Day: September 15, 2021

Series Review: Winsford Shifters by Alice Winters

Not my favorite Alice Winters series, but I loved the characters and the plot was intense!

Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Books:

Likes:

  • Fantastic non-romantic plot.
  • All four main characters.
  • Hopeful ending overall.
  • Rowan as a snow leopard was adorable and funny.
  • Some great humor.
  • Some non-traditional alpha and pack dynamics.
  • Rowan and Emery’s journeys.

Dislikes:

  • Not my favorite Alice Winters series.
  • I genuinely worried for all the characters at some point, and I’m not used to that in a romance novel.
  • Heavy discrimination against shifters.
  • The romance took a back seat in book two.

I’m a huge fan of Alice Winters, and while this isn’t my favorite series of hers, it’s still good. There’s lots of the funny moments I’ve come to expect from her writing, especially when Rowan is shifted into his snow leopard form. I came to absolutely adore all four main characters, and was so happy that Emery and Graham got a book of their own.

My favorite thing about this series was that the non-romantic plot kicked ass. It was fast paced and action packed. But that came with a few downsides. One being that a lot of the plot was moved forward by the fact that there was a ton of discrimination against shifters. When the pack was in danger, they had very few people they could turn to for help.

This resulted in a lot of pain and suffering for the pack at large and the main characters in specific. They all got hurt at some point, and it’s always hard for me to watch a character I care about get hurt like that. I actually had to put book three down for a few days because the guys kept going from one bad situation to the next. It’s rare for me to genuinely fear for the safety of main characters, but that happened a few times throughout the series.

The worry I felt made the hopeful tone of the series finale that much sweeter. It wasn’t just that everyone got to go home and be safe, but there were hints that the world at large was moving towards shifter equality. I do hope there are more books set in this story universe, and that we get to see the change, even if it’s with other characters.

I enjoyed the fact that Quinn wasn’t the typical alpha, and his pack was non-traditional. Quinn was smart and clever, and he brought together all kinds of shifters. It was the perfect place for Rowan and Emery to settle into. Both men had painful pasts and a lot of baggage. They both had to go through a journey to self-acceptance. It was nice to see, even if the journey was a long one.

Because the non-romantic plot was so big, the romance in these books takes a back seat at times. This is definitely noticeable in book two, though it made sense with what was going on. Emery and Graham’s romance was a slow burn, but it worked for them. Especially Emery’s snark.

All in all, while I can definitely say that this series has a different feel than the other Alice Winters books I’ve read, it was worth the read.