Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance Heat Level: 3 Word Count: 16, 210 ISBN: 978-1-77233-918-5 Editor: Karyn White Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Shifter Trials by Shari Elder

Heat Level 3
$3.99
SKU 978-1-77233-918-5
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Shifting Alliances, 1

On the night of the full moon, any male shifter can call the Trials to race against Talia Orion, alpha of the united wolf-eagle clans. Clan law requires Talia to marry the winner of the Trials, a grueling twenty-mile marathon through dangerous, rugged terrain. Talia, the product of an unhappy, political alliance masquerading as a marriage, trains obsessively to ensure she avoids her parents’ fate.

Her newest vampire trainer, Hayden Mitchell, makes her powerful even as he knocks down her defenses, and finds his way into her heart. Hayden has loved Talia since the first moment he saw her. As the destined ruler of the vampire clan, he also has another agenda—to politically unite Talia’s clans with his own. Will Talia be able to forgive him?

 

Excerpt:

“I hate swimming.” Talia plopped on her back on the hard, packed dirt at the lake’s edge. Droplets of water glistened on still sun-bronzed skin, even as the world inched toward winter.
“I know how you feel,” Hayden said as he lay on his side next to her, his head held up by a bent arm. With his free hand, he pushed her wet locks behind her ear, letting his fingers glide along the soft silk of her cheek. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, his gaze holding on to those mesmerizing eyes he could not get enough of.
“You don’t shrink from my eyes, my dominance.” She arched up, as if offering her firm, cream-puff breasts to him to worship. He bit his cheek to stop from leaning over and taking the gift he wanted with every fiber of his being.
“Why?” she continued.
He wanted to tell her the truth, to show her who he was and how good they could be together. But too much was riding on the plan. “I respect strength in any form.”
Her voice lowered, husky, seductive but also a little sad. “I like it. It makes me want things I thought I could do without.” She pushed the strap off her left shoulder exposing one creamy breast, the rose pink nipple bullet hard. “I can’t anymore.” She snaked one hand through his hair and led his mouth to her exposed peak. “I know you want this.”
The spicy scent of her arousal was an aphrodisiac, weaving through his senses, tensing his body until he thought he’d snap if he didn’t take her. Weakened by desire, he didn’t resist the treat teasing his lips. He lapped the peak with his tongue, then lashed and suckled it harder or softer, in response to Talia’s throaty moans. The salty sweet taste of her skin was a delicacy he’d been dreaming about sampling for so long.
Her hand stroked the skin on his back. Her thigh rubbed against his thickening erection, until he howled. “Pleasure me.” It was an order.
The authority in her voice hit him like a bucket of ice water. “Not now, not like this.” He moved away and pulled the strap back up her arm. She was so surprised she let him.
“You’re turning me down?” Anger punctuated her words, but the longing in her eyes told another story. “It’s been so long since someone touched me,” she murmured, as if she forgot his hearing picked up every whisper, exposing her vulnerability to him, a gift he would treasure and protect.
“No, not at all.” He gripped her chin in his hands. “I intend to make love to you. Hard and fast. Slow and easy. Over and over again.”
Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. “Why not now?”
The yearning in her voice almost broke him. Her longing for touch washed over him, called to him, but he wouldn’t settle for just a physical coupling. Her beasts would never accept a non-dominant mate.
“I say when,” he said fiercely against her throat before licking gently at the pulse throbbing in the carotid artery. “I say how, and for how long.”
His hands stroked gently down her arms, calming her anger, as he flamed his own passion. Reaching to the steel-hard discipline that allowed him to survive, he nipped her neck and pulled away.
“Still no kiss?” Talia arched up again, her face flushed with hunger.
He shook his head, stood up and pulled her up with him. “We head back.” He was playing a dangerous game. If he could not win her love by the next full moon, he’d earn her hatred forever.

Product Reviews

Score: 4 out of 5 (based on 3 ratings)
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4/5
The Romance Reviews
Written by LiaL on 12th Aug 2016

Shari Elder's SHIFTER TRIALS is, all told, a short read. Now, I tend to feel like short reads are underdeveloped. They always feel like they're missing an intrinsic part that a bit more time, effort, and love on the author's part could put right. But this book was unusual in that it felt wholesome and complete. Talia is an Alpha. She's the result of an unsuccessful mating between an Eagle shifter and a Wolf shifter. She rules her pack and clan with iron fists but, unfortunately, every full moon, she has to fight to prove her dominance. Any male can challenge her and if he wins, can mate her. The notion is abhorrent to her. After seeing the aftermath of her parents' 'forced' mating, she trains excessively to avoid such a horrendous fate. Her trainers are vampire because they can help her work out on land and in the air. This is where our hero, Hayden, comes in. He becomes Talia's trainer but he has secrets… as well as an underhanded reason for wanting to help the heroine out. Now, as I said before, this book was refreshingly well-developed for a short read, but the society behind it all could have done with a bit more explanation. Which is why I'm giving this a rating of four. It felt like, potentially, there were some other books in the series that might have given me a more well-rounded view of this world but I really needed to see it within this story. Talia is stubborn and cocksure, strong and a worthy leader. Hayden is her match, her true mate, and the fight to prove that to her is a pleasure to watch unfold. I'd definitely recommend this book. - See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=22651#sthash.FelzHCez.dpuf

4/5
The Romance Reviews
Written by A Dirty Gurty Girl Reads on 31st Jul 2016

Shari Elder's SHIFTER TRIALS is, all told, a short read. Now, I tend to feel like short reads are underdeveloped. They always feel like they're missing an intrinsic part that a bit more time, effort, and love on the author's part could put right. But this book was unusual in that it felt wholesome and complete. Talia is an Alpha. She's the result of an unsuccessful mating between an Eagle shifter and a Wolf shifter. She rules her pack and clan with iron fists but, unfortunately, every full moon, she has to fight to prove her dominance. Any male can challenge her and if he wins, can mate her. The notion is abhorrent to her. After seeing the aftermath of her parents' 'forced' mating, she trains excessively to avoid such a horrendous fate. Her trainers are vampire because they can help her work out on land and in the air. This is where our hero, Hayden, comes in. He becomes Talia's trainer but he has secrets… as well as an underhanded reason for wanting to help the heroine out. Now, as I said before, this book was refreshingly well-developed for a short read, but the society behind it all could have done with a bit more explanation. Which is why I'm giving this a rating of four. It felt like, potentially, there were some other books in the series that might have given me a more well-rounded view of this world but I really needed to see it within this story. Talia is stubborn and cocksure, strong and a worthy leader. Hayden is her match, her true mate, and the fight to prove that to her is a pleasure to watch unfold. I'd definitely recommend this book. - See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=22651#sthash.7Z1fe2Iq.dpuf

4/5
The TBR Pile
Written by Bella Star on 16th Jul 2016

Talia rules the clan by being the fastest shifter in the Trials. It’s the only thing that keeps her out of another shifter bed. That is until Vampire Hayden takes his place as her new trainer. But Hayden is more than just a good trainer. He has secret plans of his own. This is a different plot, that really pulled me in. I love, absolutely love, Talia. She doesn’t put up with shit, she is tough but there’s this underlying hint of wanting. It is fabulous! Hayden is a great vampire, he’s not exactly a straight arrow either which I think makes his character more interesting. The story is short so it does feel rushed in some places.

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