Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter by Jessica Sims (Midnight Liaisons #2)
Released: October 30, 2012
Pocket

Reviewed by Mandi

When I heard from the author that this book had a virgin hero, I got excited. Then I heard he was a were-bear virgin hero. My excitement grew. Ramsey is the best type of virgin hero. He is a huge, huge man. Quiet but fierce. All other shifters fear him, even the cockiest of the wolves. And yet this fierce gentle giant has never been intimate with a woman before. Yes, let’s all just take a moment.

Sara Ward was in an abusive relationship six years ago to a man named Roy. Worse, he ends up biting her one night and turns her into a werewolf against her will. Unable to leave him, her sister finally shows up and shoots him in the head. They flee and start a new life together, opening up an online dating service for supernaturals. But Sara is a wolf without a pack and in this world, female wolves are hard to come by. When the local wolf pack finally sniffs her out, they want her to mate with one of them and join their pack. Sara does not want this at all. Now that her sister is married to a cougar shifter Beau, she has some protection, but not enough. When the wolves kidnap another woman, and demand a trade with Sara, she panics but comes up with a plan. She will go to the meeting, retrieve the kidnapped girl, but then announce she is already mated, meaning she can’t join the wolves. But now she just needs a pretend mate.

The only man for the job is Ramsey. A bear shifter who is so big and fierce, even the wolves couldn’t best him for control of Sara. He quietly agrees to this plan, as Beau is his best friend and he would do anything to help his family. Ramsey left his bear clan when he was fifteen, their strict backwards rules were too much for him to deal with. He one day hopes to return to them, but he is not ready quite yet. When he meets Sara, with her crazy blue hair and teasing personality, it wakes something up inside of him. Sara is still very jumpy when it comes to men after being abused for so long, and Ramsey is a big, scary looking guy. Even though Sara knows he is there to protect her, it takes time for her to calm down. Good thing Ramsey has a lot of patience.

This book is just so adorable. Both Ramsey and Sara are good-hearted people who are a little lost in life. Pretend mating or marriages isn’t always my favorite set-up but this one worked so well for me. Ramsey is patient enough and kind enough to want to help Sara and protect her. He is so alpha, yet so gentle with her. Sara is not only being stalked and harassed by these wolves but she also has trouble shifting, to the point that her life could be in danger. Ramsey takes time to show her how to do it correctly. Sara is grateful for his help and never lashes out or takes what he gives without appreciation. She is scared – not only from her past relationship but because of these wolves, and she lets those around her help her, but she is also strong herself.

The conflict with the wolves develops nicely as does the introduction of supporting characters. We watch Ramsey going from being alone and living in a dump, to wanting to create a home (or a den) for his mate. She gives him what he is missing in his life. I sometimes wished we had his point of view in this story, as I was dying to know what was going on in his head.

And of course Ramsey being a virgin is so sexy. He is unsure how to act in bed, and gets very excited prematurely.

“Put your hands on me, Ramsey.”

He glanced down at my naked body for the first time, and I felt a shudder pass through his big frame. “I don’t… I’m not…”

“I know,” I said softly. I took his big hand in mine, “It’s fine.”

He gazed on me as if he’d been starving. “You’re so small and fragile and I’m..”

“Big,” I breathed. “I know. You won’t hurt me. I trust you.”

He is just so growly, and kind of shy, and blushes. I really wish authors would write more heroes like this. They are some of my favorites. Highly recommend this one.

Rating: B+

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