Suzanne Wright brings us into a world where the more animalistic side isn't just considered, often it is obeyed almost without question. It's a world in which pack means more than family or even self. For people such as Taryn, Roscoe and Trey, it is a world they each try to control and each trying to stay on top.
I will always be the first to insist that a good entertaining book is not necessarily synonymous with good literature. In other words, you don't have to follow all the rules in order to touch somebody's mind, spirit or heart with a story. That said, this book is not my cup of tea. It's not due to any real flaw in construction of the story or the uses of the characters or setting. There was one annoying problem with the timeline that had me flipping back and forth between chapters but, that could be easily fixed in a second edition. The raw elements of the story were intriguing enough to make be buy the book. It was the presentation that bothered me.
I had a similar issue with Claimed (Brides of the Kindred) by Evangeline Anderson. Just like in that review I'll start off by saying, I'm no prude when it comes to sex scenes in stories whether on the page or on screen. Using full details in these scenes can be crucial to story progression or establishing character connections or just showing us another side of a character. What bothers is me is when the author chooses to use the crudest of terms to describe what could be the most beautiful of expressions among characters. I will say that those terms are not just acceptable but required when used by characters where it's fitting.
In my opinion, Feral Sins faltered when the narrative portions used the vulgar parts of the language that the characters used. Not only did it blur the lines between narration and dialog or inner monolog, it made the voice of the whole story a bit coarser than necessary. Had this been written in first person say from Taryn's point of view not only would it make more sense for it to be written this way but, we could have gone deeper (pardon the pun). I often thought the author was held back slightly because of choosing the third person perspective.
An aspect that made it difficult for me to really enjoy the book was how rough the sex was portrayed in. This is a group of shapeshifters who take the form and mannerisms of wolves so, it makes sense that a very aggressive submissive/dominance dance be part of their ritual for selecting and interacting with a mate. If this were a community of elves or a group seen just as peaceful, these types of rough sexual encounters would seem out of place. Many readers are able to lose themselves in the fantasy of it, I'm just not one of them.
Feral Sins by Suzanne Wright is, in my opinion, hard-core romance. It is a story of two people locked into a world that is secretive, savage and carnal. Due to the significant amount of violence and graphic sex scenes, this book earns a rare X rating from me.
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