Shifting Shadows

"Short stories aren't always my thing, but this book is definitely worth the read! It gives us glimpses of old, beloved characters, and a few brand new ones. All of the stories are entertaining and the characters are lovable! If you love Mercy Thompson's world, I would definitely recommend checking this book out! It's best read after Night Broken. Silver - 4.5⭐ Samuel is such a sweetheart! He's always been one of my favorite characters in the Mercy Thompson series, and I was so happy when he and Ariana found one another! Their pasts, as individuals and as a couple, may be sad and distressing, but it made them into the people they are now. It was nice to see a glimpse of their backstory. Fairy Gifts - 3.5⭐ This story was too short to grow attached to any of the characters, all of whom are new to this world, but it was well written and fairly interesting. I hope we'll get to see both Thomas and Maggie again in the future! Gray - 4⭐ I really enjoyed this story! Aside from Stefan, most vampires in this series are, at the least, very questionable characters, but Elyna was a sweet and lovable character. Though her story is a bit sad, I thought it was really sweet how she moved back into her old home to be with Jack. Seeing Eye - 4⭐ Moira and Tom were two characters I really liked in Hunting Ground, the second Alpha & Omega novel, but I was left with quite a few questions about them, so it was definitely fun to see part of their backstory. This was a fun short story, but I definitely wish it was longer! Alpha and Omega - 5⭐ This is the prequel novella to the Alpha & Omega series, and it's sooooo good! It definitely needs to be read before Cry Wolf, because it's the beginning of Charles and Anna's story. You can either find it in this anthology, or it has previously been released on its own. Charles and Anna are both amazing characters, and I absolutely adore them! 100% would recommend checking out the Alpha & Omega series! The rest of the review is in the comments! "

"Ben’s story was fantastic!"

"I don't normally do short stories. Sometimes they just aren't up to par with the books they go with. I hate being let down with a sloppy story that barely adds anything to the stories I love. Briggs does a wonderful job and I should have known that she wouldn't do anything in halves with her stories.<br/><br/>There was only one story here I've read before. Yup. This is proof I tend to stay away from short stories. Alpha and Omega, which I read because it was the start of a new series. The rest were new to me. Surprisingly, I loved all the stories. What surprised me more was my favorite. I hadn't expected it because after I read the story of Bran and Samuel's origin story, I thought the rest wouldn't match up. Boy was I wrong! My favorite had Bran in it, yes, but he wasn't the focus. My favorite had to do with a little teenage werewolf who somehow survived an attack at such a young age. Miraculous because women rarely survive and she was very young when she changed. I loved her story, told through the eyes of Asil. The Moor is such an interesting character. He may be one of the very few as dominant or maybe more dominant than Bran. The catch is that he doesn't want to be an alpha. He's just waiting around until Bran gets off his ass and kills him. But through the last few years or so, he's found reasons to be happy he's still alive. The care of a teenage werewolf and the help he can give her is another one. He's afraid of his wolf, he's afraid he'll go off the deep end and go on a killing spree that will leave hundreds, if not thousands, dead in his wake. Then enters this girl. He finds himself wanting to help her and even shares who he was with her and they form a relationship that not only helps the teenager who can't seem to shift on her own but also helps a very old wolf find more reasons to stick around. I admit, I teared up a bit on this story. It's beautiful and touching. Another reason why I love Asil is because he can really annoy Bran in ways no one else would get away with it and it's fun to watch someone besides Anna frustrate Bran. Even more surprising was Leah. I admit I hate her. I want her gone. But after this, I really want a story from her perspective because now, after reading this, I want to know what goes on in her head and why she's the person she is.<br/><br/>All great stories, well worth buying them and having them all together. We get some with Mercy, yes, but we get to see most of the characters that interact with her through their eyes we don't get since Mercy's books are told through her eyes. Lovely book and I'm so glad I decided to read this and give them a chance because I have not regretted it in the least. Briggs is going on the list of authors (it's a very short list) whose short stories I will always read."

"Great to revisit beloved characters."