Fun Set of Shifter Novels

This box contains four novels in the Date Monsters series. The premise behind the entire series is that there is an agency that hires out a variety of shifters for different types of jobs, from sexy escort services to business consultants to bodyguards. The latter two may also include an element of the former mixed in. I’ll talk a little about each book below.

Date with a Dragon: In a very amusing scene, Lena has stuck her foot in it, stating that she has a hot relationship with an out-of-town dragon shifter…  all because she doesn’t want to be a loser at her 10-year class reunion. She goes online and hires a shifter to be her date for the week, culminating in the reunion. Oskar, the wealthy son of the owner of the Date Monsters agency, is the one who says yes to her request (even though it is for far less than his usual fee). In the week leading up to the reunion, they to get to know each other, and a genuine attraction grows between them (though he is quite surprised at the way it is turning out). Will it all go up in flames, or will the fake boyfriend turn into a real one? This book had so many funny scenes. There is a rich vein of humor running through this book, starting right the very first moment. Lena is a people pleaser; Oskar is entitled and arrogant. But underneath it all, they are decent people who come to a better understanding of themselves and each other. The book does use a fair amount of profanity, so if you have an issue with that, you might want to stay away. There’s some suggestive talk throughout, but it doesn’t get too steamy until the end. In all, this is a delightful short dragon shifter romance that is a perfect way to while away a few hours.

Date with a Werewolf: While I like the hero in this book, and I love following his thoughts, I could never quite identify with the heroine, so this book didn’t quite work for me. I think I was turned off at first by the level of profanity, as I don’t remember that being as much of an issue in the other books I’ve read by her. I am just turned off by excessive profanity in books, as I think they tend to be the crutch of authors who don’t write so well (and I don’t believe this author falls in that category). I grew up reading books that didn’t have a lot of profanity, so it is always jarring when I read such in books. I also didn’t like her cavalier attitude about sex. In this book, the relationships between the sisters are fraught with some tension, and the hero actually walks into a circumstance that is perhaps more than he bargained for, with the state of the dilapidation of the ranch as well as the broken family relationships between the siblings due to their upbringing. I wish I could say that I liked this more, because I do like most of the other books by this author, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

Date with a Bear: This one follows on the last story featuring the sister ranch owners. This time, it’s Regina’s turn to be the focus. She is the eldest of the sisters and the one who took the brunt of their father’s abuse when they were children. Not only are cattle going missing on the ranch, but Regina is receiving death threats and other verbal harassment, so they bring in a family of bear shifters as bodyguards. Oswin becomes Regina’s personal bodyguard, and he gets to know the real woman beneath the prickly exterior. Together, they get to the bottom of what is happening on the ranch.

Date with a Tiger: In this one, the heroine decides to use someone from the Date Monsters agency play her fake boyfriend. Will it stay fake? Will her mother believe what’s going on?