Rating: 4.5🌈
Shifter Scoundrels is a wildly imaginative , heave everything the multi era/trope sink has to offer into the adventure/romance world as conjured up by Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake. Part paranormal universe, it also includes such features as a Regency era monarchy, a royal society with the accompanying aristocracy events. To say nothing of the Regency societal laws such as rigid dress codes to go with the peerage rankings. All of these adopted by the Dragon Shifter King and the rest of the shifter world that lives invisibly along side the human one. It’s so marvelously descriptive and realized.
All of that serves as a foundation for mystery, murder, and magical mayhem as well as romance from book to book, with each novel featuring one couple involved in and investigating the overall series arc mystery. That being the murder of Prince Brandr, the son of the King.
I enjoyed the Regency relationship , romantic gameplay and subterfuge of the first story. It was all very in keeping with the theme and types of storytelling that the genre does so well.
But Dangerous goes in a different direction, romantically speaking, with its couple. And while it kept some of the Regency parameters intact, it also borrowed from the contemporary genre too. The combination is one is I found engaging and wonderfully entertaining. Because this other main character is oh so human, and comes with a very serious heart condition.
Jason Reaves is a surprise in every way. Jason has POTS, Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. He also has a wonderfully realized service dog, a German shepherd, Mouse, who’s a great character. The authors, both of whom own GSDs, show us exactly how Mouse helps Jason with his disability and their partnership in letting Jason lead a wider life. This is such a superb element of this book and it’s worked so perfectly to elevate Jason as a multi-dimensional character including great backstory. As is Mouse who’s so much a part of him.
Cormac Donegan, Duke of Everard, is bringing heavyweight Regency energy here to his part of the relationship. Cormac is in recovery from a traumatic event, the losses which still haunt him. We’ve seen this event and connected events in the first book (which is running concurrently in terms of timeframe). So we have some knowledge about what’s happening and the details around the events.
Cormac and his team of valets/soldiers are absolutely fantastic characters. Cormac as he starts to understand Jason’s predicament and fall for the human he’s bound to protect. Vega and Sillian ,the manservants , who are fabulous in their roles as foils for each other and for Jason as he becomes part of the household and their world.
The mystery and fast paced action is fantastic. The narrative runs along at near breakneck speed to match the scenes unfolding on the pages.
There’s humor, some pathos, passion, and action, along with great support cast and main characters.
I honestly couldn’t put this down.
The setup for Scandalous, the third installment and romance is smoothly executed. Now to wait until next year.
I’m highly recommending this story but read the series in order first so you understand the events and backgrounds as it all comes together.
What a wild whacky mashup! I love it.
Shifter Scoundrels series:
✓ Notorious #1
✓ Dangerous #2
â—¦ Scandalous #3 – Feb 29,2024
Buy Link:
Dangerous (Shifter Scoundrels Book 2)
Description:
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?
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 