak and inferior wolf, but Noah’s family was wrong to hide him and starve his wolf, too. Human doctors with human medicines are poison to shifter physiology. Now that Noah is fully grown, halting his shift to retain the pins, plates, and bars holding him together hurts rather than helps him, and for Wade, more than Noah’s recovery is at stake.
Noah’s family sacrificed everything to keep him alive. Noah will do whatever it takes to save them—including mate with the alpha who is determined to correct past mistakes and defeat old prejudices contaminating the shifter community.
Too bad some still believe Noah is the true poison…and should be culled from the pack for good.
Content Warnings: Dubious consent, shifter knotting/tying, and Nerf gun assassination attempts. Ereaders (and you) may spontaneously combust–-Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
54,540 Words
Pretty Poison Reviews
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If I created a wish list of sorts for qualities I would like a MM shifter story to have, Kari Gregg checked off a good number of them with "Pretty Poison". There is a ginger MC (YES!), alpha mating (YES!), a strong-willed MC with a disability (YES!), hot sex (HELLO!) and a strong mating bond (SCORE!)
He hadn't been fucked. He'd been possessed.
This girl loves shifter paranormal romance...oh yes, I, yes I dooooooo! Especially wolf shifters!
Now when I see Kari Gregg attached to any project, I know to expect: hot, elemental, primal fucking with strong characters. Did she disappoint? Nope!
"None will be as thoroughly mated as you when the sun rises." He chuckled at Noah's quiver. "Rest, little wolf. You'll need it."
*grunts* Noah is twenty and for more than 3/4 of his life, he's known only pain, being coddled by family for being disabled. He fell off a balcony at the age of four, cracked his skull and damaged his limbs. But being a wolf shifter saved him from death. Unfortunately, he was a shifter and his pack wanted to mercy kill him. His family has been on the run ever since to protect him. He walks with crutches, takes poisonous pain medication and tries to live in hiding from the city shifters on his family's farm.
Noah was not safe from the city shifters' alpha from claiming him with a mating pact Noah's family signed before he was born. Sheltered Noah was in for a rude awakening the moment alpha Wade stepped into scene. Noah was redheaded an uncommon trait of the normally dark haired shifters, short due to his bones not being able to stretch, damaged and scarred from many surgeries and as close as human as a shifter could get.
Wade was an understanding alpha, not an alpha-hole in the least. I think my favorite quality of him was the sense of vulnerability he had at times. He was not all knowing. He was actually insecure...and ADMITTED it (grudgingly but it counts). When forced mating is in play I am always waiting for the stronger MC to play their hand because they usually have some trick up their sleeve. Wade did not have any tricks. He might have kept a secret or two to himself a few times but he shared when the time called for it. Did he speak soliloquies?
"Would you rather I tug your ridiculous shorts down and suck your pretty cock?" The alpha nudged Noah's thighs wider and heart pounding, Noah spread. A moan locked in his throat when Wade brushed his fingertips over Noah's balls. "Or bend you over right here and now?"
His type of sweet talk was dirty talk. And I was all for it!
Noah, at first was resigned to fulfill his alpha mate duties. But both he and Wade had to learn how to be a couple. There was more to life than hot fucking...though when they did, it was scorching! This is a Kari Gregg novella, so wimpy glitter vamp wolves need not apply. The pair did the 'let's-be-in-a-relationship-and-not-talk-to-each-other' plot device but broke the mold by...talking to one another. Go figure, talking works.
There was no weird drama thrown in to move the story along. It was mostly Noah's internal struggles with being confident with himself, trying to follow the antiquated shifter rules and accepting Wade caring for him. The author introduces a shifter world where humans know about shifters, gay pairings are accepted, not questioned and male shifters can have babies. The shifter world is not fully explained but enough information is given to not get lost. The reader is given enough information to draw conclusions on how shifter society works.
One of my all time favorite shifter MM books is by this author, "I, Omega". It still is. If I had to compare it to "Pretty Poison" I'll have to say it was a sweeter "I, Omega" with MCs on almost equal footing and romantic feel. Noah was not weak, even when giving into Wade. His will was strong. He talked back. He might give in once in awhile but he was stubborn about it. And Noah was not pitiful. His disability was not downplayed or mocked. He wasn't a meek little helpless submissive who only lived for Wade's command. It was my favorite quality of Noah.
"If I could, I'd take you onto the hunting grounds until the full moon and keep you to myself. All mine. Only mine."
Dubious Consent? I think I missed it. The capitulation was so rapid I didn't get a chance to enjoy any dubious consent (though to me the consent might not have been given freely at the beginning, it was still given because it was expected). Technically yes it was dubious consent but it was was light...is there such a thing as light dubcon? If there is, then this was it.
The epilogue. Oh the epilogue, it was sweet, sexy and hopeful. And it even made a subject I'm not the biggest fan of...actually root for it in this story! "Pretty Poison" was a romantic werewolf novella that delivered hotness, a great plot and yummy characters. Great escapism to delve into when you don't want a super serious read.
*howls*
A copy provided by the author for an honest review.
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I can see why this was such a popular book all those years ago and from what I understand, this book popped the many of my friends’ knotting virginity. 😂 That being said, I didn’t feel like this was such a unique book because I have read so many other shifters and mpreg books before it. I loved the disability aspect of the omega in this one, I’ll give you that. 😌 It’s refreshing to see an imperfect omega, at least physically. And a typical very possessive and dominant alpha, I can never get enough all those growling and proclaiming “mine” thing. 😁 The romance, I wish it to be a bit stronger. I didn’t get that emotional connection between those two as much as I wanted to. They are more connected on the physical level. All in all, nice plot line, erotic smut and likable characters, it was entertaining. I’m intrigued to explore more books of
Kari Gregg. 😉
3.5 your imperfections are perfect for me stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 -
Written April 6, 2014
3.8 Stars - forced mating between shifters is weird enough pretty nice and smutty to read about
It was some time since I read a wolf shifter romance last. An old favorite genre. I'd great hopes about this one.
Now some days later, I'm satisfied and longing immediately to my next shifter adventure. They are so darn cuddly and cozy in their steamy heat, and this cool wolf temperament.
~**~**~**~**~**~
Noah is a young sweet man in deep pain. He has sadly damaged joints, arms and legs which are not even able to bear his weight to walk and move as a shifter man should. His wolf is even more crippled.
As a tiny toddler fell Noah from an eighth story balcony, an accident that would’e killed a human. When the City Pack recommended a mercy killing, Noah’s family left (run) to live like runaways out in the countryside. They thought they were safe and well hidden. Now, twenty years later are Wade, the packs new alpha were, and a bunch of his Betas, surprisingly "visiting" Noah's fathers farm.
Pretty Poison start here when Wade comes to choose an adult Noah to fulfill these both families old pact about a promised mate, the oldest daughter or son, for the new alpha. Noah can't do anyting but say yes to Wade.‘How in the hell had he ever lucked into mating a sexy creature like Wade?’
To save his family from the packs already big annoyance and anger, must Noah immediately, the same day, follow Wade into the city to become a bonded alpha mate. ...The bad thing is that some pack members still believe Noah is the true poison and should be culled from the pack for good.
‘No matter how broken and defective shifters belived him to be, maybe one of them finally thought Noah was worth saving, too.'
Noah, the poor crippled 'boy' (yes, sad but true in this case), is of course very scared and afraid. He don't know these shifter, he don't know what Wade will do with him. He isn't even allowed to bring his medicine and use his so very necessary crutches. ...But maybe, yes maybe, is all of it for the better. The pack have a lot of old shifter ideas how to make Noah to a much stronger man and wolf.
~**~**~**~**~**~
As always in a steamy shifter romance is there a lot of mating stuff (sexy or not so...), like a lot of biting, intense mating instincts and other sometimes quite tough mating necessities. There are new variations on that theme in all these shape shifter stories. In this one, was it a quite nice (and sexy..) act and not too weird or rough. Mostly it actually felt like an act of love...yahoo! ~ But of course is this alpha also a very manly, cave-man like, always h@rny and needy man. A huge strong wolf.“You have no idea how much I want to hunt you, then hold you down an f@ck you until you scream with the pleasure of me inside you.”
Noah shuddered.’
These wolves, seems not to have any problem with a male alpha mate at least. ~ That's very nice and up-to-date. (Gay Stars from me!)
The MC's, the usual wolf shifters, or?
# Wade, this gorgeous character, is both tender and a quite honorable man, even if his desire and lust is great and perhaps consuming sometimes (yummy, yummy nice bed scenes..). Here, in this story, is there no doubt about who is the dominant part and who of them that will be the hard top of their marital bed. Luckely - Pretty soon, seems this sexy alpha to really adore his lovely read headed male mate.
# "Poor" Noah...he is just a fun darling and a very sweet 'tough' guy. Stubborn, as well. - What can't a mate push through with hot kisses and intimate touches? Loved him from the very first page.
Pretty Poison is about these men's relationship but also a lot about being crippled, evil pain, being different and despair. I suffered with Noah. It is certainly terrible to grow up and constantly feels worse and not be able to do what other children, teens and eventually adults consider as completely normal.‘He wished he could be like everybody else, if only once. He wanted to be chased. He wanted to run and craved making Wade work to catch him.’
We also learn a lot of interesting about this werewolf society, about their attitude to modern phenomena such as that all teens, even those teen-whelps, want a PC, a tablet and the latest mobile phone. I always like when the shifter culture is a bit explained and here it was some facts about that also.
~**~**~**~**~**~
As always in a romance are the MC's life not an easy "path of red roses" (...at first). Some troublesome on the delicate road, to the overall grand happiness, belongs. There will be some grumbling, bickering, tough disputes and angst in this one too. And of course a lot of steaming hot smexy stuff. ~ Yes, what don't we read over and over again, to turn inside out on our tender romantic hearts. We after all want that earth-shattering emotional trip to the grand end. I do at least.
Sometimes was it a tiny bit tedious perhaps - but on the whole; well done, intense and interesting. As the butter on the cake ended Pretty Poison with a nice epiolog.
~ A good one or why not; Pretty Good! ~
I LIKE - a cuddly shifter is always amazing to meet
~~~~~~~~~~
Big thanks to my friend Andrea who read this novel and recommended it to me, a shifter lover. -
3.5 full-moon stars
I'm no longer a knotting virgin!
Knotting is when the the cock expands (like more than usual), forming a twist or knot, and gets trapped in the ass. It should be weird, and it is, but it's weirdly erotic too.
I liked the shifting/mating aspect of this more than I thought I would: serious growling, fucking, and biting. Wolves, especially alpha wolves, get damn aggressive, and that's damn hot.
The comfort/healing (Noah was injured when he was young and has a bum leg and other health issues) was sweet. Wade was possessive and toppy, but Noah was a snarky little shit too. HOT.
The dialogue fell a little flat, and I never fully believed in Noah and Wade's relationship (the physical mating, yes, but not the emotional mating). The storyline about wolf and human medicine working together was pretty much dropped, and Noah's dad and two brothers were kind of delusional.
But I can forgive all that. Because. KNOTTING. -
Second read 5/21/14. Just as good, if not better than the first time around.
**************************************
3.75 stars rounded up to 4
Of course I liked it. There was knotting, people! Knotting. -
It's not you, it's me?
Writing an unfavorable review is not something I enjoy doing, so I'll start with some positives and end with some positives and see where that leads.
The premise of Pretty Poison is promising enough: against the wishes of their covens and families, two wolf shifters are paired. There's drama in the form of a disability, check. There's angst surrounding the match, check. There's panty-melting sexy time, CHECK.
Sadly, though, the good in Pretty Poison ends there.
I should probably start with my high school English teacher. She used to wear the 17-year-old version of me OUT with these five words, on pretty much anything I turned in for her critique: "show me, don't tell me." (I'm cringing right now.) But I'm positive she'd say there was entirely too much telling in this book, and that's too bad, because like I said, the plot is rock solid.
As a reader, I didn't feel a strong connection between the disabled Noah and alpha Wade outside the bedroom. I wanted to know what made them compelled to eventually like one another--and fight for each other and fall in love.
Speaking of fighting, it never made sense to me why Noah and Wade seemed to dislike each other so much in the first place. The author used Noah's childhood injury to explain away the coven's disdain, but that also never made sense: why would other wolves hate a small child and his family and want to kill the child just because the child had been disabled in an accidental fall? There needed to be some other reason to justify the shunning of Noah and his family, like perhaps the family knew Noah was destined to be the mate of an alpha and they wanted to prevent the pairing...
I also needed to know more about Noah and Wade. Did they know each other before they met? Do humans and wolves exist peacefully in their world? How much do humans know about wolves? These things were never explained, and for me, the result was plot hole after plot hole that could have been explained over the course of a few pages.
In addition, Wade was the coven--and Noah's--alpha, but Noah didn't exhibit a lot of respect in that regard. Noah also wanted to have children with Wade (OH! Mpreg warning, guys!), yet he didn't seem to like the small children in the coven, especially the one who was disabled in a similar manner as him.
Ultimately, I never derived the motivation for Noah and Wade to be together. They never made sense, and for me that made them one of the worst insta-love couples ever, and again, it could have been dealt with by way of a few pages--if nothing more than to strengthen why Wade was attracted to and wanted to be with Noah (the mating pact explanation wasn't enough, IMO).
Finally, I had a serious problem getting past the editing (or lack of) in this book. Between messy sentence structure, subject/verb agreement issues and just plain conflicting story lines, the book was hard to follow at times.
Listen, just because this one didn't work for me doesn't mean you won't enjoy. And since I promised to end with a positive, I'll circle back to the sexy time. That is, in my opinion, Pretty Poison's best quality. Noah and Wade were smoking hot together in the boudoir. Oh, and that knotting warning the author includes in the online description of Pretty Poison? Yeah, it's all good.
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⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Had expected more*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
This book was actually a bit interesting. Not much, but enough to not regret reading it. I liked the characters just fine; Noah (20) was strong and powerful (in mind) even though he had a disability and was in constant pain. The new alpha Wade (how old?) was a little controlling, powerful, could be ruthless and commanding, kind, wants to make up for pack's past mistakes and want to help. Together they were good. HOWEVER I felt like why didn't get to know Wade all that much. So though their sex was great, the relationship outside of the bedroom wasn't all that. Perhaps if the book had been longer. Also there is the fact that I had expected a whole lot more action, but got none. At all. So that was a disappointing.“You have no idea how much I want to hunt you, then hold you down and fuck you until you scream with pleasure of me inside you.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance (M/M)
Series: - Standalone.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Noah.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Unsure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Unsure.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 2.5 stars. -
like pervert crack designed just for me. I enjoyed every delicious dirty minute of this book.
-
I'm thinking some Corns are about to be butt hurt so...
Look at the pretty!!
Things were going swimmingly initially. Ginger MC, a little dub-con, a growly alpha, a decent plot emerging and some The Gregg sex which always leaves a mark.
"If I could, I'd take you onto the hunting grounds until the full moon and keep you to myself. All mine. Only mine. If you didn't need to be close to pack healers, if I didn't have a pack and a business to run, I'd take weeks to hunt for you. Fuck you until I'd had my fill. Then, feed and fuck you some more."
*face melted*
I think I just forgot my name.
Anyhoo... I was liking Noah and his feistiness and Wade with his preening whenever marked or claimed Noah until about 70% when they started talking about breeding, whelps and carrying to term and I wanted to crawl into a well fortified blanket fort.
Naturally, as soon as the subject of whelps came up all the hot sex flew south for the winter. At least on page.
MPREG ain't my gig, but what really made me fussy was the sense I got from Noah that he was only getting knocked up to prove he could carry a litter to term despite his disability thereby gaining universal acceptance from the pack which is a shitacular fucking reason to bring life into the world.
I liked it but
I, Omega continues to remain my favorite from The Gregg. -
Less intense than I expected, and it meandered.
I didn't connect with the story as much as I hoped. There was little conflict and the characters lack of communication for the first half of the story was understandable at first and then just frustrating. Add in the miscommunication/no communication with others to provide additional conflict and I was disappointed.
The addressing of maimed shifters was interesting in a sub genre that seems to be rooted in the physical perfection and brawn arena. I felt the natural versus pharmaceutical medicine was a less successful, at least to me. Let's just say that's debate that can prick unease in me. So, though the themes and conflict didn't appeal to me, I enjoyed the writing. Plus there's a 1/2 star bonus for knotting.
Favorite quote:“My wolf’s...uh...not awake.” Noah wrinkled his nose at the freshly killed prey. “That’s revolting.”
-
Gosh.
This was bad.
It's a whole lotta insta-everything which automatically repels me, but it's not even justified in any way whatsoever. The dialog is weird; detached, like I had no clue what the hell they were on about half the time. The world building and relationship development is almost non existent. I have too many questions and not enough answers about all aspects of this plot.
And why the hell isn't this tagged as Mpreg! *Bwaurk* OH MY GOD! *gag* Hard limit people!
I mean the sex was pretty hot and that's why I read it. I don't even mind the knotting but Mpreg? Please don't do that without warning ...I swore I would never, ever read Mpreg and now I have. Fuck! It's not as if I can unread it is it? Shit, bugger, piss, and wank! The author just sneaks it in like it's the most normal thing in the world...and perhaps in this world it is.
Sorry. This is not for me. I don't care how hot it is. I'll go to Nifty for my porn if I want porn at least I know what I'm getting there... -
I'm going to do an itty bitty review (because it has been a few days and I don't have as much passion now). This popped my this-is-new cherry in two ways and for that I will always remember this book. The romance was meh but it was HOT and, like I said, memorable for me!
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*****2.5*****
So this was better than okay but not exactly a 3 star read for me so I’m rounding down. I did kinda like it and the sex was hot. This was also my first experience with knotting and that alone bumps this up a notch.
This was also my first Mpreg book but I'm not very convinced. I'm not sure if it was because from the beginning this read like MF but all the arguing about kids and whether Noah was physically capable of carrying them made it seem more so. This book reminded me of the Highlander romance books I read before MM. The guy riding up to claim his wife whom he's never met before. Then she finds that she loves being "debauched and ravaged" and they fuck like bunnies til they fall in love. All that was missing was hanging the bloody sheet from the rafters-but maybe that’s covered with the claiming bite. Don't get me wrong, I loved those highlander books but I like my MM to be different than MF-that's the whole point, right?
I haven't given up on Mpreg yet, though. I'll give it another shot, see if I feel differently about it in other books.
Still, it wasn't bad and I do want to read more from this author.
I, Omega is still on my TBR but right now I'm going to read
Wake Me Up Inside to get my knotting fix.
BR with Therese-thanks for the company - and for suffering through Mpreg ;) -
Kari Gregg writes some of the best smut in MM. Seriously, this was killer.
The mating under duress angle reminded of the arranged marriage regency romances I used to read in high school. I'd forgotten how much I liked that theme. I especially enjoyed the wooing. I'v got a thing for growly alpha males turning in to puddles of goo when they're trying to win over their mate. I really liked the twist of Wade becoming the more vulnerable one, and Noah having to reassure him of his feelings. It was sweet.
And the sex. Did I mention the hot sex? This book has dirty talk, domination, public sex, and knotting. I mean, KNOTTING.
Though I have to say, I didn't think this was really dub-con. Their mating may have come under some unfortunate circumstances, but when it came to the sex, Noah was all on board from the beginning. In any case, the two got over any overt hostility pretty quickly. They were more interested in screwing and making things work between them.
My only complaint would be the situation at the end. That just put a damper on things right at the end.
'Pretty Poison' is an enjoyable MM shifter read. It's got a sweet romance, some low drama, and hot sex. Fans of Kari Gregg will be happy. -
This was a serious case of insta-love. Like too serious. Ughh.
I have also absolutely no clue as to why I’m expected to feel anything for either Wade or Noah. Why did they fall in love? Did they, and how come I missed it?
There was no build-up to anything, only pam-pam-pam, explanations of love, epilogue. Fin.
And where was the world-building, the explanations to why things were in a certain way?
The way I can give a book 5 stars because it pushes all my buttons, the same way I can give a book 1 star, when it does the exact opposite.
This one was just not for me.
Some of the reasons to why I didn’t like it:
1) The insta-love. No build-up to anything whatsoever. I guess they fell in love through the sex.
2) Noah gave me serious “damsel in distress”-vibes, as well as being incredibly whiny.
3) There were many instances where I just couldn’t follow the logic. Maybe I’m the stupid one.
4) Mpreg….
Apart from all the above mentioned things, one final disappontment was missing out on the final sex to seal the bond.
And there was only one knotting scene in the whole book, the rest was plain, boring missionary style sex.
Thank you Otila for sharing this extraordinary reading experience with me;-) -
Reviewage now on Prism Book Alliance
Like Joe Pesci in that rollicking classic film “Lethal Weapon 2”: ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, lemme tell you about this here book. Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, so here’s what happened…
Noah, no one should ever and I mean EVER even have the seedlings of a dream of hurting this man. Hear me? Yes?? Ok, then we’re off to a good start. No joke, this is how I felt just three percent into this story. Three percent. Tres.
Of course… it wasn’t much later than this that, uhm, the very author herself, er, had poor Noah suffering. Granted, not necessarily at the hands of others, sort of, but it was painful nonetheless. Let me just tell you, this writer is good at that: describing physicality, painful or otherwise. That’s not an easy thing to do, to describe that mix of physical and emotional that comes from our body and heart reacting simultaneously. This author? Pshaw, she’s got that down.
Another interesting aspect of this story was the juxtaposition of terminology and customs that felt very olde world with very modern settings and concerns. Sometimes it struck me as a bit odd but that too worked.
So, already, we have a character worthy of investment, we have pain, we have excellent description and a unique flavor, both to the story and the writing style. Shall we continue? Yes, let’s.
Romance. Yes, romantic gestures, romantic words and yet, none of it felt ick. You see, I don’t do the ultra-sweet very well. I have to be the in the mood and it has to be done… well. Welp, add that to the list of ingredients to this crazy bouillabaisse.
Noah is determined, strong, smart, and has been sheltered to a great extent. This alters his perceptions and expectations, especially in the beginning. I felt that coming off in waves and it definitely helped set the mood, for him and for the story.
Which leads me to: Wade. He’s the other half of this unlikely pairing. And yet, saying unlikely can also mean very much alike, these two. They both have their motivations and they are well-supported, their intentions meaningful, important. These are revealed throughout the story, and excitingly, not just to us readers. Noah and Wade do share things with each other, even if reluctantly sometimes. These tactics are well used in continually tilting the playing field. Eventually, things do even out and in a very satisfying way.
Speaking of, can I just say that this book is fucking hot as all hellfire! The chemistry between these two is hella evident and we get to wallow all around in it. Youbetcha! Bonus: hot sex that actually furthers the story. Imagine that. Omigoodgraciousme, you will not be disappointed. Yeah, some of you will know one thing in particular I am refusing to mention: everyone should get to experience this as it happens. Woot!
Supporting characters: check! Fletcher sort of snuck up on me with his role and his importance, wee Chase is adorable as anything and Mia is crucial, cranky and fabulous. Noah’s family plays a smaller role, each of them, but they appear during important moments, so they’re well utilized.
The relationship, fledgling, between Noah and Wade really is presented beautifully, with constantly changing dynamics and appearances. And instead of misunderstandings causing setbacks that ring with false weight, they're used as tools to reveal even more about each of them, both as individuals trying to figure all of this insanity out and as a duo.
On this similar tip, I absolutely loved that a disagreement between Noah and Wade in regards to whether Noah is healthy enough to carry a litter of whelps felt exactly the same as any two people discussing how and when and if they should start a family. I mean, we’re talking about a guy carrying bebes, wolf pups, for his shifter lover. And yet, it felt right!! That’s because it is. ;)
It’s just another example of how when one man is feeling week and unsure, the other steps up, and vice versa.
Believe it or not, there is a theme to this book and it literally screamed out at me and I screamed right back with a FUCK YEAH: being different is a good thing, it shouldn’t be something used an excuse to exclude or minimize or relegate. Vive la difference! And if there’s hot sex involved, mores the better.
Every now and then there was a mismatch between what was happening and the words used, but meh, I cared not, at least not enough to harm my joy. There are minor issues with sentence and overall structure, but none of these things diminished my obvious, unexpected and gleefully transparent enjoyment of this book. HA!! I’m still laughing at myself about it and I frakking love that. Read this book! -
2.5 stars
First, I have to say that I am a fan of this author, I have had great enjoyment reading some of her other work. But this one fails me. I could chalk it up to my not being a huge shifter fan, but then, I loved
I, Omega. Or, paranormal is not my favorite genre, but again, I enjoyed
An Unauthorized Field Guide to the Hunt and loved the kink-tastic, Mating Season in the
Bump in the Night tent anthology. These all had some special ingredient that hooked me in.
In Pretty Poison there’s a lot of work done to make me get Noah and Wade, but in the end, I’m not feeling them, and there is the heart of it. I know Noah is in pain, he aches, he needs his crutches, his glasses, his meds, he needs validation. He’s a misfit in the tough-guy shifter world. I get it. But this does not sustain a story. There is too much repeated information, too much telling and lecturing, too much wallowing. A good wallow needs some other magical chemistry going on too. Sure the sex was hot, but even that got repetitive. Ok, I did wake up at the knotting scene .
Hello.
But it isn’t enough, I just didn’t feel that special connection.
I’m reminded of Mary Calmes’
Change of Heart which I thoroughly loved. See, I can do shifter… but that one worked because the author hooked me from the very first meet-up between Jim and Logan. I won’t get started on how swoony that was. So, I don’t care if Jin is a prima donna, if Logan is the stereotypical alpha hunk… It’s that nebulous, essential, hook thing. It’s either there or it isn’t. -
Pretty Poison
By Kari Gregg
Noah fell from an 8 story balcony when he was young. The fall shattered his bones and cracked his skull. His pack wanted to kill him. Instead his family took him and ran. After the new Alpha comes to the family to remind them of the mating pact they made when he was younger he chooses Noah.
Alpha Wade is furious that Noah's family let human doctors fill his body with pins and rods and other poisons throughout the years. He's determined to help Noah heal naturally.
I really enjoyed this book. Both Noah and Wade are wonderful. All of the MC's are likeable. A large portion of the book is sad. The pain, both physical and emotional, that Noah goes through is heartbreaking. He sees himself as useless and broken and doesn't understand why Wade wants to have anything to do with him.
Edit 11/03/22 - I've read this book many times because I love it so much, but everytime I walk away with one part of it that bothers me. So I decided to finally add that to my review. The only part of the book I'm always unhappy with is that Wade -
So, I wasn’t going to review this. I bought it as a quick, fun and hot read. It was definitely that. But the thing is, hours later I’m still thinking about it. Pretty Poison is definitely going down as one of my favorites. So I’m bumping up my rating a little, and I want to say a few things.
I won’t bore you with summary. The blurb says pretty much everything you need to know going in. Noah is likeable enough. I thought he was a bit dense at times. I would have found him infuriating if his stubbornness wasn’t so understandable. I do think that the root of his refusal to consider his options could have been better explored. I mean, once you think about it for a moment it’s obvious, but I don’t know if Noah ever figured out what made him tick. In general, I don’t think the book had enough character development. It’s the main reason why I’m not giving this a higher rating. All that juicy character development and self-reflection is important to me. There was some, just not enough to satisfy my needs. I wish Noah thought more about his motivations, and that there was more evidence of internal changes to go along with the physical ones.
I also needed more relationship development. I did enjoy the way the story was set up, how everything started. It was reminiscent of my youth, when I used to read historical romances. Felt a bit like the whole Alpha male/arranged marriage type deal. Done in a way that didn’t make this older, embittered version of myself gag uncontrollably. I did not mind that Noah and Wade fell into bed quickly. However, after the initial lusting I would have liked some time dedicated to them getting to know each other. Pretty sure Noah would have liked that as well. It’s the reason why I never really understood how Noah would want to love Wade. Sure, I got why he lusted after him. However, Noah never really explores his feelings, not deeply anyway. I understood why Wade would love Noah. He says it. Shouts it out at one point I think. Unfortunately, the book isn’t told from his POV, so it was not enough. I needed Noah’s reasons. I needed just a little more romance in my Romance.
I typically try to avoid mpreg. In part, because every time I see the word I think of a 15 year old Draco Malfoy walking around with an 8 month bun under his wizards robe. Thank you fan fiction, for that. Anyway, there is a comment by Dani Alexander floating around Goodreads somewhere that pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole mpreg thing. I get that it works as a convenient device to allow procreation where it otherwise would not happen without some outside assistance. Believe me, I get it. Maybe I’m just biased. I’ve remained blissfully free of the urge to spread my own gene pool around. Honestly, if my future wife doesn’t have the urge, I will probably be adopting. You hear me future wife…you get to have all the babies. Leave my womb out of it. Sorry, please excuse my tangent. In conclusion, I am usually wary of mpreg however, I didn’t mind it here. Not sure if that was because of how it was handled, or if the author Jedi mind-tricked me. To be fair, it’s not a huge focal in the book. I wasn’t even aware that it was going to be in it, so when it cropped up it was a surprise. Not an unpleasant one though. I just shrugged and went with it. My eyes even refrained from rolling.
At the end of the day, Pretty Poison isn’t perfect. But it sure is tasty. Really fucking tasty. I have a thing with shifter books where I want to love them, but they usually leave me extremely irritated. Understandably, I get all excited when I find one I can actually love. So far, I really like Kari Gregg’s take on shifters. This is definitely a guilty pleasure read for me. Emphasis on pleasure. It was fucking hot, ok. Very, very (*wipes drool*) hot.
So, I’m adding half a star for sheer enjoyment, because I had so much fun reading it. If you like shifter books, if you want to like them but they normally drive you nutty, if you like kinky things, or if you like to breathe air then you should probably read this.
3.5 Stars
More reviews at
The Morning After Romance -
Thoughts Upon a Reread by Rosa, really
Listen, I don't want to shock anyone but I've never been a fan of the gingers. Color me weird, I know. But I briefly dated a ginger in college who on our 4th date announced that he was capable of killing people with his mind. "Like, metaphorically?" I asked. "No," he answered, "like, seriously." To say I was off gingers after that is something of an understatement. However, I'm proud to announce that after a lot of personal growth I'm willing to believe that not all gingers are psychos. And many are HAAWT (
Fair Game). The MC in this novel, Noah, is no psycho. He's a fireball, a spit fire and a stubborn little shit. He's a fighter and stands up for himself. I love him. The only way Kari Gregg could've made me happier is by describing, in detail, his firesome fire crotch.
Oh, fire crotch, how do I love thee? Let me count the pubes....
Onto my love of alphas. I've long been a fan of alpha males. They're so growly. So possessive. Wade, the other MC, could've dragged Noah away to his dank, dark love cave, by his hair, and I would've said, "you know, that makes a lot of sense." And it doesn't matter which type of romance you're reading - het romance, gay romance, eightsome romance - watching an alpha fall reluctantly in love with his ginger mate is SO ADORABLE.“You mess up my head and you won’t yield an inch. You draw away from me in your sleep, won’t refresh your bite when I could hardly coax you to mark me the first time….You don’t feel this…this…obsession. Not like I do.”
Yes he does, Wade, yes he does! Don’t worry, baby, it’s a romance novel.
Let’s discuss my feelings on spooge and the proper use thereof.Noah shuddered and shook as Wade’s dick jerked within Noah’s body, and he shot warm cum that showered Noah’s guts....The cock buried in Noah’s ass jetted, filling him with burst after burst of the alpha’s cum.
I don’t care how hot the sex between Wade and Noah is, I don’t care if Wade wants to scent mark Noah – leaving spooge on your mate for days, and expecting him to greet his family like that, without allowing him to shower is…not…COOL. And, yes, I know it’s part of their shifter culture but THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR SPERM FLAKING OFF YOUR SKIN FOR LONGER THAN ONE HOUR. This is one of my rules for living a sane and productive life, OK? Great. FOR FUCK’S SAKE, AT LEAST USE A WASHCLOTH.
The only thing that really bugs me about this and Gregg’ other shifter book,
I, Omega, is that she hasn’t any written sequels. Or anything more in her shifter world. What the fuck, Kari Gregg? What. The. Fuck.
P.S. I still love you, Kari. -
No relationship development. The MCs had barely spent any time together, yet they each felt betrayed because the other person wasn't telling them everything or they weren't trusting them enough or acting like they wanted them enough. It was all off for me. Made it to the knotting because...knotting...but couldn't read anymore.
-
Eh. Neh. Meh.
I think I wanted to like it much more than I actually liked it. I definitely liked it when it first started, I think.
This story is weird. Really weird. It's like reading a Nolan romance. The characters are so driven by moderate-to-extreme utilitarianism it's hard to see any actual passion there. "I want to fuck you, you have some modicum of purpose besides fucking, I am alpha, therefore I love you and our romance is romantic." It's like it starts evoking some passion, but then the author gets lost in "but wait. why???" and starts overanalyzing, deconstructing, explicating.
Noah's a weird character, too. It's like the author wanted him to be an ingenue, but didn't really know how to write one, and so ended up with a scarily borderline sociopathic character. It's all way too calculated. Not to mention the apparent self-effacing gets really old after a while and rings a bit false. It’s annoying because it’s the “shutting himself down before Wade can shut him down” mechanism, but you don’t even get a glimpse of Noah’s vulnerability - you know, those moments when you get to see that he actually does care, those moments he can’t help, before his stupid conscious mind kicks in again - so it just seems like a series of dick moves.
The way he talked about sex before even having sex was weird. It read more like a character ruminating on a mating after the initial mating had happened, not while he's laying there with no foreseeable sex happening in the future, really.
Not that Wade's perfect either. I still have no idea why he does any of the things he does in this story. What actually drives him, besides the author? Who is he? No idea. We got to know Fletcher better than we got to know Wade. Maybe the author actually subconsciously wanted Noah to end up with Fletcher, but kept forcing herself to go with the original plan (hence why Fletcher got married off, with kids, no less).
This story uses the Poor Communication Kills trope a lot, but the way it's worked...it's frustrating, but the bad sort of frustrating. Maybe it's because you see how much Noah extrapolates everything ALL the time and you kind of want to just shout, "Geez, you silly bitch. Get a fucking grip already. There is absolutely no fucking need for all this pretentious melodramatic bullshit. Contrary to everything you've been raised to believe, the world does NOT revolve around you and everything is NOT always about you, you, you." I guess the only real good thing that comes of this overly analytical writing style is that the characters actually talk shit out, but honestly, that gets kind of old after a while, and the fact that it keeps happening over and over and over and over and, god, over...you kind of get fed up.
I'd say by the end, I didn't like any of the characters at all. Everything got deconstructed to bits and reconstructed rather...incompletely (I'm trying to be nice, okay). I don't know if I actually got a sense of anyone's character except Noah, but the impression I get from him is a boo-hoo-me sort of mentality. "No, don't pity me" (but he secretly does want your pity, cuz then that means you care).
Nonetheless, there's not much technically wrong with the writing,which is why I'm giving it that 1 extra star. There is actually a sort of subtle tension about it, but it seems to come more from the plot (of which there is little) and the universe (of which there is one). Still, it feels more like the author was hell-bent on social commentary and that it was conveyed through a "romance" is incidental.
Actually, no. It kind of feels like a serial compiled into one story. The feeling of "wtf" slowly builds and builds, and there are weird moments that feel like ret-conning. The Mia thing, for example. Also, the hinted mpreg element. That was so completely random and out of the blue, and once it was mentioned, it was so expounded upon it was weird. Like the author was saying, "Of course this was here all long. You didn't see any hints of it in the no-hints-of-any-type-at-all? No, no, it was there. Wait, I'll address that later, after I finish explaini- No, don't ask those questions. Don't even think those questions. Here, let me keep talking about this (maybe they'll forget and just accept it if I talk long enough)."
And then it became actually kind of an important plot point and the vehicle of another half-formed subplot-bunny-thread, quickly resolved, of course O_o
I feel like I should have a thing go and count the number of times this book mentions the word "poison," but I really don't want to open the pdf again. -
2.5 stars
This was a little strange.
Animals can walk on 3 legs, why couldn’t Noah in his wolf form then?
Why did Wade have to rescue Noah and mate with him to save his niece who was born without one leg? To get the pack to accept a lesser abled shifter? That didn’t make much sense to me. If the pack could accept Noah, they could have easily accepted the niece of the alpha.
I thought it was super weird Noah insisted on becoming pregnant to be more accepted by the pack. It was strange because he didn’t like kids. He openly said he didn’t like Mia and Chase, who seemed to be pretty regular kids to me.
Wade was a weird alpha. He was overprotective, but then he left Noah alone for hours at a time, when Noah could have used his help.
Noah’s family went from wanting to kidnap and ‘protect’ Noah from the big bad alpha to trusting Wade in one paragraph. Talk about fast.
But what bothered me the most was the romance in this. It was so…… unromantic. There was plenty of hot sex, but they kept saying things like, I really like you, I could love him, I want to love him, while also talking about all the things that was lacking in their relationship.
Wow, how romantic.. Not.
I'd hoped I would love this, but I didn’t. -
Too much erotica, not enough story. I never came to like either main character, the members of the pack, the shifter culture, and especially found the possibility of male pregnancy ridiculous. It's not that the the author didn't exhibit considerable talent; I just don't think this was one of her better efforts.
Reread 10/16/17: Forgotten this was an mpreg story. Gah.
Jan 2019: I can’t believe I pulled this out to reread without checking my own review. Ugh. -
I really, really liked this one! I popped a whole lot of cherries with this book… M/M shifters, knotting, and mpreg!! Combine that with a sexy alpha male and a strong alpha mate overcoming a disability, and you’ve won me over. I found wolf shifter mating to be incredibly sexy and can’t wait to read more from this genre!
-
A pack of werewolves wants to put out an injured 4 year old whelp (Noah) out of his misery. His family feels differently on the subject and decides to disengage from the pack to care for their disabled son somewhere else. With the help of human doctors and human drugs Noah gets somewhat better, finds a job and is functioning just as well or even better than any human in his condition.
Well, the new alpha, Wade, of the same pack decides it's time to "rescue" Noah. And he does.
He rips Noah from his loving and supportive family (for Noah's own protection, of course).
He keeps Noah under lock and key (for Noah's own protection, of course).
He doesn't want any interaction between Noah and pack members (for Noah's own protection, of course).
He doesn't want to be with Noah for various reasons (and for Noah's own protection, I am sure).
He doesn't want to explain how things work in a were pack to someone who has never lived in one (for Noah's own protection, I am sure).
Noah is under constant supervision of Wade's cold and unsympathetic beta Fletcher (for Noah's own protection, of course).
Noah is not to have any human doctors' help or drugs even when in pain (for Noah's own protection, of course).
So Noah is lonely and hurt, all by his lonesome miserable self. In pain and fear, clueless in the dark.
Somehow, in between all this Noah gets very attracted to Wade sexually and then emotionally. I think I missed a few pages, because I couldn't see it, couldn't feel it and unless it's Stockholm syndrome, I couldn't buy it.
However, my perverted twisted self did get high on all the abuse and neglect and pain and suffering, and so I am adding a star for that.
3.5 stars total. -
I loved this one. After reading several MF books I was really wanting to get back to my MM. This one hit the spot perfectly. I enjoyed Wade and Noah quite a lot. I thought Wade behaved like an alpha - but with a side of caring that just rounds out the whole alpha male thing. The sex was red hot and I loved how they connected that way. It earned an extra point for not having an overuse of words such as "baby", "sweetheart", "kitten", or any other nickname that just really wouldn't fit this particular book. I'd of liked to know more about pack politics - and this clearly paves the way for a sequel if the author wants to write one. I'd autobuy any others set in this time/place/universe. I did want some further explanation of how the humans knew about shifters and how that politics sort of plays out but not enough to detract. Perfect book to start the new year!
-
2.5 stars, rounded up because it's Kari Gregg, people.
So, there I was, cruising right along, loving this shifter story that appeared to be more of Kari Gregg at her finest, and then ... *sigh* suddenly the whole mpreg issue pops up. Now, I have no problem with mpreg, though it's not my favorite thing to read, but in my mind, there was just nothing - nothing - even remotely right about it in the storyline of this book.
I've loved everything I've read by Kari Gregg, right up until that moment. I was even still 4-staring my rating at the end, having been able to mentally brush off the whole wrongness of it. Until I read the epilogue. Damn. I'm just still so, so annoyed. I'm going to go read
An Unauthorized Field Guide to the Hunt and restore my faith. -
Buddy Read with my girls,
Amy and
Sandi.
This was a bit different. This one was very wolf centered and less human if that makes sense. Well, part was really wolfy and part was really human. It was cool and very unique. I like the different takes on pack life and I liked the world this one created. So, this book started and just took off running. From the very start I was thrown into the story and was totally engaged. The frightening beginning went straight to off the charts heat. Holy mating Batman. Whew. Anywhoo, so, the book was quite original for sure. I have never read about a “damaged” shifter before and loved this aspect of the story. While I found myself at times confused about what was going on and who was saying what and what it all meant I was invested in the outcome. Now, KNOTTING. Yeah, I am totally down with a KNOTTING story and this one was as unique as the rest of the story. To quote a fellow KNOTTING fan, this was PRIMAL. It wasn’t fluffy or sweet or even described as all that pleasurable really, it was dark, dirty and well primal. It worked though. It became quite an emotional scene and I savored it. I felt a bit cheated on the romance side of things. It was explained and I completely understood what was missing and why it was but I still wanted a few more tender moments. The end was super sweet and made up for what I was missing throughout. Not bad. -
1.5. Stars
Okay, so this one was not for me. This story was more frustrating than trying to decipher the Affordable Health Care Act; and, probably just as fun to read. Noah and Wade were two sides of the same coin: Noah was a disabled shifter while Wade was the cold pack alpha. Truth be told, I never truly warmed up to either of them. Part of the reason is that the story fell short on several fronts: there was practically no world building; I didn't know enough about Noah's fall and his family's escape from the pack; I didn't understand Wade's holier-than-thou attitude towards Noah's family, which trickled down to his pack; I couldn't understand how such an exalted alpha couldn't better resolve the rift caused by the former alpha with Noah and his family; I definitely didn't see the mpreg angle coming nor did I understand its purpose other than to generate some angst; I didn't enjoy the plot twist that totally disrupted Noah's first full moon chase with his mate; and the knotting was ... yeah.
Bottom line: A sure-as-shit frustrating story with the most anti-climactic ending. That's hours of my life I'll never get back.
