Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella
Leopard shifter Gregory Hale has been sent by the Supernatural Council to pick up a young jaguar shifter in Las Vegas and bring him into Council headquarters, as they have determined the young man’s loner status has made him a potential danger to the humans around him. But Gregory has watched Hayden at a distance for days and everything about the young shifter shouts neglect and pain. When Gregory finally contacts Hayden, he realizes that Hayden is his mate, but there is no acknowledgement on Hayden’s part that the recognition is mutual. Hayden is skinny to the point of starvation and his face is marred by a raw scar that stretches from eye to mouth on one side of his face, a scar that should have healed when Hayden shifts. Hayden has come from a traumatized past, but he won’t confide in Gregory, not yet at least. More than ever, Gregory is determined not to let Hayden fall into the Council’s hands and he pretends to his superiors that Hayden has slipped away from him, to their immediately displeasure. Gregory is, in fact, taking Hayden to Kelan’s Crazy Horse Ranch, knowing the Alpha will help him hide Hayden and keep him safe.
Gregory still has the corruption within the Council to deal with and a new series of murders to investigate. Someone is murdering the mates of Council members, as Gregory knows all too well. Now with a mate of his own to protect, Gregory needs to get to the real culprit behind the killings before its too late.
The Shifters’ Haven series is built around Wolf Creek, Texas and its pack of wolf shifters. Wolf Creek is two thirds shifters, a situation that the human population is ignorant of as all shifters have worked hard to keep themselves hidden. Each book brings together a different mated pair with a continuous plot line of dissension among the Supernatural Council which is composed of shifters of all types, from hawk to cougar. From the first installment, you are made aware of the Council who governs all shifters with their rules and regulations and the possibility of corruption within that impacts Wolf Creek and beyond. From book to book, each time a member of the Council intervenes or arrives on the scene, you become less assured as to who the “good guys” are. Also each book widens the Wolf Creek pack with new family members and sometime new species of shifters are given haven.
Gregory’s Rebellion picks up right where Nate’s Deputy leaves off, with Gregory on his way to Las Vegas on Council business. Gregory is still heartbroken over the events that happened back in Wolf Creek and unsettled because the real leader behind the shifter problems and crimes has not been fully identified, at least not with proof he can use. There has been a really nice development of Gregory’s character from book to book, from his first appearance as a Council member somewhat rigid in demeanor to the compassionate person he is here. But my focus was on Hayden, who was kicked out of his home at the age of 16 by his parents for being gay, an all too real occurrence. Hayden has suffered since being thrown out of his home and family and has done what he had to in order to survive on the streets. He has no self confidence, he is all shame and humiliation, his trauma written across his face in a scar he refuses to heal as a measure of his torment and degradation. When Gregory comes into his life, he has just arrived at a modicum of security, with a boss who regards him as more family than employee and a job he likes. Now all of that is gone in an instant, disrupted by a stranger who tells him the Council is after him and wants his trust. Lewis does a beautiful job in conveying Hayden’s confusion and fear. I became invested in Hayden from the very beginning and stayed so to the end. You will too.
Also carrying over is the issue of corruption in the Council and the fact that someone is murdering the mates of Council members, but to what end? Gregory gets caught up in trying to deal with his new mated status as well as his investigation into the problems of being part of a Council he no longer trusts or believes in. Again, all very credible and in keeping with the persona of an honorable man trying to do what’s right when confronted with the reality behind the Supernatural Council. Lewis’ wonderful way with location and characterization is in top form here. It is becoming a saga of Wolf Creek versus the old order of council rule, a storyline that has intrigued me since the start of the series.
Once more, I felt the ending rushed and not as satisfactory as it might have felt to have the villain meet his comeuppance. Had the story lasted a little longer and with a more detailed exposition, then the end would feel more complete given the buildup. Perhaps Lewis is doing this intentionally to keep the thread going in the next book up, Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7). I hope so, for it’s an interesting part of all of their stories and it doesn’t feel finished yet. So I am waiting impatiently for October and the next in the series. Pick up the first book, read them all and meet me here for No. 7. See you then.
Once again Posh Gosh is giving us lush, gorgeous covers for the entire series. Beautiful branding and great design for each and every book.
Here are the Shifter Haven series in the order they were written and should be read in order to fully appreciate the characters, relationships and plots.
Luke’s Surprise (Shifters’ Haven #1)
Cody’s Revelation (Shifters’ Haven #2)
Kelan’s Pursuit (Shifters’ Haven #3)
Aaron’s Awakening (Shifters’ Haven #4)
Nate’s Deputy (Shifters’ Haven #5)
Gregory’s Rebellion (Shifters’ Haven #6)
Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7) coming in October 2012
