Shift Work

Carus #4

by J.C. McKenzie

Badass Shifter Andy McNeilly is running on empty. The death of a prominent supernatural being has her reeling. The invention of a new street drug has the police knocking on her door for assistance. And a friend needs her unique skills to help investigate a messy murder.

In the interest of paying the bills, paying it forward, and keeping the Supernatural Regulatory Division off her back, Andy once again slips through the dark streets of Vancouver’s seedy underworld. In the process, she uncovers secrets that threaten to derail her love life and her investigation. Can Andy capture a murderer, solve a mystery, and forgive her lover’s past? Or will the grime of the criminal world swallow her whole?

Genres: Urban Fantasy

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2016

About the author

J. C. McKenzie is a book loving, gumboot-wearing, unapologetic science geek. She predominantly writes urban fantasy and fantasy romance. When she’s not spinning tales, she’s in the classroom sharing her passion for science and mathematics while secretly warping the young impressionable minds of our future to carry out her evil plans for world domination. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jobless and free of Master Vampire Lucien, Andy is left adrift. At least she has her feras to keep her company. Oh wait, right, she dispelled one of the main animals in her triad. She is also on the Supernatural Regulatory Division (SRD) shit list. At least Tristan is in her life. He could theoretically support her since he owns a company. He could even possibly find her a job. Oddly though, when they should be drawing closer to each other without the distractions of a master vampire or an alpha wolf, distance is growing between them.

I just want to know, when will Andy ever get a break? It seems like things are looking up when she snags a job with the police department to help with the supernatural cases. When Stan, the cop she's befriended offers her a possible position, she thinks she may be set. And then Ms. McKenzie throws her a curve ball.

This fourth book continues at a fast pace with mystery, heartbreak and Andy's past coming to light. There is more conflict with no win situations. Andy's choice to pick Tristan was because Wick committed acts under duress which she couldn't stomach. When Tristan's actions from the past come to light, what can Andy do? Is she just going to dispel her powerful mountain lion and use one of her new feras? I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in Andy. She is fearless when it comes to defending the innocent. She is fearless when solving a mystery or fighting crime. When it comes to her own personal life, she is a coward. Yes, I'm calling her a coward. She runs from the conflict instead of working it through. She does not see how badly she hurts others with her inaction.

This book concludes in a satisfactory ending, unless one takes a look at Andy's personal life. Whilst the plot of this story is captivating, what really pulls me in is Andy's complicated love life. I want to know what will happen. I have no idea how this will resolve in a happily ever.

There is only one book left in this series. How can all of this be resolved? Whilst there are gods and goddesses running around, a deus ex machina resolution would be disheartening. Perhaps Ms. McKenzie will reconsider and extend this series to seven. There is still so much to explore in this world. What about the demon world? How are the gods and goddesses going to be involved? What about the witches? How does the SRD corruption play into all of this? Will Andy find her family? Will Andy finally control her beast? Will there be more feras? So many questions and threads that need to be answered.

Recommended to urban fantasy lovers who enjoy mystery, sorrow and vengeance.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when Andy reaches a point where her clothes will only come off if she wants, her world implodes and her self-respect takes a beating. Sure, she is free of Lucien, but, now, she no longer has employment and she seems to have become a pariah in the supernatural law enforcement world. Too bad, because in all of her shifter abilities, she can’t turn into an ATM to pay her bills.
There’s a new drug in town and it is deadly, so when a friend calls for help in solving the crime, she must muster all of her strength and all of her senses to find who killed the victim and why. Was the victim part of something illegal in some secret life behind the backs of those who loved her?

Andy’s personal life should be settling down because Wick is out of her life for pain and grief he caused her while under the thumb of Lucien, but now she finds that Tristan has his own blackened past and it involves Andy. Is she ever going to get a break? How can she love him after what he has done? What else is he keeping from her?

Right out of the gate, J.C. Mckenzie had me hooked! Shift Work is, for me the best addition to the series, yet. Andy is trying to get a grip on her life in spite of every single obstacle in her way. Just how strong does Ms. McKenzie think Andy is? The woman has a heart as big as all outdoors and it is being pierced, prodded, broken and forced to make hard decisions and still be the strong character she is. Or is she? No man is an island and Andy seems to be fighting the current that is dragging her down.

This time out, the humor and snark is ramped up, the truly deep questions and dilemmas are mounting and if Andy can keep it together, trust me, we will hear this woman roar. This series just keeps getting better, thanks to J.C. McKenzie.

I received this copy from J.C. McKenzie in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Carus - Book 4
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (February 22, 2016)
Publication Date: February 22, 2016
ISBN-10: 1509205896
ISBN-13: 978-1509205899
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Paperback: 326 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of those series that you need to start from book one. I think you would be completely lost and not enjoy it much if you tried to jump in anywhere else. The good news is that all the books have been great so far so go pick up your copy of SHIFT HAPPENS today and enjoy the ride.

Andy's personality is a contagious and I always look forward to what she will do next. She is easy to connect with and easy to stand behind. There is still a lot of mystery surrounding everything that being a Carus entails. Something new is revealed in each book, but I feel like there is so much more to uncover and I love finding out that I'm right whenever something new is revealed. I also like that each animal that calls to Andy represents something new that Andy seems to need in her life.

I'm really glad that the love triangle is gone, but I can't help but miss Wick a little bit even though I don't think he was the best choice for Andy. I'm glad though that Andy stuck with her decision in SHIFT WORK. Having said that, Tristan drops a pretty big bomb on Andy and I don't know how that will affect their relationship in the future. I am still not completely sure how I feel about Tristan, but I am warming up to him more and more with each book.

We get some answers, but there is still so many questions. The plot continues to evolve and develop and the characters continue to be interesting. Sign me up for book five when it's ready!

* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read every book in this series and this may well be the best in many ways. The only reason I did not give it 5 Stars is because there are so many questions that can't be answered in this book (and the author still answered a lot of them)

Many things I complained about in previous reviews were taken care of and as always the plot was multi-layered and high quality, the heroine is totally tough.

The love triangle has pretty much been taken care of and she seems to be getting settled into a new life but there are some murders that she has taken a personal interest in and you will like it.

This is really a bridging novel that while has a plot within itself that does get solved, there is a overarching plot that will take us into the next novel that takes on a new level of mystery and a much stronger bad guy. Looks like the series is taking a turn for the better on several fronts.

Bottom Line: Loved the book, loved the story, left me wanting more without a cliffhanger ending which is a good thing all in itself. Nothing bad to say except it introduced so many new things that it will be hard to remember all these things without referring back to this book but I still loved it.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I have to say this has been my favorite book in this series. I liked the other three but this one definitely made me want to not stop reading to go to sleep. Even though Andy finally picked between Wick and Tristan she is still taking it slow with the mating. I actually like who she picked and love the chemistry and humor between the two of them. I think my favorite part of this series is how her animals talk to her in regards to mating, killing someone, or just beating up another female. The falcon cracks me up wanting to constantly "Peck" people she does not like.
No longer working with the SRD (Supernatural Regulatory Division), Andy is working with the Human police force using her shifter abilities to help her friend solve a murder. Murder, mystery, drugs and new truths fill this fantastic story.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Argh I loved this and I like Tristan, but I still want Wick more 😂 I love Sid and can’t wait to see where that goes but the next is the last and I’m gonna be sad. This is a great series , you really should read these books

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this series and this book is a great installment. Andy is an awesome character with strengths in the form of her being a shifter, familiarity with the supernatural joined with her weaknesses that take form in her insecurities and issues with emotions. Together they are mixed with her wicked sense of humor and smarts to get to the bottom of stuff. The plot was multi-layered, had an intriguing mystery, vivid and lively characters, and tons of action starring supernatural beings. You could read this as a standalone, but you would miss stuff and I would strongly urge you to read the prior books, they are totally worth it!
Llaph
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to start this book, this is one of my favourite series that I have read and this book did not disappoint! Although I absolutely love to read, I am not very good at writing reviews but for this series I figured I would give it a try, I love them that much!! Andy has finally made her choice and is getting some long over due action I think she made a great choice, but am still sad for "the one that got away".... seriously can she not just have both!! She finds herself unemployed but it seems to all work out and she is just as busy hunting down bad guys and kicking butt. It was quite the twist JC threw in at the end but I think Andy handled it well! I can not wait for the next book and to see how this series ends!!

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy is running on empty but a new street drug has the police knocking on her door for assistance and a friend needs help to investigate a messy murder in this exciting Carus novel. Andy’s life is one fascinating mishmash of mayhem and passion and the more secrets she reveals about herself the more fascinated I become but in regards to this story, I wasn’t as enamored of it as I was the previous one, I think it’s probably because this one ended leaving me with a few questions in regards to the events that took place, although it is obvious that it will continue into the next book, so I am looking forward to it.

See my full review at:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...

[Airwreckah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! Better than the last.

[Livey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Andy

I am really enjoying this series. Mourning her wolf, but getting close to her leopard alpha. Changing jobs and mending old wounds is hard for a super shifter who is no longer tied to the vampires or the wolves. But someone else is gunning for power and Andy is up to the job.

[Jennifer Goodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shift Work ,(Carus Series 4), J.C. McKenzie 
 
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  , Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance.

 I love this series, and have been lucky enough to read these last three books fairly close together so the story really flows for me.

Andy is still trying to find out more about her Carus heritage. Feradea told her a little more in the last book, but as is always the way with people like that its never clear and unambiguous, but cloaked into smoke and mirrors...She’s still reeling from what she had to do at the end of the last book when she gets another major shock, someone huge in the supernatural world has been killed, and as ever when things change it’s a time when everyone is anxious as to what might happen. Its got huge repercussions for so many people.
Then there’s the new street drug which is killing people fast but in a weird way, and the police need her help to find out who’s behind it and close it down. She needs the money so agrees to work with them, but it doesn’t mean everyone in the force is happy about her assimilation, even as a subcontractor.
There’s a very messy murder too of someone very close to one of her friends, and she wants to find out who’s behind that. As ever investigating brings her into some very real danger, and though she has Feras to help her, her healing speed is far slower than when she was bound to Lucien. She needed to break his control over her but it did allow her the benefits of quick healing. She’s back to the point when things take days to heal not just hours, and with the way her life is it means she needs to take care over her actions.

We don’t see Ben and the witches in this book, but its still another action packed adventure with the usual gruesome murders and danger to Andy from mulitple sources. Sid the demon is still using Andy, and it always seems to me he’s got some long term motives. He’s a strange and dangerous demon, but he has been useful in the past, though Andy has got more involved than she would like with him. Needs must though, and she’s never one to shirk from unpleasantness and danger when the life of someone close to her is at stake.
There’s a new Fera trying to attract her attention too, she’s benefitted from Red and Baloo, but can she cope with more? When the previous Carus’ all seem to go mad from it, is it worth the benefit of having yet more, and what kind of Fera is it?
There’s still the Wick/Tristan conundrum. She made her choice in the last book ( and I wasn’t happy about that but haven’t given up hope!! though I do like them both...choices, choices), but it wasn’t a simple choice and she can’t just switch off feelings and emotions easily. I can’t help wondering if there’s still much more to come from these two that will affect her.  Tristan has some revelations to tell her, and she needs to work out how to deal with them, if she can forgive them. Murder, mayhem, magic and hard choices to make. Business as usual for Andy really then ;-)

Its a terrific series and if you like supernatural reads, with a side of romance, the sort with solid and intese plots, gripping and very real dangers, hard choices, supernatural people some of whom can be selfish, cruel and bloodthirsty, rather than the fluffy, cute, supernatural-lite type of read then this is one you really should try. You'll be hooked ;-)

Stars: Five, and as always I need the next book now....
 
ARC supplied by author

[Elizabeth Dill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

I liked thus story, although out wasn't as thrilling and exciting as the others. I did mass Wick. Although I like Tristan, I still had hope Andy would had chosen Wick. I liked her bond with him more than her bond with Tristan. I wasn't a fan of the vampires and how they had power to control others against their will. It was nice to know Andy was free of Lucian. But now she has to deal with the demon. Andy is sure special and one of a kind. She seems to have a way with men not realizing it. ☺

[Fawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"They're sentence enhancers, not swear words." Andy McMeilly Here in book four Andy tries to move on with her life and choices. She is investigating some nasty murders, and discovers someone from her past is ready to use her as a play toy again. I am enjoying the banter of the different animals in her head. This whole series so far is quite descriptive when it comes to scents for emotions. I was given this story for an honest review and this is mine.

[C.A. Szarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my!

Okay so I love this author and I adore this series but I have to admit this books was very hard for me. It took Andy to a place I didn't like and with someone other than who she SHOULD be with. Like the others in the series it was snarky and kept me laughing with Andy's lovely personality and crying for Stan's loss but it ended with me upset...yet driven to read the next one.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Myth and Magic Book Club

Myth: 4/5

Moving from supe law enforcement to human law enforcement, Andy’s life is never boring. Murder, drugs and general chaos seem to surround all aspects of her life. While she’s made a choice in her love-triangle, she’s not relationship drama free. Oh, and don’t forget her personal demon, while things with Sid aren’t anywhere near clear, her random interactions with him definitely leave you wondering at the bigger story there.

Magic: 4/5

I quite like the “new feras are there for upcoming trials.” Andy gets a new addition this book, while trying to decipher the upcoming life experience for which she’ll need it.

Overall: 4/5

While Andy makes it through to the other side, she’s still got a lot to figure out. A hollow victory with plenty of lingering uncertainty on the larger story arcs leaves me ready to jump right into the last book.

[Jo-Ann Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventure…Mystery…Love
Another awesome, shifter story from J.C. McKenzie, filled with adventure, mystery and love. With her books you get to expect the unexpected. Tristan’s secret threatens to destroy Andy and their relationship as she helps a friend find a murderer. Gripping conflict. But what I like best about the Carus series is the witty-edged dialogue. Andy McNeilly is a badass heroine who says what she thinks.
My favorite three lines (sorry I couldn’t stop at one) are:
• The air sucked out of my lungs, leaving me breathless and lightheaded. He always had this effect on me—as if oxygen was inconsequential, as if I could live without air as long as we were together.
• Again, I wished for a Carus Operating Manual- Beast for Dummies. Maybe I should write one for the next Carus.
• If Tristan was steak, this guy for all his sexy tattoos, muscles, and good looks was expired ground beef.
I highly recommend Shift Work for anyone who loves urban fantasy.

[Llaph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this series and this book is a great installment. Andy is an awesome character with strengths in the form of her being a shifter, familiarity with the supernatural joined with her weaknesses that take form in her insecurities and issues with emotions. Together they are mixed with her wicked sense of humor and smarts to get to the bottom of stuff. The plot was multi-layered, had an intriguing mystery, vivid and lively characters, and tons of action starring supernatural beings. You could read this as a standalone, but you would miss stuff and I would strongly urge you to read the prior books, they are totally worth it!
Llaph
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Pernette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shift Work was the 4th book in the series Carus by J. C. McKenzie. I had not read the previous 3 books and felt slightly at a disadvantage. Shifter Andy Mcneilly loses her job with the SRD (Supernatural Regulatory Division). She also tries to deal with her missing friends, two deaths if people she knows, get a new job and commit to a relationship even though her boyfriend has a secret life. This book is set in Vancover Canada present day. The story was entertaining and held my interest.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What starts out as a typical shape-shifter novel becomes an exceptional one as the characters are introduced.

Read full review in the 2016 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Shanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not want her with Tristan. I like Tristan but no. I love a wick!