Coyote Calling

by Heather McCorkle

The children of Fenrir are rising whether werewolf seeker Sonya Michaelson likes it or not.

Sonya's hot college professor boyfriend wants nothing more than for her to move in with him and settle down where he can keep her safe. But Sonya is no damsel in distress, let alone someone's lap dog, even if he is a Viking descended werewolf hot as Thor. She has werewolves tangoing with madness to save, and a new mystery to solve when a coyote shifter shows up on her doorstep. Navajo women are going missing—skinwalkers to be precise. What's worse, someone is turning them into coyote shifters, stripping them of their skinwalker powers.

But before she even has a chance to dig into the mystery, she and her best bud, reaper Ayra Valdisdöttir, are summoned before the Caninus Council to answer for their part in an event that risked exposing their kind to the mundane world. Dancing with council politics quickly takes a back burner when Sonya realizes her mother has gone missing—and the reason seems to be directly tied to the abducted skinwalkers.

The appearance of an estranged relative she's never met along with a warning of more to come—people with their own agenda that she shouldn't trust—may be the curve ball that topples Sonya's Atlas-sized load of problems. If she doesn't find a way to hold it together, fend off the council's denizens, and solve the mystery of the missing women, several people will die—her included.

Genres: Fantasy

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2022

About the author

Fantasy & scifi in all their wonderful subgenres are my jam. Doesn't matter to me if it's indie or traditionally published, I read it all as long as it fits in those genres and piques my interest.

I'm also an award winning author~and aspiring to someday be a bestselling one. Life goals!~of paranormal, fantasy, steampunk, historical fantasy, and YA urban fantasy. When I'm not reading, editing, writing, or surfing my social networking sites, I can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or paddleboarding. As a native Oregonian, I enjoy the outdoors almost as much as the worlds I read about and create on the pages. No need to travel to the Great Northwest, though, you can find me on my website, in my newsletter, and on my social media sites.

Reviews

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the author’s new Shifter Seeker series, but it’s not really a stand-alone. There’s another series and a prequel that come before this that I feel are necessary to understand many of the dynamics in play in this book. Having said that, I haven’t read all the books that come before this and this book can be read without them, but I did feel like I was missing some important context in places. I liked watching Sonya grow and I enjoyed seeing her lay some of her past ghosts to rest, but her issues with authority and toxic independence got to be a little repetitive and, as might be expected, got her into trouble. Following along as Sonya searched for answers kept me engaged and entertained. However, I’m certain this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this particular mystery, because I still have questions that I hope future volumes will answer. In the meantime, it looks like I have some catch-up reading to do in order to be ready for the next in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.

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

This is thrilling, action-packed, and poised to introduce new adventures.

Read full review in the 2022 November issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read this author before, but this book intrigued me. I started it, and it didn’t take long to be pretty sure that this was an offshoot of another series. Doing research, I found out I was right. This really didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much; just at times I could tell there were a few subtleties I was missing. However, that didn’t hinder my enjoyment much at all. This is well-written, and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. I’d recommend reading from the beginning just to understand every little detail, but you can still enjoy this without having done that. I’m ready to read the next in the series. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Coyotes, wolves, and lions, oh, my! Sonya, a new werewolf seeker whose job it is to help newly bitten lycanthropes manage their first shift, has plenty on her plate trying to adjust to her new life and mission and a new relationship with hot college professor who just happens to be a Viking descended werewolf who is a little too protective for her hard-core standalone attitude. But she will need all the help she can get when she gets involved with trying to find out who is abducting shapeshifter women. Particularly when it might be related to her own mother's disappearance.

This is the first in a new series but the series itself is a continuation of a previous series with the same characters. I have not read the first series but I could still figure what was going on though it was obvious there were some nuances that I was missing. Turns out there were a lot of secrets in Sonya's past that she wasn't even aware of and they play a big part in this story. Some are answered but just as many are raised in this book.

There is plenty of action in this book and I really liked the friendship between Sonya and Ayra, a power player in the supernatural world. Also, I appreciate the growth in the characters, particularly when it comes to the relationship between Sonya and her boyfriend. He works very hard not to be overprotective and she is trying not to react badly whenever he tries to help her. It does become a bit tiresome how many times Sonya talks about being a strong woman and not needing someone to protect her. It is realistic--because people don't get over hang ups that quickly--but reading it over and over again drags a bit. And she does need some protection because she doesn't like violence so she isn't able to protect herself against the dangerous people she is taking on. In fact, her dwelling on the I'm a strong woman and I don't like accepting help drives her out into the night to take a walk when they are specifically setting up a trap and have security measures in place. Needless to say it doesn't lead to a good place. That type of thing does annoy me. It can get you into the too stupid to live category. But she is improving which gives me hope.

But other than that, I did enjoy the book and would be interested in reading more in the series to find out some of the many secrets that are still to be revealed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Bethany Tomerlin Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book called coyote calling, I excepted more coyote shifters. It ended up being pretty werewolf centric. Despite that, I enjoyed the book.

Even though I have not read the books in the previous in world trilogy or the prequel novella, the author gave enough context clues and back story that I was able to follow along and jump right into the story.

I loved the extensive world-building, and I found all the Icelandic curses and references to Norse mythology fun.

The most interesting concept of the world was the different shifters and how they contrasted with the newly introduced skinwalkers. Unfortunately, rather than getting into the sensory details of how each shifter experience the world, the encounters became a repetitive carousel of posture, growl, fight.

And although the coyote shifters' prejudice towards the skinwalkers and the skinwalkers' prejudice towards outsiders is a decent allegory for real-world issues such as the black Cherokees' fight for tribal recognition, sometimes it is hard to read about such blatant prejudice when all one was looking for was a fun, escapist, paranormal romance.

And the dynamic between Ty and Sonya on the matters of independence versus protectiveness got tiresome. They kept having the same agreement over and over again, which, while true to life, is not always fun to read. Especially since Sonya seemed to return to the same mental state and ignored Ty's legitimate efforts to build a partnership.

There was also a weird disconnect where characters would be mentioned by name, but never actually appeared in the story. This was particularly obvious with Sonya's supposed roommate, but even the skinwalker turned coyote shifter that initiated this story was sometimes subject to the same treatment.

I loved every scene with Sonya's clumsy raven familiar Gripp.

I enjoyed the book enough to buy the earlier books in the series at about the 25% mark. Unfortunately, I felt a little let down by the book's excellent potential in the book's middle section.

I received a copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Cassie The Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thank you to City Owl Press and Heather McCorkle for sending me a copy to review with honesty.

Right off the bat, the synopsis snagged my attention regarding shifters, Natives, and Viking werewolves was hard to pass up. And it did not disappoint.

Now I will say, I was slightly confused during the book because there is a novella ahead of this book that takes place before the events in Coyote Calling. That said, it wasn't too difficult to follow along as the author did give breadcrumbs of certain events to keep readers who hadn't started with the novella flowing the book. (I will probably be reading the novella though because I'm a reader that loves to read it all.) You follow Sonya, a woman who recently been turned were. And not just any were but a very powerful one that hadn't existed in over three hundred years.

Not to get into too much detail, sufficive to say, her life hasn't been easy. With her mother suddenly gone missing and relatives she never knew popping out of the woodwork, she's trying to keep her sanity as well as her life from enemies lurking from the shadows who are gunning for her and her close group.

This is was a fun and exciting read. Also emotional. Please keep an eye on some trigger warnings involving: kidnapping and trafficking.

Overall, I liked this a lot and will be continuing reading the series.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our heroine has a unique calling, which makes her in high demand. And when those of her kind start to disappear, it also put her in a lot of danger.

Okay, so nominally this is book one of the series. And it does okay on its own. However, there is a prequel and another series, both of which play heavily into this story. So this is not the best starting place in spite of it being a number one.

This is an urban fantasy story featuring a blend of Norse and Native American mythology. I love the setting and all the details that are poured into it. There are intriguing elements to discover at each turn which makes it a lot of fun. However, because of the references to the previous material, it is not the easiest series to get into. If you can work through that, the story is wonderful, full of action, mystery and intrigue. I really enjoyed the overall story and do look forward to the next book. I just have to decide if I need to go backwards before I can go forward.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes

[Emily Randolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves all 5 stars available. I do wish I’d read the first book in what I think is going to be a series. I can only hope there will be another following what happened at the end and the cliffhanger it was left on. That being said, the storyline itself was captivating and made me fall in love with the main character and her friends. They are resilient, strong, powerful, and all lean on each other in different ways for support. I’ve read many shifter books, but none quite like this and I can do nothing but hope that more are coming. I don’t have any critiques at the moment, aside from hoping to learn more the characters who create what I’m referring to as the “inner circle” around the FMC. They are everything a group of friends should be and worth every moment I spent reading this book. If there is more to come, I can’t wait to see it.


** I received this book from NetGalley for review. That being said all opinions are my own, and reflect purely how I feel about the book **

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mounting Excitement !! . . .

This story line pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention with all of the events going on and piling up for Sonya Michaelson’s attention. The world-building is detailed and imaginative, building the environment around us to make it feel even more real as Navajo skinwalkers start to disappear, finding later that someone has been turning them into coyote shifters and stealing their skinwalker abilities.

Compounding her stack of things to investigate, Sonya and her reaper friend, Ayra Valdisdöttir, get called to the Caninus Council over a serious event that could open the paranormal world to the eyes of humans. But even more serious is the fact her mother is now missing, related to the skinwalker problem?

This book has strong, well-developed characters, an interesting story line full of suspense, danger, action, mystery, unexpected twists, and left me wanting to read the next book in the series. Highly recommended!

[Jasmin E Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery & Suspense weaves its spell again!

⚔️Norse mythology
🐺shifters
🏍 MMC Ty hes hot
🌶 Yes there is great spice
🤽‍♀️ Strong FMCs
👭 Great sisterhood friendship between Sonya & Ayra.
Mystery to solve:
Navajo women are going missing - someone is turning them into coyote shifters, stripping them of their skinwalker powers.

This is New Shifter Seeker series by an very respected & established author.

Written with great characterisation where we can relate and empathise with the issues they are tackling. Of course this author keeps the action-packed plot interesting and full of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

[Becka Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be warned that this is an offshoot from another of her series. Can you read it without reading the other first? Yes but i would not! The Children of Fenrir series is so good and you’d miss some department of backstory if you skipped it. Again, Heather’s writing is so immersive and her knowledge of Viking lore is well drawn upon. I also love that this touches on the plight of missing indigenous women. If you love paranormal romance especially shifters and want a story that grabs you..then pick this up. AND pick up The Children of Fenrir books!

[Susan Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coyote Calling is the first book that I’ve read by Heather McCorkle. I was able to follow most of the plot and characters without having read it. But prior books are next on my reading list as I’m dying to find out how Sonya became a wolf shifter and met Tyler.

Going into this book (Coyote Calling), I made the assumption it is a standard “human who gets bitten into a shifter” romance storyline. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is so much more.

Sonya Michaelson is known as the Seeker. Imbued with powers from the Nordic gods, and descended from Viking wolf shifters, she senses people that are close to shifting for the first time, but have been bitten without their approval and are alone (not within an established pack or group). Plus, she has an ultra-cool “not-so-trusty” guide raven named Gripp. Oh and did I mention she’s both Icelandic and Native American!

Her balance in power is the Reaper aka Ayra. Her counterpart is from Iceland and “reaps” any shifters that are beyond reasoning, crazy and/or rabid. She can also “team up” with Sonya (think Wonder Twins style) and enhance their powers to directly channel lightening.

The plot involves the disappearance of Native American women from nearby reservations. The women are going missing at a more frequent pace with little to no leads. And, the kicker is that these women are also descended from a long line of Coyote shifters.

No spoilers here. It has a suspenseful rollercoaster of a plot that is hard to put down before bed. There’s the complex Shifter community and the interactions between the different shifter animal types. Add in both the Icelandic/Nordic (think Odin, Freya, Loki and so on) and Native American belief systems. A kick-butt female heroine (Sonya) and a dollop of mysterious disappearances. Mix the story elements real well - then, wow - just wow. The story grips you from the start. Makes you want to read all night to finish. What are you waiting for? Go read this book!.

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

[Kat Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather McCorkle is a master at combining action, romance, atmosphere, and mythology. Another winning story in an exquisite world.

[Marcia - itsabookthing2021 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers for the eARC of Coyote Calling. Coyote Calling is a first in the new series, however it does link to the previous series and if you haven't read those then you may get a sense of something missing along the way. That said, I felt it didn't take too much away from the storyline. The story follows Sonya, a new werewolf seeker who helps newly bitten lycanthropes. When shapeshifter women start getting abducted, Sonya starts to investigate but she may get more than she's bargained for when it might be related to her own mother's disappearance. This novel is written well and builds up an image in your mind as you're reading, the descriptions are enough to project you into the world and creates a great visualisation. The Icelandic curses and references to Norse mythology are a fantastic edition. The characters are well rounded, Sonya is a strong character, her need to prove just how strong is a little tiresome especially when it seems the arguments between Ty and her are just going round in circles. Coyote Calling is jam packed with action and it is an enjoyable novel. I look forward to reading book 2.

[Pogo Frankman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this genre, particularly the works of Patricia Briggs. It seems that I now have another author to add to my favorites list. This book is totally engrossing, I literally could not put it down, to the detriment of many things that I should have been doing instead. Read this book!!!.

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

[tburbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great start to a new series. The character work and story line were well written and kept me hooked from beginning to end. I can't wait to see where this series takes us.

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

[Viviana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sonya job is to help new shifter with there first transformation. With in the shifter community women are be taken and sonya is trying to find out who is at fault. Her new BF is very overprotective viking werewolf. This first in this series.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a fan of Heather McCorkle when I read the Children of Fenrir. Now Coyote Calling expands on the lore that was first introduced in the trilogy I mention earlier. But I don’t feel you need to read them in order to understand this book at all. It’s amazing to see an author able to use Norse mythology, Viking lore seemless with the lore we already know of the supernatural. Once again I started this book and was unable to put it down.

This book introduces Sonya and she is one bad ass woman. She takes crap from no one, she’s fiercely independent. Of course she gets drawn into drama, threats are made then let’s sprinkle in missing women and this is a sandwich for disaster. I’m again keeping my review vague because you should go read the book yourself. (Plus I don’t like switching on that spoiler tag)

Heather McCorkle is an phenomenal writer, I haven’t come across a book that I have yet to devour. If you’re a fan of Norse mythology, Vikings and paranormal romance then this author is 100% for you! (Plus she’s super nice!) I can’t wait to read more, as you can tell I’m a fan. 😂❤️📖

[Andrea Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coyote Calling 
3 Stars 

I found the description of this book interesting. It did hold my attention slightly, but I kept falling out of the story. It became apparent early on that this book, even though it's listed as a "new" series, it's a continuation of the previous series with the same characters. So, I am missing a few pieces of the story and it's frustrating. Though I found this story intriguing, I was not invested enough to read several more books. I didn't like the comparison to Patricia Briggs; the writing and world building are not even close to me. The only similarities are they both have a wolf and coyote shifters. 

Overall, this book didn't meet my expectations.  I would have enjoyed this book better had I started from the beginning. Thanks, NetGalley and City Owl Press, for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review.

[wonderfullyweird88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the author’s new Shifter Seeker series, but it’s not really a stand-alone. You might want to check out another series and a prequel that come before this one to get the full picture. I haven’t read the books that came before this, but I did feel like I was missing some important context at times. This really impacted my enjoyment of the story as I don't like entering into a new series and missing the backstory. Relationships are already established and it is not fair on the unsuspecting reader to have no signposting to the original series. It is also not highlighted on GoodReads that this is a series in itself let alone there is another one preceding it.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did not get into this story like I probably should have. Maybe if I read the books befofore it will make more sense. That said. We have shifters and skinwalkers. We have a mystery of why woment are disappearing from the reservation. Follow Sonya as she search for answers.

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

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was nice to get back to some urban fantasy, I'm looking for a new series to start. While I thought Coyote Calling was OK, it didn't make me want to look up the first two novellas. It was a little two heavy on the relationship issues between Sonya and Tyler and it slowed the story.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Heather Mylek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting!!! Loved the mixed of Native American and Norse mythology! This book had me interested and drawn in from the first sentence! I loved the bond between Sonya and aura! Great sisterhood! This book has a great mix of action, suspense, and will keep you on edge! Can’t wait to read more!!! Great author!! Love this shifter series!