Title: Monkey Wrench
Series: Were Menagerie 02
Author: Xara X. Xanakas
Genre: Shifter
Length: Novel (192pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (19th September 2012)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Twenty-year-old virgin Aaron Thorne has a lot of irons in the fire. He’s on a career-making case investigating a new party drug that induces shifts in werecreatures, and his friend is the prime suspect. Outside of work, a literal silver fox has captured his attention. And just when life start going smoothly for Aaron, a tall, dark, scowly bobcat shifter named Iggy appears and sweeps him off his feet.
After being attacked in the course of his investigation, Aaron starts to feel like he has something to prove. It’s a good thing he’s got all the energy of his shifter animal, the spider monkey. He’s going to need it to solve the case, sort out his love life, and decide what kind of man he wants to be.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3225
Warning: Some scenes of violence and near rape.
Review: This story is part of a series and I recommend they are read in order. Aaron is a monkey shifter who is a police officer. During an investigation, he is attacked and finds himself doubting his skills and wondering if he has really got what it takes to continue with his line of work. Meeting Gerry, a silver fox, gives him a boost and makes him feel safe. But, meeting sexy Iggy’s eyes across a room knocks the breath out of him and leaves him confused. With the help of his friends, he gets his case solved; his love life mediated and sets him on the road to recovering his confidence.
Well, boys and girls, this book is definitely one not to miss if you want a shifter story that is slightly different from most that have come before (except Snakeskin Boots of course, seeing as that’s the first in the series… you know, I’m just gonna shut up now). Aaron is a cute monkey shifter, a bit hyper and very bouncy. He is working undercover to discover who is selling a new drug, but in the process finds himself in danger from someone he thought was a friend. Aaron meets Gerry and has hopes for something more than friends, but then Iggy comes on the scene and throws him for a loop.
This is not an M/M/M it is an M/M for those out there that are confused by the blurb. Gerry is a hopeful love interest, but they never progress from friends, so no cheating or anything like that. just Aaron feeling very confused by his feelings. Okay, so this book is a mixture of all the best ingredients stirred together and baked so we have a wonderful yummy book that delights the senses as we take another bite and discover a different flavor (oh shut up that description is perfect). One minute we have sweet and goofy, then we have harsh and scary, then we have depressed and scared, then we have sweet and sexy, then we have funny and nervous, so you see the further into the book we get a whole new aspect of Aaron and what the storyline entails.
Aaron is a character that you take to heart quite quickly and he holds a place there all the way through the book. When you first meet Gerry you hope that he will be the rock that Aaron needs, but you soon see that although there is an attraction between them there is a spark missing. When Iggy comes on the scene it is pretty late in the book but you get a great idea, straight away, of what was missing with Gerry. Aaron’s feelings were described perfectly throughout the book. the intensity of them at times made my breath catch, and the storyline was brilliant and was pulled together wonderfully.
Although we don’t see much of Iggy and Aaron together, their scenes together are very intense, and you are in no mistake of their feelings for each other. Aaron’s investigation and the turn it takes add a lot of suspense and danger and will keep you reading to the conclusion. We see a lot of Jeff and Brad in this one and they are still as in love as ever. They add a lot in the way of support without ever once overtaking the story.
So, if you love shifters, an investigation, overwhelming instant attraction, danger, a great storyline and a very happy ending then this is a book that I highly recommend.