Selenium Night (Shadowshifters, #1)

by Kharma Kelley

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Selenium Night is the first book in Kharma Kelley’s Shadow Shifters series. This is not my first time reading her work and based on my prior experience I went into this book with high expectations. She did not disappoint.

What the story is about.
In this new series, readers meet Adian Bloodlocke and Dr. Maddie Ardelle. Abandoned by his pack. Aidan, an Aristan shadowshifter grew up knowing nothing about his lineage. All that would change when the alpha of the Bloodlocke pack adopted him and raised as his own. Aidan’s new life taught him about family and unconditional love. In spite of this, there were members of the pack who despised him a situation which escalated when he became the pack’s alpha.

Then the unthinkable happened, his pack came under attack leaving death and mayhem in its wake. Now he is on a mission to hunt and capture the responsible party and ensure that pack justice is served. What he never counted on was that during his quest he would find love with the delectable Dr. Maddie Ardelle.

Dr. Maddie Ardelle moved to Brdgepoint Maine, to get the pieces of her life together. Her life lacked excitement. Therefore, the last thing she expected was to get caught in the middle of the ShadowShifter's feud. When the hot and sexy alpha came to her aid, she found herself caught in a world of passion, violence, and a lot of shifters.

The Story
Selenium Night is one of those books which holds you captive from the first page and you eagerly turn the pages because you have to know how the event will unfold.

I loved the world that the author introduced me to in this story. There are two species of ShadowShifters, Aristans created by Arista one of the moon sisters and the Thesians, created in retaliation by her twin sister Thesia. Since this time, both species have been sworn enemies.
ShadowShifters are human souls that were fused with the soul of a wolf. In their natural state they are humans, however they have the power to change in various forms of a wolf. They lived in plain sight of humans, but the humans had no idea they were living among supernatural beings. ShadowShifters are born not made.

The romance was refreshing and well done. It was slow burn, which is not typical for these kinds of stories. This is not shifter story where the hero recognises his mate immediately and lay his claim to her. The hero was drawn to the heroine but had a hard time reconciling his feelings as it was forbidden for his kind to mate with humans. They got to know each other and allowing their love to develop at a natural pace. She tugged at his heartstrings and he had this uncontrollable need to protect her, which proved detrimental to his mission.

Suspense, action and humour were sprinkled throughout the pages of the book, making it a true page-turner.

The Characters

The Characters were well fleshed out. I was invested in them and could not help but root for them. Aidan is strong, determined and protective. His life growing up was hard, but that was until his circumstances changed. However, the pain of the past haunted him. Maddie had experienced her share of hurt and as such was not looking for a relationship. I could relate to her uncertainties regarding her developing feelings for Aidan. She was a likable heroine and it was clear Aidan was so enamoured with her. She is funny, selfless and brave.
They complemented each other. I enjoyed their initial contact, which provided me with some laugh out loud moments.

The secondary characters played an intricate role in making the story a page turner. My least favourite was Kieran, Adian’s adoptive brother. He is a true personification of evil. It was his actions that led to disaster that struck the Bloodlocke pack and he is the one Aidan is hunting.

The one thing I had an issue with is the author’s failure to delve deeper into the forbidden aspects of Aidan and Maddie’s relationship. They go their HEA, but it would have been good to know the effects in the future in light of the fact that Maddie cannot be a shifter.

Conclusion/Recommendation
The story delivered a heart-warming, emotional, suspenseful and action packed read. I do believe this is a great start to the series and I am eager to see what next the author has to offer. Fans of paranormal romance with strong sexy characters will enjoy Selenium Night.