A shifter novel set in the same world as, the bestselling, Chosen and Program seriesSaturday night is shifter night… was his turn to find a partner because he’s done with all the screwing around. Done with all the meaningless one-night-stands. He might head into town when it’s his turn, but he’s staying far away from temptation. He’ll wait until his name comes up on the mating list and then he’ll settle down.
His good intentions are blown to hell when he meets Ana, a timid female struggling with an event from her past. Who is this beautiful creature? This broken, sad shadow of herself. Winston promises to help her. Hell, they’ll help each other. He might have vowed celibacy but he’s not dead. Not by a long damn shot. This way, he can spend time with a beautiful female without any expectations and in return, he’ll help her get over her fears.
Problem is though, friends should not be this attracted to one another. They definitely shouldn’t be this intrigued by each other. Keeping his hands off of her is becoming an impossibility. Will he be able to let her go when the time comes? Thing is, he’s not so sure anymore.
No cheating and a guaranteed HEA. Mini-cliffhanger ending.
Contains hot alpha males and therefore strong sexual themes/language
Beware of spoilers in the reviews below
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Dang this book had some heat. Ana had many things to overcome but Winston was a rock. He knew just what to do to let Ana get where she needed. Her bestie Edith and her doctor Dr. Brenner were also needed to give Ana the pushes she needed to see what was right in front of her. Loved it.
I loved Winston. He is so tired of the dating scene, and one night stands that he is going to stop everything until he finds the one. It doesn’t take long until he sees and meets Ana with whom he becomes friends with. Ana is struggling with PTSD and doesn’t do dating very well.
While Winston and Ana are becoming friends Winston’s shifter community is being targeted by an unknown threat that everyone is worried about. So now Winston has to keep everyone safe including his new love interested.
DELIGHTFULLY ENTERTAINING !!!
Title: Untethered
Series: Shifter Night
Author: Charlene Hartnady
Designation: Book One of Series, Full-Length Standalone, No Cliffhanger, HEA
#paranormal #shapeshifter #romance #wolfshifterhero #humanheroine
Reading Platform: Kindle Edition
My Rating: Five Delightfully Entertaining Stars
I love, love, love Untethered! It’s no secret I’m a diehard Charlene Hartnady fan and have been for years. I’ve read every single book she’s ever written and enjoyed them all. I’ve followed her career and watched as she became one of the most reliable authors in the paranormal romance genre today, consistently releasing original, unique, imaginative, well-crafted and edited stories, time after time. Hartnady is one of very few authors on my automatic one-click list. When she releases a new book or offers a preorder, I never even bother to read the blurb or look at the price; I just snap it right up! And I’ve never ever regretted a purchase. I subscribe to Amazon Kindle Unlimited but love her work so much, I buy her books rather than borrow, simply because I want to own them so I can read them again and again. That’s quite a recommendation in itself. And her latest release, Untethered, Is no exception! I was thrilled when I learned Hartnady was releasing a spin-off of her mega-popular The Chosen Series, but the inspiration for these stories would be primarily shifters. All the paranormal species in Hartnady’s Sweetwater Texas world, which includes vampires, elves, and a large variety of shifters, are in need of females – fertile females. And now that the Vampire Kings have successfully launched their ‘Date A Vampire’ campaign, which is nothing more than a politically correct way of describing their ‘Breeding Program’ brainchild, human females have become fair game and they all want to mate a vampire. This is the premise for Hartnady’s The Chosen Series, another fabulous series especially you enjoy hunky, possessive vampires, but the books in the Shifter Night Series have storylines featuring the shifters of Hartnady’s Sweetwater World who come into town once a month to blow off steam at the Dark Horse, a bar where shifters mix with human women who want to party hardy and do the dirty with the strapping, handsome, well-built party animals. Roar! And these guys really know how to make a woman scream…and not in fright! Shifter Night has been mentioned in several of Hartnady’s previous stories and I’d so hoped she would make it into a series… and she did! But some of these guys want more than just a good time, they want to find love. Unfortunately, there are so many shifters looking for mates that the Alphas have had to start their own program. It’s not really an organized campaign per se but they call it ‘The List’. Any of the shifters wanting to date a human female have to put their name in the hat and wait their turn. The shifters can’t afford to draw attention to themselves by stealing all the available women, right? It just wouldn’t be fair to all the human males of Sweetwater since all the women want to date shifters! I volunteer! lol… This is the basic premise for the Shifter Night Series.
I tend to get a little carried away when talking about Hartnady’s work so let’s talk details about this book. Untethered is a well-crafted, fast-paced, easy to follow, imaginative, full-length, standalone paranormal tale filled with great characters, riveting drama, heartrending angst, heated attraction, steamy passion and heartwarming romance. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with his and her perspectives. The dialogue is snappy, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component of every Hartnady story is the cast of diverse and engaging characters. I was instantly smitten with handsome, loyal, and kindhearted wolf-shifter Winston who had grown tired of quick hookups and one night stands. He had sworn off meaningless sex and was ready to find a woman with whom he could have a future. Sadly, he had no idea how long it would be before his name came up on the list which meant he wasn’t eligible to take a mate and couldn’t even seriously date a female, but that didn’t stop him from yearning for a real connection with Ana, a sweet human female he met at the Dark Horse. And Ana, OMG…her story just broke my heart. Ana is a hardworking emergency room nurse trying to pick up the pieces of her life and start again, but a tragic event in her past has affected her so severely that she still experiences paralyzing panic attacks. One of the things I really loved about this story was the real issues both characters were trying to deal with. It made the storyline so much more realistic and emotional. But there was also a lot of humor in this story. The surprise fishing trip outing was hilarious. Obviously, Hartnady has experience with a disastrous fishing trip as have I, complete with the aversion to using live bait and barbed hooks! lol… So darn cute! But once Winston and Ana got out of their own way, these two characters were so perfect for each other. Sadly, they were the last to realize it. Thankfully, with a little help from their friends, they both finally realized what they each wanted was right in front of them and stopped fighting the inevitable, although it was sometimes hilarious and quite often heartbreaking watching them struggle. I snickered, snorted, giggled, snuffled, and sobbed through the entire book but by the end, I was happy, satisfied and entertained. No spoilers from me but I will say this…Handsome, burly shifter who’s tired of one night stands and ready to settle down with a mate-check! Beautiful nurse with a tragic past who has panic attacks and an aversion to dating and relationships-check! A cast of great characters-check! A mysterious and very dangerous new enemy-check! Humor, heartache, heated attraction and sweet romance-you bet! That and a whole lot more!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers. Also, I will say, if you’re into instant love paranormal romance, this may not be the book for you. Winston and Ana’s relationship was very realistic and progressed slowly, building from a mutual immediate attraction, which both resisted, to an inevitable fiery blaze which could not be ignored. Yes, people don’t always make the best decisions but it’s called life. The real accomplishment is learning from your mistakes and Winston and Ana both had a lot to learn! lol… Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read! I can hardly wait to read Ash’s story in Book 2!