ARC #REVIEW Not Human Enough by Kazy Reed #mmromance #romhero

Genre: M/M Romance, part of The Amsel Clan series (can be read as a standalone)
Release Date: April 8, 2016
Publisher:  eXtasy Books
Length: 184 pages

Description: Jake Reinbach is the son of vampires. He is also a high-school senior, hoping to live as normal a life as possible within the human world, but his bright purple eyes and vampire parents make him an outcast. When falsely accused of threatening a classmate, Jake is forced to withdraw from school, and back into the clan in which he was raised. He is devastated, but a young human comes to his door one evening with a startling confession.

Will Hayden is secretly attracted to Jake, and is bereft when the young vampire leaves public school. Fascinated with immortals, Will unfortunately lives in a household where hatred of vampires is part of the daily diet. He realizes his father is entangled in a conspiracy against the vampires, and he goes to Jake’s family and tells them of his suspicions. When he then confesses his feelings toward Jake, he sets in motion a series of events that will change his life—and Jake’s—forever.

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OUR REVIEW

Not Human Enough has it all: sweet romance, sizzling sex, bad guys, good guys, and high-stakes drama!

Through the expedience of medical technology, Jake is the human son of vampires. He doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Will is the son of a vampire slayer, so how can things end well when he falls for Jake? In his mind, it can't, so for years, he watches Will from afar... until Will leaves school.

This part of the story is very sweet and tender as the boys experience their first love and first sexual experiences. There is also a lot of humor as Jake's family is on hand... with vampire hearing... if you get my point. LOL

But all too soon, things begin to change... Jake and Will begin to change. What is going on? Who or what are they really? There are many twists and turns in this story, all tied into an over-arching battle between law-abiding vampires and vigilante slayers... remember Will's parents?

The author does a great job of including secondary characters into this novel, making it more than a simple coming of age story. Each of the other characters (many of whom are members of Jake's extended "family," introduced in the first book in this series) brings their own special something to the story. We feel their abiding love for each other, their desire to protect their family, their children, and their mates.

There are many humorous scenes in Not Human Enough that show just how "normal" life in this alternative reality can be. This first example takes place after Christian, Jake's uncle, decides that Jake is old enough not to have parental controls on his computer. Of course, the first thing he does it is check out some porn sites:

I forced my fingers to move, closed my eyes, and hit enter. When I opened them, I laughed nervously. "Holy fuck."

Immediately, Dad knocked on my door. "You okay?"

I jumped, and banged my knee on the underside of my desk. "I'm fine," I said breathlessly.

"Watch your language."

"Sorry." 

Here's another example between Jake and Will:

The light turned green and our virtual sports cars zipped along an impossibly scenic track. Will distracted me by asking, "Are you going to turn into a vampire?"

My car went soaring off the cliff, and my wrist cuffs heated a little. Will laughed. Then the magic hand of the Gaming God lifted my car back onto the track. I hit the gas and answered without looking at him. "That's the thinking, but I'm not sure when. There've been other vampires who've had kids through the same process, but I'm one of the oldest ones. I don't know if any of the others have changed yet. I'll never be able to have a normal life after that."

"Why not?"

"Because we have to spend the first six years in a subterranean cave with bats."

It was Will's turn to skid out of control, so I flew past him and over the finish line, laughing my ass off. He punched me in the arm. "Very funny, fucker."

Not Human Enough is a wonderful coming-of-age story, in unusual circumstances. Both boys are forced to deal with adult issues that take on a much grander importance in the ongoing battle between vampires and slayers. This story is a great mix of suspense, sweet romance, sweaty sex, deep love, and family drama. Although the writing is good, it could be tightened some more. There are a few clunky spots, but overall, the flow and the pacing of the story is good.

OUR RATING: 4 stars

(04/10/2016)