Elaine White's Life in Books

Book – Druids Lodge
Author – Kelly Clemmons
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 214

Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 3rd person, past tense, three POV's
Would I read it again – Yes!

Genre – LGBT, Paranormal, Cat-Shifter, Werecat


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine


This was a breath of fresh air. Romance. Paranormal. Shifters. And one feisty human.

This book started off brilliantly. Right away, it hit my pet peeve of the first two words being the character's full name, but since it seems to be becoming a trend in the MM market, I'll excuse it. Because, immediately after that, we were dunked into Luke's like and I wanted to weep for him. I could feel his pain and grief, over losing Henry. Then his confusion over Finn.

Then, as the story progresses, it becomes fun, playful and with an undercurrent of deep hurt and confusion. There were so many emotions in play, primarily divided into three sections – grief, playfulness, strength to survive – that it really brought home the constant struggle. When grief took over, there were brief bouts of relief and humour; when playfulness took hold, there were some really tender, meaningful, argumentative moments.

I loved how sceptical Luke was, to believe everything Finn was telling him. He displayed a completely normal reaction to the situation, while Finn attempted to be patient, fighting his inner cat instincts when he could. Sure, sometimes he was sneaky about it, but their chemistry helped ease any fears I had about Luke being forced into a situation. They made a really cute couple.

When it comes to the characters, I have to say that I loved Luke way more than Finn. Finne was fine, but despite his obvious advantages, Luke was much stronger as a character and as a personality. Finn couldn't control TC, but even after everything Luke went through, he held himself together, somehow. What Max did to him broke my heart, but ti was worse when it was obvious to me what had happened, but Finn was too blind to see sense.

For me, there's some disconnect with Finn. I can't explain it. Luke is always a great character to read and hang out with, but Finn became a little predictable and frustrating far too often. Especially when he told Luke he was okay with the distance between them and the no sex, while at the time groping him and practically undressing him with his eyes. It was a little much.

On the negative side, there were a few quotation marks missing, which got confusing at times. And sometimes the transitions are off. Between the end of one sentence and the start of another, three more actions are needed, but ever mentioned. Example; on the stairs, then suddenly in the kitchen. It happens a few times and gets a little confusing, where I wonder if I've missed something.

~

Overall, it was a great story. I haven't read about panther shifters in a really long time, so it was nice to return to the cat-like tendencies. The relationship, the romance, the difficulties and the drama were all very nicely handled. Nothing was thrown in our face, unrealistic or out of place.

A fantastic paranormal romance.

~

Favourite Quote

“Why-oh-why wasn't there an idiot's guide to werecat and human relationships?”

“The groans and sighs of pleasure Luke made while he ate were akin to watching porn.”

“Luke might not be a cat, but he certainly had claws.”