As the title suggests, six months after the previous installment Shane is getting away from life. His dear aunt died and he feels so alone he doesn't know how to keep on going. So he bails out and runs to Natalie, the only person (besides Gabriel) who really knows him and what he is struggling with, mostly his sexuality but it's also about life in general, at the age of 36, having no real family of his own, with the 3 women who raised him (grandmother, mother and aunt) gone. He has Gabriel but he doesn't really. It's more than the fact that they are having an "open relationship", because even though there is something very intense going on between them, Shane never considers it to be love, an obsession- yeah, but he keeps expecting to "get over it" in the same way you get over an addiction - with withdrawal pains.. which is what he expect to deal with (hopefully) in Natalie's womanly arms.
Natalie was really sweet with how she helped out Shane but at the same time told him time and again she won't be his rebound and in a way she tried to make Shane realize that his relationship with Gabriel is not about voodoo magic, it is real. But for Shane admitting he loves Gabriel is saying something about his sexuality he fears and since there is no real future for him with Gabriel it's even more redundant. About half of this novella is exactly that - Shane struggling with himself and his feelings, his hopes for a family or a meaningful relationship etc. I was just tired of him.. he is so obsessed with how people see him and how he wants to present himself to the world.. and since he mostly presents an ass (even though he really isn't) it was even worse for me. I just don't like him. AT ALL.
Half way through things started to get better when he and Gabriel have a real conversation about their relationship. It stared dysfunctional and annoying but what can you expect from Shane? Yet what was beautiful about it was Gabriel. In the three installment we only got Shane and Natalie's POV, never Gabriel and it was the missing piece all this time. From "not really liking" Gabriel I came to really appreciating him for who he is and understanding his struggles as well. I wonder how the story would have felt like from his POV. It would have been quite interesting, maybe even more interesting because he is such a special guy.
I like how the story ended with a short epilogue that showed how they worked things out. I'm not saying what / who on purpose :)
A good read, it did have a lot of (great) sex, well, this IS an Erotica series, yet there is a real story as well, with personal struggles which felt very genuine. I would probably enjoyed it more if it was solely from Gabriel (and Natalie's) POV but well, it is what it is and it was a good love story.
Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 141 pages, 11 March 2015 / On GoodReads
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Shivaree by Cara McKenna is an Erotica mini series. The three installment together are length of a full novel.
In the first installment we meet Shane and Gabriel, a couple though mostly together for an obsessive attraction from both sides. There is no real love between them, Shane still struggles with the fact that he is in a relationship with a man (he never considered himself gay, it's just "one man attraction" he has to Gabriel) and the fact there is no real future to a relationship with two men.. Add to the mix the fact that Gabriel refuses to be faithful and abandon having women and we have a very complicated relationship so when Natalie stumbles inside "Shivaree" (the bar Shane owns) after her car crushes down near it - everything gets even more complicated. Gabriel wants her, she definitely wants him, Shane is jealous, and somehow they all end up in bed together. After three magical days (or rather - nights) she goes back home. 6 months later is where the next installment begins, with Shane and Gabriel being a whole year together but having the same difficulties. Shane bails in order to try and figure his life out this time AWAY from the person he can't stop thinking about. In the end he finds the right answer even if it's not really what he expected.
The prequel tells us of how Gabriel and Shane came to be together. Though it was written between the first and second installment I think it makes most sense starting the series with it.
My only issue with this series is I didn't like Shane. I'm not into the manly alpha male who enjoys showing his rooster-y feathers.. and since Shane was always putting up the act of being a controlling asshole (well, controlling he REALLY is, an asshole - not!) I just got tired of him. I wish we would have gotten Gabriel's POV but it was only Shane and Natalie.
Really enjoyed this series, it was hot and sexy without forgetting to actually have a plot. The struggles both MC were having felt very real and genuine.
Books:
0.5. Backwoods (Published 10 September 2010) ★★★★★
1. Shivaree (Published 12 March 2010) ★★★★★
2. Getaway (Published 5 January 2011) ★★★★
In the first installment we meet Shane and Gabriel, a couple though mostly together for an obsessive attraction from both sides. There is no real love between them, Shane still struggles with the fact that he is in a relationship with a man (he never considered himself gay, it's just "one man attraction" he has to Gabriel) and the fact there is no real future to a relationship with two men.. Add to the mix the fact that Gabriel refuses to be faithful and abandon having women and we have a very complicated relationship so when Natalie stumbles inside "Shivaree" (the bar Shane owns) after her car crushes down near it - everything gets even more complicated. Gabriel wants her, she definitely wants him, Shane is jealous, and somehow they all end up in bed together. After three magical days (or rather - nights) she goes back home. 6 months later is where the next installment begins, with Shane and Gabriel being a whole year together but having the same difficulties. Shane bails in order to try and figure his life out this time AWAY from the person he can't stop thinking about. In the end he finds the right answer even if it's not really what he expected.
The prequel tells us of how Gabriel and Shane came to be together. Though it was written between the first and second installment I think it makes most sense starting the series with it.
My only issue with this series is I didn't like Shane. I'm not into the manly alpha male who enjoys showing his rooster-y feathers.. and since Shane was always putting up the act of being a controlling asshole (well, controlling he REALLY is, an asshole - not!) I just got tired of him. I wish we would have gotten Gabriel's POV but it was only Shane and Natalie.
Really enjoyed this series, it was hot and sexy without forgetting to actually have a plot. The struggles both MC were having felt very real and genuine.
0.5. Backwoods (Published 10 September 2010) ★★★★★
1. Shivaree (Published 12 March 2010) ★★★★★
2. Getaway (Published 5 January 2011) ★★★★
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