Black & White

ORCA #1

by Vinni George

Nero Hunter is tired. He’s tired of early mornings chasing down skips. He’s tired of Shamu jokes and dealing with idiots. He's tired of being alone. But agreeing to do one little favor for a friend turns the tide and brings Nero face-to-face with his destiny.

Felix White is unlucky. When his life is threatened and he’s hauled into police custody for safekeeping, the last thing he expects is to meet his fated mate. Especially when his mate is a giant killer whale shifter, who is also his new bodyguard.

But there is more to the plot against Felix than meets the eye, and Nero and his brothers have to work together to figure out who is after Felix before it’s too late...before Nero loses the mate he just found.

Black & White is book one in the Organization for the Return of Criminals and Assets (ORCA) series featuring an orca shifter art thief turned bounty hunter, a sea otter shifter hacker who might have pissed off the wrong people, and a group of orca brothers who will do anything—even if it’s not quite legal—to save the newest member of their family.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Forced Proximity

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2024

About the author

Vinni George has been a lover of romance novels (of all shapes, sizes, and colors) since she first got her hands on one of her grandmother’s Harlequins and has never looked back. She lives in Ohio with her two favorite guys (her husband and son) and, hopefully—one day—a dog. When she’s not writing, Vinni can be found working for her family’s business, which provides plenty of plot bunnies. In her spare time, Vinni is a soccer mom who dabbles in performance art, quilting, and various culinary pursuits and enjoys traveling.

Vinni’s debut novel, Hold the Door, was a finalist and runner-up in Contemporary Gay Romance in the 2020-2021 Rainbow Awards.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was better than I expected, but not good by any means???
I’m also not sure if it was enjoyable... or I was gaslit into enjoying it by Declan Winters, because that man could read the dictionary to me and I’d probably like it to be honest.

There was so many good things about this story.

✅Pretty much everything except the MC’s... lol
✅The world has shifters.
✅The idea of an otter and an orca being mates.
✅The gang of cool side character brothers.
✅Cute shifted form interactions... Like the orca and the otter made their own version of Otter hand holding...

And the human was holding the otter when he was injured, and IT WAS SO CUTE🥹🥹🥹
✅The gang of brothers creating an organisation to fight crime together.


But there was a few things that just made this book a bit poop for me.
❌This whole book just felt like an introduction to the other books? instead of being it’s own entity, it felt like an elusive set up for future books instead of being a juicy meal itself.
❌Personally I don’t love Fated Mates, but this was even worse than usual. It was very “oh you’re my fated mate, you’re my boyfriend now” “yeah okay” ............... um wot.
There was no vibes or connection, and relationship was built 100% on the fated mates trope, and not anything good.
❌Ya know you’re not feeling the connection when you skip every smut scene because you don’t care


Fun, for what it is, could have been done better, brain cells required = 0.

[ceiling.sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otter 🦦 and Orca 🫍 shifters?! Cute! One is a hacker and the other a bounty hunter?! So much fun! Pity I’m not a big fan of fated mates that are into each other from the first minute of meeting with no relationship buildup. I just get bored straight away with that scenario and never really developed an investment into the story.

Nevertheless this was a quick, easy read with no major complaints. Just a little too surface level on all fronts and not really my jam with how quick the romance happened, I’m definitely a slow burn girlie.

When it’s sexy that your partner smells like kelp and seawater 🤭

Cuddling your partner in otter form, holding them like a baby and patting their little whiskery head 🥹

Otters holding hands is the CUTEST FREAKIN’ THING!



🎧 Solid narration by Declan Winters

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

3.25*** stars


this was a very simple, light-hearted, no-brain-needed story.

what was impressive tho, was so these two main characters meet and they acknowledge immediately that they are fated mates. that’s it. they’re together. not even 10% in. *lmaooo

“Why do you smell so good?”
I twisted in the cage of his arms, and he released me enough so I could actually see his face. “Uh, I’m ninety-nine point nine percent sure you’re my fated mate.” […]
“Makes sense.”

then meet-the-family, found ORCA, go on a random date, shift together for the first time and whoosh, we’re past the half-way mark already. it was ridiculous, really.

especially romance-wise. there was no real chemistry between orca shifter Nero and sea otter shifter Felix. everything they felt for each other was based on their sudden mate bond. that’s it. they were almost slipping the l-word on the third day. decided it was too early and…


haha and then a day later the author created a little fright moment, everyone went bonkers and the evil villain’s villainous behavior was so flat i burst out laughing.

A sardonic laugh came over the PA, and a chill slipped down my spine. “You think he found you by accident? Speaking of accidents, what do you think really happened to your parents?”

…and then, on this fourth day after a spectacular rescue i skipped right over it was finally time for the love declarations. throw in the reluctant love interest for the next book for introduction purposes, add a little fluff and there you have it… the end.
(the otter-holding-hand-thing was really super cute, tho)

************
ORCA Series

Book 1 - Black & White - 3.25 stars
Book 2 - Grayscale
Book 3 - Full Color
Book 4 - Monochrome

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

This review is NSFA (Not Safe For Author)

Maybe this bombed so badly for me because I had too many expectations going in, but come on. This was unfortunately brutal. I’ll try to be a little nice about it, but it boils down to zero relationship focus or development, followed by a ‘suspenseful’ case I didn’t care one bit about. We didn’t get any backstory or any context that would make the case, the main focus of the story, interesting. I ended up zoning out whenever it was talked about, which was often. The first times the MCs met was great, as they immediately felt the mate pull, but after the first time someone orgasmed it all fell away.

I love romantic suspense books *so* much and have read a fuckton of them, so maybe that’s why badly written action gets on my nerves, but you mean to tell me you forcefully kick in a rusted old door to an abondoned factory with bad guys inside without any repercussions, but on the next page, a door creaking open can be heard echoing throughout the building?





That’s only a small part of my issues with the mystery case, but anything else would spoil the plot.

Also, I’m about to project a general annoyance with the genre on this book, which is unfortunate for the book but no less true. What the actual fricking frick is the point of shifter books, especially with tiny, adorable shifters, if they aren’t gonna hang around shifted for half the book? Why isn’t the cute sea otter being carried around and cuddled the shit out of by his big-ass fated mate? Huh? That’s why we read this genre! Sure they shifted *twice*, but it was so short and felt like an afterthought to the main plot, which I have already forgotten.

So, turns out that wasn’t very nice. In my defense I read this during 8 days of exams so maybe I would’ve disliked whatever I ended up reading.

My first by this author and although the writing itself was decent, it wasn’t the right story for me, obviously.


⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Romantic suspense
Fated mates
Shifters
Orca shifter
Sea otter shifter
Bounty hunter MC
Hacker MC
Age gap
Size difference
BIPOC MC
Interracial relationship
Morally gray MCs

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Mention of the death of parents (past, off page)
Break-in and destruction of property (MC’s home)
MC drugged and abducted
MC held captive and beaten
Injured MC
Explicit sexual content
Death of bad guys

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Shifter romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 23 and 38
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 244
Happy ending: Yes





You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black & White by Vinni George
ORCA (Organization for the Return of Criminals and Assets) series #1. Paranormal shifter M-M romance. Romantic suspense.
Nero Hunter isn’t happy with his current job. He’s a bounty hunter now after giving up the illegal family heritage. He’s a good man. An Orca shifter. He wants to do more than just chase down criminals but he’s not sure what that will be.
Nero agrees to a job for a friend and ends up finding his true fated mate. He knows it instinctively.
Felix White is absolutely attracted to the man. He even believes they could be fated mates, although an orca and a sea otter shifter? But before that can be addressed, he needs a bodyguard. Something from his past hacking jobs has death threats pouring in, even though his work is legitimate these days. For the most part.

Loved the relationships between the brothers and how careful Nero is with Felix. The startup of the business is such a great idea bringing all the skills together.
And OMG, the tease or hook for the next book at the very end was awesome. I will have to continue this series soon!

Entertaining, suspenseful, sexy, and fun.

[Gaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was going to give it 2 stars for the plot + 1 for the otter 🦦 references, but in all honesty, I can’t do that. Even though otters are my favourite animal ever and the otter moments were cute, the story was just lacking. The chemistry between Nero and Felix was nonexistent, and the fated mates declaration was extremely anticlimactic.

This book felt like an intro to the whole ORCA thing, and although the brothers were amusing, I don't think I'll continue with the series.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance with suspense elements, spinoff series from Land & Sea. Nicely done. Likable MCs and good plot progression, with believable characterizations and suspense.

[Tam · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for anything that is different than wolves and killer whale x sea otter definitely hits the spot. It was fun to get to know all of the brothers and see how things are moving forward for each one and to know a bit more about the families less than legal past. I'll definitely be following up with the series.

[Shonee · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 52%.

Started off SUPER exciting, and then veered into insta-love territory real fast. I wish it kept that gritty action it started off with.

[Jacqueleen the Reading Queen♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting the full story of Nero and Felix!! The previously published novella just gave us a taste, but this book gives you the full HEA I was looking for! At the start, Nero's been kind of in a rut when it comes to his bounty hunting job. His brothers, whom he shares a home with, are also all involved in their own pursuits as well. And lets just say not all of them are as legal as Nero's job at the moment. When an acquaintance asks Nero to basically babysit a hacker who's being threatened, Nero expects another boring task to add to his to do list. As it turns out meeting his charge is anything but boring because Felix just so happens to be his fated mate!

These two were very sweet on each other right from the start. That mating pull definitely had them in its grasp. Unfortunately for these poor boys, they also had the person after Felix to worry about so much of the book was dedicated to their case and not the steamy fun times both I and the MCs were dying for! I did love how Nero's brothers all pitched in to help and the banter they exchange while doing it. They seem like such a fun group and I cannot wait for each of them to get their own mate.

Felix and Nero's book is not only about their romance, but also sets up what I'm guessing is going to be an overarching plotline for the series. Things just seem to go deeper and get even more interesting the more the members of the newly coined ORCA dig. I'm also extremely excited about the next book because oh boy does there seem to be some MAJOR UST just wafting away from both Cal and Jack when they are in a room together. Here's hoping for some enemies to lovers steamy goodness on the horizon!!

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

Black & White by Vinni George is the first book in the ORCA series, following a group of orca shifter brothers. It is a fated mates story between two ocean-based shifters, which isn’t something we see often and added a fun world building element. Things kick off with a bang as we follow Nero as he is tracking down a “skip” who hasn’t shown up to court, ultimately catching him using his huge and powerful orca shifter side. When he brings in the bad guy, one of Nero’s cop friends asks him to help out guarding Felix, which then jump starts these guys realizing they are fated mates. Given the mate bond, Felix and Nere are pretty much all in immediately, so there isn’t much tension or conflict on the relationship side, mostly seeing them explore things both personally and sexually. I think given all the external conflicts, that worked fine for me, and I enjoyed these guys together.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Edga · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

An imaginative and interesting shifter story. Nero and Felix are immediately attracted to each other, and have a lot of chemistry between them!! The first of their story is all about slow-burning lust & exploration. I like the idea of fated mates, I also liked that the guys didn't have sex immediately, they waited until they got to know one another a little, before they did the deed. Nero and Felix are well matched, and make great partners, I smiled at how bossy Felix is, and didn't let Nero intimidate him in any way. In fact, it seems that Felix sneakily rules the roost.

Vinnie also fleshes out the personality traits of Nero’s siblings. They all made brilliant secondary characters, and I can't wait to read their stories.
This isn't just a shifter romance though, there's also an interesting mystery woven into the story. It's a promising start to the series, leaving a few unanswered questions ready for book 2. I'm already looking forward to this, I can't wait to read the conclusion of this love, mystery/suspense story. I received an ARC from the author for my honest review

[Showarst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for Black & White by Vinni George to be expanded and rereleased.

I first read this story in the Fated Mates anthology and I was immediately drawn to the story of Orca shifter Nero and sea otter, Felix. I loved how they met, the fact they were fated mates, Nero’s brothers, the action/mystery, and the romance. In the anthology it was a shortened version and did not include the claiming and such. I was super excited to be able to read everything.

This did not let me down. I devoured their story and am already looking forward to Cal and Jack’s story. Julius and Quin are also fascinating and I cannot wait to learn more about them (especially Quin).

I highly recommend this one if you enjoy paranormal fated mates stories.

I received an ARC from the author for my honest review

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun start to a new series…cliffhanger

This is a new series with marine life shifters. It’s kind of a weird thing to think about as being an Orca, an apex predator, does you no good on land. This is a fated mates series so the matches with non-Orca shifters is an intriguing dynamic. I love the way that it explored in this book with a match between an orca and a sea otter.

The book revolves around four brothers who are orca shifters and whose activities skirt the bounds of legality, a family tradition. The first match is with a hacker so I guess he doesn’t have a lot of room to judge!

The main story arc in this book is not wrapped up here, only a piece of it is. So if you are a reader who doesn’t like cliffhangers you may want to wait until the series is complete. I enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read and I am looking forward to book two which is supposed to be published this Fall.

[Reading Rommance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Felix is great. He's so smart and so kind. Nero is awesome, too. He's so protective and loving. I enjoyed how these two got together and immediately knew they were fated. From there, everything happened so fast, which was fun. I loved meeting the brothers, seeing them shift together ( their version of holding hands while swimming was precious ), and watching Nero grow to be so protective over Felix. I love how they instantly knew they were fated, but still took the time to get to know each other. That was really sweet. The action was fun, but not too action-y, as well. I'm eager to read the rest of the series.

Notes: 2/5 spice levels, shifters (orca, sea otter), hacker mc, bounty hunter mc, close family (brothers)

[Rachel Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 stars for me!

This was a fun start to a new series of shifter romance, where they are all killer whales aka sea pandas aka Orcas! Nero and Felix are fated mates and discover that pretty early on in the story. Their cutest moments are when they're together in their animal forms and hanging out and being adorable lol.

I definitely enjoyed the premise and set up, and I feel like the four brothers are going to all give us different and fun stories. This one felt much more heavy on the suspense and action part of things instead of the romance.

I'll definitely be continuing on with this series!

[Latecia Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prelude to this book was good but getting to read the entire story was great. I loved getting to know Nero's brothers more but mostly I loved seeing how Nero and Felix relationship expanded and they shared a more intimate bond together. The overall mystery of Felix's boogeyman was climatic and real emotions and truths were brought to the front which makes the next book all the more exciting...so there is a minor cliff hanger but nuthing too much you wanna pull your hair out in frustration...I think the author ended it well with a HFN with anticipation for one of the brothers finding love.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read. It felt like you were dropped right into the middle of the story. Upon first meeting, Felix and Nero knew they were mates and were instantly in love. This is not something I really cared for. I get as mates they felt a pull to one another and a fated connection, but even with that connection I felt that their story was rushed. I would have enjoyed it more if they actually got to know each other before diving headfirst into a relationship.

I did like the fun aspect of different shifters in this world. It brought an element of magic that I always enjoy reading. The plot was alright and we got to see it all wrapped up, so that’s a positive as well.

[RedsBookReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to a new series

This is such an interesting start to a new series and I loved the fact that you got to discover how the team developed as the story unfolded. Nero starts out as a very hard character but he develops into such an amazing character as the story progresses. I can’t wait to see what is next in this series. There is so much potential and, based on this book, I’m sure the author will deliver.

[Ann Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and fun shifter romance that was also full of intrigue and danger. Nero and Felix were very likeable as they realised they were fated mates. Nero's brothers were hilarious. I really enjoyed this and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy.

[Wren Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story very much. Paranormal drama and romance, with well written characters, what more could you want. Neco and Felix are both great characters

[Christina Sturgill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 🌟
Spice: 2.5/5 🌶️
Characters: Nero and Felix

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read with Declan Winters as the narrator, which I loved. Will probably continue with these series, as I liked all the characters pretty much 🤩

[Suzanne Bourgeois]

I think I've found my new series obsession, lol. everything little detail just tickled me pink. I love the names, all after roman emperors. poor Cal, though. and the relationship between the brothers... accurate, lol. I love how Nero finds a way to bridge the species gap and give Felix what he needs in his animal for as well as his human form. when I think of whirlwind romances that somehow go the distance, this is what I picture. people who go out of their way to make each other happy and do it on equal footing. Nero never once thinks Felix isn't capable, even if all he wants to do is wrap him up and keep him safe. this is the kind of feel good spicy book that I love.

[Shelby Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black and White by Vinni George is one of those books you pick up because you're absolutely dying to see how it all works out. I had never read an orca shifter romance before, so I went into this with no idea whether it would be a hit or a miss. Thankfully, it was definitely a hit!
I can't stop thinking about Nero and Felix. An MM bodyguard romance with fated mates, shifters, and plenty of tension? How was I supposed to resist? Their chemistry kept me hooked from beginning to end.
This book was packed with spice and sprinkled with romantic suspense, a genre I'm still relatively new to and don't always gravitate toward. Even so, I had a great time with it and found myself completely invested in the story.
I'm excited to continue with the other three books in the ORCA series, and I'll definitely be picking up more MM romances from Vinni George in the future!

[Birgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

I absolutely loved how open minded they were and the fact that they just accepted being fated mates the moment they first saw each other. 😂 No long, mhhh why do I feel so strongly attracted to him.

Personally, I found the book a tad too short; with the plot and the newly developing relationship between Nero and Felix, I would have liked a few more pages. Nevertheless, the two are just cute and perfect, and now I want to see how an orca LOVES and CUDDLES with a sea otter.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Black & White" is book one in the "ORCA" series by Vinni George. I can tell that I will enjoy this series because this book had me hooked from page one. I have never read a shifter book about a whale and a sea otter, but I am digging it. Nero is a bounty hunter where Felix is a very good hacker who helps law officials out. Felix finds himself in a deep mess, and Nero is asked to watch over Felix. Little did they know that with Nero taking the job that they would find their mate. My favorite scene was when the whale shifter gave a ride on his tail. I also liked the bantering between the brothers. I can't wait to dive into this series with the next book.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5

Captivating! It’s a great story. The romance for the featured couple is solid but there’s a bit of a cliffhanger. Now I need to listen to the next book! Declan Winters did a great job performing the story.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun

I’ve never read an orca or sea otter shifter story. Nero and Felix are fated mates. Felix needs a bodyguard since someone wants what Felix doesn’t realize he has. Then Felix is kidnapped and all the brothers rescue him. Loved the sweetness of Nero holding Felix on his fin to heal.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in ORCA series.
Shapeshifters/paranormal/Fated Mates
I enjoyed this book the characters were fun.
Family dynamics are always interesting