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Golden Pride #1
The Lion's Sunshine
Toby wasn't looking for love when he stumbled into a biker bar during the worst storm of the year. He was looking for shelter, a phone charger, and maybe some fries.
What he found was Knox—six feet of possessive lion shifter who took one look at Toby in his soaking wet cat cardigan and decided mine.
One night changes everything. But when Toby discovers hints of Knox's past, he wonders if he's really special or just the latest in a long line.
Knox has never claimed anyone before. Now he just has to prove it.
The Lion's Sunshine is a high-heat MM shifter romance featuring a possessive alpha who's bad at feelings, a sunshine librarian who deserves the world, and a found family of lion shifters who have zero chill. No cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed.
This is book one in a five book series. MM, High Heat, Low Angst, each story has an HEA and they are best read in order.
What he found was Knox—six feet of possessive lion shifter who took one look at Toby in his soaking wet cat cardigan and decided mine.
One night changes everything. But when Toby discovers hints of Knox's past, he wonders if he's really special or just the latest in a long line.
Knox has never claimed anyone before. Now he just has to prove it.
The Lion's Sunshine is a high-heat MM shifter romance featuring a possessive alpha who's bad at feelings, a sunshine librarian who deserves the world, and a found family of lion shifters who have zero chill. No cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed.
This is book one in a five book series. MM, High Heat, Low Angst, each story has an HEA and they are best read in order.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2026
About the author
Caitlin Ricci
297 books181 followersCaitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn't writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiance and their dog. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 12, 2026
4 spicy stars!🌶️
March 17, 2026
"The Lion’s Sunshine" received ONE AND A HALF stars.
I liked the characters, especially reading about Toby’s cardigans. The plot was okay. It kept my interest. But the story needed a good edit. There were a lot of continuity errors that dragged me out of the story each time.
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
1/2 * gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
The novel failed to gain stars for these items:
NO STAR gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
NO STAR gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
I liked the characters, especially reading about Toby’s cardigans. The plot was okay. It kept my interest. But the story needed a good edit. There were a lot of continuity errors that dragged me out of the story each time.
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
1/2 * gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
The novel failed to gain stars for these items:
NO STAR gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
NO STAR gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
March 23, 2026
A short enjoyable read. A little predictable but still a good read. Fun side characters and happy endings are always a win for me.
Did Not Finish
April 10, 2026DNF @38% ... this was actually pretty cute, but the repetitive info dumping and scenes that cover the same ground from each characters' pov turned it into a slog to read, so I'm out. 🤷♀️
January 25, 2026
A decent first book. The first half build is great character building but with how thin the conflict and resolution is, felt unbalanced. Very “of the genre”; characters are great, but the conflict and the resolution are a little thin. And contradictory.
The pack makes crude jokes because they say they didn’t know MC was different but then turn around and say they made the jokes BECAUSE they thought he was different and thereby immune. It didn’t make sense. They also needed more consequences before I’m expected to care about them for their books.
And the other MC also needed more consequences. They establish that he needs to prove through time and effort that he’s in it for real, and within a couple weeks and one grocery delivery all is forgiven? That’s not enough proof. The conflict and resolution needed more time to breathe. Too fast. Too contradictory. Maybe the librarian could’ve spent the time apart researching shifters to come to better understand the instincts instead of just having a change of heart randomly?
Still better than a lot of the ai and slap-dash written slop taking over KU these days. Worth a read when your tbr feels a little empty. I’m hoping the future books are a little tighter.
The pack makes crude jokes because they say they didn’t know MC was different but then turn around and say they made the jokes BECAUSE they thought he was different and thereby immune. It didn’t make sense. They also needed more consequences before I’m expected to care about them for their books.
And the other MC also needed more consequences. They establish that he needs to prove through time and effort that he’s in it for real, and within a couple weeks and one grocery delivery all is forgiven? That’s not enough proof. The conflict and resolution needed more time to breathe. Too fast. Too contradictory. Maybe the librarian could’ve spent the time apart researching shifters to come to better understand the instincts instead of just having a change of heart randomly?
Still better than a lot of the ai and slap-dash written slop taking over KU these days. Worth a read when your tbr feels a little empty. I’m hoping the future books are a little tighter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2026
Adorable!
Toby is absolutely adorable. I can just imagine him walking into that bar, simply looking for a charger and the chance to get out of the rain. Knox is everything you would expect an Alpha Lion Shifter to be. I can’t wait to see who’s next to find their mate!
Toby is absolutely adorable. I can just imagine him walking into that bar, simply looking for a charger and the chance to get out of the rain. Knox is everything you would expect an Alpha Lion Shifter to be. I can’t wait to see who’s next to find their mate!
Read
January 30, 2026You'd think this was a debut novel but it's not, the author published like more than 200 books and there are beta readers that help for free so why??
June 14, 2026
I actually like this series so far, but it has a lot of big issues. For a quick palate cleanser, this satisfies, but not for anything more.
The biggest issues: timeline, continuity, zero world-building, lack of details. And, to be honest, I'm not really sure why this book even has shifters, because that doesn't add anything to the story. It's just used as a means for insta-love, mates, and biting/claiming. There's no plot, no action, no conflict outside of the relationship. The story is strictly limited to the couple and the few side characters in the pride plus a friend.
The world-building is non existent. Somehow, Toby just guesses that they are lion shifters after seeing eyes shine gold. But there's no explanation as to how widespread knowledge of shifters is, how they coexist, any politics involved, etc. Why would Toby ever guess they are shifters? In this book, the world consists of their bar and library where Toby works. I'm not even sure about the bar aspect either. Is it a bar they run and is open to the public? But there's never any mention of customers...so why not call it a club, which makes it exclusive to their pride? And that's another thing...they have a shop to fix bikes, and they always seem to be working in it, but, again, there's never any mention of customers or actually any details or mention of running a business. It's just really odd to leave these details out even in a novella. How do they make money? None of the lions are described as having a job, yet Toby and his friend both work.
I think the timeline inconsistencies and the continuity issues are what bothered me the most though. They are so prevalent and glaring, and would take me out of the story every time. The author tries to make this book feel like it happens over weeks, but it's actually just a few days. It's a novella, just own up to the fact that things happen in a few days. Don't try to make it something it's clearly not. And then there's the continuity issues. One big example is that Toby walks into their bar from the street to get out of the rain. Knox is NOT there yet...he comes later and from where, we're never told...because we even find out later that he lives above the bar, and there's no job mentioned, so who knows where he came from. Then later, Knox claims he knew Toby was his the second he (Toby) walked through the bar's doors. This is mentioned many times...yet Knox could not have known that because he wasn't there when Toby walked through the doors. He could know it when he first met him, or when he (Knox) first walks into the bar, but not the way it's written.
There’s also the inconsistencies with why the pride “jokes” with Toby about Knox’s revolving door. They first say because they didn’t think it was a big deal and Toby knew and he was like all the others…basically that he knew the score. But then they come back and say because they didn’t think Toby would care because he knew he was different. So, which is it? Then there’s Knox “proving” himself 🙄 He does two things (two!) in a span of a couple days and that’s it. That’s not proper groveling or enough time to prove anything. The story needed to jump time or something to make Toby’s switch and their reunion feel even remotely believable.
Honestly, I don't recommend this book, or this author really. I'm going to finish the series, because, despite everything, I am invested in the characters. But because of the glaring issues and lack of details, it's not something I will come back to. These are just quick reads that help when I need a break from a series or heavier reads. Ironically, the grammar and punctuation are actually really good.
And can all the common-sense people all acknowledge that drag-queen story hour for kids is inappropriate? Like, why?? I love me some drag queens, but that world is not meant for children. There's actually zero reason why this should be a thing.
The biggest issues: timeline, continuity, zero world-building, lack of details. And, to be honest, I'm not really sure why this book even has shifters, because that doesn't add anything to the story. It's just used as a means for insta-love, mates, and biting/claiming. There's no plot, no action, no conflict outside of the relationship. The story is strictly limited to the couple and the few side characters in the pride plus a friend.
The world-building is non existent. Somehow, Toby just guesses that they are lion shifters after seeing eyes shine gold. But there's no explanation as to how widespread knowledge of shifters is, how they coexist, any politics involved, etc. Why would Toby ever guess they are shifters? In this book, the world consists of their bar and library where Toby works. I'm not even sure about the bar aspect either. Is it a bar they run and is open to the public? But there's never any mention of customers...so why not call it a club, which makes it exclusive to their pride? And that's another thing...they have a shop to fix bikes, and they always seem to be working in it, but, again, there's never any mention of customers or actually any details or mention of running a business. It's just really odd to leave these details out even in a novella. How do they make money? None of the lions are described as having a job, yet Toby and his friend both work.
I think the timeline inconsistencies and the continuity issues are what bothered me the most though. They are so prevalent and glaring, and would take me out of the story every time. The author tries to make this book feel like it happens over weeks, but it's actually just a few days. It's a novella, just own up to the fact that things happen in a few days. Don't try to make it something it's clearly not. And then there's the continuity issues. One big example is that Toby walks into their bar from the street to get out of the rain. Knox is NOT there yet...he comes later and from where, we're never told...because we even find out later that he lives above the bar, and there's no job mentioned, so who knows where he came from. Then later, Knox claims he knew Toby was his the second he (Toby) walked through the bar's doors. This is mentioned many times...yet Knox could not have known that because he wasn't there when Toby walked through the doors. He could know it when he first met him, or when he (Knox) first walks into the bar, but not the way it's written.
There’s also the inconsistencies with why the pride “jokes” with Toby about Knox’s revolving door. They first say because they didn’t think it was a big deal and Toby knew and he was like all the others…basically that he knew the score. But then they come back and say because they didn’t think Toby would care because he knew he was different. So, which is it? Then there’s Knox “proving” himself 🙄 He does two things (two!) in a span of a couple days and that’s it. That’s not proper groveling or enough time to prove anything. The story needed to jump time or something to make Toby’s switch and their reunion feel even remotely believable.
Honestly, I don't recommend this book, or this author really. I'm going to finish the series, because, despite everything, I am invested in the characters. But because of the glaring issues and lack of details, it's not something I will come back to. These are just quick reads that help when I need a break from a series or heavier reads. Ironically, the grammar and punctuation are actually really good.
And can all the common-sense people all acknowledge that drag-queen story hour for kids is inappropriate? Like, why?? I love me some drag queens, but that world is not meant for children. There's actually zero reason why this should be a thing.
March 11, 2026
I ended up dropping this book because the conflict and the way it was resolved made absolutely no sense to me.
The story actually started strong. I liked the premise and the characters, and the emotional setup was compelling. In the beginning, the main character’s pain is written so well that I genuinely felt it. He believed he was special to someone, only to think he wasn’t, and the humiliation and heartbreak he experienced were intense. I almost cried for him at the start.
But the way the story handles the aftermath completely ruined it for me.
The packmates say things that are incredibly insensitive and humiliating without realizing the impact it has on him. They casually talk about how often Knox brings people home, how they keep spare clothes for hookups, and even joke about previous partners. From their perspective it's normal conversation, but from the main character’s perspective it’s devastating, because he’s standing there realizing he might have just been another temporary fling.
And there are basically no consequences. The alpha barely seems angry at his pack for how they treated his mate, that they somehow didn't know was his mate saying their alpha didn't tell them 😒 and most of the pack never shows real remorse. One person apologizes (forgot his name), but the rest act like it wasn’t that serious.
What really frustrated me was the reasoning they give. At one point they claim they didn't know he was "special, different" but then they also imply they thought he knew and it was obvious he was special. Those explanations contradict each other and don’t justify the way the situation unfolded. Even if he wasn’t the alpha’s mate and was just a hookup, the whole interaction was unnecessarily humiliating.
The emotional logic also feels inconsistent. When the alpha finally explains himself, he looks like he’s been through hell. He hasn’t been eating, he looks exhausted, and he apologizes sincerely. He even tells his side of the story. Yet the main character’s anger doesn’t soften even slightly in that moment.
But somehow, what does move him is… groceries. 🤨🙄😒
After refusing to see the alpha and making him “work” for forgiveness, the turning point ends up being the alpha bringing groceries, chips, and expensive items like cheese from The Cave and a $90 bottle of wine. There’s even a line suggesting that a man bringing groceries and not trying to push his way inside is somehow deeply meaningful.
At that point I completely lost patience with the story. We go from intense emotional pain and anger to forgiveness being triggered by snacks and wine. The bar for redemption suddenly becomes incredibly low, and it makes the earlier emotional conflict feel meaningless.
Another issue I had was with the side characters. Apart from the second main character’s best friend, none of the other characters felt interesting or memorable to me. The packmates in particular didn’t make me want to know more about them. Even though they’re mentioned throughout the story, they don’t feel fully developed. I barely feel like I know who they are as individuals, and there isn’t enough depth or growth to make me curious about their own stories. If the intention was to set them up for future books, it didn’t work for me because none of them made me want to read about them.
I really wanted to like this book because the beginning showed promise and the emotional pain felt very real. But the lack of consequences for the pack, the weak explanations, the uninteresting side characters, and the rushed, trivial resolution made the conflict fall completely flat for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2026
I'm so mad about needing to dock stars for this because it was so incredibly sloppy and I know Ricci can do better. Whatever editor was asleep on the job was in a coma because there are typos, glaring continuity errors, an absolute lack of clarity about lions not actually being wolves, and dropped cues.
I'm mad because this is delightful fluff with interesting characters. Knox, who could absolutely be an alpha wolf if you switched the language (which is one reason I'm mad; nothing about him makes me think Ricci did any homework on lions, including him not deciding whether he leads a pride or a pack and him ), is growly and ridiculous. But Toby is sunshiny without being obnoxious (a hard line to walk, honestly) and the secondary cast. THE SECONDARY CAST. Robin, my beautiful darling, may you have all happiness and every pastry chef success. Jason is the absolute best. Ezra and Silas are intriguing. I want this series to work!
But:
-They repeat an entire day at least once because the plot needed it and Ricci seems to have forgotten we'd already done that
-The third act breakup made sense (glory!) but then was fixed by two (2) actions within a week
-The entire relationship is within a month, which is fine in the sense of Because Shifters but is less fine when I'm not sure Ricci ever actually wrote out a timeline (Toby misses one day of work? Four days of work? Honestly unclear)
-We get a character's name before the character introduces himself
-The only woman is offpage and derided constantly (that's not a continuity error, that's just annoying because y'all, stop being weird about women in M/M books, men and women can coexist with men still fucking other men, I promise)
-There's a sex scene that introduces an entirely new anatomy moment that somehow didn't appear in the previous sex scenes for no explained reason
This was published this year, so I know Ricci has so many other books already out. YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS. I want to keep going with the series, which is why I'm giving this two stars, but it's such a first-draft mess that it was honestly only one. Even lovely characters can't save how much editing this needs, which is so sad.
I'm mad because this is delightful fluff with interesting characters. Knox, who could absolutely be an alpha wolf if you switched the language (which is one reason I'm mad; nothing about him makes me think Ricci did any homework on lions, including him not deciding whether he leads a pride or a pack and him ), is growly and ridiculous. But Toby is sunshiny without being obnoxious (a hard line to walk, honestly) and the secondary cast. THE SECONDARY CAST. Robin, my beautiful darling, may you have all happiness and every pastry chef success. Jason is the absolute best. Ezra and Silas are intriguing. I want this series to work!
But:
-They repeat an entire day at least once because the plot needed it and Ricci seems to have forgotten we'd already done that
-The third act breakup made sense (glory!) but then was fixed by two (2) actions within a week
-The entire relationship is within a month, which is fine in the sense of Because Shifters but is less fine when I'm not sure Ricci ever actually wrote out a timeline (Toby misses one day of work? Four days of work? Honestly unclear)
-We get a character's name before the character introduces himself
-The only woman is offpage and derided constantly (that's not a continuity error, that's just annoying because y'all, stop being weird about women in M/M books, men and women can coexist with men still fucking other men, I promise)
-There's a sex scene that introduces an entirely new anatomy moment that somehow didn't appear in the previous sex scenes for no explained reason
This was published this year, so I know Ricci has so many other books already out. YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS. I want to keep going with the series, which is why I'm giving this two stars, but it's such a first-draft mess that it was honestly only one. Even lovely characters can't save how much editing this needs, which is so sad.
June 19, 2026
This such a cute and fun little story! I loved Toby with all my heart! I died over him walking into a shifter biker bar and not blinking twice when he realized he was surrounded by all these large men. I loved how Jason started feeding him and how Knox showed up and immediately recognized him as his mate. I loved how the pack took care of him and how Knox took him home.
I liked how these two started getting to know one another and how Knox couldn’t stay away. I loved Toby and his story time and how he takes care of those kids at the library. I looooved Toby and Robin’s friendship. That was my favorite part of this story. I loved how Robin pushed Knox and wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt Toby.
Their night together was awesome and I loved how deeply Knox fell for him and wanted to take care of him. I loved how he ran a bath for him the next morning and brought him breakfast. I loved their perfect moment and how much Toby liked him.
My heart broke over Toby going downstairs the next morning and how the pack accidentally made him feel like he wasn’t important, like he was just another in a long line of hookups. It killed me how he felt dirty and like all the happiness and love he had felt, all the specialness he had thought, was nothing more than Knox and how he always is with his hookups.
I loved how Robin confronted Knox about hurting his best friend and how he slapped Knox and how Knox let him. I loved Robin and how he’s always there for Toby and the conflict between Robin and Knox and how they slowly start to accept each other over the course of the story as they see the way the other loves their favorite person and that they’re going to be in each other’s lives.
The pride coming to story time at the library was so cute and sweet. I loved how they all love Toby and how they help Knox win him back over. I loved how Jason went to talk to Toby to explain things.
This was so great and cute and I loved these two and how they came back together and how Knox showed Toby that he didn’t think he was boring or that he would leave one day. I loved these two how Toby came to trust him again. They were so sweet and I can’t wait to read the rest of the pride’s stories!
I liked how these two started getting to know one another and how Knox couldn’t stay away. I loved Toby and his story time and how he takes care of those kids at the library. I looooved Toby and Robin’s friendship. That was my favorite part of this story. I loved how Robin pushed Knox and wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt Toby.
Their night together was awesome and I loved how deeply Knox fell for him and wanted to take care of him. I loved how he ran a bath for him the next morning and brought him breakfast. I loved their perfect moment and how much Toby liked him.
My heart broke over Toby going downstairs the next morning and how the pack accidentally made him feel like he wasn’t important, like he was just another in a long line of hookups. It killed me how he felt dirty and like all the happiness and love he had felt, all the specialness he had thought, was nothing more than Knox and how he always is with his hookups.
I loved how Robin confronted Knox about hurting his best friend and how he slapped Knox and how Knox let him. I loved Robin and how he’s always there for Toby and the conflict between Robin and Knox and how they slowly start to accept each other over the course of the story as they see the way the other loves their favorite person and that they’re going to be in each other’s lives.
The pride coming to story time at the library was so cute and sweet. I loved how they all love Toby and how they help Knox win him back over. I loved how Jason went to talk to Toby to explain things.
This was so great and cute and I loved these two and how they came back together and how Knox showed Toby that he didn’t think he was boring or that he would leave one day. I loved these two how Toby came to trust him again. They were so sweet and I can’t wait to read the rest of the pride’s stories!
January 25, 2026
Up to about half-way, maybe more, this was a great read. Low expectations can really make a difference so when the book said "I am high heat shifter short story" I adjusted my expectations and dived in.
It was really nice. Both characters (it's dual POV) were nice, the plot was simple but effective, the side characters, being lion shifters, only helped my rising opinion, they actually had a spark and a conversation before actual heat came into the picture... There was actual thought put into this story, even into the random scenes that had nothing to do with the central plot aka romance. Robin became the obvious suspect for the next book so I was ready to call it a day.
Then the third-act breakup struck. And the story? Fell apart for me. This nice human became the stereotypical (I am so sick of you) plain girl who is now everywhere and is often a teenager. The reaction to said breakup was worthy of Bella Swan. That's right, I said it! I was really disappointed in how this really great book fell into terrible cliches and drama after showing of the small complexities even a short story like this can have. If it stopped there or maybe if there was a conflict of appropriate lenght and severity to the rest of the book... but it wasn't.
Obviously, their relationship was quick, can smell mate on first meeting him quick, the book made that clear right from the start (I mean the blurb) but instead of embracing that, the book focused on how that made it easy to break it. And after a week (and only one night in bed) their depressive episodes (both MC's) felt blown out of proportion.
So - this was a good story with a... shaky ending, let's call it. I'll be on a lookout for the next book because I am an optimist... I can be an optimist when properly motivated. We'll see if the second book can do better.
It was really nice. Both characters (it's dual POV) were nice, the plot was simple but effective, the side characters, being lion shifters, only helped my rising opinion, they actually had a spark and a conversation before actual heat came into the picture... There was actual thought put into this story, even into the random scenes that had nothing to do with the central plot aka romance. Robin became the obvious suspect for the next book so I was ready to call it a day.
Then the third-act breakup struck. And the story? Fell apart for me. This nice human became the stereotypical (I am so sick of you) plain girl who is now everywhere and is often a teenager. The reaction to said breakup was worthy of Bella Swan. That's right, I said it! I was really disappointed in how this really great book fell into terrible cliches and drama after showing of the small complexities even a short story like this can have. If it stopped there or maybe if there was a conflict of appropriate lenght and severity to the rest of the book... but it wasn't.
Obviously, their relationship was quick, can smell mate on first meeting him quick, the book made that clear right from the start (I mean the blurb) but instead of embracing that, the book focused on how that made it easy to break it. And after a week (and only one night in bed) their depressive episodes (both MC's) felt blown out of proportion.
So - this was a good story with a... shaky ending, let's call it. I'll be on a lookout for the next book because I am an optimist... I can be an optimist when properly motivated. We'll see if the second book can do better.
January 18, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
I really really enjoyed this book and Ricci has become one of my favourite writers - her writing style is skillfully woven to draw me into the story and has such wonderful cadence that the words just flow beautifully.
But. Back to the story.
I’m generally not a fated mate kinda reader but I enjoy it if it’s done right and this was an amazing read. I feel like some world building is missing and I don’t quite understand how someone knows if it’s their “fated” mate or maybe it’s not fated mates but just being mated (I’m lost. Maybe more world building?)
I liked how Knox and Toby’s story develops and how their relationship worked. There were some unbelievable parts (really - Toby was not shocked when he found out about shifters?) and the callous way the pack treated him after the first time together is unreal (they were so warm and tried to take care of him so much when they first met him; this treatment now after the “bite” is unusually out of character)
And the lastly, the way Knox and Toby got back together after just the grocery scene is just not believable - I thought knox and his pack were playing the long game to do more “showing” but just once is enough?
I knowwww - I sound a little opinionated but I’m truly invested in the characters and series and can’t wait for the next one.
I was hoping for Robin plus someone within the pack but… I thought, you know… they would kinda know straightaway but so far does not show any sign of that yet. Though. If it is I think I have a clue whooooo!!
I really really enjoyed this book and Ricci has become one of my favourite writers - her writing style is skillfully woven to draw me into the story and has such wonderful cadence that the words just flow beautifully.
But. Back to the story.
I’m generally not a fated mate kinda reader but I enjoy it if it’s done right and this was an amazing read. I feel like some world building is missing and I don’t quite understand how someone knows if it’s their “fated” mate or maybe it’s not fated mates but just being mated (I’m lost. Maybe more world building?)
I liked how Knox and Toby’s story develops and how their relationship worked. There were some unbelievable parts (really - Toby was not shocked when he found out about shifters?) and the callous way the pack treated him after the first time together is unreal (they were so warm and tried to take care of him so much when they first met him; this treatment now after the “bite” is unusually out of character)
And the lastly, the way Knox and Toby got back together after just the grocery scene is just not believable - I thought knox and his pack were playing the long game to do more “showing” but just once is enough?
I knowwww - I sound a little opinionated but I’m truly invested in the characters and series and can’t wait for the next one.
I was hoping for Robin plus someone within the pack but… I thought, you know… they would kinda know straightaway but so far does not show any sign of that yet. Though. If it is I think I have a clue whooooo!!
April 3, 2026
unbelievable *spoilers*
For me this was not it. I made it to Chapter 17 and quit. The plot and the building of the character verse was good however the behavior of the MCs was my issue.
I read the reviews and the blurb but I was not expecting such terrible communication and understanding between the MCs. I’m not understanding how he could accept and know immediately that they were lion shifters but then turn around and not understand how mates work or even attempt to understand it…..thats unbelievable to me. Causing all this unnecessary drama and his friend hitting him pissed me off. If that was a woman hitting a man that entire scene and aftermath would be different so that further turned me away but i tried to move past it then every human cowing to Toby and acting as if his behavior was acceptable was problematic to me as well. I’ve read other books by this author so I’ll probably give the next one a shot instead.
For me this was not it. I made it to Chapter 17 and quit. The plot and the building of the character verse was good however the behavior of the MCs was my issue.
I read the reviews and the blurb but I was not expecting such terrible communication and understanding between the MCs. I’m not understanding how he could accept and know immediately that they were lion shifters but then turn around and not understand how mates work or even attempt to understand it…..thats unbelievable to me. Causing all this unnecessary drama and his friend hitting him pissed me off. If that was a woman hitting a man that entire scene and aftermath would be different so that further turned me away but i tried to move past it then every human cowing to Toby and acting as if his behavior was acceptable was problematic to me as well. I’ve read other books by this author so I’ll probably give the next one a shot instead.
May 18, 2026
So. Many. Continuity. Errors.
Toby was in the bar with tea and fries when Knox got there but he keeps saying that his lion knew Toby was his as soon as Toby walked into the bar.
The pride lives above the bar, then lives above an auto repair shop, then above the bar again and I can’t tell if these are supposed to be two separate locations.
Knox’s clothes get shredded when he shifts then he’s putting his jeans back on.
This book is a complete mess, which is too bad because the banter between the pride was fun and the characters are surprisingly solid. I feel if the author slowed down and went for quality over quantity (there are 160+ titles for this author) they could write a decent book. They need to invest in a good editor not just for the continuity issues but because there are also many issues with wonky sentences and missing/incorrect words used.
I will not be reading anything else by this author. I will not give my time to an author who disrespects their readers this much.
Toby was in the bar with tea and fries when Knox got there but he keeps saying that his lion knew Toby was his as soon as Toby walked into the bar.
The pride lives above the bar, then lives above an auto repair shop, then above the bar again and I can’t tell if these are supposed to be two separate locations.
Knox’s clothes get shredded when he shifts then he’s putting his jeans back on.
This book is a complete mess, which is too bad because the banter between the pride was fun and the characters are surprisingly solid. I feel if the author slowed down and went for quality over quantity (there are 160+ titles for this author) they could write a decent book. They need to invest in a good editor not just for the continuity issues but because there are also many issues with wonky sentences and missing/incorrect words used.
I will not be reading anything else by this author. I will not give my time to an author who disrespects their readers this much.
March 5, 2026
3 stars
Toby meets Knox when he wanders into Knox's bar after being abandoned on the side of the road by his date. From there the relationship develops fast and is fairly physical until Toby is compared to previous hookups. There is a second act breakup and the second half of the book is a lot of angst and pining and Knox works his way back to Toby. There were a few inconsistencies in the timeline, saying weeks had passed while then saying only a few days had passed between certain events. There were also a few instances of repetitive text at the beginning but didn't detract from the story. Overall, this was just an ok story for me because half of it was Knox trying to make up for his mistakes. And while it ends in an HEA, it's more a beginning of their relationship. Spice level: 2
Toby meets Knox when he wanders into Knox's bar after being abandoned on the side of the road by his date. From there the relationship develops fast and is fairly physical until Toby is compared to previous hookups. There is a second act breakup and the second half of the book is a lot of angst and pining and Knox works his way back to Toby. There were a few inconsistencies in the timeline, saying weeks had passed while then saying only a few days had passed between certain events. There were also a few instances of repetitive text at the beginning but didn't detract from the story. Overall, this was just an ok story for me because half of it was Knox trying to make up for his mistakes. And while it ends in an HEA, it's more a beginning of their relationship. Spice level: 2
April 26, 2026
Knox and Toby
The story was okay, but not terribly original. I thought the conflict between the two main characters was a bit of an overreaction on Toby’s part. I didn’t like Knox pack and felt that they were a bit one dimensional and the trouble that they caused for Knox felt contrived. I found a couple of continuity issues like when Knox showed Toby his lion and rips his clothes and then supposedly puts the jeans on? It would have been so easy to have him tell Toby that he will rip his clothes and have him take them off if he doesn’t have a change of clothes. Does he drive back into town with only parts of his jeans on? What about underwear? This type of thing drives me nuts. I doubt that I will read the rest of the series. Too bad. If you are looking for something really easy read then maybe you will like it better.
The story was okay, but not terribly original. I thought the conflict between the two main characters was a bit of an overreaction on Toby’s part. I didn’t like Knox pack and felt that they were a bit one dimensional and the trouble that they caused for Knox felt contrived. I found a couple of continuity issues like when Knox showed Toby his lion and rips his clothes and then supposedly puts the jeans on? It would have been so easy to have him tell Toby that he will rip his clothes and have him take them off if he doesn’t have a change of clothes. Does he drive back into town with only parts of his jeans on? What about underwear? This type of thing drives me nuts. I doubt that I will read the rest of the series. Too bad. If you are looking for something really easy read then maybe you will like it better.
February 8, 2026
I love Shifter romance and I loved it very much that they didn't jump into the box with each other right away, they had more than one conversation with each other and all the other characters had substance 😌🤝🏻. I'm more than happy and I liked the writing style 🥰.
My only point of criticism relates to the third act breakup. I found it a bit too hard/incomprehensible . Yes, I cried, all the emotions, but it was a little too hard for what happened? Knox didn't give him any reason to doubt, only the pack. I think it would have been more logical for me if Knox had actually done something (inexcusable)... But otherwise... I'm really looking forward to Jason's story...
My only point of criticism relates to the third act breakup. I found it a bit too hard/incomprehensible . Yes, I cried, all the emotions, but it was a little too hard for what happened? Knox didn't give him any reason to doubt, only the pack. I think it would have been more logical for me if Knox had actually done something (inexcusable)... But otherwise... I'm really looking forward to Jason's story...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2026
I was a nice story but there were several inconsistency. Also the Bar never seemed to have any customers other than the lions. Not much going on in the garage either. Don't know how they are making any money to keep the place up. The shifter culture was not explained (I have read other books so I do have information) but if this is your first book you really need more information. There really needs to be so much more information of what is going on. As I said a nice story but I don't think I will be reading the others in the series.
April 13, 2026
MM/ shifter/ fated mates/ MC romance/ groveling/ found family/ miscommunication/ instalove/ HEA
Trigger warning: jealousy/ cheating(not MCs), abandonment/ trauma/ depression
This had potential but the miscommunication trope wasn’t great. I think the relationship between the MC and his roommate was good, however, it was also codependent as hell. The rest of the side characters were ok and the spice was decent. I liked this story well enough but I probably won’t read anymore books in this series.
Trigger warning: jealousy/ cheating(not MCs), abandonment/ trauma/ depression
This had potential but the miscommunication trope wasn’t great. I think the relationship between the MC and his roommate was good, however, it was also codependent as hell. The rest of the side characters were ok and the spice was decent. I liked this story well enough but I probably won’t read anymore books in this series.
May 16, 2026
Toby and Knox
Toby is a librarian, a little nerdy, who wears cardigans with cats on it. He gets dumped on the side of the road in the rain by his date because he won’t put out. He ends up in a bar needing a charger and a place to dry off, not realizing at first it’s a shifter bar.
Knox is the Alpha of the lion pack. He comes into the bar and spots the human who smells really good. His pack is trying to feed the little human because he’s hungry and they all try to make him feel better.
I really enjoyed reading this book! Highly Recommended
Toby is a librarian, a little nerdy, who wears cardigans with cats on it. He gets dumped on the side of the road in the rain by his date because he won’t put out. He ends up in a bar needing a charger and a place to dry off, not realizing at first it’s a shifter bar.
Knox is the Alpha of the lion pack. He comes into the bar and spots the human who smells really good. His pack is trying to feed the little human because he’s hungry and they all try to make him feel better.
I really enjoyed reading this book! Highly Recommended
June 7, 2026
A few mishaps in the timeline that were annoying. Knox came to the bar after Toby was already there, alerted by his pack (or pride? The terms were used interchangeably). But Knox’s lion knew they were mates from the minute he saw Toby come into the bar wet from rain? Toby’s apartment is on the 3rd floor, but he was able to see Knox in the parking lot from his front door? And the actual timeline of how long they were together vs apart was a little confusing. Otherwise, cute story. Will probably read more from this author.
May 28, 2026
It's good but
It's good but there are really weird plotholes. Like, he lives on the third floor in an apartment building, but can see Knox across the parking lot through his door? The whole pride is rooting for Knox to make a move, they see that he wants him as a mate, and then suddenly they say stupid shit because they thought he wasn't serious about him? After he sat through reading hour and crafts? Nah. Not good enough
It's good but there are really weird plotholes. Like, he lives on the third floor in an apartment building, but can see Knox across the parking lot through his door? The whole pride is rooting for Knox to make a move, they see that he wants him as a mate, and then suddenly they say stupid shit because they thought he wasn't serious about him? After he sat through reading hour and crafts? Nah. Not good enough
May 14, 2026
Eh, it’s a book about a cute cardigan-wearing librarian finding shelter from a storm at a bar full of lion shifters, not being scared of them, and Knox’s lion immediately claiming him as his while they build their relationship into something sweet with just a lil bit of drama. Also, Robin is a baddie and we love him to pieces. What more could you ask for? Lion shifters are hot 😌
June 17, 2026
Looking forward to the next one
I wasn’t sure about this given the average for stars and the different type of shifter than I’m used to but this was really good. Just enough angst to make sense and I liked the way the author explained the unreliable narrator through an unreliable narrator. Good job.
I wasn’t sure about this given the average for stars and the different type of shifter than I’m used to but this was really good. Just enough angst to make sense and I liked the way the author explained the unreliable narrator through an unreliable narrator. Good job.
March 28, 2026
My reviews are my own. If you liked this book, I’m glad you enjoyed it. If not, I respect your opinion, so please respect mine. This is merely my view, so let's keep it courteous. My review is honest and voluntary.
Incredibly immature!
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
Incredibly immature!
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
April 25, 2026
Well the story was okay. The 'miscommunication' trope was pathetic.
Overall a chaotic mess with jumbled timelines. In about 5 days, story-time Thursday at the library happens three times, not in one day, three Thursdays.
2 stars because I didn't DNF but oof, I should have.
Overall a chaotic mess with jumbled timelines. In about 5 days, story-time Thursday at the library happens three times, not in one day, three Thursdays.
2 stars because I didn't DNF but oof, I should have.
April 26, 2026
Should have DNF this, but it was so short it didn’t take long to read. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of a series and there was no world building or information. Also, low-angst should not mean no plot. Reviewing this so I don’t bother with the rest of the series.
April 28, 2026
What started off seeming like a nice “palate cleanser” turned annoying when the “3rd act drama” occurred at the halfway point. The HEA was VERY fast at the end, and even less believable for it… There were lots of continuity errors between the first and second halves of the book
May 3, 2026
Great storytelling
I really enjoyed this book. The story is predictable but still entertaining. The characters are well defined and the dialogue is great. I actually laughed out loud in several places. Ready to start the next book in the series.
I really enjoyed this book. The story is predictable but still entertaining. The characters are well defined and the dialogue is great. I actually laughed out loud in several places. Ready to start the next book in the series.
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