Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Dangerous

SERIES:  Shifter Scoundrels, Book 2

AUTHOR:  Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  259 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2023

BLURB:

New Paranormal Romance from Bestselling MM Authors Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake.

A grumpy lion shifter duke with secrets, a sassy human who knows nothing of the shifter world, and a fiery arrangement neither of them expected.

Cormac Donegan, Duke of Everard, is all too familiar with the perils of his shifter world, especially as a Dahlia, one of the dragon king’s elite spies. After a mission nearly costs him his life, Cormac is sidelined, healing and grieving his heavy losses. Then a different kind of trouble shows up on his doorstep, a human claiming to be his fiancé.

When Jason Reaves is nearly killed in a house fire, it becomes clear that someone is trying to murder him. With his already fragile health deteriorating, Jason’s only hope is to call in the debt a stranger owes his father– a favor that promises safety, protection… and marriage.

Jason’s escape leads him and his service dog, Mouse, to an impressive country estate. He’s expecting the older man who’d made the promise, not his ruggedly handsome son–who happens to be a Duke, as in rich and royal.

Will this Cinderfella find his happily ever after in the arms of a dashing–if somewhat irritable–duke? Or will Cormac’s secrets prove to be more dangerous than the shifters hunting him?

REVIEW:

Dangerous, the second entry in Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake’s Shifter Scoundrels series, is a mashup of Blake’s Chosen One universe and Cochet’s THIRDS series. It’s a paranormal/fantasy, mystery plot revolving around a mythical, secret group of elite spies called the Order of the Blue Dahlias, combined with vibrant endearing characters, plenty of sexy times, and riveting action sequences.  Events in Dangerous call to mind various scenes in both of Cochet and Blake’s books, which is a very good thing indeed.  But perhaps the hallmark of both Cochet and Blake’s writing is the sharply written banter and overarching humor that keep the stories feeling light despite the treachery and violence throughout.

Continuing with the series’ Regency-era feel, Dangerous is a shifter mystery romance that lives comfortably within its own skin.  The royalty, class structure, and plenty of hoity-toity fêtes live within a bubble – literally a magically enclosed society that lives within the human world.  In the first book, Notorious, the world-building, while gorgeous and detailed, failed to make this dichotomy clear.  It’s Dangerous, which features human Jason Reaves swept into the magical high society world of Duke Cormac Donegan, that solidifies the world-building by putting the contrast between the human and shifter worlds in the spotlight.

I loved Dangerous and, in particular, Jason and his service dog Mouse. His grumpy/sunshine romance with Cormac is sweet and funny, and you’ll easily get swept away in their whirlwind romance.  This story features a good dose of Cas, who’s just as much of a troublemaker here as he was in Notorious, and his partner Saphir, as well as the other members of the Blue Dahlias. The events of Dangerous overlap with those of Notorious but are told from the different perspectives of Cormac and Jason. I do not recommend reading this as a standalone. Shifter Scoundrels contains a continuing storyline that you should start from the beginning.

The weakest aspect of this series is the overarching mystery itself.  Cochet and Blake build it out more here so it gains traction, but there’s still not a whole lot to sink your teeth into. Nevertheless, it works well as a framework for the colorful characters to fight, frolic, flaunt, and create a found family.  It also gives structure to Cormac and Jason’s instalove romance that might otherwise not make much sense but works beautifully in Cochet and Blake’s capable hands.  Like Cas and Saphir in Notorious, Cormac and Jason’s chemistry and charisma propels this story and keep the reader engaged.

Dangerous has me completely invested in the Shifter Scoundrels series.  I highly recommend you jump on board this crazy train of lively, loveable characters as we await the next series book.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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