Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Fiona #1

Fiona Origins

Rate this book
The author who helped create the genre sweeps you into a whole new world of paranormal romance!

An innocent child…
The research facility that is the subject of whispers and wild speculation burns to the ground. That same night, a little girl is found wandering alone, burned and sooty, wearing a hospital gown and a bracelet identifying her as SUBJECT 92751.

A lifetime of lies…
Fiona Fairweather has spent her entire life in the small Scottish town of Foyers on the shores of Loch Ness. But everything changes when she returns home from celebrating college graduation, to find her parents lying on the floor. With her final breaths, her mother tells the truth, that she wasn't born to them, and that the truth about her origins could put her in grave danger.

A dangerous stranger…
Quinn Collins arrives from the States to investigate her parents' deaths. Fiona is drawn to him in spite of the threat he represents. Can she trust him? Or has he come to fetch her back into captivity?

A daring quest for truth…
To find out who she really is, Fiona risks returning to the US where her parents found her, and accepting a job in the rebuilt facility from which she'd fled as a toddler. She jumps into the lion's den, and Quinn Collins is one of the biggest lions there.

A soul-wrenching discovery…
DPI only does research on extra-humans, so it makes no sense to Fiona that she was once a “subject” there. But what she learns is almost too shocking to believe, for not only was Fiona born in the DPI, she was made there.

The truth awakens…
On her 300th full moon, something foreign that's been sleeping inside Fiona all her life, stirs awake and begins to grow strong. Will she fight it, or embrace it? Will it co-exist with her or possess her? And will Quinn Collins keep her secrets, or will he be the instrument of her ultimate destruction?

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 22, 2018

81 people are currently reading
117 people want to read

About the author

Maggie Shayne

258 books2,575 followers
I live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.

My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.

No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)

That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!

And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)

Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.

Glory is not amused.

She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.

My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
75 (65%)
4 stars
29 (25%)
3 stars
8 (6%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for DJ.
789 reviews
August 9, 2018
Can I Have Some More ,PLEASE!

Those of us avid Maggie Shayne followers have been impatiently awaiting the release of Fiona: Origins and once again when it comes to the paranormal, Maggie does not disappoint! I devoured this book , staying up to the wee hours of the morning, desperate to read what happens next. Only when I got to the end , I found my self screaming"NO DON'T LET IT END". This is definitely one of those books that keeps you caught up in the story till the very end and leaves you grieving that the book has ended! It's like having to leave behind your best friend!
With Fiona, Maggie Shayne has brought us a whole new world in the paranormal. There are humans and all sorts of extra-extra-humans, like shifters and vampires. And thanks to some off-books, government research there is Fiona. She looks human and has been raised as a human by her two parents in Scotland. But as she finds her father dead from what can only be a vampire and her mother lays dying, Fiona learns her life has been a lie. Her parents aren't her "birth" parents, they found her , the lone survivor of a fire in a research lab in the U.S. Fiona's quest to find her father's killer, leads her back to where her life really started and the truth about her origins. As she learns more about herself, she must also sort out who to trust and who is her real enemy.
Maggie Shayne is a wonderful story teller! She has a way of making the words on a page come alive and you can almost picture the settings and characters. Living the mystery with Fiona, you are on the edge of your seat as together you discover a government conspiracy of humans against "extra- humans". You will find yourself cheering for Fiona and "booing" the bad guys. And when you get to the final page you too will begging for the book to never end. Well done, Maggie Shayne! " Can I have some more please AND SOON!"
145 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2023
It's hard enough growing up but to walk into you home, find your dad killed by a vampire, your mom dying, be told by your mom your parents were not your "birth parents" and your current parent found you, your normal life would be no more. Everything would have changed!

This is what happened to Fiona Fairweather. Fiona goes on a quest to find her father's killer, get back to where her life started and to figure out who is her real enemy.

The book is entertaining, fast-paced with lots of twists and unpredictable turns, and mystery weaved into the plot. I found myself laughing, crying, getting angry and over time ending up loving these wonderful characters Maggie Shayne created and introduced us to.

I'm fascinated how authors can make words come a live as thorough we are there ourselves experiencing everything. Maggie doesn't disappoint us in regards to this in this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for an honest review and am voluntarily leaving a review.

510 reviews8 followers
September 20, 2018
Oh I love Fiona and I can’t wait for more. She was rescued and adopted at two and always believed nothing more than that until her father was killed by a vampire. She knows something isn’t right when DPI comes from America to look over the situation then offer her a job. She’s feeling things and it’s her true self coming out. The powers that are just starting to touch the surface. When she knows the her full power and strength she holds. DPI isn’t going to know what hit them. Quinn who is working with her/ observing and reporting back to his superior is so refined and by the book until He gets to know Fiona. She has him second guessing all he has been doing for the job. They have chemistry but they have to deny it for the sake of their jobs and more importantly their lives are depending on it. Fantastic storytelling, great cast of characters. I’m so excited and wish the next book was out already
268 reviews
June 16, 2022
I loved it!

I really enjoyed getting to know Fiona and watching her discover her past and who she was becoming. I really got to know all the characters and found myself rooting for them and Fiona. The origin story of the lycanthropes was fascinating and it looks like Maggie has created a few twists to the legend along with tying in Native American beliefs about spirit animals. I want to dive into more of this world like I did with the vampires! Those expecting a steamy romance will be disappointed. There is a powerful love story here but not any love scenes. This story concentrated more on Fiona's journey than her love life. Although there is promise of a passionate romance with the handsome Quinn down the line!
368 reviews
October 7, 2025
Help From Within

Fiona Fair weather discovers just how evil the people at DPI can be. She also discovers that not everyone who works there is aware of all the evil that is happening. She is determined to change things for the better. I hope there will be more stories to come.
Profile Image for Norma Storms.
57 reviews5 followers
August 10, 2018
Well written interesting premise

Liked the story and plot a lot. Would love to see a sequel. It changed a bit from her initial serialization of the story but not in a bad way. Good character development and realization of goals.
518 reviews3 followers
August 10, 2018
Intriguing

A truly captivating tale that kept me reading straight through. A plethora of paranormal characters make for a truly dynamic story.
Profile Image for Katarina Martinez.
149 reviews
September 20, 2018
Maggie Shayne does it again. It perfectly ties in the old Wings of the Night series with the new Reborn series while standing quite well on its own. It better be getting a sequel.
Profile Image for Paulette Reed.
16 reviews
October 23, 2018
WOW!!!!

The best book I've read in years. I couldn't put it down. Full bodied characters and edge of your seat suspense. I can't wait to see where this series goes.
875 reviews
August 14, 2020
Fiona

This is a good book. It is a book of beginnings. Fiona is the first of her, very unique. She found what she was looking for and more. A good read.
Profile Image for Rebecca Delio.
1,117 reviews5 followers
December 4, 2021
Great Story

I loved this story it was unusual, funny, exciting and different. I look forward to more books by this author…
482 reviews17 followers
April 27, 2023
I remember reading Fiona Origins the first time it was out and remembered the plot vaguely but not the lengths DPI went to in orchestrating everything. The way thing they couldn't orchestrate was human or extra human emotions.
We begin with Fiona suffering a horrible double (or triple) loss. She gets more than she bargained for that night learning a truth that was kept hidden for her safety. Or so everyone thought. Then as luck with have it DPI rides to the rescue under the guise of helping her learn the truth about her da's murder. Really, it was another step in their plan to move Fiona into place as if she were a chess piece.
Fiona meets an insta-family in Erin and Teddy. While Erin is extravagant, I can see the attachment there. Both are extremely kind, almost suspiciously so. Fiona soon learns who here allies are and helps each discover they can be aprt of the solution.
Quinn is a contraction. He cares for Fiona and watches her always helping her in ways that seem odd and cause more suspicion. He lies both for her and to her and seems torn by what is right. He is a good soldier whose life was nearly ended by a werewolf so his distrust of extra humans makes sense. His feeling for her are probably a surprise to him.
The Chief is also a major contraction. He seems to generally care about Fiona as a person. He even makes a comment of such in the book. But at the end of the day, he is just a bully torturing and killing what he doesn't understand. Also, doing whatever he wants to move people around the chess board as he wishes.
Fiona's "other family" are wolf are very accepting of her and as the book goes on you know she has finally found her place and her people. She want from a woman who lost everyone to someone with two families who love her.
The book is full of twists and turns as you trying to figure out who is good and who is evil. If you have read any of these books you know nothing at DPI is good but maybe some of the workers are.
I would recommend this book. It is one of my favorite from "Wings of the Night" series. I hope it's reissue signals that story will continue. I am here for it if it does.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michelle.
1,559 reviews15 followers
April 30, 2023
Fiona thought she was just a small town lass from Scotland until the morning she comes home after a night out with friends to find her father dead and her mother dying. A vampire killed her da though the local constabulary won’t believe it. As her mother lays dying she reveals some mysterious truths about how Fiona came to be their daughter. When the dust settles a bit she has two goals find out who killed her da and find out who she really is. When her father’s lawyer suggests some acquaintances from the US she agrees to their help. What follows is a secret filled journey to truth and corruption. All Fiona has to do to get that truth is remember to trust her instincts and remember not everyone is exactly who they appear to be.
This book is wild, no pun intended! I love the rich, full world the author developed. The characters are so alive it feels they might jump off the page. The story starts with a tragedy, a twisted secret and an orphaned young woman and from there we are off on a journey of discovery. We learn about Fiona’s origins, her family, friends, the people she works for, the secrets they hide and it’s absolutely a fascinating tale!! I was hooked from page one and read this in one day, who needs sleep anyways lol. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of stories about Fiona, her friends and the DPI!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
145 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2023
It's hard enough growing up but to walk into you home, find your dad killed by a vampire, your mom dying, be told by your mom your parents were not your "birth parents" and your current parent found you, your normal life would be no more. Everything would have changed!

This is what happened to Fiona Fairweather. Fiona goes on a quest to find her father's killer, get back to where her life started and to figure out who is her real enemy.

The book is entertaining, fast-paced with lots of twists and unpredictable turns, and mystery weaved into the plot. I found myself laughing, crying, getting angry and over time ending up loving these wonderful characters Maggie Shayne created and introduced us to.

I'm fascinated how authors can make words come a live as thorough we are there ourselves experiencing everything. Maggie doesn't disappoint us in regards to this in this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for an honest review and am voluntarily leaving a review.
25 reviews
February 5, 2024
Excellent Series

I'd like everyone to know that if they start this series (and this is just one of her Wings in the Night books) you will never be disappointed! Danger and good winning over evil plus romance that will never leave you feeling robbed of your time. She has another 24 books that you need to look into. You will love them!
Profile Image for Marybelle.
469 reviews15 followers
May 1, 2021
I generally love Maggie Shane’s books, but really this one was kind of corny. The first couple of chapters drags you in, but then it gets almost cartoonish in the plot, not really going anywhere. Definitely, not one of my favorites.
Profile Image for Clara Neal.
3 reviews
May 2, 2023
This book was a great read! I couldn't put the book down. The characters have such emotion to them. I would highly recommend this book and this author!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Rose Mclaughlin.
87 reviews2 followers
May 6, 2023
Great read!

Not surprised Maggie Shayne is a great author. The story was interesting and Fiona is different and I can't wait for the next one!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.