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Shifters' Haven #5

Nate's Deputy

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Can two very stubborn men conquer their personal demons in order to come together as mates?

Werewolf Nate Stanford is riddled with guilt over his brother Rick's death...so much so that when he meets his mate-Deputy Sheriff Jared Ambrose-he rejects him, believing he is not good enough for Jared and not worthy of being loved. The only thing that matters to him is buying his childhood home in honour of his brother's memory.

Since their father died, Jared Ambrose has taken on responsibility for his younger brother, whose drinking binges are constantly getting him into trouble. Jared's only hope of saving his brother is finding them a place they can call home. Jared wants to make Sheriff, but believes he'll never be elected if the residents of his new town find out he is gay. When he realises Nate is his mate, he knows it's not possible for them to be together.

But trouble in their small town and unrest in the supernatural council force them together and make them question their decisions. Can these two stubborn men conquer their demons and overcome all obstacles to carve out a life together?

128 pages, ebook

First published April 30, 2012

47 people are currently reading
217 people want to read

About the author

Lavinia Lewis

142 books183 followers
Lavinia discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents bought her a typewriter for Christmas at aged eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed.

Lavinia is a Welsh Valley girl who has lived all over the UK. Today she lives at home in the small village in which she grew up, just outside of Cardiff, Wales, but ask her again tomorrow and it could very well be somewhere different. She has travelled extensively to places as far and wide as Africa, Asia, Australia, North and Central America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never stepped foot in the state but plans to spend time there in the near future. She is a proud Brit, but feels quite at home when visiting the grand ol’ USofA.

Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, particularly M/M she will admit to reading anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. She loves a gritty, angst-ridden, gut-wrenching story, but is more than happy to settle in with a lighter, fluffier tale. She loves a happy ending and the characters in her books have thus far been lucky enough to find one. She can’t guarantee that will always be the case. She has two cats and wouldn’t part with them for the world, even though they make her sneeze.

Lavinia also writes M/F romance under the pseudonym Amy Armstrong.



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5 stars
127 (26%)
4 stars
158 (33%)
3 stars
158 (33%)
2 stars
22 (4%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Bubbles  Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions .
1,314 reviews279 followers
April 30, 2012
BEST OF THE SERIES SO FAR! LOVED IT!

Poor Nate. So sweet and handsome but can't get over the guilt he feels because he blames himself for what his brother Rick did in book one.

So take the super sexy Nate


Then throw in his equally sexy Mate


Add in that they are both reluctant to mate and try to ignore their bond leads to some scorching tension.


This book had a lot of surprises and twists. It really set up a new direction for the story. You should read this to see the changes in store for Wolfcreek.

And I'll add this image just because, well look at it, why not?


And this means like nothing for the book but its so cute i loved it
Profile Image for Audi♡.
762 reviews77 followers
July 2, 2024
Good God, they were stubborn buttholes. This was my favorite one.
Profile Image for Ericka Walden.
1,163 reviews49 followers
May 2, 2012
(singing LOUDLY)...... AND IT KEEPS GETTIN BETTA!!!!! Lavinia is just one of those (very few authors) that I automatically just buy when I see her name!! And Missy never disappoint's!! Excellent addition to the series...and, uh....this is book 5.... So....not sure how to catch you all up if you haven't started the series.....so........how bout you run out and buy the first 4, read em, and then we'll talk. Kay? Come on..... Sigh.... Cowboys, Shifters, murder mystery, did I mention Cowboys? And Shifters? How bout COWBOY-Shifters?!?!?! (drops onto the bed with a happy sigh..)
Profile Image for Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon).
16.4k reviews216 followers
October 17, 2019
When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Valentina Heart.
Author 22 books305 followers
June 7, 2012
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.


When it comes to shifters, I've been through quite a few books and I'm always interested in the differences between them and the humans. After all, it's the very reason why I'm reading shifter stories in the first place.

NATE'S DEPUTY is the fifth book in the Shifters' Haven series and since it was noted that I could read it without having read any of the previous books, I jumped right in.

Nate has come home after being absent for two years. His brother is dead now without ever reconciling with Nate and Nate's sister pretty much hates his guts and has for years. But Nate is a pretty good guy and above all else, he feels guilty for things that really aren't his fault.

On the other side we have Jared who has recently started work as Sheriff's Deputy and also looks after his younger brother, the only family he has left. Jared is full of conflicts, because he wants what's best for his brother and in order for that to happen he feels he needs to hide his sexuality and keep his job. Next to all of that, Nate and Jared are bidding for the same ranch and are finding themselves in the middle of a council dispute.

Once the men realize they were made for each other, both have reasons to fight the connection. One is insecure while the other fears for his future and that of his brother. All in all, I expected much more conflict. Well, in all honestly, I expected much more of everything.
I'm not familiar with the rest of the series, but I can say that this book really lacked the shifter part of the Shifters' Haven. There were a few fights in half shifted form, but for the rest of the book, the guys were too close to humans for my liking. Their issues seemed solid at first glance, but the realization of the conflicts ended up being pretty weak. One moment they are fighting the attraction, in the next they are almost completely okay with it. There was too little character building contact between them for my taste and at the end of the book I can honestly say I barely got to know the two men.

Then there was the whole conflict thing where both Nate and Jared got tangled up in the pack/council mystery but weren't really involved. That part seriously annoyed me, because why mention it in the first place if Nate and Jared will just show up at the scene and then be dismissed because their mating is just overshadowing common sense or because they are not the Alpha so it's not their business? Half of this book was a steppingstone toward the next one, while the other half wasn't nearly long enough to properly introduce us with the characters and give us a romance they deserve.

What convinced me in the end to still give the book three stars were the funny side characters. From the Alpha to Jared's brother, I had plenty to keep me entertained and just that little aspect made me curious about the previous books, at least the one about the Alpha. I didn't have any issues about the writing style and I'm pretty sure the series will have a quite large fan base soon if it doesn't have it already, but I require more with my shifter books and this one just didn't satisfy me.
Profile Image for Barb Manning.
133 reviews13 followers
September 2, 2012
Nate's Deputy is the fifth book in Lavinia Lewis' Shifters' Haven series. It's a standalone story about two strong-willed gay werewolf shifters, Nate Stanford and Deputy Jared Ambrose. Nate's Deputy focuses on life in the small town of Wolf Creek and the activities of its denizens.

Jared is looking to find a home for him and his troubled younger brother, Tristan; while Nate's want to restore the home his deceased brother Rick lost. At the same time these two stubborn young men work to gain a home, they must deal with the shady activities going on in Wolf Creek involving the Supernatural Council. They also need to cope with an attraction so passionate it threatens to overcome all the other obstacles in their lives.

Lewis writes some steamy scenes between Jared and Nate, as well as other key characters in Nate's Deputy, including Aaron and Cary from other Shifters' Haven stories. Lewis has a strong voice and her characters are sympathetic and compelling. Jared's relationship with Tristan is tender and caring. Nate's grief over the death of his little brother is touching, as are the scenes with Cary and Aaron.

Nate's Deputy moves at a fast clip; the action almost never stops. On occasion, this shortchanges the depth of the story. There are also some minor technical and grammatical problems with Nate's Deputy that are not present in other installments of Shifters' Haven. Nevertheless, Nate's Deputy is a fun read worth 3.5 stars. Shifters' Haven is a nice series and with some interesting characters worth getting to know.

Reviewed by Creative Ink Romance Reviews.
Profile Image for Sui Lynn.
Author 16 books121 followers
May 5, 2012
This was a very good shifter story. I've enjoyed all of the books in this series, some more than others. This one was especially good as both characters fought against the "we're mates=HEA" that many shifter stories are based on. I enjoyed the angst and the thickening main plotline that is driving this series. I'm anxious to see where it carries this series.

One bad point I've noticed about the author's style, at least in my opinion. The ending is a bit abrupt for my taste. I like to revel in the character's happiness. Seeing them enjoying their HEA once their personal conflict is over. Ms Lewis tends to cut the endings short. Everyone is happy and we're done. No muss, no fuss. Just my personal preference I like the story to go on a bit and see the characters interacting beyond their moment of HEA. But truly this is a pretty minor point. Overall I really enjoyed this book and this series and I await the next.
Profile Image for Suze.
3,889 reviews
January 2, 2018
I found this a good, easy to read story. Its no. 5 in a series but reads easily as a standalone - any history needed is given in a concise way or is easy to surmise. Its billed as a shifter paranormal - whilst the story thread is based on shifters, any actual shifting is minimal, so for someone like myself who is not overly comfortable with paranormal, this is really a 'normal' read. There are few explicit sex scenes - its either heavy petting style or referred to - i normally prefer a bit of heat but the levels here matched the writing style. A nice read.

11.5.15 : reread three years after first. Still enjoyed it, light on the shifter which works for me. Enjoyable.
Profile Image for blub.
2,040 reviews
May 2, 2012
If you've read the first 4 books of the series you pretty much know how this book will go romance-wise between Nate and Jared. There is more of a developed plot in this one, readers will learn that there's a conspiracy to reveal shifters to the human race and because Kalen is such a great alpha, Wolf Creek is the chosen place to initiate the plan.
701 reviews6 followers
July 5, 2012
3.75 stars.

I liked this book and the fact that the sex did not happen until about 75% of the way in. The back-story is picking up and it had nice pacing. After being disappointed with the last two books in this series, Nate's Deputy was a fun read.
Profile Image for Patricia Hoffstaetter.
3,160 reviews39 followers
October 9, 2019
A very enjoyable, sweet & emotional MM shifter romance. The plot is suspenseful & quite intriguing with some unexpected circumstances or situations. . The main characters are quite stubborn & rather complex individuals, one of them (Nate, a deputy) has guilt issues while another character (Jared) has fears for himself & his sibling (Tristan) But they do continue to develop throughout the story-line. There is good support from the secondary charters & although there are character crossovers this book can be read as a standalone.
There is: wolf shifters, humans, a supernatural council, council politics, pack issues, action, suspense, twists & turns, intrigue, secrets, some homophobia, memories, mystery, conspiracies, threats, devious plans, enemies/villains, danger, attacks, violence, murder, attraction, longings, mates, guilt issues, rejection, jealousy, deceit, discovery, emotional turmoil, complications, confrontations, defiance, decisions, some steam, love, happiness, contentment & a satisfying conclusion.
Profile Image for John-Torleif  Harris.
2,725 reviews12 followers
October 9, 2019
I recently found out that these books are re-releases after the author got her rights back from the previous publisher. While the previous books didn't really ring any bells for me, this one was full of deja-vu moments for me - I think that I must have read this book before because every time that I would think that something world happen a certain way, it did. And the epilogue felt VERY familiar to me.

Whether or not I've read this book before, I definitely enjoyed it. Nate and Jake were both ridiculously stubborn, but it made for some delightful drama. I loved Tristan's mischief throughout the book, and especially how he showed that he truly loved his brother.

I'm excited to read further to find out, or rediscover, what happens with this delightful pack and their friends.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
6,020 reviews45 followers
October 8, 2019
Nate never knew about the death of his brother until his Alpha called him after his funeral. Their sister never contacted him. No contact since he came out at age 18.

Nate and Rick last spoke two years earlier after he placed their dad in a home for shifters with dementia that was run by shifters. Senseless loss - especially after Rick had also betrayed their Alpha.

Love still finds a way. Sadly, more than one shifter from the council seems to be involved in intrigue: trying to out shifters on the one hand, and other dark plans on another hand.

More challenges ahead in this suspense, action and romance filled KU adventure !

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jeanette Waters.
2,005 reviews5 followers
August 4, 2022
The book is a little uneven, a bit inconsistent. The editing...so, so. Story was not bad. Totally in Lewis' lane of meet/ refuse to acknowledge mating/ hurt feelings, jealousy/ danger/ bad guy dies. Fated mates of course can't resist each other. Leading to sexy times.
There are sweet bits. The deputy, Jared, comes with a young brother who is falling into alcoholism. Nate and the Morgan family give him grounding and support. And Jared paves the way for Nate to develop a relationship with his estranged sister.
The ending seems rushed. As it the author hit her word count and decided "Okay, done". She does set up the next book in the series, though.
Not as good as book four. But not a bad read.
254 reviews2 followers
Read
October 8, 2019
Yet another wonderful Shifters' Haven book

Lavinia Lewis has spun yet another novel in the Shifters' Haven series. Again it is filled with loveable wolves and their fated mates. As well as a few villains. These books keep getting better and better. The plot-line builds from book one, each layering on the previous as the story of the inhabitants of Wolf Creek have their adventures, experience crime and rise above hate with love.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Nessa.
1,858 reviews21 followers
December 31, 2019
This was a very interesting and enjoyable read. I was happy for Nate and Jared, although, I was a bit frustrated at how long it took for them to finally get together, but when they did, it was magic. There was a lot of deceit going on within the council. It held my attention and I love the way that the author conveyed the romance between the two main characters. It would be nice if Tristan met his mate soon. He was a cute character. This series is really rubbing off on me. Love it. =)
2,111 reviews5 followers
October 9, 2019
This was another great book in this intriguing series. It was kept me engrossed, and was so well written. I found Nate and Jared to be made for each other. Both had serious issues to overcome; and the author did such a great job developing them. This was a great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
495 reviews29 followers
April 17, 2024
Definitely needs editing.
Wrong names were used, people were there when they weren't supposed to be and such.
It got to be that it was kind of hard to follow at times as I didn't know who was talking to who. I was also frustrated as we get further into the story, the more a subplot is starting to become the main character and pushing the two men this book focuses on, into the background.
Profile Image for Tayra Sanders.
2,313 reviews31 followers
October 17, 2019
This was a great read. I thought the story was very well written and flowed well. The story kept me glued to the pages to see how everything would turn out. I loved the characters and had this read in one sitting. I would highly recommend this read.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
May 10, 2020
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/10/2020)! 🎁
Profile Image for Lu.
627 reviews54 followers
August 15, 2022
This was different, longer and a slow burn! Lots of old and new characters and setup for the next books.
Profile Image for Cristy.
Author 10 books32 followers
July 27, 2025
En esta ocasión tanto Nate, como Jared deciden que no pueden estar juntos.
Estos dos me han hecho sufrir con su indecisión mientras la subtrama del libro anterior sigue su curso manteniéndome atrapada.
Otra que me ha hecho pasar un buen rato con su lectura.
116 reviews
September 17, 2020
Re-read and review: 12/09/2020
It's a okay book, easy to read but a bit too much rushed for my taste.
100 reviews2 followers
April 4, 2013
I'm not usually one for werewolves, but this one was keeping my interest... right up until the two leads started acting irrationally. I realize that the "mates" trope is all about not being in control, but random teenaged outbursts of jealousy are very DNW for me.

Another problem is that, this being the fifth in the series, they keep alluding to other couples. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing, but when half the plot hinges on homophobia, I have a hard time believing that an openly gay leader/alpha would be accepted, along with all the other openly gay characters. Jared thinks bring gay will keep him from being elected as sheriff, but the majority of the town is shifters, and they're ok with Kelan, so...

Anyway, they writing style is fine, didn't notice many typos/editing errors. The plot/characters were just a bit too silly for me.
Profile Image for Phaney.
1,248 reviews22 followers
May 23, 2013
2012 Review:

In this one, future protagonists are sprouting all over the map.

And again, we have very little in the way of sex scenes, and all but one of those we do get are interrupted prematurely. XD

Except for the whole threat (these long-term threats always make me uneasy), I pretty much enjoyed this book. It had a more mature feel to it. :3 But yeah. That conspiracy background is making me itchy. It’s plainly obvious , so I am antsy about the next book already. Not in a good way. Some bits of this story were quite gory, too.
Profile Image for Cynthia Brooks.
2,336 reviews11 followers
October 13, 2019
Wolf shifter Nate came back home to buy his family ranch back. Wolf shifter Jared and his brother Tristan moved to the small town to start over after their father died. When Nate and Jared meet they realize they're mates but neither want a mate for their own reasons. Then there's the unrest and rowdy behavior of some the shifters and how to control it. I really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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