Famous Amos didn’t only earn his nickname from being the only Bald Eagle shifter in existence. He also earned it from a dark past he’s trying to move on from. He’s trying something different by joining a misfit crew of monsters, and pledging his fealty to keeping Nuke, a volatile dragon shifter, from burning the town to ashes. With that, and trying to build a new business from scratch, his plate is full. So when a woman drops a little crow shifter on his doorstep, he doesn’t know who to turn to. He’s just finding a steady place with his Crew, and now is tasked with finding a home for the boy. Desperate for help outside of the trailer park he lives in, he turns to a woman he met by chance, and a new and unexpected adventure begins. He needs her for one thing—helping him find a suitable home for the little crow, but she’s smart, and beautiful, and funny in surprising ways, and she is asking questions that make him reconsider every decision he’s ever made. For the life of him, he can’t decide whether that is good or bad for him, and his entire Crew.
Leanna Mitchell has gone and saved herself. Two years ago, she turned her life around completely and is now enjoying the fruits of her labor. The one thing that’s missing? Someone to share it with, so the small town she lives in will stop meddling in her business. Amos Henry has her attention from the first second she lays eyes on him, but he is a secret-keeper, and growing close to him feels dangerous. He’s a man with a dozen strange quirks she can’t figure out, and when he brings her a little boy, the child seems to have the same red flags. Leanna is getting wrapped up in a world she had no idea existed, and falling hard for a man who isn’t allowed to be with her, and now the trick is to escape before she’s in too deep. She’s going to learn the hard way, Amos and his friends aren’t the only monsters in this town.
Don’t miss this exciting seventh installment in T. S. Joyce’s bestselling Oath of Bane series.
T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. She werebear swears there'll be no swooning heroines in her books. It takes tough-as-nails women to handle the shifters of Bear Valley.
She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.
Bear Shifters? Check Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it's gonna to be a wild ride.
I liked it but I didn’t love it . Torn. Liked it too much for just three stars ⭐️ but almost feels like too much. Except foe his name ,I adored Amos . ( I grew up seeing “Famous Amos” cookies as a kid, never ate them but they were everywhere. And on all the bags and containers “Amos” looked an older black man with white hair and a white beard. That was a weird thing to have in my head while I read) So other then the name thing I liked a lot,well one other thing . His “eagle” was a problem ,or really more a lack there if. I’m mean other some clicking sounds and such there little to no animal . To my bird/eagle wants this or that. My eagle is already attached and what the woman as its mate . Nothing really. Ok,ok he did have trouble sleeping one night supposedly because the bird was worried about the boy but that was basically it. I don’t like it when it’s a story about a shifter and you rarely if ever hear about the animal or see it’s impact. I also didn’t like the lack of community . One of the things I fell in love with was these characters and their dysfunctional,”I hate you but I secretly care and will have your back!” community/family back when I started reading about the lumberjack bears. Here it’s mostly Leanna and Amos and Trev. It’s like their in their own lil bubble and not really connected to any one else. Sure Divaf and Nuke made and appearances but it was mostly just the three I’d them. I adored them but the disconnect just made everything feel off. Every writer has their own rhythm and structure and that dysfunctional friends that are family getting into everyone’s business,is part of this writers vibe/rhythm . Still a good read but felt off with our it . That and the lack of Amos’s animal,( which made him feel all tell and no show) took away a lot for me . We didn’t get to really see his “family” til a big catch all ,”Hey,this is everyone .” ( except Trina and Nuke) in the next to last chapter , then he supposedly shifts ( didn’t get a clear look at him) when attacked by crows. So good but off. Amos didn’t really feel like a couple til the end which isn’t a fave either. I’d highly recommend though Ben if you haven’t read the other books in the series. The other books 📚 don’t really matter here.
Amos is thrown into the deep end with this one when his ex shows up and drops a kid on his doorstep she claims is his and leaves. Amos is terrible at parenting in the usual ridiculous way of most of the crew, so it was a bit of a train wreck. In his defence though, which kid doesn't love donuts? This is shaping up to be quite a large series, which is amazing. Give me all the books.
A Quiet, More Tender Tale of Love & Perseverance...
I have written in every one of my reviews for this series about the absolute joy each and every installment has brought me thus far. T.S. Joyce’s “Oath of Bane” saga has been one of the major literary bright spots of this year for me, and remains one of the best paranormal romance series I’ve ever read. Every one of the installments has been fantastic, and this one is no exception as “How It Started”, Joyce’s seventh addition, is a truly wonderful tale of chosen family and love against the odds, albeit a quieter, far more subdued one than the six books before it.
Here Joyce chooses subtleness over chaos, giving us the restrained and almost sweet tale of Amos and Leanna. He being the last known eagle shifter we came to know and love in the last book, the shifter who takes on the role as Nuke’s friend and keeper so he doesn’t eat anyone, all while striving to keep Krome's new crew of trailer park misfits together, whole and as happy as possible given their circumstances. And Leanna, the town calligrapher recovering from a brutal and embarrassing heartbreak, a woman looking to keep every day as simple as possible and avoid the complications love brings, however unbeknownst to her the universe has other plans, and when Amos appears on her doorstep with a most unusual business card request, the rest as they say, is history.
What follows is a witty and pure romance from start to finish, a love so cute in its voyage you won’t be able to help the giggles that burst out of you all throughout. For those expecting the heavy, almost burdensome darkness of the other books, you will not find it here as where Aux, Brick, and Moore’s stories were filled to bursting with emotional pain, loss, and confusion, focused on the bear brothers finding their right life path forward and escaping the prescribed lives seemingly destined for them all. Where Krome and Bron’s books illustrated how the Crow Blooded were vengeful and violent, and brought you deeper into the overarching narrative of growth and change. Where Nuke’s book after that showed how the newly formed alliance went far beyond the physical and emotional realms any of them had ever experienced before all wrapped up in a hail of angst riddled violence. This one feels light, amusing, and almost casual in its form.
This book almost feels like a respite from the fast paced, violent fury of the others before it. A literary breather that has me wondering what hail of fury still awaits us as this story world hits it crescendo!
As a result, for some this one might not feel as grand or intense as the others, and they would be correct, it isn’t. However, it contains a quiet opulence to it the others do not possess, along with enough sass filled chemistry to make you blush. And oh my, when the universe shouts “hold my beer” and brings something so shockingly unexpected into Amo’s life, thereby showing Leanna a whole different side to the sexy shifter, you will be left swooning and hooked until the very end.
It is a beautiful continuation of the unparalleled level of development and depth Joyce brings to her characters, and to this evocatively beautiful story world overall. I simply cannot get enough of this series! I simply don't ever want it to end.
I liked this one, but it took me a bit to get there. I really wasn't sure about Amos at the start, more so when Trev was dropped off at his house and how he acted. But as he slowly accepted Trev, you could see his big heart. That and the way that he treated Leanna, won me over. I liked the surprise that Trev had at the end, fully cementing things with Amos.
I was having a really good day until I sat down and read this book. Now I'm a crying, sobbing mess, and it's all T.S. Joyce's fault! Damn you, woman! 😉
How can these books keep getting better and better?? This crew is just my favorite and this story ripped my heart out in the best way. Absolutely loved it.
This author grabs my heart every time! With How It Started, TS Joyce continues to make me smile, laugh out loud, feel my heart fracture a bit, and then mend back together, tighter than ever.
And she done it again!! Iv had this book in my library since the day it was released… finally got round to reading it and I wasn’t let down at all. Such a talented writer
How it Started is book seven in this amazing series by T.S. Joyce and I absolutely loved this story of Leanna, Trev and Amos❣️
Amos is about to go to work when an old girlfriend shows up and promptly drops a “present” at his feet…a six year old boy claiming that he’s Amos’s son😢
Leanna helps Amos with his business cards but when he shows up with a little boy asking for help…she can’t refuse😊 To say this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship would be wrong as it soon becomes clear that their connection is….MORE😍
Loved it and looking forward to the Halloween story coming up soon as well as Divar’s story next😁
3.5 Stars - Amos and Leanna's story was really good until the last chapter. It felt rushed to be finished and left me, the reader wondering why it was abrupt into the epilogue. Trev deserved better and so did Amos and Leanna. Not happy with this 7th story. I would have given it five stars, but because it bypassed what was an important element of the story I could not. I loved it....until then.
This is the seventh book in this series and they need to be read in order. This book is about Famous Amos, the big bad bald eagle shifter. As far as he knows he is the only one left of his kind. He is making a home for himself with this new crew. He has started a business which is how is meets Leanna. One day when an ex of Amos’ shows up and drops off a little boy saying its his he has no idea how to react or what to do. The crew isn’t a place for this boy. Leanna helps Amos with him. At first they think he is a crow but could he be a bald eagle like Amos. This book was a fantastic read. I love Amos. He is a great addition to the crew. Leanna is quirky and so willing to help. But will she accept what Amos and the boy are? How can he bring her to the crew? Sure it likes her but she deserves more than Amos can give her. I love all the characters in this crew. They each bring something different to the crew. They are always there for each other just like family. I hope there will be more books with these characters. But, if not then I am sure I will love the new characters. Congrats on another fantastic book T.S. Joyce.
These characters are awesome and the development of the crew is coming along nicely. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“I need some business cards printed for my job. I Like Big Decks.”
Yep, loving that pun. And this completely relatable fear about parenting,
“What if one of the trailer mice nosed around the kid in his sleep? What if one bit him and he got rabies and died and turned into a zombie and started an apocalypse and the whole world ended because Amos’s dumbass couldn’t keep a boy safe?”
The fact that the man buys Parenting for Dummies and reads it, already makes him more caring than half the parents out there.
This advice from the last MMC,
“Women are easy to keep happy. You fuck them well, give them compliments, make sure they are fed, and when they say they need to talk about their feelings, you don’t go to sleep while they are talking. When they get in a bad mood, ask what’s wrong and if you fuck up, apologize and mean it.”
This isn't a bad foundation for a relationship - it's not all inclusive - but most guys never even get these simple things checked off the list.
I love T.S. Joyce's books. Her characters are special and their stories are filled with laugh out loud moments and emotions that touch your heart. Amos is an eagle shifter and the last of his kind. He's part of Krome's Murder that's made up of crows, bears, and a dragon. He's getting a business off the ground and ends up at Leanna's business. She designs business cards and as soon as they meet there is an instant attraction. Then one day an ex girlfriend shows up at Amos' trailer park with a young child in tow. She tells Amos the boy is his son and she's done taking care of him. Amos doesn't think the boy is his especially when Trev says he turns into a bird with black feathers. Amos believes the boy is a crow and at first tries to find a home for him. But when it comes right down to it he realizes he's become attached and doesn't want to give him up after all. In the meantime Amos and Leanna are growing close. The story ends with a dramatic turn and a twist. I loved it and couldn't stop reading.
Loved Amos’ story! He had a very different personality than I was expecting. In the last book, I thought he would be a prankster goofball, but instead he was serious and driven. I felt like he had gone out of his way to annoy the other pack members, especially the dragon, but I didn’t see that side of him at all in this book. I guess he did seem slightly immature with his preconceived notions that he couldn’t have feelings or take care of a child or date a human. He got it straightened out in the end and not only got his HEA but he is no longer all alone as the last of his kind, which meant everything to him. Can’t wait to read the bears’ story next! I’ll be sad to see this series come to the end but it’s how I first became a fan of this author so I have plenty more series to go back and enjoy!
This story just touches your heart. A little boy Trev found his family after his mother treated him so poorly. Amos didn't know what to do with a little boy but he fell in love with the little boy even though he thought he wasn't his. The boy chose him as his safe place. Leanna tried not to get attached but she failed. Who couldn't love a boy who had won her heart by being the best little boy he could be. I thought the story was told well and continues on with the series in such a great way. The call themselves monsters because they may not fit the typical molds but they come together as family. T. S. Joyce can tell a story that has you rooting for the monsters.
I absolutely love this series!! This one did not disappoint. This is Amos and Leanna’s story. Famous Amos the last of his kind gets a rude awakening when an old flame drops a kid at his doorstep. This ain’t his kid it’s crow blooded not a Eagle like him. Leanna has been humiliated and had her wedding took from her. She vows never to let anyone close again. The he shows up at her business looking like sex on a stick and he completely captivates her. Amos knows he should stay away his crew is no place for a delicate human. When the crows come for the boy can Amos keep what his claimed? Can Leanna handle the life of a bunch of terrifying monsters? Will these two fix what has been bent inside of them? I love this series I can’t wait for the next book!!!
The last Bald-eagle shifter in existence, maybe it's because they all have a mouth like Amos? Nah and he's going to find out soon when he meets Trevor who prefers to be called Trev...
Leanna never thought she'd let another man in, especially when she finds out that her ex not only called off their wedding at the last minute, but he'd also been cheating on her the whole time they'd been together. Amos has a solution to take the rumor mill off her and man can he ever. Take the rumor mill off her that is.
Can a human like Leanna accept Famous Amos the way he is and with Trev tagging along?
Get ready to be surprised, surprised, surprised especially if you've read the previous books. Like they say never judge a book by it's cover.
I really liked this story and as the 7th one in the series, my enjoyment also builds because I have grown to like the crew a lot. Amos is a bald eagle shifter (only of his kind?0 and he meets Leanna when he needed to get business cards printed. There are some crude jokes throughout, so be forewarned, but these jokes, written the way this author does, just make me smile because they are so consistent with the characters she writes. Leanna helps him throughout with a new life changing event and there are plenty of swoons, laughs and even a couple of nail-biting moments. But overall, an enjoyable time getting back in the world of Bane.
So I wasn't real sure about Amos from Nuke's book. He didn't seem o rely serious and while one from the Battle of the Bulls was like that and I liked him well enough...Amos didn't seem serious enough after all the seriousness of the Bane brothers, Krome, Bron, & Nuke.
But...BUT...he was incredibly lovable and I couldn't dislike him. Leanna was darling and sweet and I really loved the story arc with Trev and how there was a similarity between him and Amos. (I do wanna know what's up with Logan & Tory as I'm drawing a complete blank on them from the rest of the series...)
Don’t get me wrong I live for TS Joyce new releases but they are getting shallow and lacking.
My favorite reads and re-reads are early T S Joyce’s books, Willa, Beaston, Clint, Sons of the Beast, etc.. the characters had DEPTH, you couldn’t help but get invested in their lives. The new blow and go books are lacking. The alligator shifters series was predictable. The rodeo bull shifters almost reached the mark and I had so much hope for this series but this story of Amos should and could have been so much better.
Amos is the last bald eagle that he knows of. He hasn't fit in anywhere until he came to join the Krome's crew. Now he has a job, friends and is semi-happy. That is until he is thrown into taking care of a child that was dropped off at his feet. He has an idea of who can help take care of the boy. The only problem is she is human and the boy is crow. Both of these main characters are so wonderful. I am so happy to find out more about Amos's past. Definitely a don't miss with this great story.
As always T. S. Joyce knows how hit you right in the feels. Her books are amazing and tender. Finding your forever when you believe you are broken beyond repair. Her beautiful stories leave me comforted and happy. A quick read filled with heartfelt moments and happily ever after. This crew is one of my favourites. How it started with the Bane brothers oath turned into a family of not so broken were-animals and a beautiful future. Looking forward to Divar book.
You'll like the story for Amos. Its light and easy to read. There is little to no angst. The main storyline is the romance and the sweet little boy named Trevor Hayden. Amos needed business cards, so he goes into town and meets a shy and reserved Leanna. They both feel the attraction immediately. The sub plot is the little boy Trevor Hayden. I cannot say much more because it will give everything away in this quick read. If you like this series, shifters, and genre then . . . Read On!
Amos may have had a wild youth, but he came out of it and got his shit together, and all his mate really needs to deal with is his insecurity about being a dad. And his crazy crew. Really. Amos is the sane one. And since his mate is a nanny, pretty much problem solved.
This is a sweet, low angst romance (there is some brief violence). I really enjoyed it.
Famous Amos has a girlfriend drop off Trev, she says he is the father. Amos thinks he is the only eagle shifter. Amos has been to Leanna's to get cards printed for his deck building. Leanna is still getting over being dumped by her fiancé. Amos needs help with Trev and Leanna offers to help him out since she loves kids.
Trev is having trouble shifting and Amos thinks he's a crow not an eagle.
While Amos seemed a bit obnoxious in Nuke's story, you really got to see who he was in his own story. A sweet, strong, loyal member of the crew. Huge heart and what little we saw a huge eagle. I just wish there was more story after the Crows try to take Trev away. It did seem to abruptly end after that. Still got our HEA, as did Leanna, and well deserved. Great rainy afternoon read. No matter what, this author's work is always worth your time & $$
Seriously, T. S. Joyce could write a thousand page book and I'd devour it in a night and want more!
This book has all the trademark sweet adorbs moments I've come to expect. If I had to find a quibble it would be that Trev could have stayed as being a crow... I don't think it would have made the ending any less sweet. Maybe improved it because a chosen kid that's as special as a bio kid? So awesome. But it works this way too!