M/M, Paranormal - novel
TBR reviewer: Amanda
Review
In Lost Shifters #16, another of the small band of shifters rescued from slavery earlier in the series finally gets his story. Gage is a Hawk shifter with a desperate crush on Branson, the blind Lion who runs the historical archives of the shifter coalition. As is expected in this series, both characters bring plenty of baggage into the romance and it is interesting to
watch how the past is both revealed and begun to be put to rest. Everyone in the coalition also continues to deal with the fall-out from the Ravens' very public attack that has drawn the shifters out of obscurity and into human notice, so many favorite characters from previous stories put in brief cameos.
I appreciated the way that Gage and Branson kept mis-reading each other because of the way they filtered their current interactions through past memories. Branson spent so much time being picked on that he just thought Gage was taunting him when Gage made his interest known. Gage's ugly childhood and young adulthood made rejection even harder to deal with. I loved the way Branson's younger brother sneakily pushed everyone's buttons to force the issue and I think my favorite scene was when Branson chased Gage down in front of all his friends.
I think my favorite part of this series as a whole is the way that Ms. Hecht takes damaged, dysfunctional characters and pairs them together with beautiful results. Gage and Branson definitely fit each other and their story is a great addition to the Lost Shifters series.
M/M, paranormal - novella
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Review
Russell is a rogue wolf shapeshifter; thrown out of his pack as a teenager for being gay by his uncle, the alpha, he has made his own pack of criminals that sell guns but do not take sides in the shapeshifter war. When he meets Dalton, a lynx shifter eleven years his junior, he begins to get out of his more illegal businesses in order to be worthy of the young man that has his heart. As Russell and Dalton have a day out at a winter festival, Ravens take the shapeshifter war to a whole new level by attacking in the center of many humans and deliberately targeting humans, breaking the secrecy the other shifters are trying to protect.
Hecht's Lost Shifters series needs to be read in order; otherwise, the war between species and many of the other characters that are backstory for this book will not be understood. Dalton and Russell's romance is entirely contained in this book because the previous free story where they met is included.
Russell tries so hard to act tough, but Dalton is able to get under his skin and pull him out of the shell he has created around himself. Dalton, although he watched his family murdered and was kept as a slave , has a sweet heart. He's willing to risk a lot for his mate. However, they come to a point where the past comes back to haunt them both. I enjoy the way they both seem to bring out the best in each other.
I really enjoy this series, and this installment does not disappoint. Although you expect an happily-ever-after ending. I also find the continuing war between the shifter species interesting and look forward to continuing to see how it turns out. My only complaint is that it could have been fleshed out better. If the story was longer the entire plot would have come together more cohesively.
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