Fangs, Fur and Snowballs

Lost Shifters #15

by Stephani Hecht

It’s never easy dealing with relatives during the holidays, but when you mix a feline coalition with a wolf pack, things get downright hairy. And that’s before adding the two missing Eagle brothers, a Lion trying to run away from home and a Hawk crankier than Scrooge or the Grinch. But coalition leader Mitchell is determined to have the best Christmas ever—even if he has to kill everybody to make them cooperate. Oh, and where is Shane and why did he leave his favorite gun behind?

this book contains a maimed tree, lots of sappiness and way too much holiday spirit.

Genres: M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Romance, M M Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Ebooks

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2011

About the author

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings! You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.

When she’s not running around like crazy, trying to get her kids to their various activities, she’s currently working on numerous projects. In the coming months, she has several books coming out with eXtasy Books in both The Lost Shifter Series and Drone Vampire Chronicles, plus a few additional projects that are still in the development stages.

Visit Stephani on the web at:
Email her at:
archangelwriter@yahoo.com

Reviews

[Sophia Triad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories that take place around this year’s Christmas party

- Keegan is preparing the party and he is going mad.
- The felines are hosting the party also for Chris's and Russell's pack.
- The eagle twins are missing.
- Lion shifter Colby wants to run away, because apparently he does not like being a shifter.
- Shane is not in a very good mood because his stepfather appears to let him know his mom is dead.
- Gage the Hawke is still trying to make Branson, the blind Lion, noticing him.

Overal, a nice filler to the series that is full of Christmas’ spirit.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest story from this formulaic series puts Keegan and Carson in the centerfold. I've been missing that couple. Keegan is puts in charge by Mitchell for this year's Christmas party ... and we discover that Keegan suffers from OCD. It's kind of nice for Stephani to bring some mental diseases to the story, because there isn't enough stories in the world about it.

There are also a number of other characters being in highlight, including the Eagle twins Riley and Xavier, a side story about Shane's mother, and a glimpse of future relationship between Colby the Lion (Thomas's brother) and Tobias the Wolf (Russell's brother). Oh, also another tease about Gage the Hawke, who is still trying to capture Branson's, the blind Lion, attention.

I really need to keep note on the characters names!!! *grin*

[Phaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a sort-of sweet filler story. But I have to admit that the mushiness was getting a bit too much for me towards the end.

I really don’t like Colby. He’s the quintessential sullen teenager, just without the bursts of charm.

And to be honest Keegan and Carson’s relationship tastes somewhat off to me. Especially that final bit.

*sighs* And just when the sappiness is taking over to a painful degree, it’s swiftly finished off with a Dreary Overall Plot Development that promises many volumes of depressing backdrop. I had enjoyed that this series was one of the few involving shifters that did not feature hunters as a consistent threat. Ah, well.

[DaisyGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Carson is a reformed man-whore who is totally and completely devoted to his mate, Keegan. Keegan has been put in charge of this year's Christmas party and he is beyond stressed. The feline coalition is hosting both Chris's pack as well as Russell's. The eagle twins have gone AWOL (to go ice skating ... WTF!?!?) and Colby (lion shifter and Thomas's brother) is looking for a chance to run away. This installment gives us a chance to catch up with everyone and for SH to lay the groundwork for future stories.

Bottom-line: a fun and funny shifter Christmas.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this, the fifteenth book in the series, that it would be an all-around get-together for Christmas featuring the characters and relationships that I've grown to love. Since it would be some serious mingling between feline coalition and wolf pack, I knew there would be some heavy duty entertainment and laughs coming my way. I'm so glad I wasn't wrong as, frankly, I needed a few laughs!

Poor Keegan. Mitchell gave him the job of organizing and planning the holiday party between the felines and the wolves. Keegan has been really sad lately since his sister married the wolf alpha and moved away, and his insecurity has manifested in some troubling OCD. Carson is angry at Mitchell for doing this to his mate and he's determined to get help for Keegan without his mate finding out. Xavier and Riley, the twin Eagle shifters, are more than happy to help but trouble follows them so it might not be a good idea. *grins*

Gage is sad because Branson ignores him and Gage wants nothing to do with holiday cheer. Shane's stepfather shows up to let him know his mom is dead. Since Shane's mom sold him to the highest bidder, this kind of news does not bode well for the coalition's serial killer. Colby has finally come out of his catatonic state, only to discover he's a lion shifter, his family isn't really his family, and he can never go back to them again. Surprise!

See what I mean when I say there's a whole lot of excitement and quite a few laughs going on. Everything gets settled down in time for the felines to welcome their guests which makes Mitchell very happy. Especially since this could very well be the last time any of them get to have fun for a long time. The Ravens have shown themselves to humans and it appears there is a well trained group of human hunters coming after shifters. So, there is even more action adventure on the horizon which made enjoying this glimpse of happiness so much better.

NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess i don't really like Keegan and Carson that much so this mostly just annoyed me.

I don't get why Jacyn wouldn't tell Mitchell in private about Keegan's new panic attacks because of Ethical reasons, patient confidentially and Keegan asked him not to. Then he says it in front of the majority of the cats and in front of two wolf packs, one wolf pack being recently reformed criminals. And he says everyone else was saying how bad Keegan is so he would share too, really? Couldn't share in private being so ethical and all?

Maybe i am just not remembering but When Carson start going on missions? As far as i remember the only mission he went on was to get Keegan so why is he being sent on a mission now? Why leave when he is so worried about his mate and knows Keegan is crazy all the sudden? 

Keegan had most stable childhood out of them, his adoptive parents might have sucked but they were consistent andalusia there. So where did these fears of abandonment come from and how did one breathing session fix it?

My rough guestiment for POV we got in this book:
5% ranger's POV
9% Colby POV
14% Mitchell POV
72% Keegan's POV and 2 sex scenes (neither of which I didnt liked but that was probably just me)

How does Keegan know about Shane's mom being dead? The only people who knew were Brent, Mitchell, Trevor, the horse and Shane. So how is it when Trevor said Shane was missing Keegan immediately knew he'd be at the cemetery? 

[☔️ Stormy Day Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for all of the Lost Shifters, Wayne County Wolves, and Assassin's Loyalty books since they are all interconnected and I read them back-to-back pretty much nonstop over a 10 day period. If I have anything to say about a particular book I'll add it under this bulk review. First, I'd like to mention these are more like novellas than books but they have the same underlying theme and pretty much continue where the last left off but with a different couple.

Everything starts out with the Lost Shifters. To summarize there was a war between the feline shifters and the raven shifters. 20 years or so before the first book there was an all out slaughter in which hundreds of feline homes were attacked and burned down all of the occupants believed to be killed. Turns out that the babies and toddlers that were assumed lost were not. They were hidden within the human foster care system for the most part. I won't say how because that'd be a big spoiler. In addition to foster care some kids were sold into slavery and that's where the whole assassin thing comes in. A couple of the main characters marry into the wolf pack so that's where those books come in as well.

Pros: Since the books are so short there are no long drawn out boring details or general angst. There's usually only one sex scene although it's normally long as hell. Which makes the fact some people shelved these as erotica confusing. I liked the world building and even though there were times I think a little more info might have been nice it never detracted from the story or left me confused. Most of the relationships were a sort of love at first sight thing. Or maybe lust or obsession? Despite this the shifters all seem adamant that's not a thing that happens. There wasn't one character I didn't like. My favorite character was Shane and he must have been the author's as well since he got a few extra books and a side series Shane's Chronicles. There's no big end battle or anything but the last book Baily's 9th Life does pretty much tie things up nicely. I think if I'd been reading the series when they were released I'd be a bit miffed because that book didn't come out until a few years later if you weren't reading the assassins books. Also, these books all have some really funny moments and/or dialog.

Cons: The last several books didn't appear to have been edited at all. If if wasn't for the fact that I was so invested in the overall story arc I would have quit reading them. Things like sent instead of scent and too instead of to they instead of them and random wrong words completely. There were also a couple of times that things were said/thought almost verbatim in different parts of a book as if the author forgot she'd already put that info in there already. At the start of the series, they state that all feline shifters are bisexual but at some point the author must have forgotten that detail because suddenly there are gay shifters and homophobia and all this hate. Which brings me to my next con, the themes of the different books started to repeat. Suddenly all these shifters had been thrown out of their previous pack or coalition or human home for being gay. And throughout this huge series of books there was only one straight couple. Like not even a straight friend or whatever. Even the females were all lesbians. It was just kinda unrealistic especially with the whole gay hate thing going on. Usually there's at least a few couples or friends or something on the periphery in gay romances especially in a world this huge. Which brings me to my final con, I had a hard time remembering who was who and what there story was after awhile especially if they weren't mentioned much in previous books. I wish there had been some sort of glossary to review.

Despite the cons, I would still recommend these books. All-in-all I really enjoyed them and was dreading the end although the editing in the last few books really had me also looking forward to the end if I'm being honest.

[Chancey "Does not give out 5's like candy" Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I typically like when a long running series has a big get together story. It is fun to be able to catch up with the previous couples.

This one fell flat for me. Instead of getting to enjoy more of the previous couples, too much was crammed in to set up future stories.

I still enjoyed it, but I had hoped for more about the packs and coalition mixing.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was basically a collection of short stories in my mind so there wasn't that much cohesion. The plot with the hunters towards the end might be interesting and maybe the whole Gage and Brandon and Thomas/Colby stories will be interesting. At least in the latter part it might be good to see a couple that at least physically has a bit more in common. It is weird that this happened the last time in the second book and also ever since the first one we never had a character finding a mate within his own species. In addition I cannot help but feel that the series gets more and more misogynistic.

However somethings were weird and others just plain wrong:
1. Penguinshifters? Seriously? If the author thought of antarctic penguins I wonder how she would ever justify their existence. Originally I thought it bad that the only domestic animal shifters are horses but to be honest I think its better this way. I doubt that the author has much knowledge in zoology and so she might actually let them change into breeds who aren't even three hundred years old. She knows how to write but zoology is not her strong point.
2. The shifters are nearly all Caucasians. Except for Doc Featherstone and Dr. North, they all appear to be Caucasians and no matter how you define the term that is weird, considered that they supposedly live for hundreds of years and don't mix with humans. All jaguars and cougars should look like Native Americans then. As do many snake-shifters. While a caucasian look would at least be plausible for many other shifters (although clearly a minority), not these two.
3. If you are "twink" you can only be tough if you are a killer. This seems to be a message of the books. Not to mention that so far all of the "twinks" were bottoms, even Noah and Riley. Noah was versatile before he mated with Seth but afterwards was only performing the bottom role. Riley's sex scene with Colin would suggest that he is versatile as well but now I doubt it.
This brings me to the main critic.
4. Riley is a totally different person. I might get Xavier's behavior due to his upbringing, albeit both didn't had a life to make them brats, but not Riley. I just hope Mrs. Hecht has them behaving that way due to being on constant lockdown because they are acting like mid-teens and not men in their early twenties. This is the Riley that was devastated because all he had to offer where his looks? This is the Riley that let it get to him that some hawks told him he was a waste of space except for being pretty and being fucked? This is the Riley that complained that no one ever saw him as more than being airheaded and who was furious at Colin for always treating him like glass? He and his brother seem to have to count on that they are "cute", they do childish pranks, they seem to have no activities that bring something to the score. Basically both are a waste of space now, except for being pretty and being fucked. So obviously Mrs. Hecht did not do a good job in that regard. She makes them like the "little mates" in Lynn Hagen's Brac Pack series, which in my eyes is nothing to recommend. Mrs. Hecht makes children out of these two men.

[Jimmy Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, my feelings on this one is admittedly up and down. Hecht brings in a few more mental disorders that she's not really familiar enough with, or that maybe she decided to throw in as a last-minute detail, since to my memory there had been no hints of Keegan being OCD or prone to anxiety attacks until this story.

I was also greatly disappointed by the turn in Keegan and Carson's relationship; it came off as more one-sided than I liked, with Keegan doing things so he specifically wouldn't make Carson "mad" at him [which, after reading, it seemed like he was plenty mad and grumpy at Keegan at nearly every turn; I really didn't see much compassion show up in view of Keegan's obvious plight]. It reminded me too much of a broken, possibly mentally abusive relationship than anything else.

On the other hand, the parts with Riley and Xavier's disappearance were tempting, cute, and [when their mates find them] just plain sweet. I also especially liked the tease of a possible Colby/Tobias relationship, especially since that kind of sealed Colby's decision to stay.

[L-D · Rating 2 out of 5]

About 2.5 stars. This wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't as good as the others. In this book, the Coalition is getting ready for the first christmas with the Coalition shifters, Chris' wolf pack, and Russell's rogue wolf pack. To top it off, Mitchell puts Keegan in charge and Keegan basically has a melt down. I think after the last book where I got a little bit frustrated about how soft the shifters are getting (i.e. Dalton and Tobias), I was ready for maybe a little more Andrew or Shane or something a little tougher. I mean, this is a military coalition is it not? But no - Keegan basically has a toddlers and tiaras moment and we learn a little more about Colby who is a shifter that basically spends the book feeling sorry for himself. There was a little bit of closure with Shane that was nice but all in all - this book was just okay for me.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. There were a lot of glimpses into different couples from the series and how they are doing. We learn that the threat to the collation has changed and now all the shifter allies must be more wary than ever.

I must admit that I really didn't like Carson as much. He didn't have the same feel as in previous books. I did like that more of the group is getting help for their pasts. This is a good message to send that it doesn't mean weakness or etc to get mental help when needed.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author notes right up front this is a sappy book and it is, but that's not a bad thing. It's a Christmas story, it's about families and being together. I also like how the author has been introducing mental illness to the story lines, dealing with Riley's bipolar and now Keegan's OCD and anxiety disorder. It's nice to see it treated matter-of-factly but still with the understanding that sometimes it's hard for the people around the person as well as the person who's suffering directly. So I really enjoyed this one, schmaltzy and all. It's fun to see everyone again.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another Christmas story - decidedly chaotic, but it picks up a few threads from the previous books and develops some of the characters and relationships.
The main focus is Keegan - Mitchell has asked him to organise the Christmas arrangements as Chris's pack will be visiting, including the newly married Cassie. Keegan isn't coping too well, which has Carson worrying about him.
Along the way most of the more troublesome shifters make an appearance and cause some sort of chaos.

A fun read.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stephani Hecht is a terrible writer. I don't feel like pulling any punches here, because to do otherwise would be a disservice to my fellow readers. These books are awful, but have their own compelling pull. I wanted to carry on to see what happened next, even though the writing was making me insane, the characters were all the same, and the sex was becoming incredibly redundant. It wasn't until I got to the third book based on Shane (seriously, again?), that I finally hit a wall and couldn't read any more. It was (sorta) fun while it lasted.

[Maria Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet story and we get to see not only the whole family and there ally interacting but we get to see some sneak peak of future couple. There were some key pointer like Keegan having OCD, and Shane showing a side that we all thought was bury deep but came out for a little while and it was sad and heartwarming at the same time. There is also a surprise but if you wish to find out then you have to read it to find out. One last thing there is a new threat that will chance the shifter world that they need all there allies and friend to fight back.

[andrea moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost shifters 15

Another holiday themed book sees the two wolf packs and the feline coalition get together to celebrate the holiday but there is always drama to unfold and plenty of hot sex between the mates

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good m/m holiday paranormal romance that catches up on many members of the Feline Coalition, focusing particularly on Keegan and Colby.

[Sucajo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to revisit some old couples and catch glimpses of those to come in this Christmas story.

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This part was enjoyable and kind of an preview toward new plotted books. We saw who will mate in the future and how other already mated couples were doing. In general it was easy and fast read book.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think with that book Stephani Hecht wanted us to know which couples she will write about in future and I have to say I like it.

[Jessie Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn! So many new love interests! I'm egarly awaiting gage's book.

It's only 212 KB but the story is nice, we see more mushy aspects of our favorite characters and more of Keegan and Carson yum!

[Karen K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little holiday story with most of the pairs present and accounted for. I was especially happy to have a bit of a Mitchell/Dean fix.

[Nikko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one too.. But i wanna see updates on mitchell and dean..

[Lee Brazil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun holiday story -

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bummer ending! UGH!!!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boringly sweet. Want more about OCD. Would have liked a scene with Keegan needing to be sedated.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colby and Tobias were kind of show stealers in this one.

[Dylan St. Jaymes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot happened in this little short but I really enjoyed it. I hope that some of the issues brought to light get expanded on in further books and carried through.