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F.U.C. Newbie Academy #4
Jumping the Bull
Ben Beaufort, badass bison
Everyone who looks at Ben and sees his six-foot-plus, muscular build assumes he’s in construction. Or the military. Or something that requires brawn over brains. In truth, he’s a mild-mannered human resources professional—or at least he was, until he got laid off. Now he’s looking for a second career as a Furry United Coalition agent, to discover how truly badass he can be.
Oliver Zuraw, whoop-ass whooping crane
Oliver’s enjoying a second career too, from exotic dancer to the FUC Academy’s yoga instructor. Big, badass men like Ben are totally his type—but he’s sworn them off, because they’re never good news. Except Ben is defying all of Oliver’s preconceived notions and making him wonder if maybe this bison is just the right type of badass for him.
A simple undercover mission that turns out to be not so simple
When an undercover mission needs a bison shifter, Ben jumps at the chance to put his training to use. A twist of events forces Oliver and Ben to pretend to be married…which leads to an invitation to work for the bad guy on his bad guy ranch doing bad guy things. There’s no way they can pass up the opportunity to infiltrate the criminal operation.
Even if they’re a recruit and a civilian instructor who barely know what they’re doing.
And even if there’s only one bed waiting for them.
Jumping the Bull by Jenn Burke is an EveL Worlds novella set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) World and available on all platforms.
Everyone who looks at Ben and sees his six-foot-plus, muscular build assumes he’s in construction. Or the military. Or something that requires brawn over brains. In truth, he’s a mild-mannered human resources professional—or at least he was, until he got laid off. Now he’s looking for a second career as a Furry United Coalition agent, to discover how truly badass he can be.
Oliver Zuraw, whoop-ass whooping crane
Oliver’s enjoying a second career too, from exotic dancer to the FUC Academy’s yoga instructor. Big, badass men like Ben are totally his type—but he’s sworn them off, because they’re never good news. Except Ben is defying all of Oliver’s preconceived notions and making him wonder if maybe this bison is just the right type of badass for him.
A simple undercover mission that turns out to be not so simple
When an undercover mission needs a bison shifter, Ben jumps at the chance to put his training to use. A twist of events forces Oliver and Ben to pretend to be married…which leads to an invitation to work for the bad guy on his bad guy ranch doing bad guy things. There’s no way they can pass up the opportunity to infiltrate the criminal operation.
Even if they’re a recruit and a civilian instructor who barely know what they’re doing.
And even if there’s only one bed waiting for them.
Jumping the Bull by Jenn Burke is an EveL Worlds novella set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) World and available on all platforms.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2020
12 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Jenn Burke
28 books511 followersJenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she was a preteen reading about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.
Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (authored with Kelly Jensen) and her newest series, Ashes & Dust, a spin-off of her fan-favorite Not Dead Yet series.
She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.
Jenn is represented by Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency.
Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (authored with Kelly Jensen) and her newest series, Ashes & Dust, a spin-off of her fan-favorite Not Dead Yet series.
She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.
Jenn is represented by Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 4, 2020
OK, first off, the acronym FUCN'A is the best thing ever!
Overall I enjoyed this novella between Ben, a bison shifter looking for a new career, and Oliver, the whooping crane yoga instructor who befriends him. Even though this is set in an established world, you can definitely read this one on its own, and I found the whole thing just fun!
Being that this is a 91 page short story/novella, there really isn't too much time to get TOO deep into the characters (which is my usual complaint about short stories for me) but overall I thought this was a well-paced story with a nice mix of action and romance.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I enjoyed this novella between Ben, a bison shifter looking for a new career, and Oliver, the whooping crane yoga instructor who befriends him. Even though this is set in an established world, you can definitely read this one on its own, and I found the whole thing just fun!
Being that this is a 91 page short story/novella, there really isn't too much time to get TOO deep into the characters (which is my usual complaint about short stories for me) but overall I thought this was a well-paced story with a nice mix of action and romance.
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2024
I was intrigued by JUMPING THE BULL because it features a bison shifter and a whooping crane shifter, both of which are different from the usual wolves, felines, and dragons. Both Ben and Oliver were very likable characters and they made a very sweet couple. I especially liked that Ben was a big softy under all his muscles.
However, I think this book was confused about what it wanted to be. The beginning is very light and fluffy and a cute shifter romance but the second half, where the undercover mission starts, gets more serious and then hits readers with the human trafficking plot line. It made for a very uneven mood to the overall book, especially because the short page length means everything happens fast and is quickly resolved in a way that feels a bit insensitive to the issue.
Content Warning: on page human trafficking
However, I think this book was confused about what it wanted to be. The beginning is very light and fluffy and a cute shifter romance but the second half, where the undercover mission starts, gets more serious and then hits readers with the human trafficking plot line. It made for a very uneven mood to the overall book, especially because the short page length means everything happens fast and is quickly resolved in a way that feels a bit insensitive to the issue.
Content Warning: on page human trafficking
April 20, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
Jumping the Bull is a standalone story by Jenn Burke set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) world. The FUC Academy stories are a spin-off of that original series and are standalone stories written by different authors set in Langlais’ world. You can jump in here without having read the main series or any of the spin-offs with no issues.
I grabbed this one for review as I love Jenn Burke’s writing and I am a big fan of non-traditional shifters. So when I saw bison and whooping crane, I was definitely intrigued. Burke does a nice job here really inhabiting her characters with their animal traits, something I really love. There is a lot of great detail in terms of how the characters act and their various mannerisms, from the MCs to the side characters. It added some fun here and nice creativity and seeing all the different shifters and how they are portrayed was a highlight of the story for me.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
Jumping the Bull is a standalone story by Jenn Burke set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) world. The FUC Academy stories are a spin-off of that original series and are standalone stories written by different authors set in Langlais’ world. You can jump in here without having read the main series or any of the spin-offs with no issues.
I grabbed this one for review as I love Jenn Burke’s writing and I am a big fan of non-traditional shifters. So when I saw bison and whooping crane, I was definitely intrigued. Burke does a nice job here really inhabiting her characters with their animal traits, something I really love. There is a lot of great detail in terms of how the characters act and their various mannerisms, from the MCs to the side characters. It added some fun here and nice creativity and seeing all the different shifters and how they are portrayed was a highlight of the story for me.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
April 22, 2020
Ben Beaufort, badass bison
Everyone who looks at Ben and sees his six-foot-plus, muscular build assumes he’s in construction. Or the military. Or something that requires brawn over brains. In truth, he’s a mild-mannered human resources professional—or at least he was, until he got laid off. Now he’s looking for a second career as a Furry United Coalition agent, to discover how truly badass he can be.
Oliver Zuraw, whoop-ass whooping crane
Oliver’s enjoying a second career too, from exotic dancer to the FUC Academy’s yoga instructor. Big, badass men like Ben are totally his type—but he’s sworn them off, because they’re never good news. Except Ben is defying all of Oliver’s preconceived notions and making him wonder if maybe this bison is just the right type of badass for him.
A simple undercover mission that turns out to be not so simple
When an undercover mission needs a bison shifter, Ben jumps at the chance to put his training to use. A twist of events forces Oliver and Ben to pretend to be married…which leads to an invitation to work for the bad guy on his bad guy ranch doing bad guy things. There’s no way they can pass up the opportunity to infiltrate the criminal operation.
Even if they’re a recruit and a civilian instructor who barely know what they’re doing.
And even if there’s only one bed waiting for them.
Jumping the Bull by Jenn Burke is an EveL Worlds novella set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) World and available on all platforms. (less)
Review.
Dear Jenn Burke,
I feel like my review will be shorter than this very nicely written, but very long blurb. However, I never do plot summaries in my reviews, so I kind of feel like I have no choice, but to leave the blurb in.
I am a fan of your series (both written with coauthor and solo), so when I stumbled on your new solo novella, I was intrigued. I love shifters and always look for a new stories about them, so that tempted me even more. The fact that this story was written in another author's world ( never heard about her unfortunately, but I am guessing she is well known author) would usually scare me, but once again I figured why not.
The introduction to the world was very lovely. I didn't feel confused at all about the existence of shifters and agency that protects the shifters from the bad guys. Awesome!
Ben the bison was a great guy, who rather than exercise his skills which he would have as a bison shifter ( brutal strength) wanted to use his brain and his analytical skills and went to work in corporate HR. The day came when Ben was fired and he ends up as a student recruit in the FUC Academy as blurb tells you where he meets yoga instructor Oliver.
So far, so good. They are both lovely and interesting guys and I was looking forward to getting to know them. Of course I was a little nervous about novella length story having enough page length to make romance convincing . You know how it could happen right? On page one they meet, on page two they cannot live without each other and by page fifty they decide to live happily ever after.
For the most part I thought the writer did a good job. I thought they had convincing chemistry, although of course rather than reading summary of their conversations I would have liked to read more of the actual conversations. Accidentally, I cannot come up with a single example of Oliver being smart from the book. Oh he was not doing anything stupid either, don't get me wrong, but this is such a good example of why "show not tell " works so much better for me way more often than not .
“The other man was patient and dedicated to his goal of making Ben more bendy, and during their after-class walk—which had become a thing—he showed he was witty, kind, and very smart. If he was being honest, it was those conversations that Ben looked forward to most… but admitting that seemed a little less than professional.”
I did enjoy them together though, even if I wanted more and the suspense/action storyline was enjoyable too. When I stopped being annoyed as to not so enjoyable part of it that is.
Blurb talks about it, so really I am not revealing anything more. Ben and Oliver get send into undercover mission when Ben just started his learning ( more or less) and Oliver never was a field agent.
Now, don't get me wrong, story has some lovely humorous moments and I was fully prepared to shrug it off, thinking hey the mission will turn out to be not humorous at all. Yeah, no, when you send them into actual danger and acknowledge that maybe that's a bad idea, that just throws me out of the story.
Somebody said that the reader may eagerly go along to buy something big in the story if you make small details believable. I so agree. I liked what they did while undercover, but the set up for the action storyline annoyed me so much that I was ready to stop reading. I will read more about their adventures now when they are more experienced agents presumably.
Grade : C
Everyone who looks at Ben and sees his six-foot-plus, muscular build assumes he’s in construction. Or the military. Or something that requires brawn over brains. In truth, he’s a mild-mannered human resources professional—or at least he was, until he got laid off. Now he’s looking for a second career as a Furry United Coalition agent, to discover how truly badass he can be.
Oliver Zuraw, whoop-ass whooping crane
Oliver’s enjoying a second career too, from exotic dancer to the FUC Academy’s yoga instructor. Big, badass men like Ben are totally his type—but he’s sworn them off, because they’re never good news. Except Ben is defying all of Oliver’s preconceived notions and making him wonder if maybe this bison is just the right type of badass for him.
A simple undercover mission that turns out to be not so simple
When an undercover mission needs a bison shifter, Ben jumps at the chance to put his training to use. A twist of events forces Oliver and Ben to pretend to be married…which leads to an invitation to work for the bad guy on his bad guy ranch doing bad guy things. There’s no way they can pass up the opportunity to infiltrate the criminal operation.
Even if they’re a recruit and a civilian instructor who barely know what they’re doing.
And even if there’s only one bed waiting for them.
Jumping the Bull by Jenn Burke is an EveL Worlds novella set in Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition (F.U.C.) World and available on all platforms. (less)
Review.
Dear Jenn Burke,
I feel like my review will be shorter than this very nicely written, but very long blurb. However, I never do plot summaries in my reviews, so I kind of feel like I have no choice, but to leave the blurb in.
I am a fan of your series (both written with coauthor and solo), so when I stumbled on your new solo novella, I was intrigued. I love shifters and always look for a new stories about them, so that tempted me even more. The fact that this story was written in another author's world ( never heard about her unfortunately, but I am guessing she is well known author) would usually scare me, but once again I figured why not.
The introduction to the world was very lovely. I didn't feel confused at all about the existence of shifters and agency that protects the shifters from the bad guys. Awesome!
Ben the bison was a great guy, who rather than exercise his skills which he would have as a bison shifter ( brutal strength) wanted to use his brain and his analytical skills and went to work in corporate HR. The day came when Ben was fired and he ends up as a student recruit in the FUC Academy as blurb tells you where he meets yoga instructor Oliver.
So far, so good. They are both lovely and interesting guys and I was looking forward to getting to know them. Of course I was a little nervous about novella length story having enough page length to make romance convincing . You know how it could happen right? On page one they meet, on page two they cannot live without each other and by page fifty they decide to live happily ever after.
For the most part I thought the writer did a good job. I thought they had convincing chemistry, although of course rather than reading summary of their conversations I would have liked to read more of the actual conversations. Accidentally, I cannot come up with a single example of Oliver being smart from the book. Oh he was not doing anything stupid either, don't get me wrong, but this is such a good example of why "show not tell " works so much better for me way more often than not .
“The other man was patient and dedicated to his goal of making Ben more bendy, and during their after-class walk—which had become a thing—he showed he was witty, kind, and very smart. If he was being honest, it was those conversations that Ben looked forward to most… but admitting that seemed a little less than professional.”
I did enjoy them together though, even if I wanted more and the suspense/action storyline was enjoyable too. When I stopped being annoyed as to not so enjoyable part of it that is.
Blurb talks about it, so really I am not revealing anything more. Ben and Oliver get send into undercover mission when Ben just started his learning ( more or less) and Oliver never was a field agent.
Now, don't get me wrong, story has some lovely humorous moments and I was fully prepared to shrug it off, thinking hey the mission will turn out to be not humorous at all. Yeah, no, when you send them into actual danger and acknowledge that maybe that's a bad idea, that just throws me out of the story.
Somebody said that the reader may eagerly go along to buy something big in the story if you make small details believable. I so agree. I liked what they did while undercover, but the set up for the action storyline annoyed me so much that I was ready to stop reading. I will read more about their adventures now when they are more experienced agents presumably.
Grade : C
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2020
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
Jumping the Bull is a fun short romantic read about a bison shifter and a whooping crane shifter that fall in love with each other. I liked reading about these characters and the trouble they go through in this book. It was a fun short read and I enjoyed reading it.
I thought it was well done how even with the fast pace and short length of the book it rarely felt too rushed, although I wouldn't have minded a bit more build-up and explanation of some topics as now everything did go a bit too fast for my taste. It was well plotted and paced with every scene contributing something to the story. There is the romance plot line as well as a bit about the academy for shifters they attend and a short suspense plot line about a bad guy they have to get close to. It all combined into an enjoyable read.
While it is a pretty short read I thought the author did a good job giving the reader a feel for both characters and their romance felt believable even though it skipped over some of the getting to know you scenes. I really liked these two together and I liked we got to see a bit of them together during the book as they worked together to catch the bad guys. There is one steamy scenes as well. Both were interesting characters and fun to read about. I liked the last chapter which worked as a bit of an epilogue and nicely wrapped things up.
I haven't read any other stories set in this world. It's a world based on one of Eve Langais' series where other authors can write stories from what I understand. This one was easy to read as a standalone, all the relevant information about the FUC organization and academy was here. I liked the unique shifter types this book had and how the author make sure to show some of their animal characteristics in their human form as well. There are even multiple shifting scenes in the book with them using their animal form plenty.
To summarize: This was a fun romantic read about two shifters who fall in love. I liked the set-up and the way the story progressed. It was a pretty short read and while the author definitely made it work, there were a few places I would've liked a bit more build-up or see some topics explored a bit more. The romance was believable and I liked these two together even with the fast set-up and progression, they were cute together. I liked how I got a good feel for both characters their personalities. This one works great as standalone if you haven't read any of the other books set in this world. The unique shifter types were fun to read about and I liked how their shifter side shows in their human form a bit as well and we also get to see scenes with them in animal form. I would definitely recommend this one.
Jumping the Bull is a fun short romantic read about a bison shifter and a whooping crane shifter that fall in love with each other. I liked reading about these characters and the trouble they go through in this book. It was a fun short read and I enjoyed reading it.
I thought it was well done how even with the fast pace and short length of the book it rarely felt too rushed, although I wouldn't have minded a bit more build-up and explanation of some topics as now everything did go a bit too fast for my taste. It was well plotted and paced with every scene contributing something to the story. There is the romance plot line as well as a bit about the academy for shifters they attend and a short suspense plot line about a bad guy they have to get close to. It all combined into an enjoyable read.
While it is a pretty short read I thought the author did a good job giving the reader a feel for both characters and their romance felt believable even though it skipped over some of the getting to know you scenes. I really liked these two together and I liked we got to see a bit of them together during the book as they worked together to catch the bad guys. There is one steamy scenes as well. Both were interesting characters and fun to read about. I liked the last chapter which worked as a bit of an epilogue and nicely wrapped things up.
I haven't read any other stories set in this world. It's a world based on one of Eve Langais' series where other authors can write stories from what I understand. This one was easy to read as a standalone, all the relevant information about the FUC organization and academy was here. I liked the unique shifter types this book had and how the author make sure to show some of their animal characteristics in their human form as well. There are even multiple shifting scenes in the book with them using their animal form plenty.
To summarize: This was a fun romantic read about two shifters who fall in love. I liked the set-up and the way the story progressed. It was a pretty short read and while the author definitely made it work, there were a few places I would've liked a bit more build-up or see some topics explored a bit more. The romance was believable and I liked these two together even with the fast set-up and progression, they were cute together. I liked how I got a good feel for both characters their personalities. This one works great as standalone if you haven't read any of the other books set in this world. The unique shifter types were fun to read about and I liked how their shifter side shows in their human form a bit as well and we also get to see scenes with them in animal form. I would definitely recommend this one.
November 13, 2023
short and cute with shifters of all kinds in a police/military training school.
Ben and Oliver get sent undercover and only one bed! fake married! Ben’s inability to recognize that he’s saying dirty things is funny.
Ben and Oliver get sent undercover and only one bed! fake married! Ben’s inability to recognize that he’s saying dirty things is funny.
March 21, 2020
3.5 Stars
I confess that I haven’t read Eva Langlais’s FUC (Furry United Coalition) World books before, but I like the sound of JUMPING THE BULL (and I enjoyed Burke’s “Not Dead Yet” series) so of course I jump at the chance to read this novella. And it turns out to be a fun read!
I adored Ben Beaufort - he might be big and badass but he was also soft-hearted, a total cinnamon roll kind of shifter. Oliver Zuraw was his perfect match with his agile and supple body and personality. Theirs was an insta-romance; angst-free and uninhibited that up and running in matter of a few days. Too rushed? Not that I mind with these two - as they didn’t play it over the top.
My only issue was - as JUMPING THE BULL is a novella - how zippy it flew and ended just when I settling in. I guess longer span would risk the lighthearted tone of the story (and nudging it more to the suspense gripe). As it is, this novella is a mood lifter, just what I need when I didn’t feel all that okay with the world. I guess it hit the right spot at the right time. And it works as a standalone (without me having to dig up other books set in the same world to understand).
Copy of this book is kindly given by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I confess that I haven’t read Eva Langlais’s FUC (Furry United Coalition) World books before, but I like the sound of JUMPING THE BULL (and I enjoyed Burke’s “Not Dead Yet” series) so of course I jump at the chance to read this novella. And it turns out to be a fun read!
I adored Ben Beaufort - he might be big and badass but he was also soft-hearted, a total cinnamon roll kind of shifter. Oliver Zuraw was his perfect match with his agile and supple body and personality. Theirs was an insta-romance; angst-free and uninhibited that up and running in matter of a few days. Too rushed? Not that I mind with these two - as they didn’t play it over the top.
My only issue was - as JUMPING THE BULL is a novella - how zippy it flew and ended just when I settling in. I guess longer span would risk the lighthearted tone of the story (and nudging it more to the suspense gripe). As it is, this novella is a mood lifter, just what I need when I didn’t feel all that okay with the world. I guess it hit the right spot at the right time. And it works as a standalone (without me having to dig up other books set in the same world to understand).
Copy of this book is kindly given by the author in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2020
Jumping the Bull was so much fun! And as someone not familiar with the FUC world, Jenn Burke did a great job of bringing me up to speed without having to resort to infodumping. Novellas can be very tricky, you have to balance the progression of the story within such a limited number of pages, and the balance here was spot on (perhaps due to all that morning yoga with a certain whooping crane)! Ben & Oliver were two really sweet characters thrust into a situation they weren't quite fully prepared for, but making the best of it together. And I, for one, definitely wouldn't mind going on another mission with them.
P.S.- I'm not Canadian, so I had to take a little commercial break to find out what house hippos was referencing... and was just as delighted as Ben at my discovery.
An ARC was provided by the author.
P.S.- I'm not Canadian, so I had to take a little commercial break to find out what house hippos was referencing... and was just as delighted as Ben at my discovery.
An ARC was provided by the author.
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September 4, 2020JUMPING THE BULL is now available in print! You can mosey on over to Amazon to order. 🐃
April 17, 2020
3.5 stars
Jumping the Bull is a novella sets in Eve Langlais' Furry United Coalition Academy universe. I haven't read any of the original or other books in this universe, but I have no problem immersing myself with the world-built. It's easy to follow and works as stand-alone. Plus point that it's also the first (and so far, the only) M/M romance in this universe. I hope more MM or FF authors jump in to contribute.
Anyway, the biggest problem for me is the length. I think the novella-length is required as entry of this universe. Unfortunately it also makes the story a little too rushed, especially in the romantic development progress (even if the timeline is said that weeks have passed). There are a bit too many plots crammed; from Ben's entering the academy, the undercover mission, as well as the romantic progress between Ben and Oliver.
Having said so, the characters are wonderful. I love Ben Beaufort the bison immediately, right from the first moment he comes on page. He's wonderful and adorable, even for his size 😄. I love that Ben is trying his best in the academy -- and one of the highlights is when Ben is thinking out of the box during the obstacle course training 🤭. Oliver is lovely too, a whopping crane who is also a yoga instructor at the academy. But I admit that my heart falls mostly for Ben.
Jumping the Bull is a novella sets in Eve Langlais' Furry United Coalition Academy universe. I haven't read any of the original or other books in this universe, but I have no problem immersing myself with the world-built. It's easy to follow and works as stand-alone. Plus point that it's also the first (and so far, the only) M/M romance in this universe. I hope more MM or FF authors jump in to contribute.
Anyway, the biggest problem for me is the length. I think the novella-length is required as entry of this universe. Unfortunately it also makes the story a little too rushed, especially in the romantic development progress (even if the timeline is said that weeks have passed). There are a bit too many plots crammed; from Ben's entering the academy, the undercover mission, as well as the romantic progress between Ben and Oliver.
Having said so, the characters are wonderful. I love Ben Beaufort the bison immediately, right from the first moment he comes on page. He's wonderful and adorable, even for his size 😄. I love that Ben is trying his best in the academy -- and one of the highlights is when Ben is thinking out of the box during the obstacle course training 🤭. Oliver is lovely too, a whopping crane who is also a yoga instructor at the academy. But I admit that my heart falls mostly for Ben.
April 15, 2020
Jumping the Bull is my first foray into the FUC world but I can never pass up a title by this author so I jumped at the chance to read and review the novella. Despite never reading books from this universe before, I had no trouble following along and really enjoyed the set-up, characters, and Furry United Coalition premise.
Considering the shorter length of this story, I was impressed the characters were pretty well developed. Jumping the Bull follows Ben, a bison shifter and former human resources officer, as he begins a new career and unexpectedly finding himself thrust into an undercover role alongside yoga instructor, Oliver. There was a good amount of action in this story, but it felt light and fun, making for an enjoyable escape. The romance between Ben and Oliver happened quickly, but I liked the dynamic between the men and would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick read.
*eARC received from author. The author had no influence over this review*
Considering the shorter length of this story, I was impressed the characters were pretty well developed. Jumping the Bull follows Ben, a bison shifter and former human resources officer, as he begins a new career and unexpectedly finding himself thrust into an undercover role alongside yoga instructor, Oliver. There was a good amount of action in this story, but it felt light and fun, making for an enjoyable escape. The romance between Ben and Oliver happened quickly, but I liked the dynamic between the men and would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick read.
*eARC received from author. The author had no influence over this review*
January 1, 2021
4.5 Stars!
What a great book to be my first book of 2021 (technically). I loved everything about this book, from the nontraditional shifters (always a favorite of mine), to the way their animal characteristics shined through in their human form, to the sweet romance, and of course the action and suspense. Jenn Burke has become an author I can rely on and I'm very sad that I wont get to see her write more in this world.
What a great book to be my first book of 2021 (technically). I loved everything about this book, from the nontraditional shifters (always a favorite of mine), to the way their animal characteristics shined through in their human form, to the sweet romance, and of course the action and suspense. Jenn Burke has become an author I can rely on and I'm very sad that I wont get to see her write more in this world.
October 7, 2023
4.5 stars
Cute and funny, this story was quick to read. I liked that it played against stereotypes. I really liked both MCs and think I’d like to know a little more about this world.
Cute and funny, this story was quick to read. I liked that it played against stereotypes. I really liked both MCs and think I’d like to know a little more about this world.
April 10, 2020
This book was a lot of fun. Even though it's set in a previously existing universe, I hadn't read any of the other books and found that I had no trouble understanding this one! In fact, I quite enjoyed it.
This novella might be short but it's pretty entertaining! Jenn Burke has ramped up the camp in this story... and I giggled out loud a few times! I mean really, who would have ever thought that a whooping crane shifter and a bison shifter would team up to solve a crime! The concept itself was intriguing enough that I knew I would want to read it. I'm a fan of Burke's "Not Dead Yet" series because of it's quirky characters and humor and this book was similar.
Oliver the whooping crane and Ben the bison team up when they meet at the FUC academy. They are put undercover and their lack of experience leads them into a difficult situation. They get out of it by pretending to be a married couple. There's an attraction there for sure when they meet but Oliver was resistant! He's been burned too many times.
Ben quickly proves himself to have many of the qualities of the steadfast bison! He's fiercely protective, strong and stubborn. All in all that works out well in terms of him being in the academy to become an agent. They work well as a team, but things take a nasty turn halfway through!
This is fast-paced, quick and fun! If you're looking for something to read that will pick up your spirits during this time of isolation and uncertainty then this is a good one!
This novella might be short but it's pretty entertaining! Jenn Burke has ramped up the camp in this story... and I giggled out loud a few times! I mean really, who would have ever thought that a whooping crane shifter and a bison shifter would team up to solve a crime! The concept itself was intriguing enough that I knew I would want to read it. I'm a fan of Burke's "Not Dead Yet" series because of it's quirky characters and humor and this book was similar.
Oliver the whooping crane and Ben the bison team up when they meet at the FUC academy. They are put undercover and their lack of experience leads them into a difficult situation. They get out of it by pretending to be a married couple. There's an attraction there for sure when they meet but Oliver was resistant! He's been burned too many times.
Ben quickly proves himself to have many of the qualities of the steadfast bison! He's fiercely protective, strong and stubborn. All in all that works out well in terms of him being in the academy to become an agent. They work well as a team, but things take a nasty turn halfway through!
This is fast-paced, quick and fun! If you're looking for something to read that will pick up your spirits during this time of isolation and uncertainty then this is a good one!
April 21, 2020
Ben is a bison who got laid off from his HR position. He decides to try out for FUC and go to their academy. Fist day he sees Oliver who is a whooping crane. Wants to get to know him. There is an obstacle course that they have to finish under two minutes. Ben knows he is not agile enough to complete it in the time allotted, so he smashes through it. Oliver takes pity and decides to teach him yoga to try and help limber him up. Now they are trying to fight their attraction. Can they fight it or is it a losing battle? They get sent on an assignment they shouldn’t be on. Will they be able to complete the mission? Will they survive to see where their feelings will lead them? Come join the race against time.
April 20, 2020
Kurang ada chemistry antara keduanya jadi pas baca rasanya hambarrr. Ga ada sweet moment sama sekali dan yang paling penting ga ada yg bilang ILY ke satu sm lain dan endingnya kurang memuaskan. Penjahatnya sih udah mati tp kroni-kroninya apakah masih merajalela melakukan bisnis ilegal ataukah udah benar-benar tamat ga bakal ada ancaman lagi, nah bagian itu yg ga dijelaskan lebih lanjut jadi masih ada unfinished business.
So 3 bintang!
So 3 bintang!
April 16, 2020
Jumping the Bull is the first foray by Jenn Burke in Eve Langlais' Furry United Coalition Newbie Academy (FUC N'A) universe. It is also the first FUC N'A book to focus on m/m relations.
The book is a fun read and well written. Ben, a bison bull shifter, and Oliver, a whooping crane shifter, are both enjoyable and likeable. At about 90 pages, I felt that the story was just too short.
The book is a fun read and well written. Ben, a bison bull shifter, and Oliver, a whooping crane shifter, are both enjoyable and likeable. At about 90 pages, I felt that the story was just too short.
May 24, 2023
This book was so fun. It’s the first I’ve read in the series and I really liked how their animal characteristics reflected in their personalities. I also appreciated that this wasn’t a fated-mates scenario, instead, the men got the chance to get to know each other during their yoga/walks each morning.
April 16, 2020
Jumping the Bull is a fun, short, sweet and easy to read book. It's about a bison shifter, Ben, and Oliver, a whooping crane that is involved in a mystery and they fall love. Their characters are likeable and the scenario is very different and I enjoyed it.
March 20, 2020
L O V E D it!
May 4, 2020
Super, super cute!
June 1, 2020
3.5, really only read this because I adore Jenn Burke.
September 21, 2022
Cute book to read in between. Nothing too deep, but fun enough to take your mind off other things for an hour or two.
May 10, 2020
So much fun! Jenn Burke's books are full of wit anyway, and her contribution to Eve Langlais' FUC world did not disappoint! It's on the shorter side (which I love) but she's packed so much in here and built up a compelling and believable romance between Ben and Oliver. I mean, we get to meet Ben's sister (I really hope she gets a book!), and then hang out at the academy, and then there is an undercover mission where Oliver gets to show off his exotic dancing 🤣... it just keeps going from there! And as if she hadn't done enough, Burke also throws in a few scenes with a house hippo that had me ROFLing!!! I really hope she writes more of these!
August 1, 2022
Like Bull in a China Shop, Whooping A**
I love the FUC Academy series, but more than anything I'm delighted they added a MM Paranormal Romance with two people from the academy - a Bison, Ben and trainee agent, plus academy yoga instructor and whooping crane Oliver.
Too bulky to complete an obstacle course without damage, Oliver trains Ben in yoga and they become close friends as well as developing feelings for each other.
Suddenly they're the perfect team to go undercover and get info about the shifter experiments.
It's funny, sweet, sexy, an intriguing storyline and great characters.
I want more of these two and other LGBTQIA FUC Academy trainees and agents please.
I love the FUC Academy series, but more than anything I'm delighted they added a MM Paranormal Romance with two people from the academy - a Bison, Ben and trainee agent, plus academy yoga instructor and whooping crane Oliver.
Too bulky to complete an obstacle course without damage, Oliver trains Ben in yoga and they become close friends as well as developing feelings for each other.
Suddenly they're the perfect team to go undercover and get info about the shifter experiments.
It's funny, sweet, sexy, an intriguing storyline and great characters.
I want more of these two and other LGBTQIA FUC Academy trainees and agents please.
April 11, 2024
3.5 stars: Balance beam
This is my second read in the Furry United Coalition series of short novellas. Here Burke pushes MCs who are novices through an operation, unwittingly towards a HEA. The menagerie of shifters was a highlight.
This is my second read in the Furry United Coalition series of short novellas. Here Burke pushes MCs who are novices through an operation, unwittingly towards a HEA. The menagerie of shifters was a highlight.
March 3, 2023
Cute light read. Love all the different types of animals. I’ve never heard of a house hippo and had to google it. They are so cute.
Good book hope there’s a next one.
Good book hope there’s a next one.
June 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this adventure with Ben the Bison and Oliver the Whooping Crane. A very quick fun read. I haven’t read any of the other Furry Coalition books, but I’m glad I have this one.
July 23, 2020
Jumping the bull
Loved the storyline and the characters and couldn't put it down so it's a well deserved five stars and I would recommend this book to everyone
Loved the storyline and the characters and couldn't put it down so it's a well deserved five stars and I would recommend this book to everyone
Read
January 9, 2022
Trigger & Content Warnings
Human trafficking, on-page
Human trafficking, on-page
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