Mourning Doves [Paperback]

All right, ok, this is a very well written sci-fi/paranormal action adventure story with a touch of romance thrown in. I could not put the book down, but I also found myself to be incredibly frustrated by the time I was done with it and here is why.

Do not get me wrong, I have read the reviews before I bought it and I understood that there is no romance between the main couple and I was totally fine with it, really. I expected to read the adventure of two futuristic sort of cops with the shifting abilities, who are as close as brothers. I love such books as much as I love gay romances, but this was something very different to me.

These guys live together, they have very close bond, they need each other when in pain, they support each other and they basically need each other to function normally (not literally, but pretty close to it). Basically I thought that the chemistry between them was WAY too intense to see it as bond of brothers and there needed to be something else there.

Now you would tell me so maybe author did not want romance to be there, and I will tell you but there IS a romance in this book, one f/f romance and one m/m romance and both are between secondary characters and both are very very inexplicit, besides hugs and kisses, literally everything else is pretty much implied. And that's fine by me, I understand that this is young adult book and I LOVE young adult gay stories, some of them I have read recently had the most amazing plot and characterizations, probably because they did not feel a need to spend the pages and pages describing sex for young audience and concentrated on plot and characters instead.

What I am trying to say is that if author wanted main couple to be seen as friends, in my opinion she really should have tone down the explosive chemistry that they have. Here are some quotes about how Leandre and Epsilon feel about each other:

"Leander flew into Epsilon's grip, and the two stood, clutching each other in sheer joy to see each other alive, but then Epsilon legs gave out and he collapsed, finally reaching his own limits. Leander caught him before he fell, the two sinking to the earth together slowly"

"Like you have any room to talk? And look, you made food." He grabbed a biscuit and dodged Epsilon's smack to the back of his hand. "You're rude" "You love me all the same," Leander muttered, mouth full. "You doin' okay and everything?" Epsilon paused. "I--" He shrugged. "No?" Leander offered gently, setting down the biscuit. "No one expects you to be right away, Epsilon." "I'm fine".

"There's been so many times I've just considered...leaving. Taking Leander and leaving TASK, living a boring, normal life in an apartment we paid for, and just living."

Oh and have I mentioned that there are literally nobody else any of these guys are interested in? They are pretty much the most important people in each other's life, they also have some good friends, but it is not the same thing.

I was hoping for a kiss at least, but nope nothing.

If you can deal with this frustration of mine, otherwise as future action adventure and some sweet secondary romance the book is highly recommended.

First of all this book has a wonderful cover, second this is not a romance. So if you start it with the idea to read a kinky story of furry lovers, with the cute boy in the cover as player, think twice. I'm not saying that the book is not good, I'm saying that this is more like one of those futuristic - sci-fic novels aimed to a very young target, or to who still likes to play with videogame and read manga, even if they are no more teenager.

Mourning Doves is the entertwined story of three couple; to par condicio, one couple is gay and one couple is lesbian, and the other couple is not a "couple" in the common use of the word, and it's almost a shame, since they are the one on the cover and two I would really like to see together. Anyway the story start with Leander, a son of a genetically change, born half fox and half human, with the ability to shift in a full fox, but when he is in human form he remains with cute fox ears and tails; Leander works for a special agency, a paramilitary organization called TASK, and he is partner with Epsilon. On the contrary of Leander, Epsilon was born a full human, but he was subjected to some genetic experiments when he was still a child, and now he has even more powers than Leander; when he shifts, he becomes an impressive black wolf, but when he is human, he doesn't sport any evidence of his inner beast. Leander and Epsilon are actually the main characters of the story, but they are not life partner; they have a very strong bond, that could lead one of the them to death if forcefully torn apart from his partner, but there is not sexual sparks between them. On the other hand, nor Leander or Epsilon are searching someone else outside their couple: it seems almost like they don't have the normal urges that push men and animals to mate, like they are enough for each other even if they don't share a sexual bond.

The romance part of the book is slightly fulfilled by the other two couples; Wolf and Mercedes are long lost lovers that contingent events allow to meet again, and they are not sure if they have to take this second chance. There is some sparks between Wolf and Mercedes, even a sketchy sex scene in a shower, but nothing of explicit; nevertheless the reader knows that they are having a sexual relationship.

Even less details for the second couple of the story, Madison and Alexandria; they meet at the beginning of the book, Alex is the one who calls the Agency to help her with her former lover turned bad hunter; she is in danger and the Agency takes care of her... through an almost reticent Madison. Madison and Alex shares the only kiss in the book, and they are the sweet side of the story, even if, truly, their story is a fait accompli.

There is a lot of adventures, hunting parties, kidnapping, heroic gestures... but not so much love. I was really hoping in the last scene between Leander and Epsilon, and instead... maybe the author is planning to write something more? To finally give a romance also to them? At this moment, as I said, this one is for sure a good YA book or an adventure book for adults who don't care too much for the smushy parts (since here he will find very few of them).

Good story. Reads as if its a sequal. No real romance between main characters. Though something is implied. Story will hold your attention.