This is a beta review of Shifter, the novel, previously published as a serial on Kindle Vella.
Erik Volk engages with Yago Yassi, Alpha of the Copper PThis is a beta review of Shifter, the novel, previously published as a serial on Kindle Vella.
Erik Volk engages with Yago Yassi, Alpha of the Copper Pack, ostensibly to consider Yago's offer to transfer Copper Pack into Erik's control. But Erik is wired for both leadership and loyalty, and his loyalty lies with his brother, Seth Volk, and the Silver Pack. Will Erik lead the Coppers, or destroy them?
Luna McElhanney, is the only other member of Copper Pack who has original Alpha blood in her veins, so her mating with Erik would seal the deal in the tradition sense. But Luna isn't traditional. She wants to pursue her career as a scientist, researcher, and healer. Plus, the Copper Pack is keeping a library full of secrets from their prospective new Alpha. Luna's awkward adorableness and Erik's protective jellyroll personality combine to create delightful romantic alchemy. Every scene that Luna and Erik share together has either warmth for the heart or heat between the legs.
The mystery of who is harming the Copper Pack and forcing them to reach out in desperation, may seem simple or outrageous. The fun part will be letting you see for yourself. Rebecca Zanetti loves to twist things around.
Shifter is an absolutely delicious blend of romance, suspense, and paranormal, like a honey oat latte where all the components are brilliantly balanced. Sip, savour, enjoy! ...more
Smouldering. Suspenseful. Thrilling. Wolf enters the Paranormal Romance world as a hybrid of Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors romances and her LaurelSmouldering. Suspenseful. Thrilling. Wolf enters the Paranormal Romance world as a hybrid of Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors romances and her Laurel Snow thrillers.
Mia Stone is an ex-FBI profiler from DC, visiting an old family friend on her way to a new posting with Seattle PD. There's been a brutal, almost ritualistic, murder in the tiny unnamed mining town and Mia is asked for her professional opinion on the imposing suspect who is in police custody. Huge, handsome, predatory Seth Volk makes an immediate impression on Mia, although she is dismayed at the distinctly sensual nature of her unruly thoughts. The local sheriff convinces Mia to stay and help with the murder investigation and deputizes her for the job. Seth is released but remains a "person of interest."
What Mia and the rest of the "human population" do not know, is that the mine is run by shifters. Seth and his pack claim to have been on this continent "a lot longer than (Mia's) people" and have succeeded in keeping their species hidden. Wolves are ruled by hierarchy and primitive instincts that include extreme protectiveness of their own kind, especially mates. As Mia and Seth's paths cross over and over again in a case which turns into a hunt for a serial killer, they find themselves giving in the mutual attraction. Mia may be uncovering the secrets of too many separate interests. How far will Seth go to protect the woman he identifies as his mate?
I have always admired this author's gift for launching the reader right into the action. The murder mystery is clever and evokes a level of gore that will be familiar to her Laurel Snow fans. The dominating alpha male and headstrong heroine who refuses to be dominated, is basically every sexy Dark Protectors pairing that she has previously written. I found Seth to be very in character as a wolf Enforcer whose identity within his pack is to protect his Alpha and his pack members. Seth's brother Erik is charming and seems more casual. Mia's family are featured but still feel peripheral to this first story.
It's Mia with whom I had some difficulty as she dragged my feelings up and down. Sometimes I was just so tired of her repetitive "I'm a cop," "I'm trained," "I can handle myself," I'm here to do my job." She perseverates even after it is clear that the paradigm has shifted beneath her feet. Once she knows that the shifters need to keep themselves a secret, she still expects them to behave like humans! This part of her reminded me of Alexandra Monzelle from Wicked Ride. Mia has a cute competitiveness, though. When Seth warns her that the mating bite will hurt and suggests pain medication, Mia declines when she hears that female wolves need no such accommodation. This part made me smile and think of Brenna Dunne from Shadowed. Afterwards, Mia challenges her new mate every chance she gets and presses him to lose control. Fans who love RAZ heroines will love this!
I'm glad I waited for Wolf to release in book format so I could consume the story at my own pace. This story is recommended to those who love small town murder mysteries, over-protective shifters, or Rebecca Zanetti's steamy writing....more
Annika Patrick is most welcomed to the paranormal writing scene if this little novella is any indication of what else she has Well! This is different!
Annika Patrick is most welcomed to the paranormal writing scene if this little novella is any indication of what else she has up her sleeve. I enjoyed the way she broke a few of the more commonly held conventions regarding shifter lore to give us a more introverted, yet still likeable, title character. The small town setting and quick falling romance has the feel of a Hallmark greeting, but an x-rated version! Part One shows us how retirement home nurse Ryleigh falls for an adorable stray cat, only to discover he is So. Much. More. I wish I could say that learning that her stray is the man of her dreams is her only surprise, but it's not ... What will Ms. Patrick give us in Part Two?...more
**spoiler alert** Ancient Irish warrior, Reardon McAlator, angers his protector, Flidae (the Celtic goddess of wild things), when he arbitrarily misus**spoiler alert** Ancient Irish warrior, Reardon McAlator, angers his protector, Flidae (the Celtic goddess of wild things), when he arbitrarily misuses his unique gift to turn some of his fellow warriors into wolf shifters like himself. Flidae banishes Reardon to a completely different time and place as punishment, until he can complete an undetermined act of "worthiness".
Arriving in modern Vermont, near the wolf sanctuary of Dr. Brandy Wendon, Reardon couldn't have planned a more accommodating welcome. Getting his leg caught in claw trap notwithstanding, having Brandy care, cuddle and nurse his wolf back to health is like being in a paradise that Reardon never knew existed. I was intrigued by this promise of a time-travelling wolf shifter romance, but eventually found myself skimming over the last half in disappointment.
My grievances include spoilers. ***SPOILERS AHEAD***
The world building is very juvenile. Time travel can be very difficult to write well because there is much potential for period conflict and inconsistencies. However it can be done better than this. How did Reardon understand the modern vernacular after only 2-3 weeks in wolf form? Vocabulary is changing constantly and even now we are constantly adapting to changes in words, manners and customs. Yet, once Reardon finally gets a chance to change into human form he is about to grab a large sum of cash that Brandy had lying around the house, make his way into town on foot (there's only one road, I get it...), purchase a new wardrobe (including underwear boxers - ancient warrior, remember?), and pick up on current gestures like shaking hands and buying wine for his first ever date. For a novice moderner, he is able to complete these chores while on foot and still able to get back the wolf sanctuary before Brandy can get there by car. Was Brandy driving in circles all afternoon while Reardon fumbled through his shopping spree?
Here's another example: Reardon's super wolf shifter senses allow him to hear an oncoming vehicle before Brandy could see it coming. He is able to save her by running forward to pull her to safety. Think about it. He doesn't know about cars and has never seen a car accident. How is he able to distinguish this danger from amongst all the other new sounds that he is encountering. Later on, he is able to hear the buzzing of a new security system but has not idea what that is about. Of course.
The secondary characters are unidimensional and have not been given much individuality. There's ex-boyfriend Parker who is a good guy and brotherly towards Brandy, Parker's fianceé who is shallow and jealous, Brandy's mom Meredith who is a great mom, Brandy's nephew/adopted son who is adorable and loves wolves (Reardon's wolf in particular), and the mean neighbour Hank Swift who is the villain who hates wolves (reason given is because he is a widower). Don't forget, the vengeful and fickle goddess Flidae, who had immense power but acts like an adolescent who doesn't really know what her next move will be. Clichés all of them. You can read the whole book but you won't find more detail or depth about these people than what I have stated here. There just isn't any more.
The result comes across as a simple, if incongruous, world where the main characters' actions often don't make sense. This may be more entertaining if I was in a generous mood and willing to overlook the actual details of the story....more
A shifter romance with hyped up pack war drama but not any real action. The main characters are fated mates and that seems to have robbed them of an aA shifter romance with hyped up pack war drama but not any real action. The main characters are fated mates and that seems to have robbed them of an actual courtship or romantic challenge. Everything seems to unfold without any emotional depth....more
A perfect paranormal romance! This has everything! An obsessively protective Scottish dragon Alpha Laird, a lovable Alpha female who is leader of her A perfect paranormal romance! This has everything! An obsessively protective Scottish dragon Alpha Laird, a lovable Alpha female who is leader of her own crew, and a host of intriguing secondary characters of various paranormal origins.
Lachlan is the dragon who has awakened from millennia in hibernation to discover his unique attraction to a rock star named, Star. Lachlan originally went away thousands of years ago to deal with his grief over losing his one true love, a delicate mortal human girl. What a coincidence that Star reminds him so much of his lost love!
Star, for her part, is busy rescuing her sister from an diabolical kidnapper. She’s using her celebrity status as a cover while hiding her true nature. Star recently started having vivid dreams about a young girl engaged in an elicit love affair with a powerful dragon. So distracting! When Lachlan bids for a date with her at a celebrity auction, and wins, Star is shocked by the intensity of his gaze and her own reaction to him.
This was a gleefully romantic setup with tons of emotion, sensuality, action and fun. The cast is vibrant and thoroughly imagined, with unique skills, personalities and their own charisma. Very well written. A fantastic opener for a new series!
This is a voluntary review of an ARC copy provided via NetGalley....more
It’s a shifter romance featuring two middle-aged commitment-phobes. Both were betrayed and abandoned by their first spouses and now Titus and Sunny seIt’s a shifter romance featuring two middle-aged commitment-phobes. Both were betrayed and abandoned by their first spouses and now Titus and Sunny seem unable to accept that they have found their soulmates in each other. They are funny but they are also tiresome. New characters are introduced as four giant black wolves, ex-military mercenaries who have set up a private business, Black Wolf Security. The new and old characters have very soft lukewarm treatment in the eighth and final instalment of the series....more
Agent Charlie Dune is a CIA operative who has just learned that he can shift into a wolf. Totally clueless about his new paranormal status, he feels hAgent Charlie Dune is a CIA operative who has just learned that he can shift into a wolf. Totally clueless about his new paranormal status, he feels himself going crazy as the next full moon approaches. He’s had the hots for his handler, Annabel Gray, for some time and now she needs his help on a super dangerous personal mission to discover the truth about her Marine Corps father. Charlie has all the James Bond moves, but how does he juggle keeping the woman he loves safe while reining in the monster that grows in power inside him? I loved this from start to finish!...more
**spoiler alert** Nash and Denali’s story started off flat and slow. Flat, because it didn’t take much for this former Special Ops soldier to find his**spoiler alert** Nash and Denali’s story started off flat and slow. Flat, because it didn’t take much for this former Special Ops soldier to find his mate. His hacker friends found her for him. Maybe he should have looked sooner. Slow, because even though they are still hot for each other, they are both justifiably hesitant about being a family. So they spend a fair amount of time dragging their heels around whether or not to play house.
Thankfully, the story is redeemed by a heroic “all hands on deck” rescue of Nash and Denali’s son. Even though the entirety was predictable, from the kidnapping to the retrieval, it was worth it to see all the previous characters get involved....more
**spoiler alert** Sam, the wild young wolf who lives with Jackson and Kylie, breaks into Data-X to seek and destroy those who created and tortured him**spoiler alert** Sam, the wild young wolf who lives with Jackson and Kylie, breaks into Data-X to seek and destroy those who created and tortured him. Instead, he captures (or is enraptured) by young geneticist prodigy Dr. Layne Zhao. I loved their relationship and the angst of Layne knowing that she has a terminal condition. However, the solution to her problems seems a bit too much, even for a paranormal story....more
After the intensity of Book 3, this provides a great change and some comic relief. Foxfire is annoyingly cute. The visual image of Tank as a humongousAfter the intensity of Book 3, this provides a great change and some comic relief. Foxfire is annoyingly cute. The visual image of Tank as a humongous wolf while Foxfire is an adorably petite fox with a bushy tail brings a smile to me....more
**spoiler alert** Sedona and Carlos gets this series back on track with undeniable lust and longing right from the start. I loved the way Carlos tried**spoiler alert** Sedona and Carlos gets this series back on track with undeniable lust and longing right from the start. I loved the way Carlos tried to protect Sedona when they were captive, the way she took charge when she got the chance, and the altruism of his letting her escape.
Carlos’ overarching need to reclaim his birthright, and the reasons that the Council kidnapped Sedona in the first place, add a sinister suspense to this story. Carlos is torn between his mate and his pack - for most of the book the two poles were pulling him apart. Yet he followed Sedona all the way to Paris to protect her. I loved all the scenes when they were in Europe, the good and the bad.
The best part was seeing Sedona’s wolf beside Carlos when he fought to take back his pack. An alpha female standing by her Alpha. So satisfying!...more
**spoiler alert** I really liked the dichotomy of Amber, the prim and proper lawyer, falling for Garrett, the tattooed biker boss, despite her biases.**spoiler alert** I really liked the dichotomy of Amber, the prim and proper lawyer, falling for Garrett, the tattooed biker boss, despite her biases. Ironically, much of the book seemed geared towards showing that Amber was worthy of being mated by the pack Alpha. At least she’s psychic, and she’s brave enough to risk herself for Garrett, and she’s instrumental in saving his sister Sedona. This pairing lacked the sizzle and burn that pulled me into the first book....more
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