Review: Pretty Poison by Kari Gregg

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Pretty Posion by Kari Gregg
Self-Published
Novel: 153pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Deadly poison…or exquisite cure?

Noah fell from an eighth story balcony as a toddler, cracking open his skull and shattering his body. The accident would’ve killed a human, but even shifter blood can’t heal some damage. After the pack recommended a mercy killing, Noah’s family ran. But there’s no outrunning the mating pact formed before Noah’s birth.

Wade, the new alpha, chooses an adult Noah to fulfill the pact. Wade believes the previous alpha was a fool to reject Noah as a weak and inferior wolf, but Noah’s family was wrong to hide him and starve his wolf, too. Human doctors with human medicines are poison to shifter physiology. Now that Noah is fully grown, halting his shift to retain the pins, plates, and bars holding him together hurts rather than helps him, and for Wade, more than Noah’s recovery is at stake.

Noah’s family sacrificed everything to keep him alive. Noah will do whatever it takes to save them—including mate with the alpha who is determined to correct past mistakes and defeat old prejudices contaminating the shifter community.

Too bad some still believe Noah is the true poison…and should be culled from the pack for good.

Review
You meet Noah as an adult who lives on a farm with his family. They are exiled shifters because when Noah was young he fell out a window and hurt his body. Some of the shifters that they lived with thought that Noah should be put down because he was broken. His family took him and ran. He grew up and even though he felt like a burden, he was so very loved.

One day he’s called to the living room and there is the new alpha, Wade. Wade was there to fulfill a mating contract from Noah’s family. Since his sister, who was actually supposed to fulfill the contract married a human, Wade took Noah instead.

I will say that as this book seemed to be from Noah’s perspective, I could understand his apprehension regarding Wade coming in and taking him from his family. To not getting the meds that he’d taken for so long and not being told anything. I totally understood where he was coming from.

Now, Wade on the other hand didn’t really come across as the most gentle, loving partner in the world at the beginning. His behavior toward Noah concerned me and I wondered why he would pick Noah. It wasn’t explained until more than mid-way through the story. That bothered me some as I didn’t really warm up to him.

The MC’s actually had some growth during the story which helped the story flow along. I liked how there was no easy fix for Noah. That his injuries were so severe, that him allowing his wolf to come out and actually BE..helped him. But it didn’t cure him totally. That he would have some issues the rest of his life. I liked the realism in that. I liked that they characters had flaws and were real. That Wade wasn’t the straight forward honest guy, but that there was a motive behind his mating with Noah.

I will say that I also liked that as the time went on, they grew to care and then love each other. It wasn’t what was planned, but sometimes life is like that. I liked that it wasn’t that insta-love. They actually had to get to know each other. Yes, there was that mating bond thing, but there had to be more than that and that did occur.

Overall, I will say that this was a nice, easy read. No real big angsty things happening. There was minimal conflict that was somewhat resolved by the end. I will say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the MPREG. I have such a soft spot for those. I kinda wanted to see how his pregnancy went, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

3 Pants Off

Review: I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg

I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
Self-Published
Short Story: 67pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
At least he isn’t pregnant.

Seth Murphy campaigned for Maryland’s Question Six, wildly celebrating the Election Day victory for marriage equality. Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.

Owen won’t marry Seth.

Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.

Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”

Review:
What a cute and hilarious read with lots of Christmas spirit. I haven't read much from Kari Gregg but this will definitely be my fave read from the author. It brought the funny and the right amount of conflict to make not a completely fluffy holiday story.

Seth Murphy is beyond happy with the legalization of same sex marriage in Maryland; it means he can finally get married to his lawyer boyfriend Owen. Only problem is that Owen won't marry him and he is feeling all sorts of blue especially over the holidays. With Owen not wanting to marry him, Seth can't help but hash on his insecurities, maybe overall he's not good enough and he can't help but worry about how they will move on from this.

Well, tis the season to suck it up and celebrate because its time to spend the holidays with Seth’s family. When the family finds out there will be no wedding, it releases a can of worms. They bring the crazy, and Owen has to prepare because he might get caught up in a shotgun wedding.

The story was so hilariously sweet, and I liked that Miss Gregg played with a very hot issue. Detailing the seriousness of Question 6 but offering it up in a fun story mixed in with the love of family. I liked the development of Seth, and his discovery in realizing it wasn't all about him, and coming to like himself a bit more. Owen seemed like a laid-back kind of guy completely devoted to Seth.

What I did not really like is the parents’ involvement. I understand in wanting the best for your children. However, there comes a time you have to step back and let them figure out their life/relationships on their own. They pushed a bit too much, and were all up business they had no right to be apart of. So when it came time for Owen to pop the question it felt like he was doing it for them instead of for him and Seth (my feeling).

Sexy hotel room loving was hot *nods head* was going the way of a trick and his client for bit but then the intimacy and love came through again (though I was really enjoying that urgency sexy time :D)

Should You Read It? For sure, it’s a light humourous holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit. Quite different from what readers have come to expect from this author and its no disappoint. A great way to spend an hour or two.

4 Pants Off

BDSM Week Book #3: I, Omega

I, Omega by Kari Gregg
Loose-Id

Novella:138 pages

3 out of 5

Blurb:
After one mind-shattering night with a stranger at a local leather bar leaves him forever changed, Gabriel lives on the streets as a vagrant to elude the master who hunts him, but the were shifter is a fierce, stubborn predator who reclaims him soon enough. Gabriel is carried away to the pack’s home territory where his instruction on what it means to be the pet of an alpha begins. Gabriel isn’t just any pet, though. He is the rarest among their kind: a human omega.

Treasured? Or cursed?

As Gabriel’s father, the Distinguished Gentleman from Pennsylvania and stalwart of the conservative party, pushes the considerable resources at his disposal to locate his missing son, Gabriel explores who and what he is under his master’s careful protection. Gabriel falls for the shifter who is both lover and destroyer, owner and...friend?

Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book. In a small way I completely hated it, but there is also a small part of me that really liked. My issues derive from, that the book had the opportunity to be spectacular, but in the end, I got these one-dimensional characters with zero likeability. In the beginning, the book was exciting but about 30 pages in I was completely annoyed, and here is why.

We meet Gabriel in the beginning of the book, on the run by someone he refers to as master. An encounter with this master has left Gabriel forever changed, and afraid for his life. Gabriel has left his previous life before, left his home, family and his job. Though afraid of his master, he can’t help but wanting him, the man that is so much more than human the man who made him more than human. Well Gabe is about to lose his freedom when his master finally catches up to him. In a small room, they are reacquainted and Gabriel is punished for running away. In that room, his master claims him, and Gabriel decides to stop running.

The story moves on with life in pack territory, with Gabe’s master that we get to know, as Cal is the Alpha. I know Cal is a shifter, but I am unaware of what he shifts into (I call that a lack of caring). I believed this book was gonna take on some serious awesmazingness, but all I got was a crying and an often hysterical Gabe, and Cal who I thought was a sadistic Dom. Gabe is an omega, which makes me understand his submissiveness, but I just remember him as the guy who freaked out a lot.

The writing is amazing, the flow of the book is done quite well and found that I had finished long before I wanted to. You see, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I started to like Gabe, and I thought he was finally becoming a character I could love and then the book ends. I was like “whaaat”, that’s it? Gabriel finally starts to show personality and it ends. That alone left me disappointed and unfulfilled.

As I said, the writing is amazing and the sex will have you losing your pants. When it came to the loving Gabriel and Cal lit up the pages, it’s just without it I was not really feeling them. The BDSM, which is more D/s is light, there is spanking nothing I found too shocking. I was hoping to love this one so much, but in the end, it was an alright read for me.

SideNote- There is Dub-con (dubious consent) if some readers aren't comfortable reading about it.

3 Pants Off

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