Customer Reviews

Pride Mates (Shifters Unbound)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. It's a shifter story giving you a look at what happens after shifters come out to humans. They're feared and forced to live in a section of town, away from the humans. They're forced to wear collars that shock them if they get aggressive, even though they aren't any more aggressive than most humans. They're not allowed the latest technology. And when the human girlfriend of a shifter is murdered, the police and prosecutors do a half hearted investigation and leap to blame the shifter boyfriend. This is where the story picks up with the human DA, Kim, assigned to the case being immersed in the shifter culture. She learns about them with Liam, a very sexy and dominant male shifter, as her protector. She sees the real side of shifters and learns secrets the shifters keep from the humans in order to protect themselves as she and Liam work together to defend a shifter against a murder charge and try to unravel why the leader of the clan is so eager for the shifter to be found guilty.

I am a fan of shifter stories and I found this story to be very good. I could see people reacting the way they had in the story to shifters, even though it's quite sad, and I could certainly see the shifters banding together for protection. Liam is a very hot character and a very alpha male, but the writer keeps him from going too far with it. Kim and Liam really burn up the pages with their chemistry and while Kim does fight the relationship a bit, she doesn't go through the whole story fighting her attraction to Liam and then moaning because she's lonely with out him. That really gets on my nerves after a while and so many paranormal romances do that. This was a really fun read that I went through in an evening. If you're a fan of shifter stories or paranormal romances in general, I would definitely recommend this book.

In Shifterstown in the Austin area, human attorney Kim Fraser is defending shifter Brian Smith from the charge of murdering his human girlfriend. Brian is the first shifter she ever met though their existence has been known for two decades. Like mots humans, she assumed shifters were beasts who needed collars to keep them from going berserk. In spite of her fears of shifters being violent bogey-beasts, she believes her client is innocent; so she comes to Shifterstown to obtain the help of the go to shifters the Morrisey brood; father Dylan and brothers Liam and Sean.

Liam informs Kim that Brian never came to him so why should he help him. Kim explains she got the short straw as the junior lawyer, but believes Brian is innocent because the collar prevents violent crime. She also says the prosecution, cops, and judge have not played fair and her client has given up, but she has not. Although he has doubts about getting involved because of his attraction to the brave lawyer who came alone, Liam is forced to intervene when a shifter without a collar threatens Kim's life.

The key to the first Shifters Unbound romantic urban fantasy is the belief that the world of Jennifer Ashley exists; especially the racism with parallels to America as humans even those who never met a shifter believe they are deadly animals needing control. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the feisty lawyer challenges the powerful shifter and never slows down as love and the law clash in what is a terrific tale of people's rights and dignities.

Harriet Klausner

I also picked this book up because I enjoyed "The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie." I recently acquired a few more of her titles and enjoyed those as well. This book is not quite up to those standards. If this had been the first book by JA I had read, I don't think I would have bothered to try to find any more of her books. HOWEVER, having seen what this author is capable of, I am optimistic that this will become a good series. Romance really took a backseat in this novel, but I don't think that was the author's intent. This is not UF masquerading as Romance. I think this series will run closer to the "Immortals After Dark." Hopefully a couple more installments will bring it up to par. "Ian Mackenzie" was her last publication, so this is definitely not an author in decline.
JA is also writing a historical series. Ian Mackenzie's brothers (4?) are all getting their own books, so I don't know how quickly a sequel will come. On the upside, if this author is new to you, you have quite a backlist to read.
All in all, this book is worth a look.

If you're looking for a "unique" Shifter story, this isn't it. Granted, there a few nuances that are unique to "Pride Mates" but the author unfortunately seemed to follow the same trite outline as most Shifter stories: hot, protective alpha male who realizes (in one day) he's been touched deeper by this woman than anyone ever, TSTL spitfire of a heroine who the author tries to make look like a "strong woman" but is just dumb, instant lust/attraction, mystery that puts the heroine in physical danger and in the hero's presence constantly, then the realization of love between the pair after a ridiculously short period of time, roughly a couple of days.

I loathed Kim's character. She was annoying and just dumb and never had a believable emotional response to anything that was going on around her. She would make lame, sarcastic comments or joke during almost every single situation, even ones where her life was potentially in danger. Some of her comments only seemed to make situations worse. She did get a bit better about not doing that toward the end of the story but then she started b*tching at Liam every time HE wasn't taking a situation seriously. I just wanted to smack her by that point. And each time she'd say something "sassy" the author would have Liam or some other character comment on what a treasure she was. There was absolutely nothing unique about Kim. Just your typical petite, angry-hands-on-hips, little spitfire. Liam called her his little fox terrier--more than once. Ugh. That type of heroine has gotten so overdone in my opinion and grates more on my nerves each time I read a story with one. That's subjective though. I know some people actually like that type of heroine. The things she said and did, did NOT make her into the strong, don't-underestimate-me type character I think the author was going for. She just came across as stupid and unlikable with little common sense.

As per usual, the hero, Liam, has "never met a woman like her" and is just inexplicably drawn to Kim with an instant desire to protect her right away. Liam has "never, ever" wanted to be with any human woman before but Kim is apparently just super duper amazing and irresistible. It makes me wonder what sort of humans he's come in contact with in the course of his life to find her so spectacular so quickly. But a shifter story just wouldn't be a shifter story without that unexplainable instant attraction for someone who is totally opposite their usual "type". As a whole, Liam was an okay hero. I mean -- 6'6", muscular, dark hair, blue eyes, an Irish accent, and an 11inch "manhood" -- what's not to like? I was a bit surprised the 5'0" Kim could handle all that though, at least as easily as the author made it appear. But at least the author didn't use the dreaded oh-my-gosh-it-will-never-fit line. lol

--Spoilers--
When Kim kissed Liam for the first time I thought it was a little bit silly and completely unbelievable. Liam's over 100 years old and he's never kissed on the lips before other than little pecks with family or friends (although at the very end of the story the author sort of contradicts this when Liam says something akin to he never liked it (kissing) before, but that was because he'd never done it with Kim). And when Kim sticks her tongue in his mouth, Liam jerks back surprised because he has no idea that people use tongues when they kiss ("Is that your way of kissing? I like it."). Ugh, seriously? I would think Liam would have picked up that little tidbit of information over the past 100 years. He even said that other Shifters kissed but HE didn't because he didn't see the point of it (but of course when he "learns" kissing with Kim it's the best thing ever). AND he later talked about often walking into a room catching his father and mother kissing. Liam further exuded his ignorance by wondering why she closed her eyes when she kissed, "Was this required for a kiss?". I just can't believe in a hundred years he wouldn't know these things. The author was trying to make him look cute with naivety but really it was just stupid.

While I appreciated the fact that the author gave these Shifters actual animal instincts and behaviors (rubbing against each other in greeting, using subtle body movement to communicate), I wasn't keen on the fact that they had lifelong "mates". The Lupines I understand because wolves supposedly are loyal to their mates. But for the cats, that didn't make sense. Cats, like lions, who live in a pride have only a few males who mate with all the females. I know it wouldn't be very sexy if Liam mated with all the women in Shiftertown but the way this author wrote the clan dynamic with the hierarchies and such, that is exactly what would have made the most sense -- Dylan, Liam and perhaps Sean being the only males allowed to mate to produce the cubs. The author reinforced that idea when she wrote of Liam's instinct to kill the male offspring of another male Shifter even though little Michael was of his clan. With that instinct it felt unnatural that these Shifters would mate with just one female (although Fergus had more than one). The author seemed to want a lot of realism with their animal nature, but I think she should have just left the whole idea of "mates" out and just paired the Shifters into couples because they wanted each other, like humans. Tossing in that mate thing just felt like an obligatory add in because all other Shifter stories have it, complete with the whole "Mate. Mine. Protect." proclamation. That sort of thing is believable in some other stories (I'm thinking Kresley Cole's IAD series) because of some magical/biological, literal "soul mate" type of reaction the author gives them, but that's not the case here and it simply doesn't work with this story in my opinion.

The part where Fergus wanted to claim Kim as his mate as a means to control her made NO SENSE! Shifters have pretty much zero rights in the world, or at least America. They're collared, not allowed to have professional type jobs, they're allowed to go to community colleges (they can just learn, not get a degree) but not major universities, they're not allowed cable or satellite television, internet beyond dial-up (stupid, they still get the internet so what's the point of slow access?), and other types of technology BUT we're expected to believe that a Shifter can claim an UNWILLING human female as his "mate" therefore making her subject to him and clan law? Um, hello? Would human authorities allow that considering Shifters' less-than-second-class-citizen status? I don't think so. The way the author describes the human relationship to Shifters you would think that all a woman had to do was go to the police and tell them a Shifter tried to make her his mate against her will and they would exterminate the whole town.

There were also several scenes which involved certain characters doing something totally "out of character" that appeared to be thrown in simply to drive the plot forward. Example: When Glory decided to demonstrate the Collar's power by attacking Kim then when Liam goes ballistic she's all...oops, I should have known better since she's his mate. Of course that little event leads to the fight between Dylan and Liam pushing the plot forward but it seemed totally out of character for Glory. She never came across as being someone to do something that thoughtless and stupid before or after that moment. Another example is when Kim's ex, Abel, randomly confronts Kim in the parking lot and is uncharacteristically upset about her leaving him for a Shifter. He never once came across as a person who had those types of emotions and he certainly acted unfazed by the breakup. But again, that led to Fergus's thugs letting a bit of information slip about the future of the Collars. Of course we never see Abel again after that, just an obligatory mention at the end about how he was still irked he got dumped for a Shifter. I think the author could have found another way to make these events happen without taking people so out of character to do it.

Was there sex in this story? Yes. Was there romance? No. We are continuously inundated with Kim or Liam's thoughts on each other's bodies and how much they want each other. I mean, pretty much in every single scene over and over again. I get it, they want each other really bad at all times but this just seemed like such overkill and took the heat out of the moments when they actually did have sex. It didn't feel believable at all that, particularly Kim, would be having such thoughts even in the dangerous situations. Even the crazed (lukewarm in my opinion) sex with a feral Liam at the end should have sparked some apprehension, but no, the TSTL heroine literally makes the comment to herself that "She'll be afraid later." the sex was just too awesome! ugh. The sex scenes in this story were okay, not terrible but not great. They pretty much go straight to it each time. There's really no sexual tension to speak of unless all of Kim's "he's so hot" monologues was the author's version of building tension. It didn't really work.


--Major Ending Spoilers--
The resolution with the plot (Fergus, etc.) was anticlimactic and done way too easily. It felt as though the author just got lazy with it. Now the very end, after Fergus, is what really rankled me about the ending. A lame, last-ditch conflict to separate the two when Liam all of a sudden gets altruistic. On one hand I understand where he was coming from BUT he's spent the entire story showing Kim how nice Shifter living is, how loving and strong their bonds are but no, no...she deserves more than that kind of life so she must go, leave him forever! ugh, again. Many weeks pass without contact with one another, but they miss each other terribly, then one day she just turns up on his doorstep and declares she's moving in whether he likes it or not. Why? She's pregnant! Of course everything's just peachy after that. All it did was leave me wondering, Would they have even got back together if she didn't get knocked up? Maybe, but then again maybe not. I just wasn't feeling the whole pregnancy thing as the reason they resolved the situation, because it really didn't resolve anything.


Believe it or not PNR/Shifter stories is my favorite genre, however I admit most are lacking in the originality department. This is my second book by Jennifer Ashley, the first being "The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie". That story was not without its issues but overall I really enjoyed it. The author created such a unique character in Ian, so needless to say, when I discovered she had written a Shifter story I purchased it immediately. I'm sorry to say it didn't even come close to meeting my expectations. The characters in Pride Mates are just too stereotypical.

Pride Mates is not a terrible book. When you compare it solely to other Shifter stories it comes out looking rather average in my opinion. Obviously there were a lot of issues with the plot and characterization that I had a problem with but the reason I gave this book two stars rather than three was because I know this author can do so much better. It felt, to me, as just a lazy attempt to write a Shifter story following the same old formula for the genre. Perhaps her next books will be better.

Twenty years ago, shifters came out to the public and since then, they have been portrayed as wild, reckless creatures that have limited rights and are discriminated against by many humans. If they don't want to face immediate death, they must were a fae-made collar, one that expands when they shift so it is always on them. This collar supposedly keeps the shifters from acting violent, giving them severe pain if they cross that line.

Kim Fraser is an attorney who has been handed a shifter murder case, the first time in twenty years that a shifter has been on trial. Brian has been accused of murdering his human girlfriend, but as Kim collects evidence, she is pretty sure Brian is innocent. She goes to a local shifter Brian recommends, Liam Morrisey who she knows can help her gather support for her cause.

Liam is second in command of the alpha pack, his father Dylan is the master, second only to the leader, Fergus. Dylan doesn't do small talk, and Fergus is feared by everyone, so most come straight to Liam with any problems. Liam lives with his father, his brother Sean and his nephew Conner in Shiftertown. Kim is frightened to enter Shiftertown, but she soon realizes it is a town like any other. Kids are playing in the front yards, people are swimming. She also witnesses the discriminations against them first hand. It is hard for many shifters to find suitable employment. They also are not allowed advanced cell phones or cable television, for fear more knowledge will make them a bigger threat to humans.

Liam and Kim have an instant attraction, and Liam starts sharing secrets about the shifters that he trusts Kim will never release to other humans. When Fergus gets wind of a human nosing around the shifters, he gets involved and things start to get messy. Liam will do anything to protect Kim, even if that means going up against his father and shifter law.

Besides Pride Mates, I've read two other books by Jennifer Ashley. Mortal Temptation, an erotic romance written under her pen name Allyson James which I did not like. Then last year I read her historical romance, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and it is absolutely one of my favorite books I have read. So, I was very interested to read a paranormal romance by her - unfortunately I am not a fan.

My biggest problem is with Liam and Kim. In some paranormal books I have read, the shifter's animal mates without the human having much say so I can understand the immediate "mine" attitude and quick attraction. That is not necessarily the case here. Liam, the human is attracted to Kim and in less than 24 hours he is professing undying love and devotion to her.

For Kim's part, she is a well educated lawyer, and Brian and Liam are the first shifters she has ever met. She repeatedly says she doesn't know a lot about shifter culture and she is somewhat scared and hesitant around them. Yet, she allows this romance to happen and even though she doesn't have control of the actual moment Liam bonds with her, she accepts it and just goes with it. I just don't buy it. The character of Kim also tries to come off sassy and fearless, and I read her more disjointed and annoying.

I also thought the mystery surrounding Brian in prison and the resulting confrontation with Fergus and others to be anti-climatic. In what should have been an intense scene with Fergus, fizzled. I had no investment in Brian sitting in prison, no reason to root for him to get out. There is also an overabundance of lustful thoughts between Liam and Kim. I am all for sexy glances and appreciative remarks between the protagonists, but it didn't matter what situation Liam and Kim were in - whether they were being threatened with violence or working on Brian's case, there is constant sexual thoughts and it really took away from the story.

I did enjoy the supporting characters of Dylan and Connor. Dylan lost his mate years ago and is struggling with accepting a new love. He is also getting older and losing that edge he needs to stay dominant in the pack. Conner on the other hand is very young, and eager to show off his skills, although he is strong and with time will hone his muscles, he is quick to temper and quick to show immature emotion, which I thought played off really well again the other mature, dominant males.

Pride Mates is a disappointing paranormal romance. I am still eagerly anticipating the next in her Mackenzie historical romance series, and I think I will be sticking with her in that genre only.

I'll skip doing a plot summary, since so many others did a good job with that already. I'll just get right on with my thoughts of the book.

First, the bad: The first half got bogged down in world building that wasn't as well executed as other PNRs I've read. There should have been more relationship development. I don't like it when the H/h jump into bed without the emotional connection being there. I also didn't buy the heroine's almost immediate acceptance of the mate claiming, given the short amount of time they were together and the lack of emotional bond.

Then, the good: about midway through it picked up, and the last half was better than the first. I liked getting to know Liam and his family. I also liked that the heroine was strong and hardworking (although she did sometimes say things or make decisions I questioned). I've read other PNR/UFs with a segregation theme, but this was the first I've read with the collar device. That was something new and original. It was interesting hearing his thoughts/impulses, during the bit at the end with the collar (can't say more b/c it's a spoiler). The showdown at the end was done well.

All in all, this was a pretty good first book in a series. I'll give the next book in the series a try to see if it's better.

Jennifer Ashley has created a complex alternate universe in which shifters - a race of creatures created by the Fae - stepped out of the shadows twenty years ago and revealed themselves to humans. In some countries shifters were feared to such an extent they were hunted down, but in others - like America - they were rounded up and given a choice of execution or a life on human terms, a life which grimly harkens back to how Native Americans were treated: forced to live in reservation-type shifter towns with limited access to education, jobs, money, and amenities that any human with a cell phone, an HDTV, and a laptop take for granted. To further control them they were forced to accept the Collar, imbued by Fae magic and technology, which suppresses their more animalistic instincts and viciously punishes them for any aggression. In those twenty years, there have been no shifter attacks on humans in America; no reason to believe that shifters were any true danger to the human race...until the murder of a human girl and the arrest of her shifter male boyfriend make national headlines.

Defense attorney Kim Fraser is a notorious spitfire in the courtroom. A defender of the innocent. A believer in justice. When she's given the case, she's convinced of her shifter client's innocence and determined to free him. Both horrified and disgusted by the injustice and mishandling of his case, she will stop at nothing to absolve him from guilt, even by entering Shiftertown to interview her client's friends and family and try to secure his alibi. That decision, that trip, sets Kim on a path destined to strip away her preconceptions and reveal the truth about shifters - their customs, their habits, and what secrets they protect and care about the most. With shifter Liam Morissey as her sexy guide and protector, Kim falls further and further into a web of shifter politics and machinations, determined to uncover the secrets and lies, wary of the dangers. And those shifters, one in particular, start becoming more and more important to Kim with every step closer and closer to the wild side.

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance. It is certainly an interesting take on what human reaction would be and what could happen in the aftermath of the "coming out" of the different races of shifters. It is perhaps a sad commentary that I found it to be so realistic. On a brighter note, I loved Kim and Liam (with his delightful blarney) and thought they were very well matched and likable. Liam's family was great, the secondary characters layered and well developed, and I especially enjoyed learning about the structure of the shifter races as the mythos was begun here. There was a satisfying originality to both the AU world and the plot that isn't often found in this sub-genre of romance. The only tiny critical thought I had about the plot is that I felt the development of Kim and Liam's relationship and the world building were so enthralling that the connection between Kim's client and everything else that happened was a little too thin to give the final conflict as much impact as it could've had. That being said, it was a well thought out and realistic conflict that I could buy as a legitimate threat, so I appreciate that as a reader.

There just isn't much else to be critical about in Pride Mates. I really enjoyed it. The only thing that kept this book from being a five star read for me isn't a criticism of the book at all, it's strictly a personal preference. I felt that the prejudice and rampant discrimination, the segregation and willful oppression, and the forced Collaring of the various shifter species was a bit too realistic and immutable for my personal tastes. It's hard to feel totally happy for a couple when the male's whole race is being so grievously subjugated, regardless of the benefits to that race or the strides they've made. I prefer books with issues and conflicts that can be triumphed over as the lead romantic couple comes together and falls in lust/love...but given the condition of the world in Pride Mates, the most depressing aspects of that world aren't something that can be overcome in a book - and maybe not even in a series. Just worked around or adapted to. That's a little sadder a thought than I like to have in my pleasure reading. Still...Pride Mates gets four stars from me, as it both pleased me and saddened me in all the best ways and with a classy, unique style.

This novel is excellent. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a new world this much. The story moves very fast, the characters are likable and engaging. The ending is not predictable. Even though you knew who the bad guys were, what they did and how they did it took me by surprise. The chemistry between the main characters is captivating. The relationship moves lightning fast and for some that may render it unbelievable, however due to the way Ashley writes it and allows it to develop you can accept the speed of it. The fact that shifters tend to bond quickly to mates in just about all shifter novels helps with this too. Kim had her moments where she became annoyingly skeptical of what was happening to her, and her assumptions about shifter culture made me almost dislike her at times. However, the real world is full of people who cannot see past their own ethnocentric view of the world, even when they have the best of intentions, so I believe Ashley was trying to make a point with that. Kim can be forgiven and she makes up for all of it at the end. Liam had his moments of arrogance and wanting to make Kim's desicions for her where he almost became unlikable as well. But he had to get past his own misconceptions about humans and also redeemed himself in the end (although to be honest his redemption was more Kim's doing than his own). I enjoyed that the characters were flawed. It made them more relatable and etirely more real to the me. In fact, I think that is one of the reasons I like this novel so much. It seems real. The world Ashley invented seems real, and so do the characters. This does not read like a paranormal romance. You accept the paranormal elements as normal in this book, which doesn't always happen even in contemporary paranormal romance. Ashley's description of the shifter society within the human one were amazingly vivid and well thought out. There is still much to be explained and expanded on, but then again this is only book 1. The series shows a lot of promise and the novel sets up several possible follow-up story lines. I am definitely going to keep an eye out for this one. This is a fast and thoroughly enjoyable read. Definitely recomended.

In Pride Mates humans know about shifters. They came out 20 years ago and now wear collars and live in Shiftertowns. There is a lot of discrimination against the shifters. They are not even allowed to have cable, newer cars, cannot attend UC's and are forced to wear collars that give them an extremely painful shock if they show aggression. Most humans acted ignorant towards the shifters which frustrated me at times but it was explained why the shifters tolerate this. Before the collars, shifters were dying and their numbers were dwindling. The collars both took something away and gave something back. I don't want to give too much away so read the book if you want to know exactly what.

Kim is the lawyer assigned to Brian's case. He is a shifter who is on trial for killing his human girlfriend. Kim doesn't automatically assume Brian is guilty like almost all of the humans involved in the case do. She is out for the truth no matter who or what she represents. When she first goes into the Shiftertown in Austin, Texas she thinks she knows everything there is to know about shifters. Almost from the start she knows she was wrong and is willing to admit it. Kim is a strong woman who refuses to be taken care of and will not let someone else fight her battles for her. She is a good lawyer and a good person and is perfect for Liam.

Liam is the shifter all the others go to if they need help. He is a born leader without officially being one. He is attracted to Kim immediately but tries to deny it at first because he doesn't bed humans. That changes the more he is around her and when he finds her life is in danger he will do anything to save her. The fact that he is tall, gorgeous and Irish also works in his favor. Liam stands by Kim's side as she tries to help Brian even though he is going against his regions alpha, Fergus. What they uncover they find goes beyond Brian's murder case and could affect all shifters.

I enjoyed Pride Mates. The story was easy to follow and there were lovable characters like Liam's brother Sean, father Dylan and nephew Connor. There is a love and loyalty that runs in their family that I really liked reading about. The way Jennifer Ashley wrote about the discrimination that shifters face made me want to do something about it and it was just a book. She had a way to make you feel angry about the way they were being treated. The relationship between Kim and Liam was sweet to read about. One thing that bugged me was how fast their relationship moved. Within one day they met, were mated and had sex. I'm not crazy to think that was too fast, right? Can someone really learn to love like that within 24 hours? Also the relationship between Dylan and his neighbor Glory felt a little bland. Like all there was to the relationship was sex and arguing. Overall, I did like Pride Mates and look forward to any future books in the series.

Jennifer has such a talent for bringing the characters of her books to life in such a way that you feel you know them. Liam and Kim, the main characters in this book, are two people you can really fall in love with, and will find yourself cheering for them. I am not a fan of these kind of books, (shifters, vampires, werewolves), but because Jennifer Ashley wrote it, I thought I'd give it a try, and as usual she didn't disappoint.