It’s sometimes hard for me to believe that Shifter Haven has been up and running since December 5, 2015.  What started out as an additional blog for my special love for all things Shifter has become, if not my main blog, than my second home away from Keeper Bookshelf 

As we’re heading into June of 2017 I’ve managed to complete, so far, one goal for this blog for this year and onward – at least one daily post.  I’m happier with that amount rather than one post today and three the next and two the next  that was happening last year  I am so in love with scheduled posts now, I don’t know how I could keep up this pace without them.  Occasionally you’ll still see two posts when I’ve finished a current story that already has the previous ones in the series posted – and to keep timely for authors for I do understand the value of timely posts of new releases.

I’ve met some amazing, talented authors through this blog.  Some have requested reviews of their current books, others I’ve “met” while scrolling through the books over at Amazon.  I’ve tried to add new to me authors often, of course, we all have our favorites – but that list can always be increased with new talent.  I’ve loved seeing the different slants on Shifter lore from different authors, that always keeps my reading interesting and lively for certain.  Discovering Kindle Unlimited (a thank you to my son’s Christmas gift one year) has only broadened my horizons on Shifter stories and other genre.  The length of the majority of Shifter Romance stories is long enough to give me a good story experience, and short enough that I can easily fit in an hour or two of reading at some point in the day to keep that daily post goal of mine a reality.

Now that I’m fairly certain that I can keep this scheduled ahead pace going, it’s time to start up the second goal I have for Shifter Haven this year.  And that is to go back to the authors and series that I began reading long before this blog was even a distant wish.  Authors like Christine Feehan and her amazing Shifter series to which I’m addicted.  Her Leopard series is a favorite but, gosh, I love the (Dark) Carpathians so much that I’m tempted to start putting the Carpathians here as well for while there may be vampires there are also shapeshifters as well.  So Leopard series for certain.  Carpathians probably.  A Lion’s Pride series by Eve Langlais will be starting this week – I’m enjoying re-reading those to update my memory before I do the reviews.  And a few others that I’ll get started on this year.  Most require a re-read for I want my memory of the story to be correct, but re-reading those stories is no harsh chore at all.

I believe I have a handle on how I want the rest of the year to go for Shifter Haven – but life often has other plans, so I’ll just cross my fingers for luck.  But it does feel good to have a plan of operational intent in place, on paper at least *grin*

I love Shifter Romance.  I think that’s pretty obvious by a blog devoted to them and how often I post reviews about the books I’ve read.

However.  I have a notebook sized piece of paper, written on both sides are Shifter books I’ve read in 2016 and didn’t “have the time” to review immediately after closing the book.  Yeah.  Well, that backfired on me.  And you know if you follow this blog, that I do a lot of reviews.  Even with that amount, I still couldn’t keep current.  So now I’ve got to come up with a plan to get those reviews done.  That means maybe 4 or more reviews per day for a while.  I hate to do that because it’s an overload in people’s feeds… but, still I need to get caught up.  It’s a touch choice.

I wish I could have started 2017 with a clean, fresh slate on all my blogs… but reality happens, ya know?  So mixed in with what I’ve currently just finished reading will be some additional reviews as well.  Dang, Shifter Romance is so addicting!  And so easy to fit in whenever there’s a spare hour or so.  No wonder I’m behind.  *grin*

Anyway, I hope you find these additional reviews interesting.  (trust me, there’s a whole lot that you’ll never see because they weren’t worth the time to review… and I hate to be mean and say – it sucked)

We all have those trigger words – words that make us cringe – words that lift us up – you know what I mean.  Words that just bring an emotion, a visual completeness to whatever we’re reading.  I had a run-in with a word last night as I was reading the latest Shifter Romance to cross my Kindle.  And, sadly, it wasn’t a good experience but it did make me think and perhaps be more aware of how words affect me.

Let’s be honest here – we all are aware that the majority of Shifter Romance is erotica within a paranormal setting.  Shifter couples are sizzling, smoking hot and not afraid to show us exactly how they enjoy their sexual moments.  And I am totally fine with that – heck, I wouldn’t be reading so many of then if I wasn’t, ya know?

Yet last night I was completely taken out of the moment by one word that was put in the wrong place… for me.  It shattered my illusion of a hot, sexy couple doing one of the most natural acts that any species does.  Suddenly this wasn’t a man and woman expressing their love physically.  It felt crass and I stopped reading at that moment.  I was completely out of their world and into a cringe moment of my own.

Please, don’t get me wrong here – there is no “fault” yet there is “reaction” that is personal to me.  I’m certain that as readers we all have words that are like fingernails on a blackboard to us… they simply jar and make us shudder or take us out of the experience of the story.

So I put that book aside and will return to it in a day or so.  It’s a very entertaining story and I don’t want to miss the conclusion of it – but not yet.  I need to get that hero and heroine back into a loving relationship in my mind and not the situation that one word put them into in my mind.  Silly?  Perhaps.  But it’s also an honest human reaction that I needed to express.  Truthfully, I wondered if there are other readers who react to certain words enough that they are taken out of the story because of them.

There is no right or wrong to this post.  It’s an opinion, a thinking out loud moment of mine.  The truth is words do have power – and for each of us, that word is different.

Title:  Cherished
Series:  True Mated #5
Author:  Olivia Arran
Published:  February 17, 2016
My Rating:  4.5 stars
Source:  Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

I’m the pack fixer…and I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.
Wolf shifter Oliver Colstone was handpicked to be the pack fixer because of his specialist training, his lack of emotions, and his willingness to do whatever is needed to get a job done. Got a problem? He’s your man. But one look at his true mate and Oliver thinks he might be the one in trouble this time…

I’m a survivor – but can I survive being the focus of Oliver’s attention?
Life hasn’t been a barrel of laughs for curvy Ana Arlington, but she hasn’t given up. Nope. She’s got her son to think about and a future to plan. First things first, she has to find a way to escape her captors. She doesn’t need a smoking hot black-ops kind of guy swooping in and rescuing her. Okay, maybe she does…but does he have to look so darn irresistible doing it?

As destiny draws human and shifter together, will Oliver be able to convince Ana to give up her prejudices and take a chance on fate…or will she forever close her heart to true love?

Sexy shifters and their feisty mates who aren’t shy about loving each other – so, this is an adult, 18+ reader tale.

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