REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Shift

SERIES: Wolves of Hunter’s Rock #1

AUTHOR: Shelley Grayson

PUBLISHER: Daisywolf Publishing

LENGTH:  518 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2017

BLURB:  The new gay urban fantasy romance from Shelley Grayson.

Someone’s killing werewolves.

Lukas Vance finds a list of towns, and in each one he discovers a murdered 19-year-old who smells almost like pack even though he knows they can’t be related to him. He reaches the next town on the list before the killer, determined to get the intended victim out of this situation alive. When he catches the familiar pack scent and sees the guy it belongs to, Lukas wants to do so much more than protect him.

Chris Keenan doesn’t know why gorgeous, broody Lukas thinks he’s in danger. Lukas says he wants to keep him safe, and when Chris freaks out Lukas is the only one able to calm him down. Chris has been feeling off for a while, and whatever’s causing that seems to be related to the list of towns and the murderer who’s made him a target. Instead of going to the police, Chris puts his trust in Lukas. But even with Lukas protecting him, figuring out what’s wrong with him may be the last thing Chris ever does.

Wow, what a great new paranormal story this was!  This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author, and the length put me off just a bit, but boy am I glad I dove in!

This is about Lukas and Chris at the core, but it is so much more.  Lukas (and his brother, Griffin) are werewolves who are following names on a list in an effort to save the next victim before whatever is killing them succeeds.  They don’t know much, other than the victims smell a little like their pack, yet they don’t at the same time.  Chris is the first guy from their list of towns they come across.  Once Chris’ bff, Albert, becomes involved, the foursome head to the next town to see if they can find the next victim and try to make some connections and get some answers.

At the next town, they come upon twins, Jules and Tad (aka Silent Tad), who both realize they are different but immediately know they are the same as Chris.  Trying to stay ahead of the killer, they all make their way back to Hunter’s Rock to find more answers.

One of my favorite things about this story was the group dynamic.  As their adventure continues, they all grow closer and become their own pack, and as Tad continuously reminds everyone, they are all in together.  There is really so much to love about these characters – Lukas and Griffin and their protective growly and sometimes teasing natures, Albert and his humor and quick wit, Chris with his sweet shyness, and eventually, their friend Roger, who joins them later on, who is known for teasing, yet is protective and loyal.

There is a lot going on here as clues are found and the story unfolds.  What is happening to Chris, Jules and Tad goes back to their parents and an even bigger cover up that is both interesting and unique.  I found the circumstances which resulted in the current issues to be extremely refreshing and new.  And, while this is all going on, there is the budding relationship and feelings growing between Lukas and Chris that felt natural and meant to be.  Not so much in a fated mates kind of way, but in a more realistic and believable way.

So, even though this was a long story, it never felt dragged out, and I was engaged and turning pages until the end.  I was fully invested in the characters and can’t wait to see where this story is heading next.  Highly recommend.