So many thoughts on this one. It's intense and engaging and thought-provoking and just all-around exciting. A perfect genre hybrid that brings together romance and thriller with some killer supernatural elements thrown in to make it extra exhilarating.
Having the heroine be a kicka** lady from a traditionally marginalized part of society and having her fight tooth and nails for the hero in a world where being a were is basically a death sentence is a brilliant move that brings to light a lot of contemporary societal problems.
Unfortunately, that was my one point of contention with this book. Snyder went deep into the worst possible outcome of where the political climate was as she was writing this book. It turned my escapist reading into a bit of an anxiety-inducing, oh-my-God-this-can-actually-happen tailspin.
That said, the story of Joe Peluso and Neha Ahluwalia is full of steamy, smexy chemistry that adds an extra layer of brilliance to the heart-pounding elements of the story. And theirs isn't the only relationship that has you wanting to know what comes next. There really are so many layers to what this story contains.
It's a well-plotted, well-developed story that kept me turning pages and worrying about the outcome. Not many books manage that lately.
Definitely something I'm recommending even with the anxiety-producing elements.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the read!

I straight-up loved Big Bad Wolf. It’s just that simple. It’s the type of PNR that I cut my teeth on in this genre more years ago than I’d like to admit to. This is a gritty world, one that (sadly) reflects, in a fictionalized way, what I believe my country could have become given the right circumstances (and we were far too close for my comfort in reality and in my opinion)… and that was clear from the start.

I believe you have to go into Big Bad Wolf with the belief that you are at the beginning of an ongoing saga, that this is a world being built word by word that has many stories to tell in the future. There is worldbuilding here, there are several points of view, and there are all types of paranormal beings to be introduced to… friend and foe. And it is also steamy, sizzling sexy with what may not always be comfortable for every reader. (In my opinion, just skim past what you’re not comfortable with and get on with the whole story.) There is also more than one romance going on here, and the hint of more to come. So, as I said, this is a world being built and, frankly, what an amazing world it is turning out to be.

Joe and Neha make an extremely interesting couple from many sides. Yet, they fit, they work together as a couple. I’ll admit that I’d have liked to see them on the page more often, but it isn’t my book to write. The secondary characters grabbed my attention almost as much as the main story/couple – they are diverse, interesting, and well, let’s just say unique as I’ll let you discover all the people and beings you are about to meet in this story. What you really need to know before picking up Big Bad Wolf can be found within the cover description blurb, the rest I believe you should discover for yourself firsthand.

I had an absolute blast with Big Bad Wolf. If you love a really good paranormal world setting then you’d feel right at home here. The writing is smooth, the characters interesting, and the plot full of possibilities. I’d definitely recommend getting in on the beginning of the Third Shift world, I know I can’t wait to return soon I hope.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

"The day-to-day for the average white human citizen was as it had been a few years before. Most people got out of bed in the morning without thinking about how The Empire was in charge."

This quote from paranormal romance Big Bad Wolf hits on two of my favorite qualities in this series starter: political awareness in the form of biting commentary and geeky pop culture references. In this barely alternate reality, the 2016 Catastrophe included a certain fascist outing the existence of supernatural creatures as soon as he had access to the information. In New York, we find Joe Peluso waiting trial for the murder of 6 Russian mobsters. Made a wolf shifter in military testing, this hit was personal and unsanctioned. Defense attorney and psychological profiler Neha Ahluwalia hopes to crack open his motives and feelings, the man behind the highly redacted records. As something builds between them, an attempt on Joe's life before his court date leaves them on the run together.

What I most treasured about this book was the way the author didn't use the paranormal as an allegory for real world problems. Wholly human racism, xenophobia, and police brutality are discussed side by side with the parallel supernatural biases concocted by Snyder. She doesn't supplant reality but burrows in and gives us more. It's not all doom and gloom, though. This is a romance novel, after all! The broader cast of characters, whom I hope will provide fodder for future installments, form a diverse coterie in terms of racial and supernatural backgrounds, religious and queer identities, romantic interests and personalities. And I'm obsessed with all of them.

The romance itself was the only thing I wasn't sold on. I was more intrigued by a secondary romantic plot and future endeavors than what simmered between Joe and Neha. They both recognize that their whirlwind affair doesn't make sense, is inadvisable, and transitions quickly from lust to love. While this acknowledgement is appreciated, my skepticism didn't dissipate at this dose of character self-awareness. I think it's a matter of personal preference in terms of what tropes I tend to enjoy.

I am excited about what this series offers, however. Those who love the genre should especially check out this new series for the world-building and unexpected dose of realness. Looking forward to see where the world and the characters go next!

This book was very clearly, the author even states it in her afterward, a way to process the 2016 US election and all the racist BS surrounding the president at the time. Suleikha Snyder invented a possible post-2016 America that doesn’t look very different from our own, with one exception: outed supernaturals. Layering into the racial tensions of the time, adding supernaturals adds another layer of commentary on “humanity” and “keeping people in cages”.

The romance at the center of this story is between (mostly) Neha, a Punjab woman who works as a psychologist/lawyer. She is acting as co-counsel for Joe, a blue-collar, werewolf vigilante, who killed six Russian were-Mobsters. Joe has a lot of hang-ups about himself, his self-worth, but he cannot stop thinking about Neha. He feels drawn to her and his clumsy, gruff, inappropriate flirting does it for her.

When, at a pre-trial hearing, a hit is attempted on Joe, he and Neha escape and go “underground” in Queens, hiding among the Middle Eastern community there. They, along with allies known and unknown, have to figure out how to take out the Russian mobster before he kills them both.

Joe and Neha have a lot of intense sex before even really getting to know one another, Joe always keeping Neha at arms length emotionally. The sex scenes are mostly FTB (fade to black), but there are a few more explicit ones.

Another unique thing about this book is that it’s not just from Neha & Joe’s perspectives. We also see Neha’s co-worker, the sister of the Russian mobster, and the NYPD officer who loves her, which, to a reader like me, seems to be setting up some future books I’d for sure read. —Ford

—

I came to Suleikha Snyder from reading Tikka Chance on Me. I liked her voice and her very "take no shits" leading lady. So I was stoked to find out that she was writing a full-length paranormal novel with a killer cover. (Shout out to the Graphic Artist on that!).

The book is an interesting mix of politics, romance, supernatural intrigue, and Russian Mafia. There is a lot to unpack here, and ultimately not all the things worked for me.

The Russian Mafia - the well-developed infrastructure of this world, the nuanced research into the Little Odessa underbelly, are very well executed. I loved the addition of the Bear-Shifter into the mix of how scary these people can be.

The current politics as presented in this magical world - almost X-Men-esque expulsion policies, side-by-side with the actual bans and caged children that the administration was doing in real life, were shockingly believable, mostly because it is not a stretch to imagine this kind of oppression.

The Apex Initiative and Third Shift - Extremely fun and engaging. I need a second book about these people (there is a hint in the afterword that this is happening, squeeee!). These side characters stole the show for me. This could be an episodic show or a movie about supe-spies or just more and more books in this world. I NEED the Nate-Clare-Finn thruple story!

Neha and Joe - the central love story, was the least effective for me. Their insta-lust was somewhat believable, but the insta-love that followed did not hold water for me. He just kept repeating the same self-loathing mantra over and over while she kept telling him that she needs him inside her. It just didn't work and I am usually all about the sex.

I am definitely going to be on the lookout for book two in hopes that it is about the other operatives of Third Shift. -Sky.

For a video review head to: https://youtu.be/nxGhloaz-gY

Reading the blurb, it’s not my usual read of PNR. But I'm glad I took the chance.

Neha is a lawyer and a psychologist.....

Joe is a convicted killer.....

Their lives will be changed forever after a chance meeting.....

A really good story. The plot well thought out. Cleverly written with a few surprises along the way.

Neha knows there is no rehabilitation for her client Joe, just looking at him gives her the chills, but not in a scary way!! There is something about him that just makes her want to help him.

Joe knows he’s not a good guy, he may have killed men that take advantage of weaker people, those who are prey to the likes of the mob. And maybe he should feel regret, but what’s done is done, and now he’s going to take whatever the judicial system throws at him.

The sparks between Joe and Neha are in evidence from almost the start.
But how can this end any other way but badly?

Neha and her team (well she’s not in charge, she’s there to get inside Joe’s head) are here for a retrial, no one wanted to take the case on, no one wanted to go against the Russian mob, but here they are, trying to get Joe to talk!! Good luck with that! He said he did it, and that should be the end to it....

Joe has shifter DNA, but no one knows what he can shift into (he’s not shifted at all whilst in prison) can his defence team use that? Well they would if they can get Joe to talk!!

We also get to see the inside of the Russian mob that want Joe dead. And it’s interesting, a few characters aren’t all darkness and killing, and it has you hoping they get out of this mess...

Back to the story..... Joe and Neha are on the run?! How? Why? Well for those answers your going to have to read it.
They will have the police chase them, the mob wants Joe dead, and so will never let him live.
But why escape if your guilty?

The sparks between Joe and Neha are there all the way through the book, is it because she knows he’s innocent? Or is it the animal magnetism that pours from this alpha? I don’t know, but I keeps you wanting to read more about this couple.

So..... whilst on the run, Neha learns a lot about herself and Joe.
He’s totally into Neha, alpha mode to the max, so it’s not like he’s using her to get out of prison.
Neha also realises that she’s more than just a legal head, she has skills that are brought out and honed!

Can Joe and Neha evade the cops and the Russians? And why did Joe want to run anyway? He’s guilty, he said so..... but as o said, this book is not clear cut, there is so much going on.


But it’s not all as it seems at first, so is it a romance? Yes, PNR? Yes, murder/mystery yes and yes, it’s all those and more. Much much more. It had drama and intrigue, it pulls you in, until you’ve read the whole thing. Political? Just a bit, and as I’m not really a politically motivated person that part didn’t interest me, but it’s such a good book that I’m willing to overlook that part.

And to find out that there is another book out in 2021, that’s just made my day.

Big Bad Wolf was…weird. It suffers a bit from “first in a series” syndrome, where the world building overshadows the romance.

Neha meets Joe when she’s working as part of his defense team in his murder case. There is some immediate insta-lust on both sides. And for about 40% of the book, nothing happens. We get multiple points-of-view but it’s all vague history or information regarding the security or legal system.

And then the action picks up. But the romance and relationship growth never does. Neha and Joe have all the sex but why? They never develop deeper feelings so I had a hard time believing in their love story.

The shifter world and how everything related to our current political climate in the USA was the highlight. I think there is some potential for a pairing (or even a throuple!) with some of the side characters and I’m interested in who is featured in the future books.

In 2016, NYC became a sanctuary city for supernaturals. Third Shift is an elite team of operatives tasked with exposing the city's criminal supernatural underworld.

Neha Ahluwalia is a lawyer and psychologist working to help build a defense for shifter Joe Peluso. A ruthless clan of bear shifters who control Brooklyn's Russian Mafia are after Joe to make an example of him. So when they attack the courthouse right before his hearing he and Neha are forced to go on the run.

I didn't have any specific favorite part of this book because there was a lot going on in this book. But I did have a favorite character and that's Neha. I loved how strong she is and how well she knows herself. She never needed Joe, she just wanted him,

If you like paranormal romance, suspense, shifter, fantasy books this one is for you.

Thanks so much to Sourcebooks, Netgalley, and the author for this copy to review.

Wolf shifter romances are my absolute favorite type of paranormal romances! Joe is on trial for killing a handful of men and his new team of lawyers includes the very attractive Neha Ahluwalia who is there to dig more into who Joe really is. This is a fast paced romance where there is a lot going on from the very beginning. I loved learning about Joe's history as well as the reason he is what he is. The romance between the two main characters was also quick but they explain why that is and it is also very steamy! For part of the story we have a second storyline about two other characters and I wasn't as invested in them, it felt more like filler than essential to the plot. The group that is helping Joe and Neha which is called Third Shift was some of my favorite parts of the story and I am so happy that we will be getting more books for them! Overall this was a fun suspenseful romance and I am excited to read more from this author. Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my complimentary copy for review!

Review Copy generously provided by #Netgalley and the publisher. (Thank you!)

I came to Suleikha Snyder from reading Tikka Chance on Me. I liked her voice and her very "take no shits" leading lady. So I was stoked to find out that she was writing a full-length paranormal novel with a killer cover. (Shout out to the Graphic Artist on that!).

The book is an interesting mix of politics, romance, supernatural intrigue, and Russian Mafia. There is a lot to unpack here, and ultimately not all the things worked for me.

The Russian Mafia - the well-developed infrastructure of this world, the nuanced research into the Little Odessa underbelly, are very well executed. I loved the addition of the Bear-Shifter into the mix of how scary these people can be.

The current politics as presented in this magical world - almost X-Men-esque expulsion policies, side-by-side with the actual bans and caged children that the administration was doing in real life, were shockingly believable, mostly because it is not a stretch to imagine this kind of oppression.

The Apex Initiative and Third Shift - Extremely fun and engaging. I need a second book about these people (there is a hint in the afterword that this is happening, squeeee!). These side characters stole the show for me. This could be an episodic show or a movie about supe-spies or just more and more books in this world. I NEED the Nate-Clare-Finn thruple story!

Neha and Joe - the central love story, was the least effective for me. Their insta-lust was somewhat believable, but the insta-love that followed did not hold water for me. He just kept repeating the same self-loathing mantra over and over while she kept telling him that she needs him inside her. It just didn't work and I am usually all about the sex.

I am definitely going to be on the lookout for book two in hopes that it is about the other operatives of Third Shift.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casa & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.


I have so many thoughts about Suleikha Snyder’s Big Bad Wolf. So many.

The first is just how excited I am to find such an emotionally nuanced, sexy shifter read that isn’t afraid to throw some punches at our current political & social climate. A novel that puts a new spin on common themes of the shifter romance—mates, violence, etc—& that features a diverse, charismatic cast of characters who are sometimes noble & foolish & reckless & devoted & anything but one-note.

Neha Ahluwalia is a junior associate at a criminal attorney firm who’s been asked to sit in on meetings for shifter & accused (& confessed) murderer Joe Peluso as they prepare for his second trial.

He’s a murderer. He’s crude. He’s abrasive. But Neha starts having uncontrollable feelings for him & vice versa. There’s a lot standing in their way, including that they’re sitting on opposite sides of the law—plus the fact that his enemies want him dead.

Like others & the blurb on the cover have said ;) this is a dark read that’s full of big emotions—guilt & lust & uncertainty & trust. The worldbuilding is really cool & the difference in voice for each character feels special. There’s so much about Big Bad Wolf that feels special.

But the relationship arc between Neha & Joe feels a little rushed. As steamy as the book is, I wanted more conversational intimacy between the leads & more of a basis outside of physical need for Neha to initially cross her ethical boundary. In addition, the fallout for Neha’s decision is treated pretty simplistically in the novel’s conclusion, to me.

On balance Big Bad Wolf is a really exciting foray into paranormal romance & I can’t wait to pick back up with the next in the series.

4 ⭐️. Big Bad Wolf is available on 01/26/21.

Big Bad Wolf is a paranormal romance with a side of mafia and dystopia. Set in an alternate present where the things that go bump in the night are real and the government went full authoritarian since 2016, it's not low angst or low drama.

The author builds a dark world with omnipresent danger and strong characters. The hero, Joe, is in jail when we meet him, and the heroine, Neha, is the profiler meant to crack him. But there's a little fated mates zing in there and things go sideways. I enjoyed that, even though you've got the fated mates insta-lust going on, Joe and Neha still had serious conversations.

I found the first half of the book a little slower as I figured out the world, but the second half is action packed. There's a secondary romance that I would have loved to see have a book of its own.

While I think this book is really well done, it's not personally my thing. I love a PNR romance, but mafia and ex-military isn't for me. But if you like all three, you're going to adore this.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Fast paced , loved the characters , loved the interaction between the characters , as well as the written of the author

For my first review for 2021, I have the honor of introducing you to Suleikha Snyder’s version of a genre mash-up with her latest book, Big Bad Wolf. It’s scheduled for release on January 26, so you have fewer than three weeks to build your appetite for the start to a bold, new series. I gained early access to it via my NetGalley account and am happy to say it has earned my gushing review.

The action kicks off in police procedural style with lawyers visiting an inmate who has admitted his guilt in the killing of six people. Members of a Russian drug ring, as it turns out, which is one reason why these lawyers have agreed to take the case–after all these were bad guys who deserved to die, even if vigilantism is frowned upon. The other reason is that the male protagonist has altered DNA. The female protagonist is the junior associate of the three, and one of the POV characters. And you get a clear sense of her perspective and insight right at the end of the first paragraph:

Joe Peluso was the monster in the closet, the creature you were warned about in fairy tales…and still, somehow, not the scariest white man Neha had encountered while doing her job. What passed for humanity these days terrified her far more than the things that went bump in the night.
“Big Bad Wolf,” by Suleikha Snyder

With all that information packed in just the first paragraph, Snyder sets the scene efficiently and lets you know you, as the reader, are in for a non-stop ride. I loved every minute of it and stayed up deep into the night to finish it in one sitting.

The police procedural vibe develops into a shoot-em-up situation, so the two protagonists end up on the run together. Naturally, there’s an “only one bed” situation in their safe house, so the illicit romance that has been building over the early chapters deepens.

As the reader is introduced to more of the behind-the-scenes team working to fight the Russian mobsters and capitalize on the supernatural DNA they’ve either been born with or given, the scope of the story takes on overtones of a psychological thriller and secret superhero story.

Snyder’s writing packs a punch, and her commentary on a closely parallel world that has shifters seeking some kind of acceptance in a deeply polarized society easily reads as allegorical.

In fact, it wasn’t until I got to the end of the book that I realized this is the first book in a planned series–which only increased my excitement. I loved how only minor tweaks (authority-controlled drones police the streets) added a semi-futuristic/scifi sensibility to the story (I mean… there’s sophisticated gene editing happening in secret military installations to create these shifters, and they can be “chipped and snipped” at the end of their tour of duty so they neither shift nor procreate, so as far as I know, this really is scifi…), but the everyday person’s experience in the books would be easily recognizable to members of today’s society. And the incorporation of small cultural details–about Desi aunties who have a better network of connections than the CIA, and about the distinctions between Sikh and Hindu practices–both honor the author’s lived experiences, and educate the non-Desi reader … while enriching the overall story.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good shifter romance, but is tired of the same white girl perspective. Or just really wants to expand their understanding of what a kick-ass heroine (who doesn’t know what to do with a gun other than point it when she’s given one) can look like. This book is smart in all the best ways and I’m very much looking forward to the follow-on installments that are already in the works.

So here's the thing. When I first started this book, I felt like it was initially a bit light on the PNR and there were all these other characters and I was a bit confused. And the political reality aspect of it threw me for a loop even though, I knew that was a big part of this book. But as I got deeper and deeper into the book, I realized that it was actually meant to be the series starter to a hopefully epic and lengthy series. The world building was done through character introductions and honestly, I want every single one of these characters to get their own books. (But not the Russian mafia people, obvs). I loved Neha and Joe, I loved how badass they were. I loved Neha's courage and how fierce she was. I loved Joe's inability to stay away from Neha despite wholeheartedly believing himself unworthy of her. And I loved the B plot romance as well. I can't wait for the next in this series and I really want a polyamorous love story between F/G/N. WITH SWORDS CROSSING.

Big Bad Wolf is the snarly, snarky, steamy shifter cross-cultural romance I didn't know existed and now will accept nothing less. Not only are gifted with a kickass desi heroine and her brutishly obsessed wolf shifter hero, there's an obscene amount of danger banging, gorgeous secondary star-crossed lovers romance with a Korean-American cop and Russian bear shifter (as you do), intriguing side characters that shamelessly steal the spotlight (looking at Irish pansexual vampire). Not to mention this all is cheekily set in an obviously Trumpian nightmare version of Queens. Neha and Joe's story is nonstop drama in a completely against all odds, hot as hell, run or die, life or death, sex and/or love, kill or be killed, middle finger to 2020, and my only wish was that the story could be even better on-screen than on the pages. Somebody, please DM Netflix.

To be fair, the first third drags a bit after Neha and Joe meet when she joins his his legal defense team. Joe is a military veteran turned wolf shifter who admitted to killing six Russian underworld associates and Neha is the junior associate (with a PhD, thank you very much) assigned to assist his attorneys. Joe and Neha's attraction is immediate, overwhelming, and completely unwelcome by the man who knows he has nothing to live for and the woman who thinks she's just some ordinary desi girl. They are both so very wrong.

Things pick up once Joe and Neha are on the run, trying to escape the Russian crime lord who wants Joe dead, and the many authorities who want him and Neha captured, including Third Shift Security, the shadowy elite shifter force. After the slow drift of the first third, the chase and battle scenes of the book's last part are positively frenetic and dizzying in impact.

I have to confess that despite Neha and Joe's drama, I was far more enthralled by Danny and Yulia's Romeo and Juliet storyline. A Korean American police officer and Russian bear shifter mob princess pining for each other? Totally my romance catnip and I would have loved for them to have their own story.

I could go on and on about the intense sexual connection between Joe and Neha, her questioning her sanity and values, the intriguing side plots and characters, but what really stuck with me was this: this was a fantastically snarky middle finger to the country's last four years. The author doesn't mince words or metaphors. In her world, things might seem dark and desperate but throughout, there are strong, smart, sexy characters who will fight for each other and what's right. This book releases right after the presidential inauguration and that feels very right. Can't wait for what's next in the Third Shift series.

I am a big believer that there needs to be more shifter/ urban fiction stories on our shelves, especially ones that aren't super white and written by an author of color. All that being said, I'm not sure this book will find its way on my favorites shelf for two reasons. One, my biggest pet peeve with all books is when there is sudden shift of POVs and with characters that are not the two leads. I dont know why it bothers me, but it always has, and when it happens my brain shuts down and i either skip the rando POV or DNF the book. The other issue i had was i could no get myself to care about the main female character. From the beginning I was more compelled of Joe's journey then Neha's, but there was no questioning the chemistry when the two got together. Overall, it was a solid book, and i cant wait to read more from this author.

This is a series opener that starts with a bang. Or several. Reminiscent of J.D. Robb, with its near-future setting and intriguing alternate history (of sorts - there are places where it reminds us of awful truths about our current situation in terms of racism, police brutality, and authoritarianism. The inclusion of these details is a gritty plus in my mind, not a minus), Snyder also weaves in a Punisher-style narrative about grief, revenge, and redemption.

I was given an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Snyder's <i>Tikka Chance on Me</i> so when I saw she's coming out with a paranormal romance I jumped at the chance to read it. I usually shy away from books with mafia elements or ex-military heroes, but I enjoyed her look at motorcycle gangs so why not give it a try?

I'm so glad I did. Off the top, this book won't be for everyone - the hero is a bit of an arse, there are two danger bangs, and while the consent is there it isn't the most explicit. None of it ended up bothering me, though.

On to the good!

- This is the first fiction I've read that truly interacts with what America has become politically since 2016, pushing it further into a dystopia. Think new Patriot Acts, detention camps on both borders, and drones tracking people in Sanctuary Cities. It's an alternate 2021 that went off the rails even more than we actually did.

- There are a bunch of supernatural folx, but Snyder doesn't try to explain them all at once. Many series start with one kind of shifter then branch out, so I like that we're starting with a mix here.

- While we have a wolf character packs aren't a thing. Instead of those forced relations we're heading towards a found family, which is utterly my jam.

- There are many PoVs and they work well together - the hero, heroine, Neha's coworkers, and the staff at Third Shift.

- Pretty much every character is from a marginalized group, including people of color, LGBTQIA+ folx, a Jewish guy, Sikh folx of varying devotion, and of course shifters.

- The diversity of Indian culture is emphasized and celebrated - different languages, religions, styles of dress, and more. We even have a naga, so bonus points for non-Western supernatural beings.

- I love the secondary characters and cannot wait for them to get their own HEAs, especially a certain Irish vampire who's too charming for his own good.

- One character is a cop but he has reservations about his day job, and things… change by the end. I like the way it's handled.

The not-so-good:

- Instalove, thanks to the fated mates trope. If you're a paranormal romance fan it's par for the course.

- If you're into explicit consent the danger bangs may leave you feeling squick-y. I'm not a huge fan of sex just after getting away from the bad guy, but I got through okay.

<i>Big Bad Wolf</i> takes place in a world that I do not want to live in but am happy to visit in fiction, especially with such a great cast of characters - I can't wait for the next book in the series.

<i>Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing a review copy.</i>

This was such an interesting take on the paranormal romance genre? I wasn’t entirely in love with the inclusion of very intense political issues, not because I think such issues shouldn’t be discussed in paranormal but mostly because I think the 2020 of it all made reading such things difficult.

An action-packed start to a new paranormal series from Snyder! Like many have already said, the worldbuilding in this is one of the best parts; the care that has gone into fleshing out the setting and the Third Shift organization is something I really enjoyed, and the motley cast of characters who make up this little secret agency promises a lot of fun in future sequels. (I think there’s a triad ship coming up in the second book, which is delightful.) Anyone who ever thought Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle deserved a romance novel should pick this one up, because Joe Peluso was clearly written as a love letter with that character in mind. (Bonus points that he happens to be a wolf shifter.) It took me a bit to be fully sold on the main couple’s romantic potential, but I’m always weak for a ship where both halves would readily sacrifice themselves for each other and once that happened I was more invested in their love story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.