Title: Almost Paradise, 2nd Edition
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Genre: Gay/Erotic/Paranormal/
Length: Novella (112 Pages)
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Laurie
Blurb: Travis has done everything to keep his daughter safe. He’s fought a long, hard battle in the courts to gain full custody and has finally found some breathing room. But that security comes at a heavy price.
Staying in a motel and living off his quickly dwindling savings is no way to raise a toddler, so when Liam steps into his life and offers him hundreds of dollars just to watch his dogs for a weekend, it almost seems too good to be true.
But when he finds out there is more to Liam than he ever thought, he has a hard decision to make. Can he and his daughter stay and be safe or will he need to leave?
Please note: This is a re-release.
Purchase Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/almost-paradise/
Review: This is a warm and sweetly written story which deals with a parent, Travis, having to swallow some pride when he finally wins custody of his daughter, Hannah. However, it was at the cost of everything else in his life. Down on his luck, he runs into Liam while trying to find work.
Something about the smaller man calls to Liam. It makes him want to offer help without hurting the other man’s pride more than it’s already been. Using the excuse of an out-of-town trip for his boss, who is also his Alpha, he persuades Travis to watch Lucy and Ethel, his mastiff dogs. He figures that’s a start, but how do you tell a human that you’re a shifter?
I love how Hannah knew instinctively that Liam was a shifter, by calling him Puppy every time she saw him. And, I love how Liam became a protective de facto parent around Hannah, even before he and Travis got together. His Alpha is so not happy that Hannah can see the “puppies”; it brings back the stories of hunters who can see the wolf in them. So now, Liam gets to deal with his feeling for Travis, his need to protect Hannah while getting her to stop calling them puppies and to placate his Alpha at the same time.
This was an enjoyable story to read, well written. Travis, Liam and Hannah are well-rounded characters and very likable. I look forward to reading more of this series and more of this author’s work.