I’m Just A Small Town Shifter Review
Hey, you crazy cats and kittens. Step into the spear line with me as we talk about the second #HaremLit book that I’ve ever read! This book was a lot of fun, it literally made me laugh several times. With all of the craziness in the world, I think we could all use the relief. If all of the books in this genre are like this, then we’ve got a convert on our hands! So, join me on this crazy adventure and dive into the deep end of crazy with me, Lance Spears!
Book Title: I’m Just A Small Town Shifter
Author: G. S. D’Moore
Narrator: Evan Jordan & Sierra Taft
Audiobook Publisher: Podium Publishing
eBook Price: $4.99 USD
Audiobook Price: $26.70 USD or one Audible Credit
eBook & Audiobook Price: $12.48 USD
Pages: 324 Pages
Audiobook Length: 9 Hours
Keywords: Shifter, Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tale Fantasy, Werewolf, Bear Shifter, Action, Adventure
Summary:
Kirk Jensen always chased his dreams. He even left home and chased them across the country. He expected that hard work, training, and determination would make his dreams a reality. Afterall, people always said that if you worked hard, you could achieve your goals.
He did not expect to be a short order cook working long shifts for minimum wage. He certainly didn't expect to take the garbage out one night and find himself confronted by a thousand pounds of fury armed with fangs and claws. He did not expect to survive.
Now, Kirk finds himself in the center of a world he never thought possible. Caught between two powerful forces, he's pushed to make a decision. That decision will change the future of his new home. He doesn't know what the right decision is, and as tempting as the offers are, only one side can win. Thankfully, he's got a pair of interesting women to show him his options.
I figured that since G.S. D’Moore did such a good job on his summary, I would copy and paste it. I think it was spot on, but left you enough room to discover the world as you read. What I liked about it was that it captured the tone of the author’s voice.
Characters:
First, this was a harem series, so there were a lot of important characters. However, this was told from one point of view, Kirk Jensen. He’s the male lead of this world and was your Joe Every Man made good. Total wish fulfillment, but I really loved these cats and kittens. All of these characters were well-written and fleshed out. They felt real to me, as if I could have a beer with them at the local pub. Which is ironic, given where Kirk’s first job was. Like the last book in this genre that I read, this was a laid-back story. I loved that the author focused on fun and adventure, without needless navel gazing. Hats off to G.S. D’Moore on his execution, he killed it with these characters!
Kirk Jensen: He’s an orphan with dreams of a career in law enforcement. With a new degree in criminal justice, he moved to a small town in Alaska. He knew that small towns, like the one on Kodiak Island, had openings in law enforcement. At least he hoped that they did, because he went all in with his move. When he gets there, he chases his dream by working at a greasy spoon restaurant as a cook until he can test for the one opening that was coming with one of local cops’ retirement. From a personality perspective, he is a steady, loyal guy. He’s your average guy, at least until things change when he becomes a shifter.
Brianna Ahnah: She’s a member of the Ahnah Innuit Werewolf Pack. Her father is the alpha and she is his only daughter. Her pack is a collection of various indigenous werewolf shifters, but she’s an arctic wolf herself. Her people run the logging industry on Kodiak Island. She’s petite, maybe 5’3” tall and lithe in stature. From a personality standpoint, she is a calming force and more of the laid-back homebody type.
Serena McCoy: She’s a member of the McCoy Werewolf Pack. Her father is the alpha and came to Kodiak Island in the early 1900s. The pack is a collection of Dire Wolf shifters who run the Kodiak Island fishing companies. She’s a busty ginger, with a personality to match the fiery mane. While Brianna is demure, Serena is a tempest of raw sexuality. She’s almost as tall as Kirk and seems very outgoing.
Plot and Pacing:
This story was plotted to perfection by GS D’Moore. I believed in the character’s transition from human to shifter. It was expertly done and not some rush job to get to the harem parts. Instead, we had several chapters before we got that change that is hinted at in the series title. But, again, I love shifters, and werewolves… so, my buy-in was easy. I was ready to suspend my disbelief… cause shifters are awesome! It helped that the author made it an easy and enjoyable ride through his coming-of-age adventure.
As far as pacing was concerned, the adventure wasn’t all at once, rushing through the plot to get to the smut. Instead, the author built up to the crescendo, allowing the harem romance to ride second fiddle to a shifter tale. We explored the universe through Kirk’s eyes, but he was a fun perspective to follow. The author kept the story flowing smoothly from beat to beat, interspersed with romantic tension filled lulls to let the reader catch their breath.
Audiobook Quality:
The audiobook was professionally made by Podium Publishing. The narrators they hired were good and they kept my attention. There were a few obvious inserted corrections, where the volumes didn’t match, but those were so infrequent that they were almost unnoticeable. I’ve never listened to Evan Jordan or Sierra Taft before, but they’re now on my auto-approved list for audiobooks. The two worked well together, and I’m becoming more and more of a fan of the two narrator pairings.
Sizzle Factor:
There weren’t that many sex scenes in this novel, a blowie and one glorious ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ scene. What was there was well written, allowed you to visualize things like a smutty movie in your head. That sex was very much normie vanilla, but it was good. Those scenes were steamy… very steamy. Like, it sizzled and left you a hot and sweaty mess.
Overall:
Okay, let’s dive into this book! This was my second harem novel, so I don’t have a lot to compare this to. That said, I really enjoyed what was here. The story was a lot of fun, it was well-written, and the audiobooks were well-performed. On the writing side, G.S. D’Moore has a mastery of the craft that was a pleasure to read and listen too. It was a joy to read, and I plan on checking out more of his books. He communicated to us with conversational prose, which I’m a huge fan of. If my Veteran Radar still works on, I’d put money onD’Moore having worn the uniform in dangerous places like I have. It was no wonder that his law enforcement character, Kirk Jensen, was so well written. His other characters were also all believable, and I wanted to hang out with them in real life. This is how I judge the people in the books where I temporarily make my home. The sex was written with just enough sizzle to seduce you into buying the next book. Even cooler, I have enough knowledge of werewolf and shifter lore that I could follow along. In a nutshell, this book was amazing and hooked me into buying the rest of the series. You’ll want to buy them all too and you won’t regret it!