Reviewed by Kimberley
TITLE: Johnnie
SERIES: Siphon (Book 1)
AUTHOR: Cardeno C.
PUBLISHER: The Romance Authors
LENGTH: 56,233 words
BLURB:
A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force. When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more. Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.
REVIEW:
Johnnie looks like a start to another great series by Cardeno C. and features my favorite type of shifter: felines. I absolutely adore my felines and of course, I was on this book like a cat on catnip.
This book talks about Johnnie, a Siphon and his beautiful Premier, Hugh. Johnnie has been Hugh’s siphon for over a decade and Hugh never noticed or acknowledged how unhappy his siphon was until, Johnnie, unbearably and desperately unhappy tries to end it all. The journey that these two men take towards understanding each other is beautifully written. The characters are well fleshed out and the dialog flows smoothly from one page to the next. As usual, you become attached to these characters and they tend to stick with you a bit after the stories have ended. This is what I enjoy about reading this author’s work.
There’s angst, but not so much that it drags the book down with it. I started off really thinking one way about the members of Hugh’s pride and even Hugh himself but as the story progresses, you realize the members of the pride aren’t bad, just misguided. I like how Hugh interacts with the members of his pride. You can clearly see the love and devotion he has for them and they him. I also loved how the author wrote Johnnie’s character. She could’ve written him as this depressed young man with no backbone who falls in love instantly with the man whose power he was tasked with storing. Johnnie not only loved but he was in love with his premier.
You know a book is really good when you’re able to feel for or connect with the characters. Johnnie’s life was heartbreaking. It was also heartbreaking to see what happened to a pride member who betrayed the pride. I also appreciated the way the author allowed Hugh’s character to grow and change and not be dragged unwillingly into it. I definitely want to see where this story goes. I am interested in seeing these characters again. Great job, Cardeno C.
Oh, and the cover art is amazing!
RATING: 
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