Title: Manfred’s Curse
Author: Shawn Lane
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: Fantasy M/M, Shapeshifter
Length: Short Story (33 PDF pages)
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
A guest review by Tj
Summary Review: A fun and sexy short that will leave you smiling as sweet young Conrad discovers that things aren’t always what they seem.
The Blurb: An unsettling storm arrives in Conrad’s seaside village, and his life turns upside down when his housecat shifts into a sexy man.
Manfred was used to being a cat and shifting to his human form whenever he wanted, until he crossed paths with a vindictive witch, who cursed him. Now, he finds the man of his dreams in Conrad, but before he can claim Conrad as his own, the curse must be broken for good…
The Review: It was a Friday night and 22 year old Conrad should probably be going out on the town like any self respecting gay man, but after a hard day at work, all he really wanted was a night at home with only the company of his recently adopted cat Manfred, some food and a hot bath. Con scoffs at the weather report on TV calling for severe thunderstorms as he lives in southern California, where these things just didn’t happen. But as Con was about to find out, odd things do happen, and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a raging storm, with the lights flickering.
When Con goes outside to investigate something he thought he saw through the window, a tree branch snaps off and konks him on the head. Oddly, he opens his eyes to see a hot man holding him and claiming to be Manfred, his cat. What? Waking some time later, Con finds himself in his bed… naked. With only shaky memory, he is confused and suddenly very concerned when that very same man comes into his bedroom. Some fun back and forth banter ensues as Conrad tries to figure out if this guy is a madman, a thief or perhaps worse. Maybe he’s a sex fiend? Well there’s a real possibility of that, but as the strange man says to Con, “well perhaps, but I don’t think in the way you mean it.” Gotta love that line. Now even if we hadn’t read the blurb, we readers of course know it’s Manfred, but Conrad has no clue and herein lies the fun.
I found this sweet story totally enjoyable. Conrad is just the cutest guy and what can I say about Manfred, except Meow! Here kitty, kitty. 😉 Or as Conrad says later on in the story: “You know this may be the first time I can say I want a pussy.” I’m with you Con. There is of course some hot smexxin’, and a cute happy ending.
Manfred’s Curse is a fun, sweet and kind of funny short story that is sure to leave you with a silly grin on your face.
That sounds like a fun story. I’ll have to check it out.
Hi Tam – It is a fun and cute short story. Nothing heavy and no angst.
I’ve had this on my wish list for a while. Think I’ll move it up the list now. Great review, Tj! 🙂
Thanks Lily. It’s just the cutest little short story. I hope you enjoy it as well.
I have wanted to read this for a while, but I think it may be time to get around to it. Conrad sounds so cute, and I love cute guys 😉
Thanks for the rec, Tj
Well then young Cole – if it’s cute guys that you like, Conrad is that and then some! I thought for sure you were going to say something about the cat, being a cat lover yourself. I think you’ll enjoy this short, but you may start looking at your cats in a new light afterwards! 😉
Lol, we’ll have to wait and see! One of my cats is really sexual, and it freaks me out sometimes, so I have no idea how I’m going to view this one!
“One of my cats is really sexual, and it freaks me out sometimes”
Well Cole, maybe he’s got a little secret like Manfred and will surprise you one of these days. 😉 Here kitty kitty.
Oh man. Poor Sammy is going to be wondering why I’m acting so strange around him now!
He looks just like that cat on the cover too. Too bad I don’t have a guy like the one on the cover 😉
Hey, you never know what the cat might drag in. 😉
I’ve been waiting to read of a review of this book. When I saw it on the Amber website I was tempted to buy it because I have a black cat who looks exactly like the dude on the cover!
I’m sure things are going to be socially awkward around my place for a few days after reading it… but what the hell? 😉
Thanks for the review.
LOL Diane – as I said to Cole, you may not look at your cat the same way afterwards! I hope you enjoy the story.
So Tj what’s your opinion about my pamphlets now? 🙂 Isn’t it great when you find a short book that’s so enjoyable?
I’m definitely going to read this one over the weekend and thank you so much for your review. Maybe you will not turn down your nose at my Twitter books any more. lol
Well Wave – there’s nothing like a quickie to brighten my day! Although I usually prefer longer books for their character development, I really enjoy a well written short story. I hope you like Manfred’s Curse. As for your twitter books, I say bring ’em on Miss W. Let me see what you got.
If a cat is involved and the story is short, fun and sweet it´s a must for me 🙂 Thank you for the review, I don´t usually go for shifters stories but this is a good choice to have a go.
You’re welcome Helena. This is very sweet and short, so the shifter aspect is minimal. It’s more about Conrad accepting this weird reality and the attraction between the men. I hope you enjoy it.
Hey Tj! I just read this and loved it. I can’t decide who is hotter, Conrad or Manfred. Who cares? They’re both hot!
Thanks for the rec 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Cole! I thought this one would appeal to you. I agree, both guys were pretty hot – each in their own way. Now tell me, do you find yourself looking at your feline friends a little differently now? 😉
Yes, I do! I have this one cat (named Belle) that just sits and stares at me and cocks her head to the side like she can’t figure out what’s wrong with me and she’s running through all the things in her head. It reminded me of the part of the story when Conrad goes out into the storm and Manfred sits there watching, like “What the hell is wrong with him?” Its so nuts.
LOL That’s so funny Cole. Makes you wonder what’s going on in her head. I think she’s watching you like Manfred and thinking “what a crazy human” I really liked that part of the story as well, and later when Manfred tells Conrad that he’s been checking him out. It made me think about how much our pets are privy to that would freak us out if they were human.