This is a fun story giving unexpected insights into the character and history of the Marquis de Carabas - however, if you don't already know who that is, you will miss a great deal and should probably read Neverwhere, first.

@_GayRomReviews, (FB - gayromancereviews), @Archaeolibrary, @DreaRomanAuthor, #MM, #Paranormal, #Romance, #Omegaverse, 5 out of 5 (exceptional)

The Selkie's Coat is the first book in the Waves of Fate series and we start off with a seal (obviously!) shifter and a human omega. In this omegaverse, shifters are common knowledge, human omega's are rare, and new things are being learnt all the time.

Gregory is amazed to find his fated mate when he is so young - only 100 plus years - and is determined to do the right thing and give his human mate a chance to learn about what a fated mate is. This goes against what his inner animal wants to do and causes strife between the two of them. Daniel hadn't known a human omega could even mate with a shifter so the whole thing came as a surprise to him. He is fascinated by Gregory, even more so when he gets a glimpse of his seal speaking through Gregory's human body. Understandably, though, his feelings swing like a pendulum as he doesn't understand just what is going on.

This is a lovely slow-burn romance with a sweet Alpha and a headstrong Omega. Sometimes I wanted to whomp Daniel upside the head as he seemed to swing so much and vent his frustrations on the wrong person. Don't get me wrong, I liked Daniel but sweet Gregory was the one I fell for.

One thing I loved straight away in this book is the amount of shifters here - and it's not always cats or wolves! Scenting their mate is a big thing in most paranormal books but in this one, because Gregory is a water shifter, for him it's the sound of Daniel's voice. I loved that!!! The oh-so-simple idea that different shifters have different ways of knowing their mates.

...this is not that story.

Thankfully I knew that going into this, so I was prepared and able to appreciate this for what it was...a deeply painful and emotional story not about finding love but about surviving it.

Dr. Simon Mraz keeps the world at a distance. He can cold, aloof even abrasive at times. He's not a happy go luck guy...that's just not who he is or will ever be. But still he has a solid career as a specialist and lecturer at Prague's Charles University and he has friends who can see beneath his icy exterior. 

As a student Matej is off limits to Simon or 'The Cruel Dr. Frost' as he's called by students. But Matej isn't worried about a bit of frost...no he's fascinated by it and determined to get 'The Cruel Dr. Frost's' attention.

"A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat" is the story of what happens when he does. This is a story that's filled with pain and heartache, but it's also a story that's filled with love. 

Simon knows he shouldn't get involved with a student but when it comes to Matej, he's drawn to the colorfully dressed, tattooed young student like a moth to a flame and just like that moth when he gets to close, Simon's knows he's going to get burned but still finds himself helpless to resist.

I basically listened to this book in one sitting and I'm sure a lot of people would agree with me when I say that finding nearly 7 hours (6 hrs., 52 min.) to just and listen to an audio book isn't always the easiest thing to do but just like Simon and his attraction to Matej, I found myself helpless to do otherwise. Every time I considered stopping so that I could get some things done I found that leaving whatever I needed to do for another day so that I could listen to..."Just a bit more" became the logical course of action.

While I'm not normally a fan of stories that jump around their timeline the way that this one did. I found I was a little more challenged keeping up with things on the audio version that I would have If I'd been reading the e-book but still I never felt like I'd really lost track of what was going on and when either so a bit of a niggle but for me not a really big deal either.

Surprisingly I never found myself in need of tissues with this story but I think that's mostly because I went into it knowing it was 'that kind of story'. However, what I did find was that most of the time I was left with a dull, empty ache inside of me like something was missing and I realized at the end of it all this was very much because of Simon and how strongly I related to his character, I imagined that to some degree this was how he often felt. 

I have to admit that bringing me to tears isn't really a big challenge, however, making me feel such a deep emotional connection that it's like an actual physical ache, as I did with this story is something that rarely happens. 

Roe Horvat is quickly becoming a writer who's stories I find to be incredibly compelling whether I'm reading them or listening to them on audio. Once I begin a story, I find that setting it aside is not acceptable. They are for want of better words 'deeply intense, and compelling often times speaking straight to the readers heart'. 

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