Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Leslie McAdam

Genre: Gay Romance

Tags: Contemporary, Daddy/boy (ish), First Time, Grumpy/Sunshine, Insta-Love, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

Length: 426 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon

Blurb –

When a scrawny, pink-haired ragamuffin tries to rob me at knifepoint, I respond the way any sensible person would and invite him to dinner—where he proceeds to threaten my entire ten-year plan simply by being his effervescent self. Much to my annoyance.

There’s no room in my life for a gorgeous criminal named Rowan. I need to check off the next item on my list: Find the right, respectable husband. I can’t be an accessory to a life of crime.

And yet, my perfect plan’s been a bust. Yes, I have millions of social media followers, a prestigious job, and an expensive car, but I’m realizing I want more from life. My casual hookups aren’t making me happy. I’m … lonely.

While Rowan’s a tattooed menace, he does something to my heart, and I can’t seem to stay away from him. Let’s not get started on how I like seeing my marks on him. Everywhere.

Rowan isn’t who I’m looking for, but it seems he’s not who we think he is, either. Which creates an entirely different set of problems with much, much higher stakes.

I’m in way too deep to get out. If I even want to.

Ferocious is a stand-alone contemporary M/M romance about Rowan, a rideshare-driving twink with a penchant for violence, and Charlie, a grumpy lawyer. It features first times, primal play, kidnapping and other crimes, and a philodendron that likes to ride in the car. HEA? Definitely.

Review –

One has a ten-year goal list. The other has a vengeance list. Talk about opposites attract. 😉

Charlie, 29, is an attorney who also has a very successful DIY channel with his brother. We’re talking millions of followers. He has a ten-year plan that lists everything he hopes to accomplish in ten years. Only two things are left on that list – get married, and get a cat. He’s had a friends-with-benefits thing going with a closeted Tristan for the past five years. It’s unlikely Tristan will be coming out of the closet anytime soon. Even with his regular hookups with Tristan, Charlie is very lonely. All his friends and family members have found love, and he admits that he’s more than a little jealous.

Until he meets a pink-haired don’t call him a twink named Rowan, 23.

Rowan’s having a really bad day. He drives for a ride-share just to make ends meet. One of the ‘customers’ ends up stealing his car, taking his phone and Wilbur (his plant) with them. So, he starts walking. After several miles, he sees a man, that would be Charlie, leaving a bonfire to head to his vehicle. What does I’m-not-a-twink Rowan do? He mugs him. Well, he attempts to anyway. Charlie is much bigger, so it takes no time at all before the tables are turned and the threat that wasn’t really a threat is neutralized. Instead of calling the police like any good crime victim should, Charlie invites him to dinner.

You obviously have to suspend belief within the first few pages.

There is a visit to the police department, just not to turn Rowan in.

Rowan grew up in the foster system, not knowing anything about his birth parents. He’s not even sure what his birthdate is, or if his name is even Rowan. He’s been trying to find them for as long as he’s been able. He lives in a crappy apartment with a crappy roommate in a crappy part of town. He does what he has to do to survive.

A few days after the dinner, Rowan’s housing situation gets bad. Charlie comes to the rescue, and this is where their relationship begins. Rowan moves in with Charlie and there’s never any question of where Rowan will sleep. Charlie sees something special in him, even if they did meet under ‘interesting’ circumstances. Their sexual relationship happens pretty quickly, and literally in no time at all, they’ve fallen for each other. They don’t admit it yet, but it’s very obvious.

Things happen fast; I mean really fast. A lot happens just during the first week. Grumpy Charlie comes out of his grumpy shell, and Rowan does everything he can to drive him up a wall. They were perfect for each other. Their sex was off the charts. Outside of the sex, they each open up in ways they never had before. For Charlie, it was his goals and what he felt like he should be doing with his life before he turned 30. For Rowan, it was to try to get beyond his abusive upbringing, and to find his birth family. There was even his plant, Wilbur.

These guys are as different as night and day. Charlie wears suits. Rowan has tattoos, the above-mentioned pink hair, and lots of piercings. Charlie’s a Daddy who doesn’t know he’s a Daddy, and Rowan’s a twink who swears he’s not a twink. Even so, everybody seems to be happy for both of them. Nobody acts like Rowan is different or not good enough for Charlie. He’s welcomed with open arms, even when they learn how he and Charlie met.

There’s a lot more to the story, but I have to stop here or I’m telling serious spoilers, but I will say this… again, you have to suspend belief for this book.

This is my first book by this author, and I did something I really don’t like to do. I read the last book in a series when I’ve not read any of the others. I now want to go back and see when Rowan and Charlie were introduced, though this can definitely be read as a standalone. I liked most of the secondary characters in Ferocious, but the jury is still out on Tristan. I felt that a lot of his story was unnecessary. I know he’ll have his own book, but I never could get a feel for him.

Which brings me to the one problem I had with the book, and why I’m rating it 4.5 stars instead of a full 5. I just felt that it was WAY too long. At 426 pages, it definitely wasn’t a quick read. I’ve noticed that books have gotten a lot longer recently. At times I find it necessary. Other times, like in Ferocious, I don’t. Even so, I still loved the book. I’ve already started reading the others in the series – starting with #1 this time. It’s nice seeing some of the characters before they found their own HEA.