ARC #REVIEW: Marking Kane (Werewolves of Manhattan 4) by A.C. Katt #mmromance #paranormal #romhero

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance, part of the Werewolves of Manhattan Series
Release Date: March 5, 2016
Publisher:  MLR Press, LLC
Length: unknown

Description: Returning from his territory in Atlanta, Gabriel Martin stumbles across a man in an alleyway who has been gang raped - his mate.

Gabriel Martin has hope. Three of the Alphas on the council have found mates in the past few years. Returning to New York from Atlanta, he comes across a human who has been raped in an alleyway. The human is his mate, Kane Brady.

Kane has been teaching at the local high school and refuses to rubberstamp the education of their star basketball players' almost paying the price with his life. He's unusual as he's a Human Omega but he can't be intimate with Gabriel because of his horrific experience.


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OUR REVIEW

Marking Kane is rather a twist on most romances, especially paranormal ones. Gabriel a powerful alpha werewolf whereas his Alpha Mate is a young Human Omega. But they are even more mismatched because when Gabriel finally finds him, Kane has just been gang raped by five males he suspects are basketball players at the school where he teaches.

Kane shivered in the cold. The walk home seemed more difficult tonight, feet dragging through the snow piles with the wind gusts almost picking him up off the ground. He kept on looking over his shoulder. Kane was sure someone was following him. Every time he glanced backward he saw shadows in doorways.

He looked around again and watched five boys in ski masks come out of an alley. they were walking quickly toward him, with seeming purpose. As they got closer, he realized that they were following him. He began to walk faster. They also picked up speed. Kane started to run.

The odds are clearly not in their favor for a typical romance. What follows is the story of how Gabriel helps Kane to heal from his ordeal, both physically and mentally.

Kane woke up cradled to Gabriel's chest. Gabriel had him pinned down with his arm. He started to have trouble breathing. He tried taking deep breaths. Kane began to gasp and shake. This is my Gabriel, not them. I have to push through this. Soon he was wheezing loudly. Gabriel moved.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Gabriel sat up.

Kane was crying silent tears. "Your arm, it held me down. I couldn't breathe." then he progressed to deep gasping sobs. "Ask the gods to change your Mate. If they are merciful, they will. I love you and I can't even let you hold me." Kane sat up, ready to run out of the room.

It is also the story of how Gabriel draws Kane into his werewolf world, a world where Kane finally finds the one thing he's been missing--a family. Among these wolves and their human mates, he is not only accepted for who he is, but loved for it as well.

"Can we go to Macy's? I know I can afford stuff there. I went before dawn and got space on the sidewalk to watch the Thanksgiving Parade this year. It was wonderful." Kane smiled at the memory.

"Macy's it is. Do you want Sean, Ian, and Colin to come?"

"Oh no, I want to buy them presents and they'd snoop. Can you help me figure out what kind of gifts to get for Armand, Rémy, and Marc?"

"You don't have to get them anything."

"Yes, I do. They encouraged Sean, Ian, and Colin to befriend me. I'm so happy to have friends in New York, friends who are gay like me. I have to thank them."

But how can someone who has recently been gang raped ever hope to have a loving physical relationship with a lusty werewolf, a relationship that is required to complete the mating bond? This is where there is some potential for disagreement by some readers. If you enjoy paranormal stories where the gods play a role in helping their people, then this is the story for you. Other readers, who prefer a more "realistic" approach may not like how Kane's healing is handled in the story.

For my part, I'm more than willing to suspend disbelief if the resolution makes sense within the world of the story. In this case, I believe it does. The Human Omega is an important member of the pack, and based on some foreshadowing about the series arc, it seems that the wolves sense an upcoming battle in which all the Alpha Mates will play an important role. Kane is potentially essential to the North American pack's survival.

OUR RATING: 4 stars

(03/18/2016)