My Partner the Wolf

Shifters and Partners #1

by Hollis Shiloh

Tom Langley and Sean Goods work together in a human-and-wolf shifter partnership, assisting the police, rushing in to solve crimes wherever their bosses send them. They're a great team, and they have fun together, too: joking and enjoying each other's company in a way that doesn't happen every day.

Tom is also a married man. And his husband hates the wolf shifter with a passion. Tom tries to balance the sides of his life—one minute on a high-pressure chase with Sean, the next placating his husband Lowell.

Then the unthinkable happens: his marriage ends. Heartbroken, he's not expecting to ever get over Lowell's betrayal or to be able to love again.

Sean offers a solution: sex as friends. They have chemistry, and they trust each other.

But can they change their partnership that much? And is Sean secretly harboring feelings for him—expecting more than just sex?

Sean is a loveable, funny, strong, and protective. He's the best buddy a guy could have. But Tom might not be able to keep from breaking his heart—if Sean is in love with him, and Tom can't love him back.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Fantasy, Friends To Lovers, LGBT

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2014

Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'd at 3%.

That's right, 3%.

Why?

Well, when the main character's romantic partner nearly kicks the main character's work partner, while said work partner is in wolf form and has done nothing to provoke this kind of abuse....and said main character not only doesn't really do much to defend his work partner, but instead becomes distracted by douchebag boyfriend's hot body and wanders off to have sex...

Am I supposed to like this guy? Really? He can't be redeemed to me now. It's one thing to be a doormat and have a hard time standing up to a bully. It's another thing entirely to go off and have sex with said bully.

So yeah.

[Meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

Liked the sound of this series but this book is terrible, seriously terrible. Got to 58% due to head cold and insomnia misery.

The setup might have been good, they have one case. They switch from a discussion of child abusers to flirting! From there they go to work, once they got chocolate from the vending machine but that's it, they then go for coffee, food... never seem to be in work long, there's no human-shifter plot just emotional whining.

Poor Sean, he's a sweet puppy who cares too much and must have a big masochistic streak.

Tom is not worth the devotion. He's a big strong man, a highly trained police person who is constantly crying, not 'capable of showing emotion' tears but full on breaking down crying.
He doesn't eat, needs Sean to persuade him, but then on the next breath explains an eating disorder where he eats everything, anything in front of him!

They're having sex or Sean is 'taking care of Tom'. A random man tells Tom his worth, Tom's divorced husband is still lurking, Tom says he doesn't love Sean, knows Sean does love him so whines, whines, whines, and uses him. Takes him to family Christmas, but they're not together together.

Fur out and RUN Sean, run fast, run far, seek therapy, move on. Leave Tom cry in the corner, he can get back with his fake ex or find someone else to suck his dick.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to say; it was a good reading material but I will say:

- it's a bullshit,
- it's to damn depressing,
- it's to emotional,
- it's not romantic at all,
- it's not believable,
- main character Tom is an drama queen and an idiot.

Even happy ending doesn't make it feel good.

[atmatos · Rating 1 out of 5]

nope.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Kindle freebie 12/8/17

[Tj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tom is waaaay to whiney. I know this is a snarky thing to think but it felt like I was getting two alpha males as the partner but Tom through most of the book doesn't act like the typical alpha male. I really thought his character was overdone. Some sorrow and betrayal with the depression which didn't have to be all tears would have worked but it seemed the author went with the tears for the character. He is a "sensitive" guy but as I said it goes too far. Also cops know that if they are as bad as Tom appears they need to get help...yes they may fight it but most wouldn't put others in jeopardy just to maintain their image of control. I also feel that his uppers would have pulled him.

The rest of the book I enjoyed. I thought the plot was well done and the sequence of events worked well. The editing could have been better.

Overall a cute book but it placed far too much on Tom's suffering.

[Aerulan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving up 10/18/16 at 62%, which is as much as I can force myself to read. And I should have quit at the beginning when Tom's husband tries to kick Sean while he's in his wolf form, because he doesn't like him. And Tom not only doesn't take his husband Lowell to task for that shit or give more than a token defense of Sean. No he goes off with Lowell and has sex, leaving Sean waiting in the kitchen. Asshole.
I HATE Tom. He's a horrible person, a whiny, selfish, drama queen who has no redeeming qualities at all. Sean is a sweet rather desperate guy -who inexplicably loves Tom, I mean it there's nothing appealing about his character - and I keep hoping Tom gets killed (or goes back to his asshole ex-husband, they deserve each other) so Sean can find someone who doesn't treat him like absolute shit.
I'm quitting for my sanity, because I can't take anymore of Sean acting like this self-centered douchebag who's been using him the whole book somehow deserves anything but a kick in the nuts and then being kicked hard to the curb.

[Pati · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generally I like Hollis Shiloh books, which makes it even harder for me to rate this so poorly however, it is what it is.

First and foremost it needs a good editor and a proof reader. I only got to about 25% before I just couldn't make myself continue. In that time I ran across numerous errors: missing words;grammar;wrong name; wrong tense used;etc.etc. Yet, though irritating, I could have overlooked all of those had I not found the one MC so unbelievable. I'm sorry but this supposed cop is a cry-baby and acts way too much like a whiny two year old. I just wanted to tell him to suck it up and at least try to pretend to be an adult.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but it was just painful to read! Even skimming through it, it was painful!

The whole conflict in this story was because one guy couldn't get over his cheating ex-husband. I almost never think people are whining, but this guy took the "poor me, I'm so depressed! I don't know if I can love again!" to such heights that it was ridiculous.


------SPOILERS!!!!

He has a wolf-shifter partner who he is pretty much best-friends with, but treats the guy like utter crap. He runs hot and cold. Sex! No Sex! Woe is poor me! I miss my cheating ex-husband! I can't commit, I'm still so broken! and finally: Get Away from me!!! You love me, I can't stand it!

This is through the whole book!

------MORE SPOILERS!!!!

He does it to the point where he really does send his friend and lover away and doesn't care at all that his friend regarded him as his mate and is lost without him. Seriously... I know depression can do terrible things, but does he try and get help? Does he try at all to be decent to his best friend/lover? NOOOOO!!!!!

I rarely give a book 2 stars. But then I rarely get pissed off at a MC like that! The overall writing wasn't bad. The bits with them doing their job as special agents working with various police departments wasn't bad. But how can you get over this main character who is being such a jerk???

I really saw nothing at all redeeming in Tom. I felt sorry that his partner, Sean, felt he was his true mate. The other books in the series seemed to continue with this pair and there is no way I can keep reading about Tom.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Tom and Sean’s camaraderie at the office and in the field, and their off-time friendship that developed into more even though Tom was an emotional wreck through the majority of the book. I hated Tom’s husband from the first time he appeared in the story. Too bad Hollis Shiloh didn't just have wolf, Sean, eat him and be done with it. At any rate he had the sense to get rid of him without him being eaten. I became very invested in Sean getting his “happily ever after that I could forgive Tom’s on again off again attitude. Actually... I wanted to slap him up beside the head most of time. I’m diffidently going to try book 2 and hopefully Mr. Shiloh’s agent will have hired a different proofreader by that time.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

🙄

I tried to understand Tom but honestly he is a selfish jerk who didn’t care whether he hurt Sean or not and he even went as far as telling him he loved him when he knew he was lying and then had the guts to say “I lied when I said I love you” little shit 😤, I’m actually pissed at this character

Sean is so sweet and lovable, and I get why he took Toms abuse because of the mate bond but it was hard to read

The low rating is because I really didn’t like Tom at all I kept on thinking he’ll improve but he just got worse, selfish prick 🙄

[Shandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Little Too Sensitive For Me

Shifters and Partners is a series of largely standalone books which I was recommended due to my love of paranormal M/M romance and the fact I really love shifter stories. I started the series with book 3 -Joey and the Fox- because it sounded adorable; I was told by a friend I wouldn't likely enjoy the first books very much since the guys were a little on the 'sensitive dude' side of things which I typically don't enjoy very much in gay fiction. I have read around 11 of the books since starting so I went back to the beginning to check out the first pairing introduced since Sean and Tom do pop up from time to time in other books.

Okay.

Yeah.

I love Hollis Shiloh. I love this world. I'm really glad I didn't start with this book.

My Partner the Wolf has some glaring errors where the author interchanges Sean's name for Lowell's -Lowell is Tom's husband as the series starts out- which is annoying to me and it's got a lot of crying. Like. A lot. Beaches level crying. I pretty much heard a Bette Midler tune through this entire book. I couldn't decide who I wanted to shake more: Sean for being a 'saint' or Tom for being a giant whinerbaby.

I'd rank this one as an average read at best. It'd likely do really well for readers who like sensitive guys with a ton of emotional angst going on with their sex. I did like that the sex was fun, different, and versatile. I just don't think this pair was really a good fit for me as a reader. I'm definitely still in to read the rest of the series though and I look forward to seeing the conclusion of Sean and Tom's story in the next book.

[Sarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me. The characters came off as fairly one dimensional and the situations between the two main characters was kind of wash, rinse, repeat. Half way through the book I was just wondering how much longer it would take me to finish it. I only actually enjoyed maybe the last 15% of the book and that's pretty horrible, especially for something I'd been looking forward to. I won't be bothering with the sequel and I really don't think I'll be reading this one again, either.

[peach]

DNF @ 26% I didn't like one of the MCs at all, there was way too much overwrought relationship drama, and the prose was mediocre at best.

[Susan65 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blogger Girls

I really like the human-shifter pairing of alpha males in law enforcement and for the most part this was a great story. I loved all of the cases that Tom and Sean went on and solved together. They are part of a specialized team that used the nose of the wolf to find missing children (and other crimes) and saved the day more than once. They were heroes and a great team. Their friendship and partnership was easy and real.

Except that Tom is married to Lowell, a sneaky, manipulative man who always treated Sean like crap and tries to force Tom’s hand in choosing between his partner and his husband. A real husband, who was not needy and selfish, would allow their spouse to keep a friend and coworker without them constantly causing fake jealous drama. But, of course, there is a reason for Lowell acting like a lunatic and we get to that about half way through the book. Wolf shifter noses can smell more than missing children and Lowell has something to hide.

My only complaint was that Tom, the human half of this partnership, was completely unstable. For the entire book he was crying, whining, musing internally and externally about how he could never love again. He came across as weak, a willing doormat, one step away from being institutionalized. I’ve not read about a man more emotionally weak in my life. I can completely understand the hurt and pain that comes with betrayal, but really this was a bit over the top.

Even with my issues concerning Tom’s behavior, I was still drawn into the story and enjoyed watching the scenes unfold. I know that the next book is still the same couple, yet told from Sean’s point of view this time. I also noted the ratings were higher, so I look forward to seeing this partnership in a whole new light and, hopefully, with a lot less crying.

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the WHAT?!?!? Hollis Shiloh has given me some wonderfully satisfying reads like Brian's Mate and Falling for Archie. I was kind of excited about this series and damn if I can figure out what's going on. The story meanders and takes forever to get to any point. When they, Sean and Tom are hunting for a missing child in the beginning I'm all on board. The writing was crisp and had a rhythm. Their run in the beginning is insightful but once Lowell has his snit it's like a totally different writer took over. No, it felt like this was a first draft before the writer worked with an editor. OMG, the crying & sometimes they sounded like stereotype romance women, Stop!Now I'm going to say something really mean but it felt like Laurel K Hamilton took over the writing. Everything was so lost and messy and silly and boring.
Let me repeat, I've enjoy other Hollis Shiloh stories but this sucked the big one.

[Ashley♥Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished! Took me months of stopping and starting but it is finished. This was hard to stick with because I just did not care. I never felt connected enough to Tom to really care about his "angst." His character in general didn't seem that consistent. I'm not saying a manly cop can't cry but he just seemed like a very weak willed individual. I liked Sean a bit more but I imagine if I had to read his internal monologue it would have been all over the place as well. The story was ok. The writing was ok. I just could not connect with these characters. I mean...I've read worse(hence my ability to finish this) but I'm still kicking myself for actually buying this.

[F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weeellll - I so wanted to like this but Tom just drove me mad. Unfortunately Sean knew Tom was his mate and couldn't walk away. The blurb of this story was really interesting but unfortunately Tom ruined it. I will carry on with the series as I see people like book 2 much more and I like the premise of human-shifter police partnerships. There were also a few wrong names at the beginning which threw me out of the story and had me back tracking to make sure I hadn't read it wrong.
3 stars

[Coco.V]

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Blurb:
Tom Langley and Sean Goods work together in a human-and-wolf shifter partnership, assisting the police, rushing in to solve crimes wherever their bosses send them. They're a great team, and they have fun together, too: joking and enjoying each other's company in a way that doesn't happen every day.

Tom is also a married man. And his husband hates the wolf shifter with a passion. Tom tries to balance the sides of his life—one minute on a high-pressure chase with Sean, the next placating his husband Lowell.

Then the unthinkable happens: his marriage ends. Heartbroken, he's not expecting to ever get over Lowell's betrayal or to be able to love again.

Sean offers a solution: sex as friends. They have chemistry, and they trust each other.

But can they change their partnership that much? And is Sean secretly harboring feelings for him—expecting more than just sex?

Sean is a loveable, funny, strong, and protective. He's the best buddy a guy could have. But Tom might not be able to keep from breaking his heart—if Sean is in love with him, and Tom can't love him back.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh the angst! I'm actually not a fan of angsty books and this was pretty bad. I ended up not caring for either MC by the end of the book. Tom needed to help himself and find his own way before they got together and just when I thought maybe that was happening...it never did. Sean...oh Sean. He let himself get walked all over. I enjoyed their partnership as far as work and I loved that they could read each other so well. I'm just disappointed in the angst and back and forth. I'm sorry but Lo was not worth the heartbreak depicted. I unfortunately won't continue the series because it already sounds like the next book is more of the same.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm confused. Was I supposed to like Tom? Most authors seem to want readers to like and care about their MCs, but Shiloh kept throwing one thing after another at me to make me like Tom less and less. I finished it, but only because I was curious how it would wrap up. And the HFN (sort of?) ending was unsatisfying, too. I know there is a sequel, but I will not be reading it. I can't take any more Tom. He was only right about one thing - Sean deserved much better than him. I am sad to think of Sean stuck with him as a mate. Quality writing style is the only thing that gives it an extra star.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tend to have trouble with love stories when on partner (Tom) in this case so doesn't deserve the other (Sean).

Tom is passive, non self reflective, and then cruel in his fear and stupid.

So, yeah. If I hadn't read out of order and read books I liked in this series, I wouldn't have read on but I did snd there are some good books ahead.

I read the spin off by another writer which tells Tom's cheating husband's romance and it really good and emotionally complex. Someone's Favorite ('Someone' Book 1) by A. Russo

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never did warm up to Tom and thought maybe the next book might be better but not according to the reviews I read so far so I won't waste my money or time on book two. :-(

[Emilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an awful read! The writing, the story, the characters....everything was bad in this book.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard to rate and I may be generous in giving it 3 stars because I really disliked Tom. He was so whiny and cried ALL THE TIME! I had such a hard time believing his character could even be a cop with how wimpy, whiny and emotional he was. I don't get what was so great about Lowell. It would have been easier to understand if the author didn't write Lowell as so much a jerk and their relationship as one sided as it was. Even given time he couldn't get past the breakup. Plus the fact that he knew Sean loved him and still took advantage of that made him even more of an unlikable character. Yes, he felt bad but he just kept doing it anyway. I wanted Sean to get fed up and find someone else because he deserved better than Tom. In fact, Sean was way too much of a saint in this book and came off as a bit too much of a doormat. Still I didn't hate it which is surprising and I loved the concept so 3 stars and I will try another book or 2 in this series since it seems that after the first 2 books it's about other couples.

[Amf0001 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got it for free, but it's a bad investment anyways. I really didn't like Tom who comes across as a self absorbed narcissistic, tearful dweeb. Not anyone's idea of a MC. He was so obsessed with himself and his failed marriage that he was dreadful to his partner Sean, who was too saintly to be human. Well, Sean isn't human, he's a werewolf and maybe we area expected to believe that were's have super high loyalty and emotional commitment - like a dog, who loves you no matter what - but that wasn't explained and wouldn't work for me even it had been explained. I didn't like any of the relationship dynamics and stopped feeling Sean deserved better and Tom was awful.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom needs a good kick in the behind, but this is still a fine story. Realistic in so many respects, it makes you think what a shame it is that there really aren't shape shifter in police or military work. Hollis Shiloh writes romance without over exaggerating the erotic details. Instead, he focuses on emotion and social elements, which is much more genuine.

[ReadWithE · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’d call this a romance. It’s about how being in an emotionally abusive relationship can really f you up. And also f up future relationships. But yeah that kick in the first chapter was almost a dnf

[jaxnsmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for the different storyline of wolf shifters being used in law enforcement. I liked Tommy and Sean together but the angst got out of control quite a few times.

[**KAYCEE**]

DNF

Well, that was several pages of agony.
Clipped sentences, run-on sentences, and first person, present tense POV made this a no-go for me.