The Shifter: Shifting Plains #2

The Shifter
Jean Johnson
Shifting Plains, book two
ebook, 320 pages
Published May 1st 2012

Years have passed since there was any sighting of Family Mongrel. Yet traces remain in the Correda Mountains. Kenyen Sin Siin tracks down these hints from the past to make sure the curs have not survived. As the trail becomes more tangled he’s trapped in a valley where not everything is as it seems...including the beautiful and mysterious Migela Laun Far.

Don't you hate it when the blurb tells you NOTHING!

I hate it for many reasons. Other than the obvious reason--the sheer torture of feeling ignorant--but not knowing leads you to leave the book on the shelf for much longer than necessary. This, in turn, leads to the possibility of (once you figure out what the book is actually about) purchasing it for the *second* time. Which, I did.

I originally (once upon a time) picked this up because it was the sequel to Shifting Plains which I greatly enjoyed. But since the blurb TOLD ME NOTHING of sincere importance, I shelved it. Then, whilst reading Shadowed by Evangeline Anderson, I was reminded of Jean Johnson's work and thus began the chain that led me back to The Shifter. This time, I was able to skim a few reviews. Huge THANK YOU to "Tina" from Goodreads and Two Lips Reviews for the enlightenment.

It was only upon opening the ebook did I find that the blurb above is not the complete summary. It would have been oh so helpful if someone would have done the job right when they added it to Goodreads. I'm not going to go into it, but if you want a better idea of the story (and not just my ramblings and vents) check out Tina's review here.

So anyway...

Kenyen is not his brother. He knows it. If you've read Shifting Plains, you'll know it.

Kodan, the hero of book one, was... epic compared to Kenyen. Not that Kenyen isn't great in his own way but Kodan was... a man. (Ironically, it's Kenyen's manliness that doesn't allow Solyn to believe in Kenyen's diguise as her best friend, Traver.

I still remember some of Shifting Plains. Specifically, one, very long, very detailed scene. One just doesn't forget something like this. As hilarious as it was. It is the scene wherein Kodan talks Tava through her first masturbation.

Both brothers were raised within a culture that respect the hell out of women. And while Kodan, too, was a model citizen in that regard, Kenyen's story takes on an innocence where Kodan's took on passion. Kenyen's is less personal. Juvenile even.

It's good. It's always nice seeing the man get seduced for a change. And the guy is *very* good at playing bad. Still...

I'd rather have Kodan.

3 out of 5 stars.

Previously in this series: