Cursed by Rhianne Aile
Cursed is a very original werewolf romance, since the werewolf is not the usual Alpha male all action and no words, he needs the help of his mate, and of his other friends, to arrive at the right conclusion of his story.
Tristan and his twin William are the direct descendants of a witch who cursed the Sterling family more than 500 years before. Now Tristan feels the need to put an end to that curse, and for this reason he meets the heir of the Sterling family, Benjamin, an american businessman. Benjamin has lost the hope to see the curse broken, and he has set his life to accomodate both his human than his wolf form. He lives part of the month in New York, and part in a huge estate in the country, where he can shift without problems. All his employees know about him being a werewolf, and protect and love him nevertheless.
When Benjamin smells Tristan's scent, he knows that the young britishman is his chosen mate. And Tristan has no problem to accept both the man than the wolf. But when, and if, he will manage to break the curse, the man Benjamin will love Tristan as much as the werewolf?
As in the other books by Rhianne Aile I read, the man on man relationship in the story doesn't arise any trouble in the people around. It seems like the author describes a utopic world, even more when Benjamin is a divorced man with a son, and we don't know if he is bisexual or only gay (he has had other gay relationships before Tristan). True there is the mate's matter: Benjamin clearly said that his ex wife wasn't his chosen mate, and that werewolves mate for life and Tristan is his true mate.
Tristan is an almost funny character. He behaves almost like a teenager sometime, all innocence and naivite, but he has the desire and the reaction of an adult man. Even if it is not clearly highlighted, I think he is younger than Benjamin, and so it's almost natural that Benjamin takes the dominant position in the relationship. But Benjamin is not the classical alpha male: he has the jelaousy issues of every real mated werewolf, but if necessary he can argue without growling.
Cursed starts a little on the quiet pace, but grews on a fastest rhytm in the second part of the story, that I found very well plotted. Also the curse's resolution is very original, and there is also a bit of humor in it. Cursed reminds me of other werewolf romance, where humor and paranormal are well mixed.
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Cover Art by Anne Cain