Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Alpha Unit One, New York
AUTHOR: Chris T. Kat
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 181 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2018
BLURB:
The cat’s out of the bag….
In a world that accepts shifters as normal and thinks nothing of human/shifter couples, baby shifters and small shifters are treated as subpar. They are not allowed into the more dangerous professions, and their mates have legal control over what they can and cannot do.
Nicholas Reed is about to challenge the established rules. At twenty-eight, Nick has just been accepted into New York’s Alpha Unit One—an elite law enforcement team, composed equally of humans and shifters, that specializes in drug crimes. It is Nick’s dream job. But if they find out what he’s hiding, his career could be destroyed.
Enter a huge complication in the form of Sam Black, an older lion shifter who is the leader of the unit… and Nick’s mate. Nick wants Sam, and he wants to keep his job, but he can’t have them both. He also can’t choose between them.
REVIEW:
This is what happens when you combine big tough alphas with the cutest, most adorable little shifters EVER written! Honestly! I had to go and watch cute baby animal videos after this, just to satisfy the need to watch them play some more. I truly hope that the author plans to turn this into a series, because I was so sad to have it end.
In this world, shifters are an accepted part of society. Big shifters (the big cats, wolves, bears, etc) are seen as being equal to humans, or even superior, and are free to do or become anything they desire. The small animal shifters, however, are looked down on and are banned from any job that could be seen as dangerous. Instead they’re steered towards jobs like aged care or child care, and that’s if they’re lucky enough to find a mate who will give them permission to work. Even more controlled than the small shifters are those shifters that take on a baby form of their animal. I really loved the way the author came up with this original idea. Most shifters’ animal halves match their human ages, but every so often an adult will become a “baby shifter”. Nick is one such shifter. Though he’s a full grown man in his twenties, when he shifts he becomes a three month old snow leopard. You know that saying – my ovaries exploded…well I totally get that now. The cuteness factor was off the charts.
Now in case you’re wondering, there is no weirdness about these alpha mates feeling sexual if their mate is in its baby form. Thank god, because I’ll admit, once I understood the mechanics I was waiting for things to feel kinda uncomfortable. That never happened. When the mated pair are in their shifted forms the alpha will be super protective and playful, but there are absolutely no sexy thoughts going on.
The characters were all interesting, and I loved that there were a variety of breeds. I loved Nick’s sassy and argumentative personality, and I feel that many readers will draw parallels between this book and another super popular law enforcement series about humans and sexy shifters. The plot was also a contemporary/SWAT-ish story line that kept me entertained from beginning to end.
If you like your shifter stories with a lot of cute to go along with the action, then maybe check out Alpha Unit One, New York.
RATING: 
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