Series: Offbeat Shifters
Volume: 1/?
Publisher: Independently published
Pages: -
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Publisher: Independently published
Genre/s: Supernatural Romance
Length: 92 000 words
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✰
Isaac starts working as a bodyguard in his old friend's company, and his first assignment is to protect an increasingly popular pop star during his Europe Tour. It's supposed to be a simple and hassle-free task. Unfortunately, everything starts to get complicated. Not only does Isaac fall in love with the young, innocent and sweet Jesse Steele, whose chastity he should protect, but to make matters worse, one of the boy's fans starts sending him disturbing messages. Unsure of what the mysterious "Your Alpha" might do, Isaac must take on quite a difficult task and stay professional when the boy he loves may be at risk.
"Secretly Mine" is the first volume in Colette Davison's new series, "Offbeat Shifters". Reviewing this book let me start with the fact that the author once again decided to write a novel set in an alternative universe, the heroes of which are shapeshifters. I'm very happy about it because I love these kinds of stories. This is all the more important to me because I really missed shifters, and Colette Davison made me realise that I'm addicted to such novels. Let me also add that "Secretly Mine" is an omegaverse novel, so there is a male pregnancy reference in it. More precisely, mpreg is so far just mentioned, so you can be sure that this volume does not focus on the topic of pregnancy and fatherhood, but on other, often really serious themes. That is why I can recommend it even to people who are not entirely sure if they like omegaverse or not.
If the babies aren't the most important yet, what is in the centre of the story presented in "Secretly Mine"? Well, we can say that it is dominated by three motives that make it develop within them. On the one hand, we have this lovely celebrity-bodyguard love story with an age-gap, on the other, "Secretly Mine" is a slice of life sort of story with elements of drama, focusing on problems in father-son relationship, inability to show feelings, early, unwanted parenthood, communication problems. These two sides of "Secretly Mine" are also enriched with and connected by sort of a thriller-like motif of a creepy superfan, whose intentions with his beloved celebrity and plans concerning him are quite unpredictable for us, and certainly for our characters. All this is combined into one really interesting and neat story, so that every reader can find something for themselves.
Thus, "Secretly Mine" is a rather calm and in every way a slowly unfolding story, which, above all, touches us very deeply and keeps us in suspense. Even twice as much as you think. On the one hand, we have a forbidden relationship that must be hidden, and on the other hand, there's this unpredictable fan. That's one of the reasons the readers are happy for the characters, their successes and love to see Jesse and Isaac spending time together, but at the same time they worry that this secret love affair will be exposed or the superfan's obsession will escalate and pose a threat to our vulnerable, innocent Jesse.
The character of Austin, Jesse's father, is also important as our emotions are concerned. On the one hand, his approach to his son makes us really sad because this boy definitely needs love and care, which he does not receive in this case. On the other hand, however, we see the enormity of Austin's internal problems, as in the past he lost everything and it made him stop believing in himself, in his worth and in the love of his fans. He's a really interesting, deep character that deserves our attention and deserves his own happy ending.
Undoubtedly, I must also write a few words about the main characters. Let's start with Jesse, our pop star, a celebrity in need of a bodyguard. The vast majority of novels using celebrity-bodyguard motif present us with a character who is either a naughty boy or just a confident brat. Colette Davison chose a polite, innocent boy, who is actually just learning to deal with all the negative sides of fame. He is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air among the many other stars we have read about. Moreover, protecting Jesse is his bodyguard's first assignment, so Isaac is also not the character we are used to see in this type of novels. This is a huge advantage, because the theme we already know very well is shown from a different angle, and when we add shifters and omegaverse to it, we get a really interesting mix out of it.
To sum up, "Secretly Mine" is a really interesting and addictive novel, which arouses a lot of emotions in the reader and makes it impossible to stop reading before we find out what the author has prepared for us and our beloved characters. Moreover, in this novel a character that we might consider to, to some extent, be a villain seems to asks for love and a miracle that will make him regain faith in himself and his abilities. "Secretly Mine" is without a doubt the novel you want to read.
Headcanon: When Jesse wants to be creative in the kitchen, he always tests his recipes on Isaac.
Fanfiction idea: Isaac takes Jesse on a "real" animal tiger-monkey date.
AU idea: An alternate past where Austin is happy and is a good father.
Here's some more about:
Blurb
The first rule of being a bodyguard is never get involved with your client. It should have been easy to follow, but Jesse Steele is a beautiful, kind omega, who’s far more down to earth than a pop star has any right to be.
Someone discovering our tryst becomes the least of our worries when it becomes clear Jesse has a stalker.
Can I love Jesse and protect him, or will my emotions cloud my judgement and put him in danger?
Secretly Mine is an m/m paranormal romance with a protective tiger shifter, a sweet monkey shifter, lots of cuddles, secret kisses, and piggy back rides. Whilst it is set in an alternate universe where omegas give birth, there are no pregnancy or birth scenes in this book.
Trigger warning for mentions of infertility.
Excerpt
There was always a moment when I willed my body to shift that I regretted it. It was excruciating. For the few seconds it took for the transformation to take place, I saw nothing but white-hot fire. Felt nothing but searing heat as every molecule in my body rearranged itself. I heard nothing but my own pitiful sobs. Smelt nothing.
Then it was over, and I was considerably smaller and buried in a pile of my own clothes. The advantage of shifting to a smaller form was that I didn’t need to undress first. Unlike Isaac. He was still in his human form, staring down at me. I danced from foot to foot, impatiently chittering at him. I was desperate to climb up into the trees and swing from branch to branch.
“Turn around,” he said.
Rather than turning around, I put my tiny hands over my large eyes. I was good and didn’t peek as Isaac undressed, even though it was tempting. While he shifted, he didn’t sob, as I had done, but he did let out a wretched moan which morphed into a growl. Only then did I lower my hands. His tiger form was huge. He padded over and stared down at me. His incisors were easily as big as my head, and I realised that if he gave in completely to his animal side, he’d eat me up for breakfast. He turned his head to the side in a swift gesture, which I took as permission to go.
I scrambled up into the trees, my hands and feet deftly gripping the trunk. I paused and studied Isaac’s tiger form. Now that his teeth and claws were well away from me, it was easier to appreciate how stunning he was. He was long and sleek, with thick black stripes breaking up his rusty orange fur. He looked up at me, his pale green eyes searching mine. He had to be wondering why I’d stopped to stare at him. Did he know how beautiful he was?
I let out an excited screech and tore off through the foliage. My long tail provided balance as I scampered along branches and then leapt from one tree to the next. Isaac ran along beneath me—beautiful, powerful, and graceful. He easily kept pace with my aerial antics.
My tiny heart beat wildly, and I felt completely and utterly free. It was so much better than being stuck on the bus. But it had to come to an end.
We reached the edge of the wood. I clung on to a fine branch at the top of the final tree, staring at the farmhouse opposite. Far beneath me, Isaac let out a short, sharp chuff, drawing my attention to him. He gestured with his head again, telling me it was time to go back. I nodded to show that I’d understood and then leapt through the treetops, back the way we’d come, until I spied our clothes exactly where we’d left them.
I scurried down to mine. I shifted back and got dressed just before Isaac caught up with me. Given how easily he’d kept up before, I decided he’d let me get ahead this time so I could get into my clothes without having him as an audience. He sat on his haunches and gave me a look that might have meant he wanted to eat me for dinner. I gulped and backed away a little. I was nowhere near as fearless in my human form as when I was a monkey.
Book Title: Secretly Mine (Offbeat Shifters Book 1)
Author: Colette Davison
Cover Artist: Colette Davison
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Trope/s: shifters, mpreg setting but there isn’t pregnancy or childbirth in the books, age-gap, pop-stars, forbidden romance (bodyguard and client), hidden relationship
Themes: The price of fame, treatment of omegas in the pop industry
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Book 1 could be read as standalone.
Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
I’m being paid to spend a month on tour with Jesse Steele, to keep him safe and protect his image. Simple.
Blurb
The first rule of being a bodyguard is never get involved with your client. It should have been easy to follow, but Jesse Steele is a beautiful, kind omega, who’s far more down to earth than a pop star has any right to be.
Someone discovering our tryst becomes the least of our worries when it becomes clear Jesse has a stalker.
Can I love Jesse and protect him, or will my emotions cloud my judgement and put him in danger?
Secretly Mine is an m/m paranormal romance with a protective tiger shifter, a sweet monkey shifter, lots of cuddles, secret kisses, and piggy back rides. Whilst it is set in an alternate universe where omegas give birth, there are no pregnancy or birth scenes in this book.
Trigger warning for mentions of infertility.
Excerpt
There was always a moment when I willed my body to shift that I regretted it. It was excruciating. For the few seconds it took for the transformation to take place, I saw nothing but white-hot fire. Felt nothing but searing heat as every molecule in my body rearranged itself. I heard nothing but my own pitiful sobs. Smelt nothing.
Then it was over, and I was considerably smaller and buried in a pile of my own clothes. The advantage of shifting to a smaller form was that I didn’t need to undress first. Unlike Isaac. He was still in his human form, staring down at me. I danced from foot to foot, impatiently chittering at him. I was desperate to climb up into the trees and swing from branch to branch.
“Turn around,” he said.
Rather than turning around, I put my tiny hands over my large eyes. I was good and didn’t peek as Isaac undressed, even though it was tempting. While he shifted, he didn’t sob, as I had done, but he did let out a wretched moan which morphed into a growl. Only then did I lower my hands. His tiger form was huge. He padded over and stared down at me. His incisors were easily as big as my head, and I realised that if he gave in completely to his animal side, he’d eat me up for breakfast. He turned his head to the side in a swift gesture, which I took as permission to go.
I scrambled up into the trees, my hands and feet deftly gripping the trunk. I paused and studied Isaac’s tiger form. Now that his teeth and claws were well away from me, it was easier to appreciate how stunning he was. He was long and sleek, with thick black stripes breaking up his rusty orange fur. He looked up at me, his pale green eyes searching mine. He had to be wondering why I’d stopped to stare at him. Did he know how beautiful he was?
I let out an excited screech and tore off through the foliage. My long tail provided balance as I scampered along branches and then leapt from one tree to the next. Isaac ran along beneath me—beautiful, powerful, and graceful. He easily kept pace with my aerial antics.
My tiny heart beat wildly, and I felt completely and utterly free. It was so much better than being stuck on the bus. But it had to come to an end.
We reached the edge of the wood. I clung on to a fine branch at the top of the final tree, staring at the farmhouse opposite. Far beneath me, Isaac let out a short, sharp chuff, drawing my attention to him. He gestured with his head again, telling me it was time to go back. I nodded to show that I’d understood and then leapt through the treetops, back the way we’d come, until I spied our clothes exactly where we’d left them.
I scurried down to mine. I shifted back and got dressed just before Isaac caught up with me. Given how easily he’d kept up before, I decided he’d let me get ahead this time so I could get into my clothes without having him as an audience. He sat on his haunches and gave me a look that might have meant he wanted to eat me for dinner. I gulped and backed away a little. I was nowhere near as fearless in my human form as when I was a monkey.
About the Author
Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.
Social Media Links
Blog/Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Group: Colette’s Cosy Corner
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