(Cover picture courtesy of Masquerade Tours.)

Mountain lion shifters have allied into ten groups called Dares which together form the Shadowcat Nation. A rocky alliance at best, its success is vital to their survival against other species of shifters who threaten their very existence.

Andie Reynolds is being hunted. After witnessing her mother’s violent death at the hands of a pack of wolf shifters, Andie has devoted her life to protecting her community of cougar shifters from a similar fate. But now, a greater threat lies within her own dare, and she must run. If she stays, Kyle Carstairs will try to force their Mating, seeking the added power their union would provide.

Andie would rather chew off her own foot than end up with Kyle. Though, knowing him, she won’t live long either way. Andie’s only hope of survival is to Mate the Alpha of the Keller Dare with which she is seeking asylum. But before she can get to him, Andie must first go through A.J., one of the Alpha’s Protectors. The incredibly frustrating shifter insists on challenging her story, her skills, her trust… and her heart.

Andie is running out of options and out of time. But risking the life of someone she loves – just to save herself – goes against every instinct she has.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through the Andromeda’s Fall blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]

I was quite pleasantly surprised by Andromeda’s Fall.  It was my first real shapeshifter book so I didn’t quite know what to expect but I’m definitely pleased with how the book turned out.

First off, the characters are awesome.  Andie is probably one of my favourite heroines in paranormal romance because she’s just an incredible woman.  She’s a high-ranking female in a world where high-ranking females are few and far between.  At the same time, not many people recognize and/or respect her power.  They still see her as just a woman in her old dare, which is why I like how Andie is allowed to show her real self in the Keller Dare.  Her uncertainty of her position in the new dare as well as her growing feelings for A.J. certainly make things interesting plot-wise.  But the thing I liked most about Andromeda’s Fall is how she slowly comes to realize that the Keller Dare is her new home and that maybe, just maybe, she’s found where she really belongs.

The world-building in this book was excellent.  I like how Abigail Owen had the characters maintain some of their cat-like personalities while in human form.  Cougar shifters don’t like being cooped up and they certainly prefer their own company in human form, creating just that extra bit of tension for the novel.  Not a lot of authors do this, but I liked how there was just a brief one page introduction to the history of the formation of the cougar dares before the novel even started.  It wasn’t an info-dump, but rather it gave us important background information that was just enough to get the story started.  I don’t think an intro like that should be used often, but it definitely worked for this book.

The plot was incredibly fast-paced considering that this novel was largely character-driven.  Abigail Owen played A.J. and Andie off each other well, heightening the character tension while at the same time, having external forces try to keep them apart.  By the end you’re really wondering whether they’re going to end up together or not, but I won’t spoil the ending by telling you how it turns out.  I will tell you, however, that the ending is very satisfying.

In short, even if paranormal romances aren’t really your thing, you’ll probably like Andromeda’s Fall.  This was an excellent book and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the series plays out.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble*     Goodreads

*Not available.

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As a bonus for the tour there’s a giveaway for a $40 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash!  It’s open internationally.  All you have to do is click the Rafflecopter link below to get started on entering.  But hurry!  The giveaway ends on April 7.

a Rafflecopter giveaway