REVIEW, Marked by Joely Skye

Marked as prey, Alec refuses to fall for a werewolf. Until he’s forced to turn to Liam for protection.

 

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Marked

Series: Shifters #1

Pub: October 2008 by Samhain Publishing

Author: Joely Skye

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format: paperback (mid); 205p w/ 16 chapters

Whose: Liam & Alec

 

                        Synopsis

Alec Ryerson carries a scar over his heart and scars on his psyche, ugly reminders of a nightmare that still doesn't seem quite real. Even a year later, he stays inside on full-moon nights and avoids most people until he meets the strange and beautiful Liam.

Liam feels an undeniable pull toward Alec. However Liam is a werewolf; Alec is a human who clearly has trepidations about a relationship. Then Liam discovers he is not the first werewolf Alec has encountered. Alec has been marked for death by the murderous "quad," a group of twisted werewolves who prey on humans. Now the quad's sights are set on recruiting Liam's eight-year-old brother into their murderous pack.

 

Liam will do everything in his power to protect both his brother and Alec from the wolves, even if it means calling in favors and killing those with whom he once ran. Because Alec, like it or not, is Liam's chosen mate.

The Thoughts

So, I wasn’t going to review this book, but my own mind fuck and the fact that I hadn’t read what I was meant to means its up, the only book over 200 words. I’m telling you this because though I didn’t have a problem with this book, not really, I didn’t love it. and now, even after only a few days, a lot of the story is lost in the point that it’s not interesting enough for me to remember.

But, still, I want to put a review up, and this is the book I’m using.

 

I got this book on a whim, mostly because it was one of the few m/m erotica on the shelf in my book shop (yeah, I had to, I want more) and it actually interested me. (truly I won’t buy them just to spend money—since I don’t have it to spend) but as it sat there waiting for me I just could never find the interest in picking it up.

Saying this, when I did, it took a long while for me to get engrossed and even still I could have put it down any time. There was nothing that really hooked me.

 

The story is simple, and was actually done really well. Alec was marked by a pack of werewolves called ‘the quad’ but he somehow managed to escape.  Then he meets Ira a little kid whose attached himself to the man. Which then brings in the kids brother Liam who wants Alec (and is his mate, but that takes a bit to understand, even though we reading get that straight away—I think though it’s because of what we read, and our knowing more than anything else.)

Still, Liam wants Aelc, but the man is skittish and Liam is aggressive.

 

It takes a while for Alec to get comfortable with Liam, only to have Liam take a week off (the full moon and not wanting to scare Alec anymore—which is a little odd, I found that at the time as well, even though I understood it.

Still, Liam knows Alec has been marked and what he went through, which is why he backs off.

(Shit, I giving you the whole books, aren’t I….oh well, I’m on a roll, and my point is coming up)

Then the ‘quad’ come back into play, kidnapping Alec and giving him as a pet to a girl werewolf, who he gets close to and then helps her escape.

 

This is where the book, for me really picks up.  From the kidnapping on, which happens ‘round page 93.

 

I found that he was a character than you could stand behind, or that he becomes more of what he used to be and because you are seeing that now, you understand the start of the story a bit better. Hell, Alec is what this book is about, yeah, Liam is there, but it’s the emotional struggle in Alec that really makes this something to read, and still….

 

When he gets home, because he does, wouldn’t be a romance if he stayed in that whole, now, would it? There’s this big struggle with him. Both in his role of what he’s to Liam. The whole trauma from being taken by the quad, not only this time, but last time, works in making him understand parts of what they are telling him, and being confused in his feelings and the feelings around him.

The trust in himself, though it’s not highlighted on, I feel that’s what it is.

 

I found that out of all the books that I have read with a storyline like this one, this one was the only one that had the mate, the man who went through it all, have and keep his massive issues and confusion rather than just let it all go because the other man told him he was his mate. Like those words fixed everything.

So, yeah, I liked this book for its more realistic take on trauma and the struggle with oneself then most books do. The man didn’t lean on his mate just because he was there. No he hide, yes, and he tried to forget the unforgettable, but in the end, he wanted to stand on his one feet and nothing was going to get him there but himself.

I really liked that part. It was almost enough for me to forget that the start was a little lopsided.

 

No, something that’s not that interesting, but I found it enough so that I want to share.

How shit is this cover? Nothing interesting and the guys face…is he deformed. It took me reading it halfway to realised that it was the hole guy on the front not the one with the scars, who fucked up is that (yeah, I know, in more ways than one)?

But also, looking up the later books, seeing if I would be interesting in going forward (no, because they are all completely new characters, and I’m sorry, but her writing style isn’t enough for me to care, though if the books were about Seth….

Still, there covers are nice (see below) so what happened to this one?

 

Series

Marked, Feral, Lynx, Running Wild