Behind the Eight Ball (Kristin’s Review)

Title: Behind the Eight Ball (Fur, Fangs and Felines #2)
Author: M.A. Church
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 30, 2015
Genre(s): Paranormal
Page Count: 214
Reviewed by: Kristin
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Blurb:

A cool morning, a yard full of birds, and a kitty on a mission. What more could a werecat want? Beta Heller Wirth has it all, except a mate—a shifter mate, that is. The last thing he wants is one of those dangerous humans who kill without remorse. Heller knows about that firsthand. So what does the goddess Bast do? She gives Heller exactly what he does not want—a human: business owner Lawson Dupre.

Lawson hasn’t a clue what just happened in his car detail shop. One minute a cute client is about to pass out, and then he perks up and starts flirting. Next thing, he runs out the door like the hounds of hell are after him. Learning that Heller is a werecat doesn’t freak out Lawson. He happens to be one of those rare humans who knows paranormals exists. He even lives with one. Watch the fur fly as Heller and Lawson battle hurt feelings, misguided beliefs, and a power shift in Heller’s clowder

I will note, I did not read book one of this series beforehand. While Behind the Eight Ball can easily stand alone, Eight Ball would be complimented by reading as a sequel to Trouble comes in Threes.

This is just a fun read, easily finished in a day or over a weekend.

Reading about werecat dynamics and vetala’s was a refreshing change from the plethora of werewolf stories that abound right now. I loved how the book started out from a cat’s point of view as Heller hunted a beetle then stalked a blue jay in his back yard. I could totally see a cat thinking like that! I also greatly enjoyed how the well-groomed cat translated into a well-groomed man with a thing for clothes, hair product, and who’s always late because he has to be perfect before leaving the house.

The plot is a bit of a standard finding one’s mate tale – but the twist is Heller’s mate is a reviled human. Heller has to overcome his dislike of humans before he can accept Lawson as his man. I thought the strength of this book was in the balance between plot and sex scenes. I’ve read too many “mating” books where once the mate is found, it becomes a series of how many places can the two have sex? It was a relief to find a book that eased off the sex and came back to the plot and developing a relationship. Much appreciated.

However, I do have two small complaints with the story itself – we get to know Heller as a bit of an ass, but after the Big Reveal about why he hates humans, the cocky, self-indulgent, aloof personality is just…gone. I don’t see how confessing would totally change a person just like that. In my opinion, the two main characters become almost interchangeable and the cat with attitude went away. I missed seeing more of the snooty kitty.

My second grumble is everyone finds their mate in this book. The vetala’s – Janelle and Marshell – and Lawson have been living in this town for several years and now all three find a mate? While I liked how the next story has been set up, I would have preferred one less mating.

Overall, a fun and satisfying warm fuzzy (furry?) read with kitty attitude, hot man action, and sufficient ass-kicking to make an afternoon disappear. Recommended if you like books with paranormals.

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