Sworn Shift by AJ Skelly

 

Back Cover

When her genetics kick in and tell her that Bowen Oakes is her mate, Raven Rivers rebels. She wants nothing to do with Bowen or his sordid past. Bowen falls hard and fast for Raven, but the mistakes of his past, and his own deadly secret, threaten everything he's worked so hard to achieve. When his past comes calling, Bowen must decide if he's willing to embrace his past to preserve his future. Because Raven hangs in the balance.

What I thought....

HANG ON! This book LEAPS from Rogue Shift and straight into Sworn Shift without the space of a blink. The adventure continues.... and I definintely don't want it to end anytime soon. 

As someone close to me said, Sworn Sift 'brings on the vapours'. Umm,yes, that's one way to put it. This book is a pretty epic SWOON. It could have been titled "Swoon Shift".... 

 What I love about all of AJ's books is they recognize lust, hormones, want, and temptation (essentially, teenage love). HOWEVER, the characters don't crumple under these pressures to compromise what is right. These books praise and glorify the beauty of waiting for your future mate (husband/wife) and how amazingly swoon worthy doing things RIGHT is. There is nothing sexier than holding the morale high ground. 

I really loved getting to know both the MCs in this book. Bowen is presented as the badboy playboy, but as the book unfolds, we get to see that what is on the surface isn't anything close to the vulnerable truths Bowen hides deap down. As for Raven, she brings so many topics to the surface. What do you do when you feel like you will be compared to your partner's previous romantic conquests? What about feelings of physical unworthiness? How do you build trust in such a situation? Raven is a thinker, and being thrown into a relationship with Bowen due to the mate bond goes against everything she thought she wanted. Her mate bond with Bowen drags her through the riptides of insecurities, distrust, and jealously, but the resolution is so gratifying. 

I really loved this YA read, and am looking forward to book 4! Keep 'em coming, AJ!