Saturday, February 9, 2013

Those Shifty Shifters



Freakn Shifters


A few years ago I read a dragon shifter bdsm novella. The bdsm was dishwater at best. The lead guy had the girl wear a collar, all other things that could have been hot were generalized but not depicted. Hey, this is my super kinky torture chamber but we aren't going to use it. Lame. Then there was the dragon shifting. I was expecting/hoping for a scaly sexy demon dragon type change. Something sexy. Instead this guy changed into puff the magic dragon! I think at one point she used that phrase “Puff the Magic Dragon” to describe how he looked. Let me add that he was balls deep when he turned into this fat happy dragon. To each his own, it was not for me.

I know, I should have known better. Novella tend to be the hand-jobs of literature. I've only read a few out of many that didn't leave me feeling cheated. I need more than a quick rub off from my e-lit. This particular book crapped out but it had so many possibilities that I began to want to see all those possibilities realized in a good book. The closest I've come is S.E. Smith Abducting Abby, which had the awesomely sexy dragons that I had been hoping for but I just wasn't that into it.

I wanted to set an example and step out of my comfort zone and try something new, but I was sick of the disappointment. Sometimes reading a new author can leave you feeling like you just had a one night stand with Napoleon. Everything comes up short and unsatisfying. I realized I needed to break out of my ongoing dragon quest and try a animal shifter book. I will admit I enjoyed a alien mermaid from space book, but never a strait up animal shifter book.

Animal shifter books are as outside of my comfort zone as anal sex is to a Mormon. Shifters are that dish on the menu that I have never wanted to try. Give me crazy alien cock and I'm titillated, show me half man/half animal cock and all of the sudden I'm a squeamish conservative prude.

Or am I?

My good friend Amazon was recommending me books again. I usually ignore her advice but she's been persistently pushing Eve Langlais's Alien books, so I looked her up. I was one click away from downloading her alien bundle pack onto my kindle when I noticed the title Jungle Freakn'Bride(Freakn'Shifters). Color me intrigued.

Jungle Feakn' Bride by Eve Langlais 

With a title like Jungle Freakn' Bride, there is no way I'm not clicking for more details. Turns out Eve Langlais is crazy about animal shifting. Her Freakn' shifters are just one of three different series of shifters, Jungle Freakn' being her latest, a break away from her Freakn' Wolf shifters. So, I have an author before me who has three sci-fi series, three shifter series and a book that could stand alone. I would like to say that reasonable deduction came into play here and I rationalized that I would like this book based on the glowing reviews for all her books weighed by her apparent love of sci-fi as well as animal sex.

Nope, it was the fact she had three of each. I was born on the third day of the third month and I'm illogical and whimsical enough to see this as a sign. In fact celestial trumpets played as my computer and I were bathed in heavenly light. This book was the chosen one.

There is no story line I love better than a brute of a man (of any species) abducting his lady, whom in turn will develop a case of Stockholm’s great enough to build a loving relationship that will last the ages. That may be why my all time favorite movie/musical is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Yes, from Mountain Men to Vikings to Aliens, abduction romance is the best in my book.

Eve Langlais has one upped her sweet abduction book, deciding that one brute will not do, so in her book Jungle Freakn'Bride her glorious South American jaguar shifters bro-up and mate in pairs. (m/f/m) The God's decreed it. They also decreed that all men of the tribe would have to abduct their mate for it to be a blessed union. Yeah they did! Again the celestial choir sang a harmonious note while my kindle and I were enveloped in warm heavenly rays.

This book starts off fast passed and full of humor. Acat is alpha in training, the son of the alpha leader and as such he has been out in the civilized world getting an education and questioning all the traditions and beliefs of his people. I imagine it's a lot like what the Amish go through when on Rumspringa. Acat is described as being well past the age of mating which is around 24-25 for the men of his tribe. I appreciate this and the fact that he and his beta Chaob (the sweet reasonable one) are educated. They are mature chauvinistic tribe men with modern intellect and humor. This is a nice blend and perfect for their chosen mate.

Carlie is a brash no nonsense woman full of spunk and sass. I absolutely loved her. Carlie is a modern independent woman who doesn't take the men's high handed antics in stride. She gets changed into a cat and she's pissed. Not too pissed to have hot menage sex and enjoy the benefits of having super jaguar abilities, but pissed enough to hold it over the guys head. I get that. Who wouldn't?

Acat is bull headed but he has met his match in Carlie. It's her resilience and unwillingness to stand down that lead to the personal growth and trust it takes to make this trio work. As beautiful as she is stubborn the men can't decide if their chosen mate is a blessing or a punishment sent from the Gods.

I can't compare this book to other shifter books since it was my first, but this book was a delight. The only thing that gave me a weeby jeeby moment was everyones referals to their babies as cubs. It's explained that they come out human, not going through 'the change' till puberty, but if I was a pregnant half cat jungle bride I would still be freakn'. Besides my irrational fear of birthing a litter of kittens I really enjoyed this book and found it quite memorable.

Eve Langlais's Jungle Freakn' Bride exemplifies humor and hot sex with just the right amount of romance. Anyone writing vanilla menage erotica should take notes from Eve Langlais. And yes, besides the fact that a there are three of them the sex is very vanilla. I haven't seen anyone do it it better though. The love scenes sizzle. There is one scene in particular that breaks away from vanilla a little and let me tell you, it had me seriously drooling it was so, need a fire extinguisher (or two firemen) stat, hot!

I'm not sure how I hadn't stumbled upon Eve Langlais sooner. While this book didn't push very many sexual boundaries at all, the fact that it was a shifter book was enough to make it a different experience for me. She made my first animal shifter book a pleasant experience, so pleasant in fact that I may even read the Freakn' wolves series. Maybe. For that Eve Langlais I say, THANK YOU!

This book is full length 271pages and comes with a playful warning;

Warning: Hot, steamy threesomes, chauvinism and more are running wild in the jungle. Can you handle the heat?

Want more on Eve Langlais please visit, http://www.evelanglais.com/

2 comments:

  1. I am so glad I managed to change your mind about shifters. Here's to hoping you find many more :)

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    Replies
    1. Me too! I'm really looking forward to reading your other series!

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