Review: Doesn't meet it's potential
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2014
Humm. This first in the Shifting Crossroads series was something I was looking forward to. You can tell from the cover, even before you get into the description, that is a PNR, not a UF or what some in the groups on Goodreads that I follow and contribute to are calling "Rural Fantasy" as opposed to Urban Fantasy. Ok, fine, I can do with a bit of PNR, let's check it out.First, the book is very short, only 74 pages, and priced at $3.99. Clearly not a lot of "bang for your buck." Other, better stories are out there in the 70-100 page range that are priced much lower and as good or better than this book. This felt like a $.99 to $1.99 purchase. I absolutely want authors to get paid, that isn't the point - it is value for your dollar. And in this case, it is "story for the dollar." Masters has the opportunity here, with an interesting concept and unusual shifter characters, to do a better job. This feels much like an author simply throwing a couple of darts at a dartboard full of characters, picking who is male and who is female, plopping them down at the Crossroads, doing their thing in a few pages and going home HEA. Poor character development is a problem for me, especially when interesting characters are wasted.This feels very much like calling-it-in, A-B-C, 1-2-3, done and done and let's move on to the next. Meh. It is a shame too. If you look at Masters' series listings you will see that some of the ideas themselves are very good. Hey, a Mongoose and a Cobra? A Wolf and a Reindeer?? Creative. I just wish that she had utilized the storyline potential and really cared more about her stories than cranking out rote PNR-slash-Erotica short stories. Boring. I wish I could be more positive, but I won't be purchasing any more of Master's stories, and that leaves me a bit sad.