Review: The Sumage Solution by G. L. Carriger

The Sumage Solution
(San Andreas Shifters #1)
G. L. Carrriger
Release: July 18, 2017
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NYT bestseller Gail Carriger, writing as G. L. Carriger, presents an offbeat gay romance in which a sexy werewolf with a white knight complex meets a bad boy mage with an attitude problem. Sparks (and other things) fly.

Max fails everything - magic, relationships, life. So he works for DURPS (the DMV for supernatural creatures) as a sumage, cleaning up other mages’ messes. The job sucks and he’s in no mood to cope with redneck biker werewolves. Unfortunately, there’s something oddly appealing about the huge, muscled Beta visiting his office for processing.

Bryan AKA Biff (yeah, he knows) is gay but he’s not out. There’s a good chance Max might be reason enough to leave the closet, if he can only get the man to go on a date. Everyone knows werewolves hate mages, but Bryan is determined to prove everyone wrong, even the mage in question.

Delicate Sensibilities?

This story contains M/M sexitimes and horrible puns. If you get offended easily, then you probably will. The ­­­­San Andreas Shifter stories contain blue language, dirty deeds, and outright admiration for the San Francisco Bay Area. Not for the faint of heart (mouth/tongue/etc.).

This book stands alone, but there is a prequel short story featuring Bryan’s brother, Alec, the Alpha. Want to know why the pack moved? Read Marine Biology

Review:
I have been a huge fan of Gail Carriger's steampunk books for years now and they're brilliant! So when I heard she was writing a m/m paranormal romance book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I will note here that you should read Carriger's short story, Marine Biology, before reading The Sumage Solution. It will set the needed background for this story plus it's fun! I love Alec so much!

Once I started reading this book, I literally couldn't put it down and stayed up all night reading it once it hit to my kindle. It was a mistake when I had to get up the next day but I can't say I regret it. The story surprised me on many levels. It was the witty, lighthearted, supernatural, romantic romp in a more modern setting that's pure Gail Carriger that I wanted it to be. I had high expectations for it and they were blown out of the water with how good it was! 

The characters in this story were great and I'm dying to know more about the San Andreas Pack! They immediately drew me into the story with their complexity and authenticity. And hello witty banter! I have missed the banter Gail Carriger writes. I loved the pack and Max's friends at DURPs but I ended up head over heels in love with Bryan and Max! I was rooting for them to get together as soon as they came face-to-face. Their relationship was adorable while also being frustrating. Bryan is all in but Max has some issues that prevent him from communicating well. I just wanted to give them both hugs in places and shake them in others. I loved Bryan so much more than I ever expected to after reading Marine Biology. And it was a delight to see Alec coming into his own as Alpha and seeing him happy with Marvin.

The Sumage Solution wasn't just a romance. It's a story about what it means to be a family and finding a home where you can be accepted exactly as you are. The world building was incredible which is to be expected since it is a Gail Carriger novel even if she's writing under G.L. Carriger. I loved that even though this was a modern paranormal romance, Carriger found an unexpected way to fit it into her Parasol Protectorate Universe! I can honestly say I didn't see it coming. This book was fun and amazing and I can't recommend it enough! Go snag a copy! You won't regret it, I promise!

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars

Recommended for fans of:
Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk
Cutie and the Beast by E.J. Russell
Daring Fate by Megan Erickson