Publisher: Dreamspinner
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: eARC from publisher
When jackal shifter Quade Danas was banished from his pack for being gay, he spent years in the military escaping his father’s prejudice before returning to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man. After Roman is in an accident that leaves him physically scarred and emotionally distant, Quade is the only one who can get through to him. As Roman becomes a man, he realizes what he wants—his bodyguard by his side and in his bed. Unfortunately, Quade can’t seem to see past the kid Roman once was to the man he has become, certain Roman’s feelings are merely misplaced gratitude. But Roman knows a lot more than Quade realizes, and he’s used to persevering, no matter how many impediments life throws his way. He wants the chance to prove to Quade that he’s strong enough for a jackal alpha to call mate.
Despite the decades Quade has been away, and the heartache of his father’s rejection, his inborn loyalty to the pack remains, and his abrupt departure left the jackal shifters without an alpha heir. As a psychopath shifter staking claim as alpha draws Quade back home, and Quade feels compelled to heed the call, he may be forced to make a choice he never anticipated. But doing so means he must leave Roman behind… unless somehow they find a way to make loyalty and love work together.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I am always on the lookout for new shifter m/m books. Calmes has long been a go-to for me, so when I saw this blurb, I knew I had to get it.
Quade has been Roman’s bodyguard for most of the young man’s life. Only recently have his feelings morphed from friend and protector to lustful and so much more. But Quade doesn’t think he is good enough for Roman, especially since he has been keeping his jackal side completely hidden. But Roman refuses to allow Quade to pull away when Quade is the only one who sees past Roman’s scars to the man beneath.
When Quade’s sister comes back into his life, Quade is thrown front and center back into the life he left behind as a young man. Never did he think that his jackal pack would take him back, but they desperately need his help, and Quade refuses to turn his back on them. With Roman by his side, Quade will do everything in his power to save his sister and their pack, and also prove his love and loyalty to Roman.
There were so many different facets going on in this book. The age difference between Roman and Quade, the animosity between Quade and his father, the ongoing pack problems that Quade has to pick up after, and the past relationship that Quade finds himself having to deal with. For how many different plot threads there were, it all seemed to fly by in this book. There were some I really liked, and some I didn’t think added that much to the overall storyline.
I loved the shifter aspect of the book, especially as Quade has to go back to the home that kicked him out and essentially save the people who never stood up for him. I thought the whole plot surrounding that was so well done. In regards to the romance, I liked how Quade continued to worry about not only their age difference, but also their emotional differences. However, I thought the whole storyline surrounding Quade’s ex-boyfriend was a little silly and didn’t add anything too important to the book for me.
While this story is told in first person from Quade’s POV, I felt as if Roman was the strong character. Although he was younger, he was (IMO) leaps and bounds further along on the emotional maturity scale than Quade. He was perceptive, kind, and had the kind of faith in himself and his beliefs that seemed to outshine Quade. I liked Quade’s character, especially as we got to see the depth to which he really has loved Roman over the years. However, his character didn’t seem to resonate with me as much as Roman. I wish we would have had the chance to be in Roman’s head once in awhile.
The romance between these two was so great though. Roman really was the driving force behind their relationship, and because of the number of years they had been best friends, was able to almost steer Quade into making the decisions that would be best for them as a couple. Roman never accept the word ‘no’ and was willing to do and say just about anything to keep Quade at his side.
One of my favorite aspects of this book were all the fabulous secondary characters. Don’t get me wrong, I adored Roman and Quade. But all the other people who came into the book were just as fabulous. Between Quade’s sister, niece, and mother, the female characters were represented by strong and funny women. Roman’s head of security is a man wrapped up in mystery, and I hope that Calmes continues on with this world, because I think he has an amazing story to tell!
All in all I thought this was another wonderful PNR from Calmes. I sincerely hope that she continues to write within this world, and that we get the chance to see more from Quade, Roman, and all the fabulous secondary characters that were introduced.
I give Old Loyalty, New Love a B+