I’m a huge fan of bargains, especially bargain e-books having racked up what seemed to be the debt of a nation the first few months I owned my Kindle, that’s why I try to find interesting and fun offerings for the Friday posts. So, when I saw that there was a box set of Shifter Romances available from the publisher for review – and that it would be offered at $0.99 for a while – I immediately wanted to add Shifter Romance Boxed Set (11 Book Bundle), an Insatiable Reads collection of bestselling paranormal romance to my review list.
I’m not sorry I did, but I am sorry that the publisher went for quantity over quality. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked several of the eleven stories included here, but I don’t feel this is the most thoughtful or interesting collection I’ve seen – even for the rock bottom price. What irritated me the most, I think, was the inclusion of multi-partner erotica stories in a book classified as paranormal romance. It definitely carries at least an NR-17 rating if not higher.
The stories that I found most interesting and well-written were: Marina Maddix’s Laid Bear, Tawny Taylor’s Beared to You (both about bear shifters); Celia Kyle’s He Ain’t Lion, Aubrey Rose’s Blind Wolf, Cynthia Brint’s Until the Flood, and Adriana Hunter’s Better Mate than Never. In addition, Elixa Everett offered a whole new view of shapeshifting in Whatever He Wants Her to Be. If the publisher had compiled a shifter paranormal romance collection with these seven stories, I’d be more than delighted with my expenditure of $0.99 or the list price of $9.99 as they were fun, hot, steamy romances with interesting plots and characters.
But the publisher didn’t and the quality of writing was all over the place from the very good as noted above – to well, some stories I really had to force myself to read. I did read them all though and it took me all day, even with skimming through some of the ones I found quite hard to manage (in particular Julianne Reyer’s Desires of the Wolfman, a multi-partner, partner swapping, erotic read that was just deadly – and not in a good way). Other stories, besides Desires of the Wolfman, that include multi partner relations are: Dawn Steele’s Wanted by the Alphas and Eliza Gayle’s Lucas.
So would I recommend that you purchase this collection? I think I would. As I mentioned, some of these stories were really interesting and I’d like to read more from these authors. I can’t rate this very highly, but do feel that if the publisher were, in the future, to compile a real shifter romance collection and a separate shifter erotica collection the reader would be much better served, even with a few less offerings.
From the Publisher
Shifter Romance Boxed Set by Marina Maddix, Tawny Taylor, Celia Kyle, Elixa Everett, Dawn Steele, Aubrey Rose, Cynthia Brint, Eliza Gayle, Julianne Reyer, & Selena Kitte
Xcessica Publishing
ISBN 9781609827700
Price $9.99
Lions and tigers and bears…oh, yeah! This collection of shifter romances is guaranteed to heat up your cool autumn evenings with eleven stories (350,000 total words!) of curve-loving werebears, sassy werecats and, of course, everyone’s favorite: alpha werewolves. Pick up this boxed set today and get in touch with your animal side tonight — just 99¢ for a limited time! (Regular Price $9.99!)
Stories from New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Aubrey Rose, Eliza Gayle, Adriana Hunter, Terry Towers (writing as Elixa Everett), Tawny Taylor , Aphrodite Hunt (writing as Dawn Steele) and Marina Maddix ,as well as #1 Paranormal author Celia Kyle, Top 20 Shifter Romance author Cynthia Brint, and Top 100 Amazon and Barnes and Noble bestselling and award winning author Selena Kitt.
LAID BEAR by Marina Maddix: Curvy Bethany can’t believe her luck when her devastatingly hot neighbor Max falls for her. But his secret threatens her future…and her life.
BEARED TO YOU by Tawny Taylor: Curvy city girl Abby is thrilled when a hot, naked man shows up on her cabin’s front doorstep and stokes a blaze or two, in the fireplace and in her body…until he turns into a bear…and the two of them are forced to run for their lives through the untamed Alaskan wilderness.
HE AIN’T LION by Celia Kyle: Life sucks… And then you get turned into a werelion… And then have lotsa awesome sex…
WHATEVER HE NEEDS HER TO BE by Elixa Everett: What would you do to win over the man of your dreams? For shapeshifter Selena, it’s simply a matter of being whatever he needs her to be.
WANTED BY THE ALPHAS by Dawn Steele: New girl in a new town, Shannon, meets two extremely gorgeous and extremely different men who are vying for her attention — but who happen to be a witch and an alpha werewolf at war with each other.
BLIND WOLF by Aubrey Rose: A blind werewolf leading a pack of stragglers finally finds his one true mate — then realizes she’s human… UNTIL THE FLOOD by Cynthia Brint: Fiona believes the love of her life died years ago, so how will she handle his return…and the fact that he’s no longer human?
DESIRES OF THE WOLFMAN by Julianne Reyer: A newlywed couple faces their deepest fantasies and fears as they’re thrust from their little rural community into a world of werewolf turmoil and mystery.
CAT LOVER (Book 1) by Selena Kitt: Sebastian and Katie are having relationship issues when her ex shows up to complicate things, but that’s the least of their worries, because Katie is finally changing–into something not quite human.
BETTER MATE THAN NEVER by Adriana Hunter: Caleb Stone has wanted Paige for as long as he can remember but there’s a reason he’s always kept his distance. Wolves, more specifically, Lycan’s, can’t mate with humans. Worse, he can sense her incredibly intense hunger for him but he knows that he can never give her what she wants, or needs.But when Paige is kidnapped by a powerful enemy Caleb has no choice but to go after her even if it means revealing his true identity…even if means risking it all.
LUCAS by Eliza Gayle: An uneasy alliance, a mating call that won’t be denied, rituals that must be honored, and unrelenting enemies who will stop at nothing to get what they want. In the end, there’s really only one choice… for Lucas.
