What do you think?
Rate this book


1997 pages, ebook
First published April 12, 2021
Since this was an anthology which included stories by many different authors, it’s difficult to give it an overall rating. Though I didn’t like every story, I did enjoy the anthology as a whole and would recommend it. I’ve included my review for each story below.
Rearranging Fate
By Roxanne Witherell
Rating: 3*
I enjoyed this story, though I did feel that it had a few problems. The biggest one was that the plot was not very original and, therefore, quite predictable. I found Shayla to be relatable and thought the characters in general were given a reasonable amount of depth. However, they were fairly one-sided; I liked the ones I was supposed to like, and didn’t like the ones I wasn’t supposed to like. I would have preferred a bit more nuance - perhaps with Griffin or Annabella? - where we’re given more insight and backstory about someone and are then able to understand them better and maybe even start to sympathize. But, that’s difficult to pull off in a short story, and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
Breaking Into Hell
By Terri A. Wilson
Rating: 4*
Though it was a bit darker than I generally prefer, this story dug its hooks into me right away. The pain and tragedy of the main characters’ situation really made me sympathize with them. There was a lot of backstory to both characters, both separately and together, and I thought the author did a great job of weaving that into the story in a way that didn’t feel like an information dump and that exposed the details as you needed to know them. Though this was a story about fated mates complete with a happy ending, the plot was so unique that I spent most of the time wondering how they would ever end up together. The one difficulty I had with this story was that it was pretty severely in need of proof-reading. Words were missing (both completely and - even stranger - sometimes partially), swapped for different words that sounded similar or had similar spelling (“matting” instead of “mating”, for example), and occasionally rearranged. It’s very disruptive when you’re immersed in a story, but keep having to pause to try and figure out what the author was trying to say with that mangled sentence. And in this case it was really a shame, because it definitely detracted from an otherwise fantastic story.
Imprinted
By Roxy Matthews
Rating: 1*
This story rubbed me the wrong way, for a few different reasons. I found the writing style to be a bit awkward. Things were phrased weirdly and it made it hard for me to follow. Nothing was really explained: there was little to no backstory for the characters, their motivations were completely unclear, and I was constantly waiting for explanations that never came. Blaire’s ability to push her thoughts into others’ minds made me very uncomfortable, even when she was using it to “help” people. No one should have that much power. While the hyenas certainly weren’t saints, I thought they were somewhat unfairly vilified.
Tank
By Crystal Dawn
Rating: 2*
I found this story to be a bit lackluster and confusing in a similar manner to the previous story, Imprinted. The writing style was very simplistic and matter-of-fact, but unclear sometimes. There was one instance where the point of view switched from third person to first and back, but other than that, there weren’t a lot of glaring errors. However, I still think this could have used better editing for clarity. Most of my confusion was because there were a few key things that were never explained. Ultimately, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on in this story. We aren’t given a lot of insight into the characters or what they’re thinking, and I found it hard to care much about what happened to them. There was a lot of interaction with side characters (such as Ariel, and Tyne and Moe), who we’re told nothing about, but who the author seems to assume we know. The ending might have bothered me more , if I had cared much to begin with.
Anna’s Bear
By Dena Garson
Rating: 4*
I liked this story a lot. It hit all the right notes of a shifter romance for me. Honestly, my only request would be for a little more sex? (Haha, stop judging me :P) I enjoyed this author’s contribution to the anthology Furever Free, as well. I’d love to read more of her stuff , but sadly, it doesn’t look like she has a lot out there.
Shifters, A Curvy Girl’s Guide
By S. Cinders
Rating: 4*
I was really enjoying this one, right up until it ended on a cliffhanger, argh! I liked the writing, though the editing could have been a little better. The plot, at least the part we got to see before it was cut off, was original and interesting. The best part, though, was the two main characters and their relationship. Their love/hate dynamic reminded me of one of my all-time favorite TV ships, Starbuck and Apollo from the more recent Battlestar Galactica. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the rest of this story.
Kai
By N Gray
Rating: 3*
I liked this story, though it didn’t really stand out. The plot was based on a pretty standard shifter romance storyline, but the author managed to take it in some new directions. The characters were reasonably well-developed, and I wouldn’t mind reading more stories set in this world about others from this group.
Shadow’s Laughter
By Margo Bond Collins
Rating: 5*
I loved this story, but it was way too short! It was so well written, that I wasn’t surprised to find out that the author used to be a college English professor. There was clearly a lot more going on in this world than just what was depicted here, but we’re given enough of the details to understand this story. Hopefully, there are other books out there already, or in the works. My favorite part of this story was the chemistry between the main characters, which was scorching! I really need more of these two, have I mentioned that yet? I’d also love to get more stories set in this world, in particular telling how this conflict between the hyenas and the wolves gets resolved.
Shark Bait
By T.M. Payne
Rating: 1*
I found this story to be somewhat frustrating. The editing was mostly okay, although the point of view switches from third to first person a few chapters in for no apparent reason. The writing seemed very unfocused and would sort of meander between events, either without an obvious point or seeming to forget midway through what the original intent was behind the recounting of that particular incident. I’ve heard the advice that writers should “show, don’t tell,” and I definitely did not feel that advice was heeded here. The main character complains that no one explains anything to her, but I had a hard time sympathizing. She makes no effort to ask her parents or to try and figure anything out for herself. Honestly, I thought she was kind of stupid. In her memories from when she was 13, it seemed like she acted and her parents treated her as if she was much younger. Even when she was older, she continued to act very naïve and helpless. In addition to disliking the main character, I also thought the plot fell a bit flat. I’m not sure what the point of this story was.
Shades of Shifter
By Kate Nova
Rating: 4*
This was a great story, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I appreciated the skill the author had in storytelling. She unfurled the details of the main character’s situation gradually, which made it feel like I was experiencing the events as they happened. The premise of this story was original, but was only a framework really for how the relationship between the two main characters develops. I would love to read more books by this author, and more specifically about what comes next for these two (along with Gideon’s sister and his pack).
Marked By Her Dragon
By Julia Mills
Rating: 2*
This wasn’t a terrible story, but it was a bit difficult to get through. It was very dialog-heavy and there was clearly some established history for at least some of the characters. The problem was that that history was established somewhere else. The dialog was half full of references to characters and events you don’t know about (if you haven’t read those other books, which I assume exist), and half repetition of the same points over and over again. As a result, it was hard to follow what was going on because the relevant details were either left out when it was assumed you'd already read those books, or drowned under all the (largely unimportant) banter between the characters. Yes, the banter does help illustrate the relationships between people, but I think this story could have benefited greatly if the dialog had been scaled back quite a bit. I’ll probably avoid anything I come across from this author in the future.
Mystical Mayhem
By Kiki Howell
Rating: 3*
I didn’t feel very strongly about this story one way or the other. I enjoyed the main and immediate story (of how the main characters meet and get together), but the blurb suggested that some bigger war was brewing and that never seemed to fully pan out. I wouldn’t mind reading more by this author if I come across it , though I probably won’t seek it out.
Alpha Rising
By Julie Morgan
Rating: 3*
I liked this story well enough, though there were some aspects I wasn’t crazy about. The plot wasn’t terribly original, though the details helped differentiate it somewhat. Unfortunately, the story was incomplete and ended in a cliffhanger, so I can’t say what I would have thought of how they ended up resolving the situation they were in. Anyway, it’d be nice to get the rest of the story.
Accidentally Forever
By Gina Kincade
Rating: 3*
I liked this story, and honestly, it didn’t really have any major problems. The plot wasn’t super unique; I’ve seen similar storylines , but not very often. The characters were decently developed and I liked that the relationship involved two guys and one girl (I need to read more fantasy and sci-fi reverse harem / ménage). So why not four or five stars? It’s hard for me to put a finger on it exactly, but I guess I felt like a lot of the context and background never got fully fleshed out. It was like a painting where the subject was complete and in-focus, but the background had large gaps. Furthermore, the ending seemed rushed and incomplete to me. Basically, we’re never actually told how the main conflict of the plot gets resolved, only that it is and it’s all good. As I said at the start though, I didn’t think any of this was a major issue. The story focuses on how the relationship develops between the main characters, and I enjoyed it.
Craving Her Mates
By Erzabet Bishop
Rating: 3*
This was a good story which, if I was trying to be completely objective, probably deserved four stars instead of three. There were a few factors, however, that were kind of a turn-off for me personally. It was a bit darker than I’d like, very intense and serious, and took place in the BDSM scene, which I’m not very into. None of this automatically had me deducting a star, but for this story in particular, the BDSM bit was very important to the main character’s identity, the personal issues she was working through, and her relationships with her mates. This made it hard for me to relate to her, and to understand what was driving her. As with the previous story, Accidentally Forever, I did enjoy that the woman had a relationship with two men. It was also well written and edited, with a fairly unique plot. I’d definitely recommend it, since others without my particular hang-ups are likely to enjoy it.
Doubly Claimed
By C.D. Gorri
Rating: 4*
This story was short (but not too short) and fun, and I liked it a lot. As with the previous two stories, this one featured a relationship between two men and one woman. I really enjoyed the partnership between the two men, and how they complimented each other. The author did a great job of developing the backstories and depth for the main characters, as well as the world this story takes place in, in a short amount of time. The writing and editing weren’t the best, but the storytelling made up for it. I will definitely be looking for the other two stories in this trilogy to see how things turn out for Ginger’s sisters.