Melanie
Written on Nov 20, 2016
I really love this series by Paige Tyler. It features animal shifters, but ones that aren’t like what you normally see. For example, these shifters don’t shift into full animals. Mostly, they grow larger teeth and claws. They are all genetic, but there are people who are modifying the shifters DNA to transform humans into what they call “hybrids”. The problem is that most humans don’t live through the transformation and if they do, they are a bit crazy. The shifters in this book work for a secret government agency that is hidden within the Department of Homeland Security. Each shifter is paired with a human partner, usually ex-military. They are not allowed to have relationships, but they do. There are also some really bad guys who are supporting the hybrid research under the table. These same guys really dislike the shifters and think they should be put down.
In this book, we have Layla, who is a psychologist for DCO (Department of Covert Operations). She is also the little sister of the first heroine of the series, Ivy. They are both cat shifters. Layla met a guy at Ivy’s wedding to her partner, Landon (Landon was pulled from military duty to join this organization and partner with Ivy. Their wedding is a secret from DCO because it isn’t allowed). This guy was in the military with Landon until he was medically discharged. Jayson is very much the wounded warrior. He is in pain constantly and feels that his life is useless now that he can’t do the one thing he has lived his whole life for, being military where he felt was helping people. Layla agreed to field work if her boss would hire Jayson in some capacity at DCO. He is hired to run the firing range. Something he is very good at, but still not the same as being on the front lines. Layla and Jayson have been together for a while, but their relationship is moving farther apart instead of closer together. When Layla goes out on her first assignment, it makes things worse.
Okay, remember the bad guy I mentioned before (well, there is really more than one, but this guy is the worst of the bunch), convinces Jayson to try an experimental hybrid drug that could cure his pain and get him out in the field. He then immediately sends Jayson into a war torn Ukraine on a mission before they even see how he reacts to the serum. To add even more fuel onto this fire, they send him out with a human partner that doesn’t have a large amount of field experience. He does have some great kids in the area that help him out.
There is also another plot line in this story that follows Ivy and Landon as they try to catch a shifter that broke into the house of another not-nice DCO top level guy. He mentions that a large diamond was stolen. He doesn’t mention to Ivy and Landon that something else way more valuable was stolen. He will do anything to get it back. Thieves start dying, which sends up big red flags to Ivy and Landon.
This series continues to be action-packed. If you’re in the mood for a really good paranormal, romantic suspense, this is the series for you. I would recommend that you read the books in order. There are more details that are given out about the shifters, hybrids, DCO and more in each book. That information builds upon each story, so you will be missing out on some pieces if you skip a book. Plus, so far, I haven’t read a bad book in the series yet, so there’s no reason to skip one.