Review: An OK tale, even if the description is a bit misleading
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2014
I greatly enjoy Stephani Hecht's stories of shifters. She's managed to create a detailed world with a huge cast of characters. Sometimes though, some of the stories feel a bit like fillers. While this story is interesting and enjoyable, it's not as compelling as many of her other novels.Marty is a Lost Shifter. When he was a child, the Hawks had hidden him and other children away, putting them up for adoption with human families, to protect them from the Ravens (who were slaughtering the felines). When he got older, Marty shifted into a cougar and then realized he wasn't fully human. He kept it a secret from his family and is pretty happy. But one night after a college course, a bunch of Ravens attack him. Lawson, a Hawk shifter who hates felines, jumped in to save him. Now Marty must deal with his new life as a shifter in the Feline Coalition, and Lawson has to deal with the fact that he's in love with a feline.First off, the book description is a little misleading. We're given the impression that Marty doesn't want to be a part of the coalition and wants to escape the first chance he gets. In actuality, the leader of the coalition (Mitchell) tells him that it's best for him and his family if his family is just told that he died, and that Marty should stay with them for everyone's safety. Marty is sad, but says "OK" and the topic is never brought up again. I know if it was me, I'd fight like tooth and nails against having my parents believe I was killed. What child would want their parents to have to endure that pain? But Marty goes along with it with no resistance, and Mitchell comes off as a jerk for supporting this type of action.Lawson is a bit more interesting in that he has a long-held dislike of felines. There's a lot of internal dialog going on with him as he  does an about-face and accepts the felines. Other than Lawson's trepidation, there's really not many obstacles keeping Marty and Lawson apart. Basically, they meet each other, fall in love, and then live happily ever after. It's an OK story, just not as compelling as so many of her other tales.