Off the Shelf: Hell & High Water by Charlie Cochet

The fact that I waited so long before delving into the THIRDS universe is a black mark against my name because whoo boy was this brilliant!

The series is based in a reimagined world after the Vietnam war in which widespread disease spread and the medicine that was meant to be the cure ended up generating some very unintended consequences: Therians. Therians are humans who can shift into various mammals including cheetahs, lions, tigers and jaguars. With the emergence of the Therians came a whole host of new questions. How could Humans fight off those who can kill with one well-placed swipe of a claw? That’s where the THIRDS come in.

So, what is THIRDS you may ask? According to the official website (which is an amazing source of all things THIRDS including pictures and in depth bios of all the characters):

With the panic and growing number of casualties both Human and Therian during the riots of the 1980s, it was clear something had to be done to ensure public safety, and offer an unbiased justice system for Therian citizens. After a new Therian legislation branch of the government was established, along with the implementation of Therian laws, officials answered the cries of its citizens for a new law enforcement agency equipped to handle Therian threats.

In 1990, the Therian-Human Intelligence, Recon, Defense, Squadron -or- the THIRDS, opened its doors, pairing every Human element within the organization with a Therian one, in the pursuit of justice for all species.

Into this mine field enter our heroes Dex and Sloane, Human and Therian respectively. Dex has been through the ringer. When he saw his partner on the Human Police Force shoot a Therian in cold blood he had no choice but to report him. With the verdict handed down, Dex is hoping life will go back to normal but is soon the victim of disapproving looks, general cold behavior and worse yet beatings from his own colleagues. He knows something has got to give, and it does, just not in the way he expected it to. He is promoted to the THIRDS, and overnight is part of a team made up of Human and Therian partners.

Things can only look up from there right? Wrong! His partner is the team leader of Destructive Delta, Sloane, who is reeling from the loss of his teammate and partner Gabe. While there are strict rules and harsh consequences for fraternization, Sloane and Gabe were willing to take the risk and when Gabe was killed on the job it sent Sloane, not to mention the whole team reeling. Dex is expecting a little hostility but he gets more than he bargained for!

I don’t know how to express how wonderful this book was. I think you’ll have to read it to find out more. The world the author creates is complex and action filled. That being said let me chat about some of the things I loved:

The Destructive Delta team. They were these guys and girls willing to risk it all for each other (some more than others, but that’s a story for another review) and they were funny and sad at times and just so loveable as a whole. Ash was this giant lion shifter who just couldn’t get along with Dex who was a clown on most occasions. It was hilarious to see the threats fly between the two! Cael, Dex’s adoptive brother and a Therian, was adorable in his affection for his tablet and his love of all things nerdy. He and Dex picked on each other and were the most adorable brothers I’ve read in a while! Rosa and Letty were these badass girls in a mostly male team and I loved how they kicked butt and took names. They more than held their own and I loved that they weren’t shoved aside for the focus to be on the male characters (as sometimes happens in M/M romance novels). Calvin and Hobbs had this intense bromance that seemed difficult for others to penetrate but they were so crucial to the team and I could tell in reading the book that they were well loved members of the team.

I also loved the romance between Dex and Sloane. I think it was very realistic. I raised my eyebrow a bit at Sloane falling for a partner twice in a row but when love strikes it doesn’t seem to care about things like that! I also think my acceptance of it was aided by the fact that Dex was so different from how Gabe was described not to mention the fact that Sloane tried really hard not to fall for Dex.

I also loved Dex’s character! He was so humorous, so positive despite his circumstance and so understanding! He had a love for his family (and navigated the divide between his adoptive dad Maddox being his boss and his adoptive brother being his teammate!) He played pranks that were chuckle worthy and insisted on singing 80s songs as often as possible (much to Sloan’s chagrin). He was this ray of sunshine that his team needed and I can’t wait to read more about him. It was a 4 star read of note!

I feel like this review is so rambly and gushy but I honestly loved this book and the universe created in it! Thanks Charlie for bringing this intricately woven world to life and having written about thirteen books in it to date!

I’ll be reading and reviewing more of these books (hopefully more coherently). In the meantime, check out these THIRDS resources:

Goodreads (reading order)

THIRDS HQ (series website, which is super awesome)

Charlie Cochet (author website)

Till next time!

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf: Bitten by Desire by Annabelle Jacobs

When last we left off in the human/shifter universe of Annabelle Jacobs, Nathan and Jared had found love and defeated a rogue gang of shifters while they were at it...or had they? Alpha Newell of the Primrose Pack and Alpha Harley of the Regent’s Park Pack who previously joined forces now play a subtle game of back with one trying to stage a takeover and the other willing to use all he has to resist. 

Enter Sebastian, Jared’s best friend and unwitting pawn in this new stage of the game and Tim, cool, calm and mostly collected Regent’s Park Pack doctor. Having to pretend to be dating Sebastian to protect him from rogues and anyone else out there with ill intent will be no hardship for Tim who’s been fighting a growing attraction for him...or will it? Everything seems set for a slow trip to bonding until Tim learns that recent events have Sebastian rethinking his stance on shifters and doubting he could ever be with one as anything other than friends with some very lovely benefits.

Sebastian was really fun and I totally understood where he was coming from with his aversion of any type of relationship with a shifter. After seeing his best friend fall for a shifter in a way that seemed to be despite himself, the last thing Sebastian wants is to dabble with shifters. He wants to fall in love without what he calls the influence of any “shifter magic” and this is all even though he has some strong feelings for Tim. Sebastian had so much going on with him. He struggled with money and had this sense of pride in that while he was happy to live in Jared’s apartment, he insisted on paying his way. He also really hated getting injured and having to rely on people to get around. He was a loving brother and that was so sweet. I really fell for him and identified with his desire to avoid any shifter trouble (even though it somehow kept finding him). 

Tim was such a breath of fresh air! He initially came across as this easygoing doctor who didn’t really give into his shifter side and I thought that was a great contrast to Nathan and other shifters we had been introduced too so far in the series. I didn’t have long to wait to see how wrong I was in assuming that Tim was all bark no bite because the good doctor was definitely a shifter at times. He was very possessive and protective of Sebastian and it had me feeling all the warm and fuzzies. He honestly cared so deeply for Sebastian and his happiness even at the risk of not having him in his life forever and that endeared him so much for me. I loved how kind, caring and sensitive he was but also how he showed a little teeth and a lot of claw at just the right moment. 

There was a lot of political intrigue in this story as compared to the first one and that had me so happy. I love a good mystery slash thriller and there were elements of that throughout the novel. There were questions I had as a reader all throughout the book and who doesn’t love that? It kept me interested and seeing the increasingly strained dynamic between the two packs play out was a really great part of the story. 

I love this world Annabelle has created. I am trying really hard not to go back into it to quickly because I have a TBR list the size of my arm (which is still growing!). I can’t wait to read the next book and there will probably be another gushy review here for you all! 

I actually enjoyed this book more than the first one. I just enjoyed the couple that little bit more. It got five I love their love stars! 

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf: Bitten by Mistake by Annabelle Jacobs

M/M shifter romance is so niche, so rarely done right and what is slowly but surely becoming a favourite genre. I stumbled onto Annabelle Jacob’s’ Regent’s Park Pack series on Goodreads and by golly was that a brilliant find! Let me just put everyone out of their misery (ha!) and say that this book was amazing and I can’t wait to read more in the series. Now sit back and relax as I count the ways in which Nathan and Jared’s story had me oohing and aahing and wishing for my own shifter boyfriend!

The Regent’s Park Pack is a group of shifters who turn into wolves in the night (the night of the full moon that is). They live in a world where everyone knows they exist and are subject to two sets of laws- this of the human world and those of the shifter world. In terms of human law shifters are free to bite humans and in so doing give them the chance to turn into shifters with the rising of the full moon but the agreement for a shifter to bite a human has to be in writing and filed with human authorities. If a shifter bites a human without his or her consent, the human is free to choose the shifter’s punishment, including the punishment of death. 

Jared has a dark past with shifters and the last thing he wants to deal with on a night out is any shifter trouble. Too bad there are a couple of shifters out at the club and one of them catches his eye despite his firm stance on getting involved with shifters. Nathan is attracted to Jared on sight but before he can convince him to change his mind and take a chance on him he is called away on Pack business. There a rogues on the loose and before they know it Nathan and Jared’s paths will cross again, a misplaced bite will have they sharing an apartment and more than a kiss or two and an unexpected bond may form. 

The writing style of the author was so great. There was enough humour to offset the serious moments but the angst factor was pretty up there (yay for angst!) I enjoyed this new imagining of shifter and human society coexisting and the challenges it posed for both the human and shifter characters in the story as they tried to navigate each other’s society without getting on the wrong side of the law.

Jared was this guy with a past with shifters and more than enough reason to be angry with them. He considered them arrogant and cocky and was more than happy to be one of the few humans not giving anything to spend a night with a shifter. He was firm in his beliefs and I loved how he gave as good as he got. With a human/shifter dynamic it was easy to see how Jared could have ended up being submissive to Nathan but that was really not the case. The two bickered back and forth and it was hilarious to read.

Nathan was actually one of those arrogant, cocky types which I actually found to be hilarious and such a fun pairing thanks to the author (I see what you did there Annabelle). He was so self-assured and wouldn’t budge in his confidence even when Jared tried to pretend he wasn’t into him (a losing battle if I ever read one!) What I loved the most about him was his attraction to Jared and how protective he was of him. He was so possessive but caring and honestly my heart skipped a beat every time I read the scenes between them. There were moments of uncertainty and vulnerability on Nathan’s side that had me wanting to reach into the book, hug him and tell him everything would be ok. 

The book had an action plot that I would definitely say was secondary (but no less gripping). The Regent’s Park Pack had to join forces with their uneasy allies the Primrose Pack to try and eliminate the threat to not just each pack but Nathan and Jared in particular. There was no love lost between the two packs but with a common enemy on their doorstep they had no choice but to combine forces. Working with others was a challenge to Jared who was more than a little jealous at times (for which I didn’t blame him!) This part of the story had me gripped and honestly I couldn’t wait to see how it would be resolved! 

Overall, this book got a well deserved, gritty but heartwarming 4.5 stars! 

And yes, I immediately jumped onto the next book in the series. A review of that will be up soon! 

Visit Annabelle here for more!

TK MAJ