A Midlife Shifter's Dream

by Ruby Raine

I’m a forty-four-year-old workaholic writer of paranormal romance whose love life happens on the pages of the books I write. Okay, so my mid-life isn’t rocking the settled down, happily ever after life I’d expected. And if that’s not pathetic enough, things just went from bleak to tragic as my mother died, quite unexpectedly.

Her death has left me truly alone in the world. No siblings. No aunts or uncles. No more blood relatives. Just middle-aged me hiding out in my Boston studio while life passes by my apartment window, and I watch from the safety of my sofa and pajamas sucking down my favorite whisky and takeout.

My mother also left me everything she owned—which I had believed was just her rustic cabin in middle-of-nowhere northern Maine. But I’m about to find out the mother who barely understood how to use a cell phone had a second, hidden life… in which, I inherit a murder mystery, supernatural secrets, and a magical destiny I knew nothing about!

After forty-four years of living in the world, it’s a suddenly wondrous, unfamiliar, and frightening place. But I think the scariest thing of all is the steamy ride down memory lane with the local lumberjack who’s sworn to protect me, but who long ago broke my heart.

I’ve never gotten over that rejection but even after all these years, working with him to solve a murder has my dormant, underused, and drying up hormones blooming to life again and I know the true thing I need protection from isn’t my mother’s inherited secret life, but from the unwittingly seductive Silas King.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Paranormal Romance

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2023

Reviews

[Michelle Willms · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive

There was so much repetition of the material, and very little story. Then, after suffering through the same information over and over, and listening to poor, love sick Ava whine about her heart-break, the book ends with no resolution of ANYTHING. No murder solved. No love interest resolved. Nothing. It was a complete waste of my reading time.

[Black Butterfly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A LITTLE ON THE SLOW SIDE AND KINDA BORING FOR A BOOK OF ONLY 136 PAGES, I STRUGGLED TO KEEP READING.EVERYTHING THATS TALKED ABOUT IS ALWAYS FOLLOWED WITH A VERY WORDY FLOWERY EXPLAINATION. I DIDN'T CARE FOR THAT AT ALL, IT GOT ON MY NERVES AFTER AWHILE.THE STORY ENDED ABRUPTLY WITH A CLIFFY YOU HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY TO SEE HOW IT PROGRESSES AND ENDS. I'M OUT. ;<

[Lizette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful descriptions, interesting actions & characters

Loved the description of Ava's mom's consciousness during the time just prior to her death. The little town is believable, as is their mourning for her mother. Ava's grief is beautifully depicted, as are her discoveries of the hidden magic of the area.
The challenges for the following books are serious and well set up: financial, prooving a murder, protecting a unique property and community, handling unrequited love.
I'm starting book 2 right away.

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated
3 Stars
Amazon Freebie
Owner Amazon Kindle Library

Definitely going to continue when I get extra money soon!!!!

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy is Ava and Silas' story. It is connected to the story of the first witch and the bringer of death. This tells the origin of the shapeshifters.


Book I:
After her mother's death, Ava returns home to pay her last respects. Since there are signs that she did not die of natural causes, Ava - together with the shapeshifter Silas - begins to investigate her death.

I like how the story builds slowly. Ava's reflective thoughts about her life so far are understandable; also her ongoing attraction to Silas. Her handling of her mother's secrets is admirable. No bitterness; just open acceptance. It remains exciting to see what she will uncover in book II.

[Carol Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the beginning with Alice's part, but the rest . . . Ava's constant moaning and groaning about the past got a little tiresome after a while. And while there was a lot of great description and detail, in the end, there was nothing but loose ends - nothing got resolved. Even the relationship between Ava and Silas was up in the air. Yes, Ava and Silas were in bed sleeping at the end, but nothing was resolved between them. The whole book seemed like more of an introduction to the rest of the series than an actual story itself.

[Joanne H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a entertaining story! Loved it and can't wait until the next one. The characters was so explicit and left no doubt what was going on.
A place called Loon Lake was where Ava 's mother lost her life and Ava was going home to spread her mother's ashes. While living at Loon Lake, Ava was in love with a guy named Silas, but he dropped her like a rock and she never knew why.
Things were going on with the property and Eva's mothers death and her old love Silas, returned. Such a wonderful read.

[LizJ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

10+ Stars
It's extremely rare when a book moves me to tears and this book did just that. The way Ms. Raine describes the thoughts and feelings while Alice is dying was so moving, so touching I have no words. This story is bittersweet and magical with a mystery to solve and a romance to come together, it is quite a ride!! The setup for this series is totally amazing and I can't wait to read the next book!!

[Geff Ratcheson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plotting, the writing needs a bit of work.

The story drew me in, but the characters were somewhat flat. I somehow got on an email list for Ms Raine & Mr Quinn, & this is the first I've read.

I liked the plot, but never really connected with the protagonists. I suspect she'll get better with practice.

There's 2 more in this series, haven't decided if I'm going to read them or not.

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

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silas is a "wolf shifter," not quite the same thing as a werewolf. As such he's monogamous and broke up a relationship with Ava, in the past, because he didn't think she was. When Ava comes home at age 44, she's just the right age to appreciate Silas. There are some steamy scenes in this fantasy romance as well as some magical adventures. For its kind of thing this book is well written and fun to read.

[Theodora Vanyar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a full novel, not a novella; but seeing as I read it all in one sitting, about an hour, it couldn’t have been too bad, right?
A few typos and quirks of phrase, but solid writing and an engaging premise. Switching first pov isn’t always my cup of tea, but it was well handled.
I would read more of this series.

[Cynthia A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where did the magic come from?

Ava’s mother owns a wonderful piece of forest untouched by human hands. When her mother dies Ava returns to sell the property for back taxes. As she investigates things begin to happen.
I was really involved in the story and it ended. Now onto book two.

[Diane C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun concept, but it is only half a book (if that). I know that it was on sale and it's a low price to try to get you to buy book 2. I was expecting a cliffhanger. But it didn't even get to the plot yet. The author built the backdrop, introduced the characters, and that was the end. I don't want to have to buy 4 books to get a developed storyline.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bon divertissement. Personnellement, je n’aime pas les histoires qui s’étalent sur plusieurs livres. L’histoire a du potentiel, mais il n’y a aucune conclusion dans ce livre. Mon intérêt pour l’histoire est grandement diminué suite aux nombreux « cliff hangers ».

[Melanie Sears · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like shifter books but I liked this one enough that I bought the next one in the series. What I liked mostly was that the female protagonist was a middle-aged woman and there was a mystery to be solved.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of life, love and death, portrayed in a lighthearted read. The characters are well suited for this book. I’m ready for more.

[vicki carnicle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A midlife shifters dream

This is a story about wolves that are protected on her mothers land the daughter she left behind to save the woods and her mate and future and love

[Payge · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOTS of repetition within the dialogue and plot. Nothing really happened... I guess if it hooked you try the second part, but I'm out.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon & on Apple iBooks today (7/25/2023)! 🎁

[Laura McFarlane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story dragged and I couldn't continue it

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the main characters and the bare bones of the story. However, there was too much repetition which could have been removed. Books 1 and 2 should be combined into one.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a segment of the story rather than a complete story. The characters were engaging but I wish it was complete

[chloe✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this wasn’t so short I would have DNFd it

[Jenni Bearden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was annoying. Interesting premise, and fairly likable character. Incredibly simplistic and a bit silly. But what really irked me was that it was really just part of a book. The intrigue was just starting to and it was just… Over. Not even just a cliffhanger, just stopped right in the middle of the plot. Like the book felt like it was about a third of the way through and it just ended out of the blue. I don’t even know how to rate this. But I’m giving it two stars for now. It’s a shame, it did have some potential.

[Camille Abelanet-Wang · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5. Okay, so while this was an interesting idea, I was not a huge fan of the execution. The dialogue felt stilted and exposition-dump-y at times, the same thing tended to be said in two adjoining paragraphs (often the same words), and the main character spent about half of the book (a very short book) complaining about being single. Even during hard-hitting moments, like when she's taking her mother's ashes to her final resting place.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.