Tag Archives: Shapeshifters

Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover beauty dates the beast

Title: Beauty Dates the Beast
Author: Jessica Sims
Series: Midnight Liasons #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 21st – 27th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: PocketBooks
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: I lay there, awake and breathing hard for long minutes.

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Synopsis

WANTED

Single human female to join charming, wealthy, single male were-cougar for a night of romantic fun – and maybe more.

Me: The tall, sensuous, open-minded leader of my clan.

You: A deliciously curvy virgin who’s intimately familiar with what goes bump in the night. Must not be afraid of a little tail. Prefer a woman who’s open to exploring her animal nature. Interest in nighttime walks through the woods a plus.

My turn-ons include protecting you from the worst the supernatural world has to offer.

Ready for an adventure? Give me a call.

Vampires and doppelgangers need not apply.

Thoughts

I bought this because I enjoyed the novellas Vixen and Speed Mating, but I was a little nervous to read it. These stories were quite intensely erotic, and I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it. I love a good erotic, lustful novel. But there are certain ones that are a little too graphic for me. And, whilst the novellas weren’t that way – I thought a full-length novel along the same vein could be. Happily, this was a lot more storyline and character based than the novellas. It was an incredibly quick, easy and fun read.

Actually, I was kind of surprised about how hooked I got into this story. I read the first chapter and put it down. But then, I read the rest of it just before bed. I even read the first two chapters of the next novel. Which I never do. I hate reading the excerpts because then I want the next book, and can’t quite get it yet. This time though… I HAD to know what was going to happen next. Who it would be about… I just had to know. I’m hooked now.

I’ve read a lot of shapeshifter books, and in particular, a lot of shapeshifter paranormal romances. They’re a subgenre I just love. I’m constantly adding them to my shelves. However, this is the first shapeshifter novel that features a Wendigo. A very surprising creature to include, but somehow, it worked and made everything all that much more exciting.

There was one thing that bothered me about this story – what is the damn obsession with virgins? I mean, honestly. It’s a stupid construct, and practice. Like epically, frustratingly and ridiculously stupid. Whilst Bath isn’t too painful with that virginity thing and it was more about people getting close than any sense of “purity”… it was still a thing! There is just something I find really frustrating with our obsession with this topic. Alright, rant over.

As much as I loved this book – one of the things I love the most is the idea of a supernatural dating service. I’ve never been a part of online dating, or really used any dating service (I met my SO when I was 17). But I think that this is a great idea. And the way it looks like it will be shaped as the series continues… I’m completely obsessed.

 <- Alpha Ever After ReviewDesperately Seeking Shapeshifter Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Mate Set by Laurann Dohner

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover mate set laurann dohner

Title: Mate Set
Author: Laurann Dohner
Series: Mating Heat #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Werewolves
Dates read: 8th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Mika sighed and dropped her own.

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Synopsis

It’s werewolf mating season. All the males are in heat and the driving, sexual lust of their beasts is almost uncontrollable. Mika is human, in an alley, surrounded by four horny werewolves. She knows she’s in deep shit. A tall, handsome werewolf rescues her then demands payment. Hot, sweaty, intimate payment. Grady is a half breed whose human mother abandoned him to his werewolf father, so he knows human women just aren’t safe to fall in love with. The wolf within him wants Mika as his mate, but Grady will not give in. Never. Ever. He’s willing to fight his emotions and his beast, no matter how much sexy Mika tempts him. But neither of them expected her Uncle Omar to assign Grady to protect her from other males—24/7, in her home, sleeping just down the hall. Mika decides to make the best of her vacation and keep the hot wolf in her bed. Grady can’t resist the scorching sex, but he is determined to resist the bond.

Thoughts

The night that I read this I had some serious insomnia. Which was annoying… but on a positive note, I spent that time reading this very fun, cute and kind of lustful novel. Mostly because it was on my ereader and I didn’t want to keep my partner up throughout the night… and boy am I glad that I spontaneously decided to read this… I absolutely adored it and just couldn’t put it down!!!

If you’re planning on reading this, as a bit of a warning – there is a potential rape scene. A close call that is intensely uncomfortable and not for those that can be triggered by such an event. However, it is fleeting, in the beginning and afterwards, makes an incredibly comfortable and fun journey. One that I can’t imagine not having read now that I’ve finished it. Having said that, in this trigger scene, I did reach out for my very big, stocky, protective dog and pull him in close…

As with a lot of the romances that I read, this story featured a woman who is the submissive character in the partnership. Not really a position that I take myself, but one that does tend to work in paranormal romance stories. However, Mika is able to still find a way to stick up for herself. She is able to call Grady on his bullshit and find a way to keep her sense of self, even as she falls head over heels for a guy she’s convinced she can never have.

One of the most common tropes of a paranormal romance (and yes, this book fits a lot of them, but it’s still great), is one or both of the romantic leads stuffing it up in some way or another. Grady does this fantastically in this story. In such a way that made me scream moron and then laugh, because hey, it was late at night and he was kind of cute in his moron-cy. Actually, most of his actions were kind of that typical male inability to remember how communication actually works…

 <- Mating Brand ReviewHis Purrfect Mate Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Enthralled by Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for enthralled lora leigh book cover

Title: Enthralled
Author: Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe
In: Enthralled (Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Short story collections
Dates read: 29th August – 30th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: The first stroke of lightning-bright pain gave way to a steadily increasing inferno of pleasure Kate couldn’t fight and had no desire to escape.

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Synopsis

They Have the Power To Hold You Spellbound, To Captivate Your Senses, and to Keep You Forever in Their Control.
Forever enthralled…

1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh returns to her sensual world of the Breeds…as a spirited female Wolf Breed finally meets her match, and can no longer deny her mate – or the fierce desires of her own heart.

New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day introduces the League of the Black Swan…and the dangerous game one woman plays when her family’s curse dooms her to kill the man she loves.

New York Times bestselling author Meljean Brook delivers a new story in her steampunk world of the Iron Seas…as a man who’s lost everything returns home to find that not only is his marriage in jeopardy, but he must now fight pirates who intend to steal his one remaining treasure – his wife.

And Lucy Monroe, national bestselling author of the Children of the Moon novels, unleashes the feral passions of a werewolf on the body, mind, and soul of his prey, his lover, his mate.

Thoughts

I knew I was probably going to love this collection before I even read it – I already love three out of the four authors. Plus, it was a paranormal romance collection featuring animal shapeshifters in one form or another… topics that I absolutely adore…

Each of these four stories take place in larger, fantasy worlds. Ones that I’ve either already got an obsession with or am sure to develop an obsession with. They’re great as standalone novellas, but also fill in gaps for those series that I have read. If you want to find some new paranormal romance series and authors to add to your shelves… I’d definitely suggest trying this collection.

Enthralled is a somewhat fitting name. I was enthralled in each and every story from the very beginning. There was just enough lust and passion to make your heart beat, but so much more going on so it wasn’t one dimensional. From political intrigue to old vendettas, the extra storylines will enthral, fascinate and tie you up in knots. In the best way possible.

 <- Ecstasy Under the Moon ReviewThe Devil’s Due Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Ecstasy Under the Moon by Lucy Monroe

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for enthralled lora leigh book cover

Title: Ecstasy Under the Moon
Author: Lucy Monroe
Series: Children of the Moon #3.5
In: Enthralled (Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 30th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: “You have a sense of safety there you do not feel when you are awake.”

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

And Lucy Monroe, national bestselling author of the Children of the Moon novels, unleashes the feral passions of a werewolf on the body, mind, and soul of his prey, his lover, his mate.

Thoughts

This is one of those stories which makes you want to run out and buy every single story in this series. Not only is it a paranormal romance that features shapeshifters (something I am completely obsessed with), but it’s well written, incredibly sweet and impossible to forget. There is just something beautiful and mysterious about the two leads and the extra level which they connect on. Something intense about the world the Monroe has created…

I’ve read a lot of shapeshifting stories which feature werewolves, ones that feature cats. And even one or two with bears and sharks… but I’ve never actually read one which features a bird of prey…and an eagle who has lost her confidence… well, that completely hit my sweet spot. A secret village hidden in the forests of Scotland just made it all the more impossible to put down and stop thinking about…

A lot of information was squeezed into a very small amount of words. Normally novellas which take place in a complex world make me scratch my head a little at the background story. Yet, with a small prologue and a sordid past, Monroe manages to impart all of her wisdom in a short amount of time. Actually, it was the perfect amount of information – enough that I understood the politics completely, but also light enough on the information that I want to know more, more, more!

This was such a sweet, easy, light read. One that I won’t forget readily and I’m really looking forward to repeating in future novels from this series… when I’ve saved up a little first…

 <- Salvage ReviewEnthralled Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Devil’s Due by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for enthralled lora leigh book cover

Title: The Devil’s Due
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #19.5
In: Enthralled (Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 28th August 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: The first stroke of lightning-bright pain gave way to a steadily increasing inferno of pleasure Kate couldn’t fight and had no desire to escape.

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh returns to her sensual world of the Breeds…as a spirited female Wolf Breed finally meets her match, and can no longer deny her mate – or the fierce desires of her own heart.

Thoughts

Lora Leigh manages to do it again. Get your heart racing, your pulse jumping and leaves a happy little smile on your lips the moment you turn the last page. Even if you sometimes do feel like you need to smoke a post-coital cigarette when you’ve read some of her more sultry passages…

As with the other novellas I’ve read in this series, reading The Devil’s Due made me want to run straight to my shelves, grab the next Breeds story and sink my nose as far between the pages as physically possible. The romances and the passion that are ignited are thoroughly enjoyable. But it’s the underlying storyline and fight against injustice that really draws me in. The idea that just because someone is different, they must be evil and need to be used or exterminated. It makes you kind of sad, but it also makes you really look at your own action and hopeful that you too will find your happily ever after partner.

I’m not very far through the Breeds series, and this novella is much farther than the storyline that I’m currently immersing myself in. Which made it a bit of an annoying giveaway. One that hints a little too much at the future battles. Especially since it is talking about a next generation. But then, by the time I read the next eighteen books, I probably won’t remember much of what I’ve already read, and be excited by this storyline all over again.

<- EnthralledThe Curse of the Black Swan ->

Image source: Amazon

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Hot Spell

Title: The Breed Next Door
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #5.5
In: Hot Spell (Lora Leigh, Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: He had been a man tormented with thoughts of losing the daughter he so obviously adored.

Synopsis

Lyra’s neighbor can’t be for real. A man who makes her hormones stand up and scream every time she sees him. And he’s breaking through her reserve to invade her dreams at night.

But Tarek Jordan is even more than he seems. A Breed Enforcer with a plan. First, find the Council Trainer he’s tracked to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and second, claim the woman next door as his own. She’s fated to be his and his alone. He can feel it in his blood. Until the danger that has shadowed his life suddenly casts a darkness over Lyra’s as well. Now Tarek knows that he can’t wait any longer to claim the woman his heart and soul burns for. He has to tell her who he is, what he is, and what he wants. And Lyra will have to accept him as he is, on his terms, and now. Her life depends on it.

Thoughts

We’ve all heard of the boy next door, but I’ve never read a story about the “breed” next door. Or really any kind of romance with a neighbour quite like this. Which of course meant that I loved it and didn’t want to put it down. Actually, I loved this novella so much that I went straight to my shelf to grab Tempting the Beast, the first in the series…

I seem to run the gambit of paranormal romance stories. Some which fill my shelves are sweet, innocent and more than a little cute. Some are a little darker, and then you find novellas like The Breed Next Door which are not so much dark as very erotic and intense. They’re definitely not the kind of stories that I would happily bring out in public. They’re the perfect way to spend the night in though, curled up under a blanket with a rom com playing in the background…

Some days I feel really domestic and reading a story which features a woman who is more that way inclined was really nice. Lyra bakes bread in exchange for her brothers’ help and is more than happy to start cooking for her new lover when she realises that he just can’t do it himself. This different form of showing love made me incredibly happy and I am really quite disappointed that her story was only a short novella, not a full blown novel.

<- Soul DeepMegan’s Mark ->

Image source: Meljean Brook

Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for tempting the beast book cover

Title: Tempting the Beast
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 9th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: Breathing hard, her fingers stilled on her flesh.

Synopsis

Callan Lyons is a genetic experiment. One of six fighting for freedom and the survival of their Pride. Merinus Tyler is the reporter who will tempt him, draw him, until the fury of the “mating frenzy” locks them into a battle of sexual heat there is no escape from.

Deception, blood, and the evil Genetics Council are hot on their trail. Callan will use his strength to try and save them both… and do all in his power to keep his woman in the process.

Thoughts

I’ve been meaning to get to this story for a few months now. It just seems to be one that I pick up, look at, and then put right back down again. Until now. When I read the whole book, cover to cover in one day. It was just the right level of intrigue and danger with passion and lust. Although, the passion and eroticism of the book definitely mean that this is a book to read at home… I can’t imagine how awkward it would be to have someone reading this over my shoulder on the bus…

Most of the shapeshifter / paranormal romance type stories that I read feature peoples’ who are just genetically different and a little more… evolved than the average human. The “Breeds” in this series instead are a government, genetic experiment. Talk about creepy conspiracy theories. It’s this that makes me seriously want to sink my teeth into more of the series. I love anything that has a more animalistic spin on humanity and passions, but the idea that there is a shadow government that is the horror of the series, there is just something uncomfortably intriguing about this story.

I love stories about love. But the idea of one in which you don’t actually have a choice or control over your passions and the person you end up tied to… well. That kind of scares me. And I love that it scares Merinus too. Although she felt tied to Callan before she even meets him, her inability to escape him and physical withdrawals terrify her. Into running. Again and again. This willingness to fight against something showed a level of characterisation that I found far more believable and relatable. After all, I wouldn’t want to just succumb to a man because there was a lustful attraction there…

I really enjoy reading about dominating and domineering men. But there is a line. Sometimes they go a little too far with their control issues. Callan flirted with this line, crossed it, but then luckily withdrew just enough that I didn’t find him overbearingly horrible. Even his issues of control and power were explained in a way that I found more pleasing and less want-to-throw-my-book-annoying. Which, again is why I read the whole book in one day…

<- More Lora LeighThe Man Within ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for dates from hell book cover

Title: The Claire Switch Project
Author: Lynsay Sands
In: Dates From Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 4th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Avon Fiction
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Her boobs were…well…her boobs.

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Synopsis

Claire, new shapeshifter, accepts dates for school reunion with crush Kyle and his sister Jill.

Thoughts

It only took me two pages to recognise something in this novella that links the story to Run, Rudolph, Run. Partly it was the mention of Jill, but mostly it was the creepy man zapping an unsuspecting woman with a ray and turning her into a shapeshifter… it’s basically what happens to Jill. Just five years later than the activities in this novella.

I love the romance and the cuteness of this novella. It’s ultimately about a couple who have been in love since high school, but unable or unwilling to do much about it. And then, when they finally decide to take that first step, supernatural complications get in the way to make things a lot more difficult…and a whole lot more fun.

What I loved most about this tale was the fact that it was not just about the romance, but also the high school reunion. My ten year reunion is due to happen next year, and I honestly don’t know if I want to go. I just didn’t like high school. But reading about one in which everything ends on a positive and karma seems to take part in the activities… it makes me wonder whether it might be worth going, even if I can’t shapeshift…

 <- Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil ReviewChaotic Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Speed Mating by Jessica Sims

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for novellas and stories meljean brook book cover

Title: Speed Mating
Author: Jessica Sims
Series: Midnight Liasons #2.3
In: Novellas and Stories (Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 1st June 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: “Or horrified,” Estrella said quietly, sipping her own iced coffee.

Synopsis

Estrella may be going into heat, but she’s determined to remain in control. Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child… but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?

Thoughts

I was a bit thrown by the first novella I’ve read in this series. But, after reading Speed Mating, I’ve decided that this is going to be a fun, sexual and slightly cute series to sink my teeth into. Actually, it was kind of funny in moments. Especially through the use of a speed dating event in which it is so obvious who the main couple is going to be. But a little fun in the construction of their relationship.

I haven’t read a shapeshifter romance for a little while. I just seem to have moved onto other stories and tropes. But, reading this story about dating services and wanting children, and a liger shapeshifter (which is an awesome first for me) made me itch to pick up one of the many shapeshifter paranormal romances on my shelves… there is just something so much more animalistic and intriguing about these stories. Something more primal than many other romances. Which you kind of need every now and again.

The smut level of this story was quite intense, but not overdone like in Vixen. For me, it was just the right level of happy, fun smutty storyline to get my pulse racing. But not enough that I would feel completely uncomfortable reading this in public.

 <- Out with a FangSingle Wolf Female ->

Image source: Fantastic Fiction

Dark Matters by Vicki Pettersson

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for unbound book cover kim harrison

Title: Dark Matters
Author: Vicki Pettersson
Series: Signs of the Zodiac #4.5
In: Unbound (Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, Vicki Pettersson & Jocelyn Drake)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 3rd May 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: EOS
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “Which means you think that ninety-six percent of what is up here is dark matter.

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Synopsis

JJ superhero has illicit affair with Shadow agent Solange.

Thoughts

I still haven’t yet had time to sink my teeth into the first Signs of the Zodiac novel. Yet, I seem to keep picking up the novellas and thoroughly enjoying them. And this one was no different. Taking the idea of love and polar opposites and twisting it into a story that was both fun and kind of tragic. Especially when JJ is left at the end, clutching a broken heart and forced to face an unhopeful future.

There is something fun about a tale where total opposites attract. And although mostly this is just slight personality quirks, in Dark Matters, it is actually opposites. Yin and yang. Dark and light. And although you kind of spend a lot of the time hoping that you’re not right about the darkness. That this is actually a story about love and destiny. There are so many hints that it’s not quite what you want, but enough that keeps you hoping. Which makes the crash at the end of the story all the more bittersweet and powerful.

I can’t wait to see where this novella fits into the rest of the Signs of the Zodiac world. And, well, sink my teeth into the novels that are sitting on my shelves, just waiting to be read.

 <- Reckoning ReviewThe Dead, the Damned and the Forgotten Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publisher