Publisher: Pocket
Publish Date: October 30th
How I got this book: Review copy from publisher
Following the page-turning debut, Beauty Dates the Beast, this is the second novel in the fresh and funny new series about a paranormal dating service.
Sarah Ward, the werewolf sister of Bathsheba from Beauty Dates the Beast, and co-owner of their paranormal online dating agency, Midnight Liaisons, is voluntarily traded to a wolf clan in exchange for a kidnapped female were-cougar. Fearful of what might happen to her while with the wolf clan, she and Ramsey, a were-bear who’s part of the were-cougar alliance, pretend to be engaged so he can stay with her for protection. The last thing either of them expect is for their pretend engagement to lead to a very real love affair…
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I’ve been a Jill Myles/Jessica Sims/Jessica Clare fan-girl for a long time now, but I think the Midnight Liaisons series just might be my favorite of all her works. Snark and fun paranormal romance is the one genre to never fail me!
Sarah hates that her sister, Bath, feels the need to mother her constantly, especially since Sarah’s the reason Bath was pulled into the supernatural world. She doesn’t want to have to hide behind Bath’s skirts any longer, but the escalating problem with the wolf clan has Sarah scared to death. Sarah thinks she’s come up with a plan to not only get the wolves off her back, but also to get Beau’s (her brother-in-law) cousin back from captivity.
Ramsey, Beau’s right-hand man and werebear, is quick to volunteer for Sarah’s plan and act as her mate to get the wolves to quit sniffing around. Everything would have gone fine if Sarah hadn’t shown them all just how difficult the shift was for her. Now, Ramsey has a fake-mate, and a wolf roommate watching their every move. He’s willing to do anything and everything to keep Sarah safe – but will it be enough to keep the wolves at bay?
I adored this story way more than the 1st in the series. Both Ramsey and Sarah are wonderful characters. Their romance was so fun to watch develop and Sims has such a fun voice throughout the entire book. Let me start with my absolute adoration for Ramsey.
Ramsey wasn’t the typical Alpha hero: overbearing, over-protective, in-your-face with a huge personality. But, he was absolutely hero material. He was a bit shy, more beta-hero-esque who chose to take a backseat approach. But believe me… when he needed to be, he could be Alpha all the way! I loved the fact that he was a virgin hero, especially as we learned more about the bear culture and his past experiences with women. Despite his hardened exterior and overall gruff nature, I wanted to cuddle him like the giant teddy bear he really was. Ramsey was one of the better romance heroes that I’ve read in all of 2012.
While I had some reservations about Sarah after the first book, I really fell in love with her in this one. We get to learn so much about her past, how she was turned and why she has such a deep-rooted fear of other wolves. As her story unfolded, I just wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe in any way possible. Watching her face her fears with the wolves was both amazing and heartbreaking, as I could FEEL her worries and fears spill across the pages.
I loved the romance between these two. It had a marriage of convenience feel to it which I adored. Add in the virgin hero and I was absolutely SOLD on these two. I loved that Ramsey was so patient in his dealing with Sarah’s fear of men and wolves. He really was so incredibly careful and loving toward her. Likewise, when it came to the sexy times, Sarah provided the same kind of shelter and care to Ramsey. She saw through the rough exterior, got past all the shyness and was able to find the man underneath it all. <3<3<3
All in all I absolutely adored this story. Ramsey was the perfect kind of hero: mixture of Alpha and Beta and 100% incredible. Sarah was a little tortured, but given her past, I absolutely understood it. I loved her interaction with the wolves, especially once she got past her fears. She wasn’t afraid to stick up for herself and other, weaker women like her at the end. Their romance was so well done, and readers who like the marriage of convenience trope will love this! So will virgin hero lovers. 🙂 I can’t wait to see where Sims takes the series next.
I give Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter an A-
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