Ferocious (IOU, Book 6) by Leslie McAdam

A slightly feral twink that manifests the man of his dreams, as long as he can convince Charlie to dump his stuffy ten year plan. Even fast talking attorney Charlie can't explain his attraction to Rowan, but he can't deny he keeps thinking "mine" whenever they are together. 


From the Ferocious 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.


SNik's review:

Sixth in series (IOU), but can be read as a standalone. Opposites attract. Size difference. Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Unafraid of violence, Rowan is a survivor with no family and barely getting by, he has few friends and a special plant that he totes with him wherever he goes. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, he picks a sexy but grumpy lawyer to mug and instead manifests the “Daddy” of his dreams when Charlie takes him to dinner and helps him get back on his feet. Charlie certainly doesn’t expect the strong attraction to Rowan who doesn’t fit in his life plan and makes him question what he really wants out of life as he becomes overwhelmingly possessive of the fiery man. 

These two were such an entertaining couple, drawn to each other, communicating honestly right from the start (with a ton of fun nicknames for each other as well) and not willing to abandon the immediate feelings they have for each other. The banter, the steam and the growing trust between them check all the boxes for a great love story, I only wish we could see them further into the future to see how things were in their HEA. This story has an unexpected twist or two, supportive secondary characters (cameos from others in the series), and a real whirlwind romance that kept me smiling.

Heather's Review:

I don't often read the author notes before I start a story, but I was drawn to this one and especially intrigued by this passage:

In the author’s note in Notorious, I wrote that the IOU series is intended to feature generally nice people getting their HEAs in an atmosphere of relatively low homophobia. 

My editor highlighted the phrase “generally nice people” and commented something along the lines of, ahem, what about Rowan? 

Okay. Yeah. Him. Here’s the thing: While he’s feisty—fine, he’s violent and hostile—I truly believe that Rowan is as “generally nice” as Cam or Noah or Jules. He’s just not nice in a socially acceptable way. It’s an I will seek revenge on anyone who hurts you or me way. So, does that mean he’s not generally nice? Up to you. I think he is, but you’re free to reach a different conclusion.

I have to say that I absolutely love Rowan and to me he's definitely generally nice, but he's been placed in situations where he has to choose fight or flight... and he's definitely not a flyer... which I absolutely adore!

This book is an opposites attract, age gap, size difference story that just made me smile, giggle and root for Rowan - the banter, the nicknames, the steam, the trust and the communication were all on point and made for great reading!  Yes, the vibe is a little different from the other IOU books, but for me it was in the best way possible...


Ferocious is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription