ARC REVIEW Shifters of SoHo by J.S. Striker

Shifters of Soho, This is the third installment of the series. It introduces new characters and old. Salazar we met previously in Dean, he was the mute vampire how was imprisoned by the slave traders. Crimson was introduced in Rigby the shifter who helped them escape the mountain. In this new boxed set Salazar and Crimson have been captured on put in cages along with three other people, well... a Wood Fairy, a siren/vampire half breed, and a human. 

Salazar: Trapped in a cage again Salazar again with the help of his fellow captives escape in the midst of escaping he gets chained to the young human boy, Pix. On the run in an unfamiliar forest the five of them work together to safe. When the wood fairy, Khalil, gets injured Crimson reveals what he is in order to save him. Afterwards they split up Crimson with Khalil one way and Salazar, Jison the siren/vampire, and Pix another. It takes Salazar long enough to realize Pix is in fact a woman and not a young man. Pix was trapped on this plan with her sister but when the traders caught them Pix pretended to be a boy to avoid the fate of her sister. Pairing off with this band of mixed match riff raff is her only was to get back to the marketplace and then back home to SoHo. Falling for Salazar was definitely never part of the plan.

Once again Striker writes an epic like story in novella length. So much happens it nonstop and it's a great adventure. Salazar and Pix were a fun couple.

Crimson: After Khalil and Crimson left the others they ended up in SoHo looking for Khalil's mate. After many failed blind dates Khalil finds one that doesn't think he's strange but rather quirky. Crimson isn't sure about her. Alison has no choice the black witches have her mother and unless she delivers Crimson to them they will kill her mother. Nothing ever goes as planned and the portal to deliver Crimson to the black witches screws up and they end up in the middle of nowhere with the added baggage of Khalil tagging along. Crimson has no plans on giving himself over to the black witches but he does promise to help get her mother back. Crimson and Alison try to fight the attraction but being thrown together in life and death situations creates a bond between them that they can't deny even in the end.

Another great story. Overall between Salazar and Crimson this is a great set. Exciting adventures humorous situations and heartfelt romance.  

ARC REVIEW Shifters of SoHo books 4-6 by J.S. Striker

Shifters of SoHo part 2,

Dean was previously published and reviewed.

Oscar: Oscar is the heir apparent for Merland one of the many worlds that connects to Earth through paintings. Merland has been preparing for war there have been an increasing amount of rumors and merman from the outlying ocean being attacked. Oscar, his father, and their General, Rigby, have been upgrading the weapons and other protections preparing for when the attack will finally come. Lili Maldives loves living in SoHo, she is a librarian and caretaker for a privately own library/ art gallery but her boss is an idiot who only cares about the adjacent coffee house. The newly acquired painting was a gift from a Russian painter who before he retired gave away three of his paintings. Lili while determining whether she needed to sell it of keep it was pulled into the painting. Oscar was attacked, it was an attempted assassination and he managed to escape into the closest room available the art gallery but in his haste he ran into one of his uncles paintings of another world and accidentally pulled someone to his side. Lili takes everything in stride she's amazingly calm about discovering there is another world or there full of mermaids. For Oscar's protection and to find his potential mate they travel to SoHo. After a while with no luck Oscar asks Lili if she will pretend to be his mate and after offering her a pretty hefty sum she agrees. Once they get to Merland pretending to be in love is the easy part (mainly because they kind of already do love each other) because soon after the kingdom is surrounded by their previously unknown enemy and the war begins.

At first I was a little disappointed because it mainly took place in Merland and none of the other series characters showed up, then it's all good I liked the way they were brought in. Overall, it was a very exciting story with a good amount of humor and Oscar and Lili are pretty hot.

Rigby: Rigby use to be the General but during the attack on Merland he lost his leg. He still want to be useful so the newly crowned King, and friend, Oscar tasks him with the job of finding the other two painting his uncle painted that are also gateways into Merland before someone finds out what they are. Kitty Waterson is having the worst day ever. She gets fired from her job and her brother is getting married and wants her to move out of their shared apartment. With nowhere else to go she contacts her best friend Lili and asks about her empty apartment. Lili responds right away saying another friend is already staying there and if she doesn't mind sharing the place with him she's welcome to stay.  Kitty and Rigby don't get along at first but when Kitty get suspicious about what it is that Rigby is doing she follows him and watches him break into a house and she follows him into the house and into the wine cellar and proceeds to lock them inside, accidentally of course. When they hear someone upstairs she stumbles and falls into the painting, Rigby has no choice but to after her. Kitty almost drowns but before she does Rigby is there his mouth over her giving her air. Well the cat's out off the bag Kitty knows and Lili comes back to SoHo to explain everything. Because it was all Kitty's fault that she messed up the first recovery of the painting she promises to help Rigby get them. The first one is easy it's the second one that takes them on the adventure. First through the marketplace and then the countryside full of vampire gypsies, sirens, river monster, and mountain goblins.

Overall it was a good story, full of adventure and excitement. Kitty and Rigby have a strong attraction with enough differences to keep it interesting. There are a few hopefuls for characters to get their own story that I want to see. All in all it's good boxed set.         

ARC REVIEW Dean: Shifters of SoHo by J.S. Striker

Shifters of SoHo #4, Dean, the lion shifter guardian of the portal, well his life just became way more complicated dealing with bounty hunters who focus on shifters to steal their hides and other rare items and sell them to human collectors. Dean was given the task of taking down the shifter slavery ring and bring the shifters who are involved to justice. Indigo, hag and owner of a marketplace bar, well her life also just became way more complicated than she ever thought it could when Dean shows up at her doorstep beaten and bloodied and needing to be healed. Dean found out all her secrets and using that a leverage he gets her co-operation to help in his task. I don't know if I would recommend reading this as a standalone but it can be if needed all pertinent information from the other books is gone over.

Dean and Indigo's relationship doesn't start off well, in fact they hated each other. Indigo is friends with Cassidy a human who served time as a messenger for the Shifter elders and Dean and all Indigo saw of Dean was the broody bossy alpha male. Dean only saw the snarky, rude, and while he found her attractive and beautiful for a hag that was one reason he tries to avoid her. Once they start working together they start to see another part of each other all the good parts, Indigo isn't your typical hag and Dean isn't all mean and broody and it isn't long before they fall in love with each other. Together they track down the shifter slavery ring and infiltrate it but the shifters involved are devious and have on their payroll Black Witches. Indigo must overcome past fears and Dean must face the harsh reality that someone from his pack is behind it all. 

Overall, this was a great read. I loved the characters and the story, the romance was nice (mmmm Dean) they do get pretty hot and heavy but that nothing unusual for this author. There were things I wish she had gone into more detail about like shifting the POV to one of the other characters as they are doing their part of the story instead of just glossing over it other than that this was a great read.    

ARC REVIEW Shifters of SoHo box set by J.S. Striker

Shifters of SoHo box set vol 1, Brand new series set in a new universe where our Earth sets parallel with other more magical worlds. One the home of the shifters, another is home to the Elfkind, another for Fae, and one for the evil demons. Some of these magical beings have the ability to open portals and travel between worlds the central hub being a marketplace, which is the connecting point to all the worlds. Striker once again creates a world full of magic and mystery with strong alphas and even stronger women they inevitably fall in love with. Each book has a common theme between them but they can be read as a stand alone if needed.  

Book 1: Jack Jillian loves living in SoHo and her job at an art gallery, but a difference of opinion with the bosses new fiancee and she may lose it all. Luckily she finds another job in now time and she meets someone. Jack had one job retrieve the painting he never counted one being attracted to Jillian and with his feelings clouding his judgment. Jillian unfortunately gets sweeped up into a world she knows nothing about and running for her life with the man who seduced her for her painting. Along the way she befriends a one winged fae, Yeri, and along with Jack's friend Kasper they have to keep the demons from getting that painting.

Jack and Jillian's is a nice start to the series. it a nice gradual introduction to this new universe of characters. Jillian is slow to trust Jack even though the attraction is there and even more so after she learns of his deception. The romance is constantly building throughout the story.

Book 2: Kasper We met Yeri and Kasper in the last book. Yeri loved the sights, sounds, and food of SoHo so much she stayed but she's growing bored again. She wants to feel something new something she's only read about in those books Jillian lent her but to no success. Kasper was fine living his live in the marketplace working at his bar and occasionally longing for home but Yeri comes bouncing back into his life with a mission from Dean and Kasper is supposed to help out. It was just supposed to be a simple retrieval, some of her own kind has been spotted and all they have to do is return them. But when Kasper and Yeri find them they learn a collector has stolen their wings; the mission just became more complicated especially when a teenage human becomes involved. 

The attraction between Yeri and Kasper sneaks up on them. Yeri discovers that the feeling she been longing to feel she feels with Kasper and Kasper has been attracted to her but the truth of his feelings pretty much hits him over the head like a 2x4. 

Book 3: Xian Cassidy knew the moment she discovered the magical world of fae and shifter her life would never be the same any more, to the point she has devoted the last three years of her life working for Dean and the shifter Elders just to keep her memories. Xian is prepared to do anything to protect his tribe. The crocodile shifters were banished centuries ago to an offshoot realm that has slowly begun to die. Cassidy was just supposed to deliver the stone but just before the exchange Xian and Cassidy are ambushed by bounty hunters. Because of Cassidy they are able to escape but she also gets more involved than she planned when Xian marks her in a way she owes him three favors. Xian has to work to save his tribe or is it too late?

This is probably the most emotional tear jerking one of the three, and not just because of what happens between Xian and Cassidy but everything. Their relationship starts of rocky but everything about Cassidy calls to Xian's beast. Cassidy feels the pull to Xian as well but she loves him enough she won't make him pick between his tribe and her. This is a very emotional and action packed story definitely my favorite of the three.