She has no idea shifters exist. He has no idea she’s human. When Phoenix applies for a job at Shenanigans, she expects it to be just like every other bar she’s ever worked at. There’ll be drunks, some of them obnoxious and some of them hilarious. There’ll be regulars she sees every night, some of them charming and some of them real jerks. What she never expects though, is that all of them will be shapeshifters.Travis knows there’s something off about his new waitress. He has his doubts about her ability to handle drunken shifters, even though she insists she’s tough enough to handle anything his bar patrons throw at her. What he doesn’t expect though is her reaction to the sight of his animal. What did she expect? Some pansy-ass wolf? If so, she’s in for a mighty shock considering he’s all bear.Previously published as part of the Shadows & Stars anthology.
Sadly, Pepper was not born a shifter. She dreams of being adopted (or mated) by one, but until such a glorious day arrives, she consoles herself by writing about shifters instead.
Either that, or she really IS a shifter and is just pretending NOT to be a shifter, to protect her people.
Whether the former or the latter is anyone's guess, but either way, she's living her absolute best possible shifter-life.
If you’ve ever walked into a new job thinking, how bad could it be?—then found yourself hiding behind a bar while your boss turns into a bear—then you might just be Phoenix Smith. In Shifter Shenanigans, Pepper McGraw gives us a funny, flirty, and completely chaotic paranormal romance that mixes barroom brawls, shifter secrets, and slow-burn chemistry that’ll leave you grinning like a fool.
Phoenix thinks she’s seen it all after years of slinging drinks. But when she lands a gig at Shenanigans, she quickly realizes this bar is anything but ordinary. Her boss, Travis, is gruff, gorgeous, and absolutely not human—something she discovers when a fight breaks out and he shifts into a black bear right before her eyes. The best part? Everyone else in the bar seems to think she’s one of them, too. It’s a disaster waiting to happen… and exactly the kind of wild, heartwarming chaos readers will love.
Travis, meanwhile, is every inch the broody alpha hero—with claws. He doesn’t trust Phoenix at first, and he definitely doesn’t understand her strange refusal to “shift.” But underneath his growls and his protectiveness, there’s a tenderness that makes him impossible to resist. As he tries to uncover her secret, he also starts to uncover his own heart. Their connection sparks like lightning—half danger, half desire—and the push-pull between them is pure, addictive fun.
What really shines in Shifter Shenanigans is Phoenix herself. She’s tough, scrappy, and completely out of her depth, but she refuses to back down. She’s hiding more than even she knows—about her family, her identity, and what she might truly be. Watching her navigate this strange new world, finding her place among the shifters (and in Travis’s life), is as funny as it is sweet. There’s action, mystery, and just enough spice to keep your heart pounding for all the right reasons.
Pepper McGraw blends humor, heat, and heart into a story that feels like True Blood met a small-town rom-com. Shifter Shenanigans isn’t just about fated mates or hidden beasts—it’s about belonging, courage, and the magic of finding your pack when you least expect it. By the end, you’ll wish Shenanigans was a real bar, just so you could walk in, order a drink, and watch the madness unfold.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Phoenix Smith had been warned by her boss, Travis, that Shenanigans bar doesn’t have crowds like she might be used to serving. But this barroom brawl was still going on while she ducked down behind the bar. The problem was that she had watched her boss leap over the bar with a very loud roar and become a black bear! And the patrons had long fangs as they snapped and snarled at each other! Could she maybe tiptoe past the bunch of them and get out the door? Her skin tingled and all her senses came alive, making her hyper-aware. Then the bar went silent until someone asked what she was doing under there. And looking up, the boss and waitresses were all staring at her… without clothes. They were mostly upset that she hadn’t shifted to protect herself, obviously assuming she was one of them for some reason. Travis was ready to fire her, but his sister Glory was half owner and said she stays.
The bar closed early, but Max, a wolf, walked in. He said Phoenix not shifting meant she had something to hide and they didn’t want trouble. None of the shifters could figure what her animal was, and that made finding out a challenge for all of them. When the wolves told Travis Phoenix was working the diner too, he picked her up after work. He then moved her into a spare room at Shenanigans instead of the rundown hotel she was at. She still would not tell him what her animal is, but when he suddenly kissed her long and hard, he saw her animal looking at him through her eyes, still difficult to detect but definitely there. Could she really be a shifter of some kind? What will Travis and his bear do when her animal finally reveals what she is? She again wished she knew about her birth parents.
This is a cute story that is very comfortable to read. It’s fun to keep guessing what Phoenix will turn into, and it gets the shifters into the spirit of trying to figure it out too. Grab your copy and see if you can guess before the others!
Shifter Shenanigans is the romance between Travis, a bear shifter, and Phoenix, who thinks she is full human. Phoenix was in the foster care system since she was very young, when both of her parents were killed in a car accident and now she lives like a nomad, not having found a place where she belongs. When she takes a job at Shenanigan's bar, Phoenix learns there is a shifter world that she knew nothing about and even worse, they all insist that she is a shifter! Phoenix is ready to quit to move on, but Travis is so handsome and the chemistry with him is so explosive that soon he is making all her fantasies come true. The shifters that come to the bar are so sure Phoenix is a shifter that soon bets are being made for everything from what her animal is to when her animal will show itself. Phoenix finds the efforts to bring out her animal funny - some are laugh out loud funny - and also annoying. The big question for Phoenix is how will Travis and his bear react when her animal finally shows itself?
Shifter Shenanigans is funny and well written. The many secondary characters are well defined and contribute much of the humor in the story. This is the first Pepper McGraw book I have read and it will not be the last!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Before I go into my issues with the book, I want to express that I actually enjoyed reading this book. It certainly has amusing moments. And I legitimately wanted to know how things would turn out for the heroine. What was she going to turn out to be? But this is a novella, and novellas are hard to do well. This one certainly needed more…all over the place…to feel satisfying. The book starts with a brawl in a shifter bar, not with the hero and heroine's lives before they meet each other or her crucial job interview with him. At the very least, that needed to be shown to see how they had their misunderstandings that set up the first part of the story. Because this is a novella, the author didn't really take the time to develop the romantic relationship. Instead, it's just instant attraction and then nearly instant intimacy. I like more of a build-up than that in a romance to make it feel satisfying. The plot felt rather loosely put together; it needed more to sustain it than the big question about the heroine. I also felt that parts of the book were more telling than showing, a fatal flaw of novellas and other short-form stories. Despite these flaws, the book was an enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
"A Fun to Read shifter Romance series" The story is so much fun to read. The characters have awesome personalities. Phoenix was raised to believe she is a human. She was found at a wreck when she was very little. The adults with her was killed. Phoenix was raised in the human foster system. When she was released she traveled around. Her travels lead her to a small town. Where she gets a job working at Shenanigans bar. What she does not know is the bar is a shifter bar. Travis is a sexy bear shifter. He and his sister Olive own the bar. When Travis meets Phoenix he and his inner bear is drawn to her! They believe she is their fated mate. Only Phoenix swears she is just a human. Travis and the other shifters believe Phoenix is a shifter! She does not smell like a human. Plus, Travis gets glimpse of her animal in her eyes. Olive and the other shifters set out to make Phoenix shift. You will love the Shenanigans the shifters get up to! This story is super funny, exciting, and steamy hot. It is a five star plus story!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a wonderful book with steamy scenes and a happily ever after ending. The characters are witty and awesome and it’s a great love story.
Phoenix has started a new job, the last thing she expects is a brawl to break out and her hunky boss jump over the bar and turn into massive black bear. She hides but when the rest of the bar find her they ask her why she didn’t shift. Well wait a minute she’s human, isn’t she? According to the shifters she is one too but when she refuses to shift or tell them what her animal is they all have a guess, from tame to completely bizarre guesses she tells them all no. There are bets on now to see what she is and when she shifts. Her boss, who thinks she is his mate doesn’t care but now she knows she’s a shifter, she does.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Pheonix is "human" and has been on her own, moving from place to place, staying under the radar. When she applied at Shenanigans, the last thing she expected was to learn the truth.
Travis and his sister own the bar and is not unusual for a fight to break out, and the customer to shift. When Pheonix did not shift, this makes other wonder about her and determined to find out.
Travis's bear feels the pulls towards Pheonix but felt that her animals was hiding. Pheonix fear what would happen if he found out the truth, but Travis could see her animal peeking through.
This is a great story with the perfect amount of mystery heat and passion that make you get lost in the story. . I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Set in the same universe as Pepper's Matchmaking Cats series, this was a fun book though I do prefer the other series overall (Talking cats! I can't help myself!). With that said, this was a perfectly entertaining romance with the added twist of having a shifter that couldn't shift while the whole town tries to help her do so in various amusing ways.
Complete with a hot, protective hero and a super sweet and satisfying ending and this was a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours, even without the talking cats. I can safely say that I can highly recommend anything of McGraw's for an entertaining, humorous, satisfying read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While the idea of a shifter bar isn’t unusual, the author takes it in a new direction when Phoenix, who thinks she is human, takes a job at Shenanigans. Travis, half owner of the bar, thinks Phoenix is his mate. But until her first night working at the bar she had no clue shifters existed....and had never shifted. And she doesn’t smell like any shifter they are familiar with. Things get a bit silly when the customers of the bar, mostly wolves and cougars, try to trick, entice, or scare Phoenix into shifting. It’s a sweet story with a HEA ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Phoenix is the new bartender at Shenanigans and thinks she's prepared for anything. But she gets the biggest shock of her life when she learns that everyone is a shifter. Travis has his doubts about Phoenix being able to handle the job, but he isn't prepared for her reaction to shifters or to his bear.
This is the first book in the Shenanigans series and I really enjoyed it. This short, sweet romance is well-written with wonderful characters. It was a quick, fun read which drew me in and kept me hooked. I love Travis and Phoenix together and her connection with the other characters. This was an absolutely delightful story and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to the next book.
This was such a fun read and really, a highly entertaining romance. Phoenix gets a job at a shifter bar but has no idea shifters even exist. Everyone there, including hunky bear shifter, Travis, insists she's a shifter, too. Phoenix was raised in the foster, though, and had no clue... This becomes such a fun game for the patrons of the bar to try and guess what kind of shifter she was and by trying to 'force' her shift. I found myself laughing out loud or fanning myself, by turns, over this and the heat between her and Travis. This may be the first read for me by this author, but it definitely won't be my last :D
A bar full of shapeshifters, a woman with no roots—no home and no family—and a low-stakes mystery. What’s not to love? I enjoyed this book a lot. It was the reading equivalent of a fancy coffee topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce: unnecessarily sweet, but it hits exactly the right spot.
It was a quick read, and while the characters were not particularly well developed, I got the sense that this is part of a larger series, with world-building that unfolds across multiple books. I will definitely look for other works by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Shifter Shenanigans” by Pepper McGraw is such an engaging and enjoyable story. The entertainment is found from start to finish within this paranormal romance featuring Phoenix and Travis. The story is well-written with a unique plot, wonderful characters, humor, and dashes of mystery. I loved the camaraderie of all the friends Phoenix met along her journey to finding her true self and her fated mate. “Shifter Shenanigans” is Book 1 of the Shenanigans series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving my review. This is a short, shifter romance between Phoenix and Travis. She is going to get a crash course about Travis and shifters. Phoenix learns so much about herself in a quick time. She did not expect her new job to bring so much to her life. It was a cute story with plenty of humor
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
loved it !!! lust love this series... love Phoenix and Travis.... this is their story... a fast paced funny drama... Phoenix is living the life of a nomad after getting out of foster care...she gets a job at Shenanigans bar... sparks fly with Travis the owner... laugh out loud moments... sweet moments... and cute moments... just loved it !!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Phoenix is another survivor of an imperfect foster care system.
Moving around from place to place, and later, from job to job is typical for her.
finding herself crouched behind the bar as the owner and patrons brawled first in furry then naked glory - only the beginning of a strange different kind of journey
humorous romance for an exceptional orphan and her bear.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A shifter bar in the middle of the woods? Brilliant! I live in a large hillside city and we have a drinking establishment a few kilometers down the country road. It has incredible views of the forest and a valley. A convenient watering hole for bikers and hikers.
This had kind of a cozy mystery feel to it – not giving away any spoilers, though.
Fave quote: ‘She doesn’t smell like prey, though.’
Phoenix applies for a job at a bar called Shenanigans. She has a pretty good idea what to expect. That is until she learns that the customers at the bar are mostly shifter. This is a rom com novella that will have you glued to your kindle. Its a great read with fantastic characters. I can't wait for book 2.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. You will laugh at some of the things that happen. Phoenix applies for a job at a bar, not realizing that it is a shifter bar. What will happen when her boss turns into a bear to break up abunch of other types of shifters? Follow the jokes and everything when they find out she is not who they think she is?.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
See I liked this author and bought so many of her books because she impressed me so much with the humor in the first few I read I bought both of her larger series except this book really wasn't funny. It was okay but nothing special, there's not a ton of character depth very little plot, practically devoid of action and about as tame as spice can get without falling into the sweet category. It's not that the book was bad it was just... eh.
This is my first time reading a book by Pepper McGraw and Shifter Shenanigans is a cute quick read that will become a favorite author of mine. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it was a great start to a fresh series. I can't wait to hop into the next book and see what is in store for Cole!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh My Goodness, I LOVED this book!!!! I can't wait for the rest!
Phoenix has worked as a waitress in a lot of different places and bars the last ten years. She didn't know shifters were even real, let alone she is now working in a shifter bar. Travis knows Phoenix is a shifter, but he and the rest of the shifters don't know what kind. They all work together to help her figure out who her animal is.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Fun fun fun and very unusual . When is a shifter not a shifter ? How many ways can you make someone shift when they are human ? For the answers to these questions and enough laughs to make your sides hurt then this is a book you really must read . Brilliant and I cant wait to read about the other shenanigans.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Shifter Shenanigans” by Pepper McGraw is such an engaging and enjoyable story. The entertainment is found from start to finish within this paranormal romance featuring Phoenix and Travis. The story is well-written with a unique plot, wonderful characters, humor, and dashes of mystery. I loved the camaraderie of all the friends Phoenix met along her journey to finding her true self and her fated mate. “Shifter Shenanigans” is Book 1 of the Shenanigans series.
This is Book 1 of the Shenanigans series. Luv'd everything about this book! It was such a wonderful and fun read.
The plot was intriguing and well paced. World building was excellent and impressive. The characters drove the storyline and they were so very appealing and likeable and perfect together. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An incredibly fun story of a young woman who discovers shifters exist in an especially exciting way. Phoenix and Travis’s story is funny, sweet and touching. The townsfolk are similarly funny and sweet and I can’t wait to see more of their stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was such a sweet and refreshing story. It gets straight into the action and then takes a delightful turn into trust and friendship. There was so much mystery with Phoenix and it was kept me pushing through the pages to a great end. I'm purchasing the full series of books now.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is such a cute story. Phoenix starts working in a shifter bar, not knowing that shifters are real, until one night a fight erupts and the fur flies. I loved that all shifters have decided Pheonix is a shifter and are on a quest to figure which kind of animal she is.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
These characters are so much fun! The scramble to unravel Phoenix's nature by the supporting cast provides great antics and quips. The relationship between Travis and Phoenix is sweet and passionate. Great way to spend an afternoon!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.