Fun and furry!
3
By Bumbleborder
This is my-ex-is-a-psycho fated-mates story involving werelions, werewolves, and their interactions with mostly clueless humans. For a short novel of 190 pages, it didn't seem that short which was a good sign. If alpha werelions are supposed to be egotistical as well as cavalier, then When an Alpha Purrs accurately portrays that characterization. Arik IS egotistical, especially with his wanna-be surfer dude hair that gets clipped in revenge by a insulted hairstylist. Kira (Yiddish for "bright" per my cardiologist/mentor) IS a woman who takes pride in her work and can't stand braggarts like Arik who thinks he can get whatever he wants when he wants it... like a haircut.
I suppose Eve Langais had to include some kind of evil subplot to get these two together. Nothing like a knight in furry armor to come to a woman's rescue, that's for sure. Yes, this seems to be an overused template, so it's a good thing it wasn't supposed to act as a major stressor in this story, just the growing relationship between Kira and Arik. Now I've read the one-star reviews of this novel and have rolled my eyes at those who feel that Arik is hardly a good example of a decent male. SINCE WHEN, IN THIS WORLD, IS THERE A 100% PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A GUY? Come on! I guess one woman's sex-under-duress is another woman's artful seduction. Of course, Arik acts like a jerk in the beginning. That's why they call it the beginning! And since this is a very short novel, you can only do so much in terms of developing character growth. After all, a guy could say Kira assaulted him or really botched the hair job, you pick. I'm not spending any more time on this topic as this is just a fun story of minimal consequences.
Personally, I would have loved to have seen more time devoted to the BIG love triangle β Arik, Kira, and Arik's MOM! (Now there's a lot of baggage there...)
I wished there had been a little more world-building. I know this is a beginner tale of this universe, but I still have too many questions about how the werelions and werewolves interact, what were the major political camps, where ARE we really in terms of mapping. Geez! I, at least, wanted to know better demographics other than somewheres near the east coast. For the most part, it felt too west-coasty.
This book could have read so much better had there been an editor (or a better one) reviewing it. TOO MANY grammatical errors, punctuation problems, and just plain ol' misspellings! It could had read so much better as a more professional, fun-loving novel had this been on board. Maybe Arik wouldn't have looked so juvenile, as one reviewer put it. Perhaps so. But even a few verbal read-throughs would have caught the majority of the errors made. (Remember, the brain processes audible speech differently than visual comprehension, so errors will be found. HINT! HINT!)
Ratings (out of possible 5)
Character building: β β β
World building: π π
Relationship building: π π π
Romance: π π π
Heat/steam: π₯ π₯ π₯
Drama: π π π
Action: πΏ πΏ
Suspense: π£
Dark: Zilch.
Triggers: Psycho-ex-boyfriends/husbands alert! Anyone who would have ended up on the wrong side of Judge Judy for failure to do a good haircut.
POV: Multiple (2)
Ending: HEA
Length: Approximately 190 pages
Recommend: Yes, but I would recommend to either get it for free or at a greatly reduced price. $3.99 is too much, in my humble opinion.
Thank you, Liz K, a reviewer on Amazon!