Book Review: Releasing the Shifter by Summer Devon

Title: Releasing the Shifter
Series: Solitary Shifters, Book 3
Author: Summer Devon
Genre: Paranormal Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: May 5, 2015 by Samhain Publishing

To save his love he must face his monster and—worse—be nice to people.

Montag is a monster. He doesn’t know what sort of creature he would turn into if he ever let himself shift, but he knows it’s something predatory and lethal. He fights back the urge to shift every day of his life, and has never dared get close to anyone—not that they want him to. He can literally smell their fear.

Kevin’s not scared of monsters. He works for the SSU, the agency in charge of tracking shifters—particularly the dangerous ones. When he and his young niece are kidnapped by her scum-bucket dad, he’s grateful to be rescued by Montag, whose curmudgeonly defenses can’t hide the kind man beneath.

As they work together to protect Kevin’s niece, attraction sizzles between them. But their relationship may not survive if Montag learns who writes Kevin’s paycheck—or if Montag dares to confront the inner monster he hates and fears.

Warning: Contains a grouchy virgin shifter (and we mean virginal in all possible ways), a hero with a back pocket full of secrets, and a couple of jerks.

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Reviewed by: J9

In a Nutshell: Very enjoyable, albeit short, shifter romance.

Why I Read This Book: I have a thing for anti-social leads in my romance so this synopsis piqued my interest.

What I Liked: Montag and Kevin are wonderful characters. Montag’s loneliness and isolation are so sad, especially in the opening scene where we see someone using him for their own purposes. Watching him open up to both Kevin and Kevin’s adorable niece is just what I look for in romance. Kevin’s is open and loving but also has a big secret from Montag that added just the right amount of tension. The sexual and emotional intimacy are perfectly blended as both leads quickly fall for each other.

Note: I hadn’t read the previous two books in this series and didn’t need to in order to enjoy this one.

What I Didn’t Like: I wouldn’t say the shifter element to this paranormal story is all that different from what I’ve read before but it still kept my attention. The secret that Kevin is hiding was more interesting to me than Montag’s reluctance to embrace his inner shifter. Still, this novella was a very enjoyable read. 

IMO: I recommend this shifter romance as I really enjoyed the leads and their romance. I will likely go back to read the previous books in the series and will look forward to future books in it.

J9’s Rating: