Tag: magic

Review: Thor (Misfit Shifters #2) by Cheyenne Meadows

This book was different, in some good and some bad ways.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 100 pages. Published June 22nd 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Thor, the winged lion guardian of the Bluebird Valley Preserve, is dying, and too weak now to sustain his powerful magic which protects the land and inhabitants from harm. There’s only one way to save himself and that’s by sacrificing Zach. 

When a gut feeling lures Zach back to the preserve, he answers it. Despite his tragic breakup with Thor a decade earlier, he knows he must step in to help the man save the preserve, even as Thor does his best to deflect him at every turn. But Zach can out stubborn a mule. 

As a winged horse, Zach is more than just a pretty face. His special abilities pale, however, compared to what happens when he and Thor come together. What Thor doesn’t count on are new and old enemies forcing his hand — and Zach’s persistence, not just in saving him and the Preserve, but in stealing his heart, as well. 

Likes:

  • We get Thor’s story.
  • More mythical creatures being introduced.
  • Explanation for how the preserve keeps humans away.
  • Zach’s determination to fight for love and for Thor’s safety.
  • The lynx, Lavender.
  • Zach’s unique tastes in home décor.

Dislikes:

  • Thor’s attitudes.
  • The introduction of gods made the story feel a little wonky.
  • The extra bit of faux drama at the end, when it was obvious nothing bad was going to happen.
  • The side plot and the romantic plot were basically one and the same, and the story lost momentum when the romance angle was finally sorted out.
  • Zach’s lack of response when he found out why Thor pushed him away.

I was really glad to see that Thor was one of the main characters of this book. He’d piqued my interest in the last book, since he was the first non-normal animal shifter we got introduced to. It should have been a dead giveaway that there would be more mythical shifters to come when a unicorn and centaur were also seen living at the preserve.

I liked that Zach’s shifted form was a winged horse, and even though it was weird, his parentage was also interesting. However, I wasn’t sure how I felt having random gods show up in the story. Even after finishing the book, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s not the gods themselves that bother me, but rather I feel like the world should somehow be different if there are going to be minor and not-so-minor gods popping up randomly. The fact that most of the residents of the preserve seemed to have no idea that gods existed makes the whole gods angle feel like it was tossed in without much thought to how it impacted everything else.

Zach was definitely my favorite character in the book. He’s funny, especially with how he decorates Thor’s cave. But it’s his determination to save Thor, despite being pushed away without explanation a decade earlier, that really won me over. Thor on the other hand did a lot that annoyed me. The first being that he didn’t talk to Zach about why he refused to continue their relationship. Thor just made unilateral decisions for both of them. And when Zach realized the reason behind Thor’s attitude, there was almost no reaction. I would have at least liked to see a talk between them about how open and honest communication is a must.

There was a little bit of extra, and in my opinion unnecessary, drama near the end of the book. It happened suddenly and felt like someone had decided the book needed one last spurt of excitement. To me, it was obvious that nothing bad was going to happen, and I’m a little annoyed that it took the intervention of outsiders to get Thor to realize he and Zach should be together.

Overall, I had fun reading the book. The last few chapters felt a little slow, since without the push and pull over the romance, there wasn’t much of interest happening. I can’t help but wonder if there will be even more mythical creatures and gods appearing in later books, or if things will return to more ‘normal’ animal shifters. Either way, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Be sure to check out Mitch, the first book in the series.

Review: Mitch (Misfit Shifters #1) by Cheyenne Meadows

A fun start to a series. Love the concept of the preserve.

4 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. Published March 23rd 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Running into a winged lion shifter was never in Mitch’s plans. But Bluebird Valley Preserve has more surprises in store, including wildlife and shifters, most of whom Mitch never knew existed. As a caracal shifter, Mitch is used to oddities. The chaos, he can handle. Calix, the saber-toothed cat, is what knocks him off balance. 

Calix is a vet and a physician. Great in theory … except he can only diagnose, not heal. Still grieving, he vows to protect his heart from another crushing blow. Then, he saves a caracal shifter from the flood waters. When he sees Mitch, he struggles with leaving the past behind and making a future for himself which includes Mitch. 

Raging waters and mudslides threaten, leaving the whole preserve at risk. Mitch puts his life on the line to rescue Calix. But, it’s Calix’s heart Mitch finds the most challenging and worthwhile to win. 

Likes:

  • So many types of shifters.
  • Mitch.
  • The plot.
  • That everyone at Bluebird Valley Preserve is a little weird.
  • Great side characters.

Dislikes:

  • No idea how long the book is. No indication on Goodreads or Amazon.
  • The slow burn felt very slow.
  • The momentum died off near the end.
  • Lots of things left shrouded in mystery or glossed over.

I’ve read shifter stories by Cheyenne Meadows before, specifically her Shifter Hardball series. They had their problems, but I didn’t hesitate to pick this book up, and I’m glad I did. Despite the slow start, loss of momentum, and smut crammed in at the end, it was a good read.

Mitch has never been to the Bluebird Valley Preserve before, and the reader gets to explore it as Mitch does. I loved the variety of shifter species, from squirrel and chipmunk to elephant and moose. There were even a unicorn and a centaur, two creatures that I’ve never seen in relation to shifter books before.

And with the variety of shifters came some great side characters. Especially Cain and Kitt. Best of all for a series, there’s plenty of characters who seem to be perfectly set up to have stories of their own. Looking at you, Nate.

I really liked Mitch. He was relatable – just a guy looking for a place where he could be himself without everyone worrying that he would blow something up. I wish there had been more description of what his caracal form looked like because I wasn’t familiar with those. As for Calix, I liked him fine. He didn’t really leave much of an impression, other than as a man choosing to be alone because of past emotional trauma.

My lack of opinion of Calix was not helped by the fact that he didn’t show up until chapter 7, 27% into the book. Even then, Calix and Mitch didn’t start to develop real, non-lust based feelings for each other, let alone act on them, until chapter 16, 68% into the book. Then there are reasons why they can’t be physical, which quickly became annoying.

Things really slowed down for the last eight chapters because Mitch gets injured and is forced to be idle. It allowed the romance to bloom, but it wasn’t the most interesting part of the book.

I wish more info on the preserve and shifters in general had been provided. I’m hoping more will be in future books, but I’m a nerd for world building. Mitch’s unusual abilities are glossed over, as is who funds the camp and a lot of things about the camp. It’s not too noticeable when reading, but looking back, I have a lot of questions.

My biggest question is how long the book is. There’s no page count on Amazon or Goodreads. It felt like a full length book, but maybe that’s because the ending got slow.

I’ll definitely pick up the other books in the series. So far, I like this book better than the Shifter Hardball series. It seems as though Meadow’s style is getting better, which is nice.

Be sure to check out Thor, the second book in the series.