To Hunt a Moonborn Beast

It would have been a real blast if the blurb of the book was like the real content shifters, hybrids and humans trying to find a balance and co exist while crazy ocultists bring violence and terror !?!Yes, please, sounds great!I don't mind the slow burn vibe as long as the world building and the plot are really engaging. And here the author managed to deliver a really good storyline with great emotional impact. That's why I am leaving the 3 stars - because of the idea and the way the plot was developed. There where 2 main problems that kept me from connecting to the story. First - the weird triangle between Max, Zach and Gabe definitely ruined my enjoyment and I really struggled to finish the book. Miscommunication is really frustrating and here it reached quite a good level from the very beginning/ Max thought, Zach thought, Gabe thought - omg, please, spare us the agony and just talk!/. Being best friends for so long Zach and Gabe should have been able to clear the air talking with each other and staying only friends if their “benefits” arrangement obviously didn't work out. And when in this real emotional mess was added Max, it got even more tangled. Second - I tried to understand Max as a character but I couldn't. He lacked the fire and backbone I expected and I didn't see the personality growth nor the chemistry in Max and Gabe's relationship when it finally started.
I received reviewer's copy of the book from GRR and this is my unbiased opinion.