Review: Off Course by Bailey Bradford
Publisher: Totally Bound
Publish Date: Out Now
Reviewed by: Heller
How I got this book: E-Arc from Publisher
Coyote’s Call #1
“Gideon’s worst night ever starts out with a bang that will change his whole life.Gideon Wells has been cast out of his bear shifter clan for being a curse, and he’s inclined to believe they’re right. After all, everything from fertility rates to shifting abilities have gone down the tube since he was born. Then when his car catches fire and mutant scorpions—he thinks they’re mutants, anyway—almost get him, he’s more certain than ever that he’s bad news. Not that he’s just going to roll over and die.
Ignoring a prophecy might not be wise, but coyote shifter Miller Hudson has seen and heard too many false prophecies to put any faith in the one proclaiming him to be the alpha and, along with a mystery bear mate, the saviour of the now-defunct coyote den he grew up in. Besides, there’s no need for the den to be brought back together. None of them can shift, so what’s the point?
Then the buzzards circling overhead on the far edge of his property lead him to the very last thing he ever expected to find.
Reader Advisory: This book contains references to and threats of assault and rape, scenes of fisting and mild BDSM.”
A toppy coyote and a submissive bear. I liked the dynamic as well as the phyiscal differences between the men. Gideon has always been expected to act the Alpha just because he looks like one but he isn’t one and the reverse is true of Miller who is an Alpha through and through despite his smaller size. I enjoyed how the men figured out they were compatible. There was a real sweetness to their relationship from the moment they met tempered with boat loads of chemistry. I found Gideon so adorable and Miller is perfect for him. There’s some incredibly hot sex here once the men get down to it but a heads up, Miller likes to tie Gideon up as much as Gideon likes to be tied up and the men explore some rimming and fisting in addition to more BDSM. I thought they were really great together and I liked the progression of their relationship through the story as the ties between them became tighter and stronger. The sex was fabulous but I also liked how good each man was for the other in terms of personality and they helped one another to work out issues of self esteem and responsibility. It brought a nice edge to this read.
This is an interesting start to a series. I liked the secondary characters that were introduced, especially Roman, who has a story I can’t wait to read about. The strength of this story was in the relationships and where it faltered for me was the bad guys. They were more than a little over the top. Still the concept of the shifter issues that are happening is quite different from any other shifter book I’ve read and I’m curious to see where the next in the series will take it.
I’m giving Off Course a B-