Friends with Benefits by Cheyenne Meadows

FriendswithBenefitsLGTitle: Friends with Benefits

Series: Shifter Hardball, #1

Author: Cheyenne Meadows

Genre: Paranormal/Shape shifter

Length: 192 pages

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (28 Jan 2015)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5 Hearts

Blurb: Playboy wolf shifter Wiley can’t duck out of his pack’s biggest annual event, despite knowing his grandmother has possible suitors lined up and waiting. Wiley has no intention of settling down, and the situation dangles just above disaster. Thankfully, Wiley’s best friend, lion shifter Ram, agrees to pose as Wiley’s boyfriend for the weekend.

They find out fate has other plans when they kiss on a dare, and the passion erupts, so hot and intense they fear the couch may spontaneously combust beneath them. Neither man is able to push the small act of affection from his mind, but both struggle with uncertainty and the ramifications of following where their libidos lead.

If they can’t outrun their feelings, they’ll have to muster the courage to face their fears before they lose everything, including their friendship.

ISBN: 978-1-63477-283-9

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5989

Reviewer: Prime

Review: If you’re like me and you love a good, hot helping of sexy shape shifters getting together then this is for you. This also appeals to those that like the whole “odd couple” aspect or “friends to lovers angle” or “gay for you. And let’s not forget another romantic favourite – romance among a sport team, in this case baseball. The basis for this book, I’m sure, has something that appeals to everyone.

So suffice to say that I simply loved this book. I loved the story – there was plenty of sexiness, energy and humour throughout the book. I loved the characters – though let’s take a moment to pause and ponder a wolf called Wiley and a lion called Ram, it might just be my warped humour but that was funny to begin with.

The blurb pretty much says it all. Ram and Wiley are BFF’s on the same baseball team in a shifter baseball league and enjoy nothing more than to ogle one of their fellow players. When Wiley needs to head home to his pack for some sort of Founders Day weekend party where everyone just seems to be a rush of hormones, he wants Ram to come along as his pretend boyfriend.

All sorts of shenanigans ensue, namely from Wiley’s whacky 800 year old grandmother, who definitely gives the pack a bit of life. Eventually, though, they can’t pretend for too much longer.

The chemistry between the guys was great. So was the camaraderie, the fact that they were friends really helped me to be able to suspend my disbelief for a while. There were a number of interesting things also crop up. I really enjoyed the parts of the story that covered pack life for Wiley’s pack. There was the perpetually horny grandmother who was a bit of fun.

Additionally, I found it interesting that Ram was often teased for being a lazy lion – unlike other shifter stories Ram definitely resembled his wild animal counterpart. My only criticism is that although the baseball team did featured particularly in the beginning and end of the book, it was more like a list of names and would have liked to have known more about the team and league they played in.

I’m a bit of a sucker for friends to lovers type stories – actually I’m a sucker for everything I listed in the first paragraph of this review, so it’s not difficult to assume that I loved this. However, this isn’t the type of book that you should take seriously and read into it, just read it and enjoy it for what is presented.

But I loved it and I think this would appeal to many others.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *