Exposing His Secret

Shift & Seek #2

by Mia West

Seven years ago, otter shifter Shane woke up at a refuge for injured shifters, his memory as murky as a muddy pond. Now he’s a new man, and when a real live treasure hunt offers a chance to prove himself, he dives in. But if he’s gonna succeed, he can’t let his bodyguard – grumpy otter daddy Mike – know about the nightmares that have begun to haunt him.

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Keeping secrets is a risky business… but not as dangerous as digging them up.

Otter shifter and geology nerd Shane Richmond can’t believe his the boss is sending him to northern Wales, a haven of mountains and rivers any guy like him would kill to explore. And to find the sword of King Arthur!

Whoever that was.

See, Shane’s got some…gaps. Things everybody seems to know except him. Plus, lately? He’s started having weird dreams about places he’s never been, people he’s never met.

Languages he’s never spoken.

It’s enough to make a guy feel off-kilter. Especially when he meets his mission partner, the kind of ultra-capable otter daddy you just don’t show your weaknesses to.

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Hired gun Mike DeLuca’s had enough of the business. One last job, and he’ll have the cash to retire to a quiet cabin in the woods, where he can shift in peace.

Just one his assigned partner’s making it hard to keep his eyes on his objective. The kid keeps surprising him, and Mike doesn’t like surprises. Plus, Shane’s cute. (Way too cute.) And to top it off, sometimes he talks in his sleep.

In French.

It’s enough to spin a guy’s crank. And it’s dredging up a protective instinct he buried a long time ago. Because as many secrets as Mike has, he’s got a bad feeling Shane’s hiding a doozy.

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EXPOSING HIS SECRET is the 2nd novel of the SHIFT & SEEK m/m shifter series.

amnesia, forced proximity, bodyguard, grumpy/sunshine, age gap, hurt/comfort

Content This story involves depictions/descriptions of brain injury & healing, amnesia, ableism, alcohol consumption, bondage kink, kidnapping, human remains, physical violence & injury, in-hospital treatment, and grief.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, LGBT, Romance, Queer

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Epic romance, two heroes at a time! My story universe features warriors and blacksmiths, rescue swimmers and hockey players, treasure hunters and time travelers, and quite a few shifters. My favorite kind of hero: a grumpy f*cker who’ll do anything for the man he loves.

Read my entire universe free on AO3!

Novel-length ebooks are free on wide vendors.

Happy reading :)

~ Mia

Reviews

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. I liked the first book better. I assume that they will recover the sword in the third book.

I really liked Shane and Mike.

[Jewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - Like book 1, this one was going along and then suddenly wrapped up fairly tidy. I mean, I am still left with a ton of questions, but we do still have another book in this series, so we'll see how it plays out.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery of the location of Arthur's sword goes on in Bk 2. In this book, Shane is an otter shifter who lives at a refuge after losing his memory 7 years before. He struggles with the memory loss as well as self-esteem issues. When he's hired for a job to go to Wales, based on his knowledge of geology and his ability to shift to otter form, Shane feels a sense of purpose for the first time in a long while.

Mike is hired to serve as Shane's body guard. Mike and Shane soon feel an attraction for each other, but they both resist for a while, focused on their jobs. Soon, cracks in that plan form and they begin to feel more like a couple. Still, their work is consuming and danger crops up repeatedly. Can these two find a path together with so much against them? This book has action, mystery, danger, passion, and a true romantic love. There are tie-ins to other books in the author's universe, but there is no need to have read the other books first to enjoy this one. I look forward to reading Bk 3.

[Nick Engler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with Mia West's books is they are always too short. Fortunately there is always another one coming. But sometimes it takes way too long. The Shifter series, as the Rogue series and the Sons of Britain series, all return to the root of English literature, the legend of Arthur and the fantasies and magic it has inspired. She lifts from that the theme that we are all connected, all of us always changing and growing and our relationships grow and change as well.

I think I have read them all -- the Sons of Britain at least twice -- and look forward to the next story in this series. What's not to like about a very gay positive retelling of the Arthurian legend where gay is not only accepted but seemingly the norm, and is full of shifters (werefolk in other literature), romantic but difficult relationships which always work out to a happy ending. Like a good romance should.

Excellent entertainment for a too hot summer day or a cold, snowbound winter evening.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shane is zijn geheugen kwijt en woont al jaren in een opvang voor shifters. Nu heeft hij een opdracht samen met Mike een andere otter shifter.
En wat voor opdracht, op zoek naar het zwaard van koning Arthur in Wales.

Voeg toe draken shifters die wat meer blijken te weten van het geheugen verlies van Shane en een heftige situatie richting het eind van het boek en je hebt een spannen verhaal.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasure to get here (with this series and in this universe). A little short on character/romance development in favor of plot and revelations, but I did not mind, the characters and the world are enough.

[EmKeMa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the amnesia memory return was well done. I liked seeing Charlie and Co again

[LizzieG Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Melissa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot put into words how much I adore that all these series are connected. Enjoying this one so. very. much.

[Lydia Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the interconnected world of all of Mia West’s series, and this was another fun entry. I figured out the big reveal pretty easily, but that didn’t really hamper my enjoyment of the book, which moved the overarching plot along but also allowed the romance between the two characters to blossom. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Anne]

* shapeshifters
* adventure (some not enough for me)
* strangers to lovers
* amnesia
* age gap
* forced proximity