ARC REVIEW Stolen and Forgiven by Alexandra Ivy and Carrie Ann Ryan

Alexandra Ivy and Carrie Ann Ryan bring you a new Paranormal Shifter Romance. This is a great two for one. One thing these ladies have in common is to take a tried and true genre and make it their own. I love these ladies they take something and make it dark, and twist it into an emotional mess that is so deeply entwined in the story it causes such a book hangover when you are done and beg for more. Much like in Kim Harrison's The Hallows a deadly virus has spread throughout the world the cure lies with the blood of the shifter and reluctantly they figuratively come out of the closet and save humanity, now here is where it deviates human instead of thanking them they freak out. They try to wipe them all out the creation of the SAU locked them up and, like in Jennifer Ashley's Shifter's Unbound, they end up collared even more they are branded like cattle. But shifter's are strong and can survive and they have had enough they are just bidding their time.

Stolen is Alexandra Ivy's perfect introduction for a new series. In this story you have Alpha of the River Pack, Holden Carter, who became Alpha at the age of fifteen and everything he has done everything in his power to protect his pack. Knowing how important his pack is he has refrained from claiming a mate until he finds one that his wolf wants but since all the wolf shifter are stuffed in one place it's hard for him to find the one for him. Ariel Sands grew up as an orphan in the post virus world where the government and SAU have spread propaganda and lies about the shifters. Everything is fine in her life until she gets kidnapped by SAU and experimented on, then on the verge of death dumped into the woods on shifter land. Holden finds Ariel before she dies and immediately his wolf claims her and breaking pack laws bites her and changes her. With that Holden changes everything and the secrets the SAU come out as well. Now the dangerous chess game between Shifter and SAU has begun.

Forgiven by Carrie Ann Ryan is Carrie Ann at her best. A second chance, shifter romance between the River Pack Beta, Soren Slater, and Cat Shifter Princess, Cora Wilder. As a punishment for keeping Ariel the SAU merged the dogs with the cats. Soren and Cora meet previously when Soren meet with the cat's several years ago. What started as an innocent flirtation ended in heartbreak, Cora's tiger morns for Soren since he left and chose to mate with another wolf to strengthen the pack. Soren has felt guilty over the death of his mate and the appearance of has rekindled the passion and love he has felt for her. Cora is hesitant still hurting from the initial heartbreak but with the sage advise from her father helps her see things from Soren's point of view. But the SAU has other plans and with the knowledge that they can change people and how to do it they target Cora and her Father. The Cat's and the Wolves, but specifically Soren, work together to change their plans.