About the Book:

Mate, family, pack, home… can Quinn and Kellan have it all?

Quinn grew up feeling out of place in the small town he calls home. Yearning for something he can’t name, he’s always felt different but never known why.

Kellan is part of a nomadic shifter pack. When they set up camp in the woods near Quinn’s town, the humans are unwelcoming and suspicious of the newcomers. The moment Kellan catches sight—and scent—of Quinn, he knows Quinn is special. But for the first time in his life, Kellan can’t trust his instincts. Quinn is human, and Kellan is a wolf shifter, so how can they ever be mates?

Their bond is instant and exhilarating. It breaks Quinn’s heart to know their relationship can only be temporary. Love isn’t enough when pack law forbids shifters to mate with humans. Tension explodes between pack and humans, and when Quinn discovers a shocking truth about himself that changes everything, he fears he’ll have to choose between the only life he’s ever known and the man he loves.

The Finer Details

Narrative Arc: standalone

Publication Date: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Self-Published
Editor: Victoria Milne
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh, Black Jazz Design Website
Length: Novel, 65,000 words
POV: 3rd person
Tense: Past
Pairings: Male/Male
Identities: Gay
Genre(s): Paranormal

Supernatural Elements: Werewolves, Shifters

Tropes and Tags:
Settings & Locales: Wales
Ending: HEA

Find and Buy

Amazon US | Amazon UK

* Note this is available on Kindle Unlimited for 90 days and will then be available on all platforms where ebooks are sold.

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Advance Review Copy generously provided by the publisher via Signal Boost Promotions.

Back Porch Thoughts

Rating

3.5 Stars

Rating Info

Ratings stick closely to the GoodReads standards. Occasionally I’ll make note of half-star ratings and will typically round up on GoodReads reviews and other sites where I may cross-post.

Stars	Goodreads	What this means to me
5	AMAZING	This totally knocked my socks off, and I might end up a crazed fan (from a respectable distance).
4	Really Liked	This was truly enjoyable, and I’d recommend it.
3	Liked	It was good, and I’m glad I read it, but I may have had some issues.
2	It was okay	There were likable parts but I definitely had issues.
1	Didn't like	I read the whole thing but....
1 DNF	Didn't like	I read past 50% (at least) before giving up.
0 DNF	No Rating	I couldn't even make it to 50%, but I still feel the need to share my thoughts.

Review

Jay Northcote writing shifter romance? I’M IN!

(Even if I tend to shy away from paranormal. Maybe I’m finally getting with the program.)

Quinn’s an assumed human at the onset of this book, but boy howdy does he have some surprises in store.

Especially when the shifter pack encamps in the hills outside of town, and Quinn gets a peek of the Oh-So-Hot Kellan.

Though I found the attraction between them super sweet and adorable as all hell, it was undeniably insta-lust/insta-love. Which generally isn’t my thing. BUT…I kinda think that’s how the shifters do things, they just know because crack-laced pheromones and stuff. So, who am I to judge that part? Instead, I chose to roll with it.

The world-building was easy as a Sunday morn — utterly delightful. Especially since the shifter-business was a known reality amongst the humans, which I found to be somewhat unique in my somewhat limited experience of shifter books. There was no BIG SECRET WE GOTTA HIDE FROM THE HUMANS element, which I found vastly interesting. Though, this led to some politicking and speciesism where the shifters were concerned, which wasn’t a whole lotta fun from where Kellan was standing, or Quinn who was caught in the middle a time or two. But, it was summarily dealt with and conquered handily by the end of the book — which, for me, is a required element in romance. I don’t want to leave a book where there’s still hate, even from the pitchfork-wielding townsfolk.

Kellan and Quinn were on fire together and had plenty of moments of the sweet sort of intimacy that draws me like a moth to a flame. Though, and this seems to be my only gripe, I needed more dialogue between them…more conversation/less narration, more them sharing thoughts and ideas and beliefs that would reinforce their inevitably and the physical connection they shared so quickly.

There’s a bit of a mystery afoot that’s not overly mysterious, but it definitely serves a purpose of injecting some action and laying the foundation for a more solid HEA. I thought it was nicely done in that it gave nearly everyone a chance to shine.

All in all, a lovely read and a great escape.

As a last note, I’m wondering if this might be the start to a series because it’s set up in a way that offers endless possibilities to return to this charming Welsh village for more adventures. I know I’d definitely go back.

About the Author

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since. Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks. Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.

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