Feral Heat: Shifters Unbound Novella

I absolutely love this series by Jennifer Ashley. I have read them from the very start. You don't need to read them in order but it's better because they always refer to characters that have been in previous books. There is always an interesting plot and the love scenes are off the charts! This one is a quick and interesting read. It has two different types of shifters, a lupine and a feline, who meet and heal each other. Thank you Miz Ashley!

Quick read! Jace & Deni's chapter of the Shifters-verse is a great example of the things I love about this series. We see their connection, we learn more about them individually and as a couple. The overall story arc about the Collars is advanced, but doesn't feel like it's taking anything away from the two main characters. And I LOVE that Tiger gets some cameos, cuz let's face it - he's my favorite. : )

If you have read any of Jennifer Ashley's shifters books, then you know who Jace is. Little Jace that I could not wait to read about all grown up and finding his own mate. Finally here without dad, grown up out on his own. Just like all her books, Ms. Ashley doesn't let you down. Good book and I encourage you to read all her Shifters Unbound books. If you like series that is.

I own the entire Ashley Shifter series. This one I really liked as the character, Jace, is young, a part of a strong family and he has a place in some of the other books so it was nice to see his story and meet his mate. He seems to have a deeper character, volunteering to have his collar removed and mating a woman who has some mental health issues due to a previous attack. He's very family oriented. I enjoyed seeing his character grow. Don't miss this series.

Jace was one of many characters that I have waited to see how their story would be and to whom he'll be mated to. It was an okay story but I've wished for more. Steamy enough but thought it was too short. I can't give it a less than 5stars even though I've expected more, since the story was short but it's acceptable and steamy enough.

I tend to really enjoy the novellas in this series. This love story is no exception. I love the quick pace and the movement forward in the series is very good as well. If you are following this series, please pick this one up!

I love this whole series. The plots are never repetitive or boring and the characters are well thought out and well written. Start at the beginning and read right through. I haven't been disappointed yet.

I love Jennifer Ashley! Love Jaces and Deni s story. Love how Jennifer highlights characters and brings previous characters into the story as well. It's like, oh yeah I remember her/him an then "who is this guy and when will he get a story. Lookin ahead to the next one!!

I chose this rating because it was a beautiful book I love it wandering have any dislikes I will probably end up rereading this book when I reread the series cause the series is so good I hope you like this book just as much as I did when I was reading it

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A wolf and leopard, can they mix, and can they mate and will they be able to help free all of the shifters?

Opening Sentence: “The fight club had moved since Jace Warden had last visited the Austin Shiftertown.”

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Jace is on a mission to help free shifters from their collars and he is in Austin Shiftertown to work with the pack to find a way to get them off of the shifters. He has found a way to keep the collar from zapping him as it is supposed to do whenever shifters get aggressive or violent. While at a local fight club he is attacked by a wolf and when a she-wolf jumps into help him, he finds himself intrigued and smitten.

All the local wolves consider Deni a bit crazy, and maybe she is because ever since she was run down she loses herself in the shift and has no control over her wolf self. She decides to help Jace test ways to remove the collars. It is a debate within shifter society as the collars do help control the more violent tendencies, but most agree that they want to be free. However, taking the collars off often result in death or makes them mad.

Will Jace be able to reach Deni? Will they be able to figure out a way to take the collars off? Will they be able to truly be with each other?

I haven’t read too much in this series, but I did review another book in this series. I still find that despite not having read all of them they are easy to read and you don’t fill extremely lost. This is a novella and it focuses on the larger issues of the collar and the love between Jace and Deni. I enjoyed them as a couple and I didn’t find Deni all that crazy. I think the accident resulted in a loss of being able to control the most primal of urges so during fights or other things she has a tendency to fall into instinct versus using her human mind.

A fun easy read, and I think I have to add this series to my read list. I enjoy the differences so that it doesn’t quite feel like all the other were/shifter or paranormal books. It also really illustrates what fear looks like and the struggle the shifters have with humans and even within their own communities.

Notable Scene:

But this was why Jace had come. He’d learned slowly over the last year ow to control his Collar. He’d been teaching his father and others in his Shiftertown how to do it and preparing himself for Collar removal. The Morrisey’s had learned to make fake Collars that would fool humans, but only two Shifters’ thus far wore them–Andrea, Sean’s mate and Tiger, a shifter who’d been created by humans.

FTC Advisory: Intermix/Penguin provided me with a copy of Feral Heat. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Overall Rating: 4.5 Rockin’ '''''
Jennifer Ashley spins a tale of fantastically different diversities in shifters that are searching for a way out of their captivity from their human jailers. Their collars that were forced on them though Fae and Human technology keeps them controlled and incarcerated within set boundaries, mental as well as physical. In Feral Heat, Jace and Deni are thrust together in unlikely circumstances. From the beginning they both feel the mating frenzy, a pull to mate and their lives become intertwined forever. This is their journey to find love, acceptance and freedom.

Deni is lupine and her brother Ellison is her alpha. Her family consists of her two cubs, Ellison and Maria, Ellison's mate. She suffered a near kidnapping that damaged her when her motorcycle crashed during a chase by a mad man. Deni has been trying to find her way back to the land of the living and a way to heal from the damaged done to her mind and body.

Jace is the son of the alpha of the Las Vegas Shiftertown and is a strong alpha among feline shifters. He is a dominant that can control his emotions and has volunteered to be experimented on. Dylan and his sons lead the Austin Shifters and want to find a way to remove the collars of all shifters without it driving them insane. Jace holds great power over his cat and can consciously avert his collar from going off during times when he uses his animal senses. When Jace and Deni begin to bond their world is turned upside down by the police searching the Austin shiftertown. Who are they looking for and who is betraying them? No one knows!

This is another great addition to Ms. Ashley’s paranormal romance series. The author has the ability to grab you from the beginning weaving her story through her words causing you to get lost in the politics, drama and danger of shifters living in different Shiftertowns. There are certain developments in this book that will have you on the edge of your seat. The interaction between previous characters that you know and love is also a major plus. You are able to check in and see how their lives together are progressing in this ongoing saga. This is a highly recommended series to add to your to be read stack. A look at the life of shifters in a shiftertown community is entertaining and allows the reader inside a fantasy world where they can escape into a reality created by this brilliant author.

3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Guest Reviewer/Jessica & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog

Jace Warden of the Las Vegas Shifters is one of the few Shifters who can control his Collar and wild animal instincts, so it’s no surprise when he is summoned to the Austin Shiftertown for help in an experimental collar removal. But things seem to take a different turn when upon his arrival he meets Deni Rowe, a feral shifter in need of help. Jace knows that he can help control Deni’s wild animal instincts. But what Jace can’t seem to understand is how untamed he can become when Deni is around.

Deni Rowe has never been the same since her motorcycle accident. Her collar now malfunctions from the crash and she is now known as the feral shifter in the Austin Shiftertown. Deni just can’t seem to control her wolf and its need to fight and dominate. But things change when she meets Jace. Jace knows how to ground her and he proves to be her savior in becoming the shifter she once was.

Jace and Deni seem to have a passion and need for one another that came from the instant they met. This is no get to know you and make out story. Let me paint a picture for you. Sex…..Standing up……. Out in the open…… Now go from there. Not only are Jace and Deni connected sexually but a mere touch from the other can calm their soul and give them the comfort they need.

Feral Heat could have definitely been a full length with a bit more action and a lot more of Jace and Deni lovin! Even if you have never read the Shifters Unbound series in its entirety, you won’t find yourself lost or confused at all.

So, if you are looking for a quick read t

Jace Warden has come to the Austin Shiftertown in secret to be the guinea pig for the work being done to get the collars off of the shifters. It has become evident that the shifters must get them off as soon as possible and just wear decoys. Jace has barely gotten off his bike when he is attacked by a wolf. What surprises him is that right after that a female wolf attacks his attacker. Jace isn’t sure what is going on, but he immediately goes to the aid of the female wolf.

Deni Rowe might not have been happy at having to take a collar and move into the Shiftertown but because she had cubs, she was willing to do so. However after an accident that gave her a concussion among other things, Deni has been unable to control her fight or flight impulses and it takes nothing for her to go into battle these days. When Deni sees a stranger being attacked by a loser she knows, she immediately goes after the attacker and gets her bell clocked again. But this time, Jace helps her get control and get out of the situation.

Jace instantly felt attraction to Deni but he isn’t ready to have more than a fling right now. Deni also isn’t quite ready to look too deep into the sparks she feels when she is with Jace, but she is instantly protective of him and is willing to go on the outs even with her family to keep him safe. No one is going to mess with either Jace or Deni with the other one around. Attraction becomes flames and then passion, followed quickly by love. The odds are against them from the start because they are part of different shiftertowns and getting permission to move is very difficult. Both Jace and Deni are willing to separate and follow the rules for now, but when danger follows Jace, only Deni can help save him if she can get her emotions and instincts to work correctly fast enough. Can Deni and Jace beat the odds and find the answer to getting the collars off once and for all before they lose everything?

A love that should never have been found blossoms and flares to life while shifters look for the answer to save themselves from Fae technology that could end them once and for all. Deni and Jace find more than one answer they were looking for in Feral Heat. The struggle that both Jace and Deni have gone through separately told me right off that they would be a power couple if given the chance. I loved how both were instantly protective of the other from the minute they laid eyes on each other, even before the passion came to call. With the highly explosive background of secretly getting rid of the collars and keeping the work secret, I enjoyed seeing how Deni and Jace worked in tandem to achieve their goals and to also find a way to grab the gold ring in the end and have the best of everything. Feral Heat has suspense, passion and humor that make it a wonderful way to spend a few hours escaping into the shifter world once again.

This book was reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.

I really enjoyed cowboy wolf shifter Ellison in one of the previous books, and now his sister Deni finds a second chance at love. Her husband died years ago, and she is raising her two almost adult (in shifter years) sons, with the help of her brother Ellison. Deni was a vibrant woman, who loved nothing better than to drive her motor cycle and go all out. Until the day an evil Shifter hunter purposely ran her over. Deni was severely hurt, but she survived, only to have lost most of her control over her Wolf. At times she takes over, making Deni very aggressive and even attacking her own family.

When the book starts, Deni is tired of sitting at home when everyone is out to the Fight Club, and she decides to go as well. She knows it is a bad decision but she is tired of living like this. The pheromones and aggression at the fight club really trigger her wolf, and when she sees someone she intensely dislikes beat up an unknown shifter, she has to jump in and help.
Jace, a snow leopard, and son of the Las Vegas Shifter Town leader, is here on the request of Dylan and does not really need her help, but he sure appreciates it, and the beautiful woman she shifts into as well.

While the fight between Dylan and Ronan is going strong inside, Deni and Jace really hit it off outside, until the cops show up in force, and they will have to hide the evidence of the fighting quickly. Deni comes up with a smart excuse for them gathering in force outside their Shifter town, but now Jace really needs her to cover for him. He is illegally in their Shifter town, the cops cannot find out or he will be arrested and the others will get in trouble as well. He needs Deni to take him home, and as he acted drunk, she will have to drive his motorcycle. If only until they have enough distance between them and the cops. Being with Jace, who is a real alpha, soothes her inner wolf, and Deni manages to stay in control although she is terrified of driving a motorcycle again.

When Ellison finally gets home, he is not happy when a strange male shifter is sleeping on his couch, but it was the only solution for the moment. And that Jace is smelling of his sister certainly does not please him either. But Deni is capable of making her own decisions, and her brother has no say in that, even though he is the alpha wolf of their pack.

Dylan and his sons have been working on a way of getting rid of their hated collars, without the shifter in question going feral. And of course without the humans noticing that they no longer wear their collars. As Jace is still unmated he is willing to take the risk of experimenting with removing the collar, but it hurts like hell. Deni seems to be the only one to care for him, and wants them to stop. And Jace starts to believe that Deni is his mate. When the police keep raiding their town, Jace has to stay hidden in the Rowe’s secret underground lair, where Deni keeps him company when she is able to.

Has their romance a chance when Jace has to go back home before he is missed? And when it is very hard for a shifter to obtain permission to change Shifter towns?

Ever since her accident, Deni has trouble staying in control of her wolf, almost going feral at times. She is a strong alpha wolf herself, and not many male shifters outrank her, and are thus able to help stay in control. But Jace is stronger, and him touching her really does help her. And of course does other things to her …
I liked how after their initial encounter they don’t jump into bed together, but get some time to know each other, and have her children and brother get used to him as well. Still, the attraction between them is powerful and Jace is completely taken by surprise when his leopard threatens Dylan for touching Deni. She is his! Deni is compassionate, she loves her children, and after loosing one mate, she is not afraid of falling in love again and finding a new mate. She knows life can be short in their violent world.

Fionn the Fae, father of Andrea Morrissey, wife of Sean, also makes an appearance in this novella, helping in the removal of the collars, and in keeping Jace safe in Faery when there is no time to go back to the hidden saferooms. I really liked that, and how he truly loves his daughter.

One of the main things I like about this series, is that it is a very close community of shifters, and you see previous couples again and again, and stay up to date with what is happening with them. Like Olaf, the little orphaned bear cub, he is happy now. And Tiger has an important position as well.

I do recommend this series, and look forward to reading Wild Wolf soon.

8 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian </p>

Read for Fun (Library)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00

First Thought when Finished: Feral Heat by Jennifer Ashley was not my favorite in the series but still pretty darn good!

Overall Thoughts: While I never really saw Jace and Deni before this as a couple---I could think of no two better suited now that they are together. I loved how Jace calmed her, brought out her inner strength, and was willing to do anything for her. I love that she in turn got to save him. Overall story didn't move forward too much but that is OK this was a novella :)

Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, Done! Reviews

(NOTE: only on more and I am caught up *sad face*)

I chose this rating because I really like Jennifer Ashley's style of writing. I loved this story. There was nothing about it that I didn't like. It grabbed me from the first page and was impossible to put it down until I finished it. Anybody who likes this type of story (and I do) will enjoy this book.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

FERAL HEAT pulls double duty and not only gives some more forward momentum to the Shifters Unbound series long story arc to find away to release the shifters from bondage but also finds room to have a fiery and passionate romance evolve. While I enjoyed the simmering romance between Jace and Deni, the thing that keeps me coming back to this series is the general plot premise surrounding shifters being forced by humans, to wear fae magic imbued collars that suppress their aggression and their mission to find a way to safely take them off. As the result of some very painful moments in FERAL HEAT, progress is made in the move to de-collar shifters and I continue to be absolutely riveted in finding out along with the shifters just how and when they can finally be freed.

On the romance front of FERAL HEAT is of course the relationship between Jace and Deni. Their attraction is pretty much instantaneous which I wasn’t expecting but made sense given their personalities and what happens between them in the story. Their interactions ranged from endearingly sweet to super steamy. With the shorter length not allowing for a slow burn romance that I usually prefer I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fact that they just speed through the hesitant beginnings of a romance. Jace and Deni both fit so well together that it just made sense for them to have an instant attraction.

FERAL HEAT is a great bridge story between full length novels of Shifters Unbound. It everything you want from action and violence, to sweet passion and humor. The next Shifters Unbound novel; WILD WOLF comes out April 1, 2014.

FERAL HEAT is the latest novella in Jennifer Ashley’s contemporary, adult, paranormal Shifters Unbound series focusing on the collared shifters of Shiftertown USA. This is Jace(snow leopard shifter) and Deni’s (lupine) storyline-Deni’s mind has been damaged from a near fatal accident that left her dying and struggling to survive and Jace has been invited to Shiftertown, Autstin, Texas in an attempt to discover a method to remove his Fae-magic infused collar without the government knowing.

The premise follows Jace as he finds himself caught up with a female wolf who calls to the beast within. Jace is in town at the invite of the local controlling shifter but his visit has not been sanctioned by the humans who patrol shifters and the towns in which they live. As the humans begin a door to door campaign looking for someone who does not belong, the relationship between Deni and Jace becomes more than just sex-Jace’s leopard has found its mate-and Deni is the object of his desires.

FERAL HEAT explores the relationship between two shifters whose beast runs close to the surface –welcoming any attempt where the possibility of going feral is not far behind. We watch as Deni learns to control the deeper animal instincts of her kind with the man who is able to control her beast with just one touch.

Jennifer Ashley has written another welcome storyline where two more shifters find the mate of their heart-the other half of their soul.

The world building continues with each successive storyline as our shifters must confront discrimination, specieism and prejudice from both the human world and from within. If you are a fan of the shifter paranormal storylines, then Jennifer’s Shifters Unbound is a welcome series for anyone who loves the possibility of a happily ever in a world that we can only dream (about).

I was gifted a copy.

Jace has been hovering in the background of the series for a while and is finally getting his book. I loved how he instinctively knew just what Dani needed and when she needed it. He doesn't allow her to hide behind her fear but gently pushes her with his belief that she "can". He bolsters her where she is weak and cheers her on in each small triumph. Dani is amazing. She's lost so much in her life and yet she still reaches for happiness. She still tries.
Highly recommended author and series
Adult read

Title: Feral Heat

Series: Shifters Unbound Book # 5.5 (novella)

Author: Jennifer Ashley

Genre: Romance/Paranormal

Blurb: Jace Warden is sent to the Shiftertown in Austin to find a way to free all Shifters from their Collars. But pulling off the Collars can cause Shifters to go mad or kill them outright. In Austin, Jace meets Deni Rowe, a wolf Shifter with troubles of her own—she was deliberately run down in the road, and while her body has healed, she still has episodes of total memory loss during which she retreats into her pure animal self. Jace has never met anyone like Deni. Courageous and beautiful, she volunteers to help him test the Collar removal. And as Deni and Jace work together, they feel the mate bond begin. But can Jace help Deni believe she can heal enough to be anyone’s true mate?

Thoughts: The Shifters Unbound series as a whole is one of my absolute favorites. I have been waiting for both Jace, the mysterious shifter from one of the other Shiftertowns, and Deni, who has had issues of her own in previous books, to get their own books. As always, Jennifer Ashley manages to pull you into the whole Shiftertown set-up and really deliver a engaging tale that keeps your interest from start to finish. It was nice to see Deni make some progress from this injured shifter that we have seen over the past few novels, and find some happiness with Jace. I had actually hoped that when both of these characters go their own story that it would somewhat longer, and not reduced to a much-too-short novella, but it was still a great book.

No matter the length though, Jennifer Ashley always delivers a dazzling tale, and this one is no different. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next installment, Wild Wolf, due out April 1st!

Rate: A-
Review by: Sarah
[...]

A great novella that drives the series and the world created by Ms. Ashley forward. Jace and Deni are great characters and I enjoyed watching them both learn to be what the other needs.

I really love this series, because it’s obvious a lot of time and work has gone into building the world and creating loveable and flawed characters. This is a very character driven story and I loved that.

I highly recommend this novella, and look forward to more time spent among the shifters of the Shifters Unbound series.

I love how each novel in Jennifer Ashleys’ Shifter Unbound Series is followed by a novellas. I like when an author knows that a person’s story needs to be told but that a full novel would not be…right. This short 153-page story lets us see how two minor characters finds their mate and sets us up for the battle to come in the next book.

Jace is a feline we met before and I really like him. He doesn’t play that big a roll but he is someone unforgettable so when I saw that his story was going to be told I was excited. Jace knows that its important for the shifters to get the collar off so he volunteers to go to the Austin Shiftertown and be experimented on. It’s there that he finds his mate in the most unlikely female.

Deni is a lupine who has been though so much in her life but the most difficult is her memory loss. She has been known to go after her cubs, her brother and anyone else in the way when her animal takes over. Fearing for her safety and those closes to her she is taken by surprise when Jace turns out to be her mate and savior.

Together these two face down every obstacle in their way and become stronger for it.