Shift in Time (Out of Time: Book 1)

Title:  Shift in Time  (Out of Time: Book 1)

Author:  Mercy Celeste

Publisher:  MJC Press

Length:  224 pages

Rating:  B+

Quad Shot of Love

 

Blurb:  True love’s first kiss will not break a curse.

Everyone knows that. Even a Normal like Morgan Monstros knows that.
But Fane Llewellyn isn’t everyone. He’s like no one Morgan has ever met.

Small, fragile and fierce, Fane doesn’t remember who he is or where he came from. He remembers pain and loneliness. Decades of pain and loneliness. And Morgan Monstros. He could never forget Gan. Gan was his from the day he came to the island. And Fane would fight to the death to keep Morgan safe. Even if he has to fight the whole world to do it.

Take one powerless witch, a sassy Siamese familiar, a panther shifter with amnesia, a meddling wolf clan, and a coven of witches hell bent on war, swirl all together and you get the perfect spell for all out mayhem…..oh yeah and there’s chocolate cake too.

Warning:  Some blood play due to the nature of the beast. And intense graphic violence to a chocolate cake.
77,200 words. 224 pages.

 

Review:  What a crazy ride! This book has a little of almost everything. I was pulled into a world of magic and shifters, mate bonds and blood oaths, true love and pure, selfish evil.

Beyond anything else, and there is so much else, this is a story about love. Love of family, love of clan, love of mates, love of brothers, love of parents, and tragically – love of power. And while that search for power led to suffering and even death for many people, it also created the situation that allowed two men who’d suffered much to find each other and fall in love. And they changed their world.

Morgan is such a compelling mix of contradictions. As the story unfolds the past and present merge as secrets and conspiracies are revealed, we see so many new sides to a man who many believed to be rather boring and very ordinary.

Morgan is very alone. A “normal” in a family of powerful witches. He lives on their island home and tends to the family’s estate while the rest of the family are out in the world. Morgan’s younger sister leaves her annoying cat with him when she returns to college and the adventures begin.

Fane is such a mystery, most often to himself. He’s lived and lost so many years and parts of himself. He was robbed of his very being, but he always survives and thrives. Nothing can hold him down for long and he always has fun. I loved that about him, that boundless energy and enthusiasm. He suffered horribly and yet he was the first to make others smile. He loves so very deeply. Fane shines.

There is no doubt that these men love each other and were meant to be together. While there are moments where things seem dire and there doesn’t seem to be a way out, they never question their love for each other.

The relationship between the brothers was complicated. Twins are separate from the rest of the world, connected in ways that the rest of us can’t really understand or feel. Add in magic and shifters and things really get different. Fane and Falyn were two halves of the same soul, which added some complications to the mate bond. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when Falyn finds his blackberry cobbler. Chaos will ensue most definitely.

The way the families rallied around the men was wonderful. There was no question for the parents that these were their children and they would be protected and loved and woe unto any who would harm them. The sisters coming in and helping and the clan opening their arms and accepting these strangers into their lives. It was great watching loving families working through the issues and adapting.

The cover with the Dan Skinner photograph is sweet and sexy.

A charming and sexy read that had me laughing and smiling throughout. There were some sad moments and some times where I was disgusted and angry at some of the characters. Overall I had a lot of fun with these people and their crazy lives. I can’t wait to see what will happen next.

Reviewed by Nina