Shifter Made (Shifters Unbound)

"Shifter Made" which was previously published in the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (this review is a a reincarnated version of my review from that anthology) is a short little prequel to Ashley's Shifters Unbound series. Set back in time and in Ireland, Shifter Niall, who is an ancestor to the leads in the Primal Bonds and Pride Mates is forced to forge a magical sword for the hated Fae as ransom for his kidnapped children. But during the forging he is aided by a Fae women, who is supposed to help him inbue the sword with magic, a woman who may change his feelings about the Fae or at least about one Fae woman in particular. -

Shifter Made is the story of the forging of the Guardian's sword which plays a significant role in both of the Shifters Unbound books, but the story stands alone well apart from the series and vice versa. The story has a good set up and a good ending but it is too short to have a satisfying middle - the transition is rushed as the starring pair just jump from being enemies to being more. The bottom line is despite the length it still ended up being pretty good, but since it is an interesting little fill-in to the series it may appeal more to Shifter Unbound fans than newbies.

Shifter Made is a nice short story that tells the tale of how the shifters came to acquire Swords of the Guardian. Virtually every book in the series, at some point, mentions the mystical swords wielded by specially appointed Guardians that release a shifter's soul to the Summerlands upon their death, thereby preventing its capture by the fae. It's also common knowledge that Niall, a shifter weaponsmith, and Alanna, a fae, crafted the swords together. This story tells us how and why the first sword came to be created. It also reveals how Niall and Alanna improbably fell in love in the process. For fans of the series this short story provides a welcome glimpse into some of the historical backstory which has come to define the series.

I have zero experience with the series this relates to but I don’t think it impacted my read at all. This is a prequel (I think), so it was really just a setup for (I assume) things that later happen in the series.

The setting for this book was medieval Ireland, which is usually not my thing, but it was really just a story about shifters and the Fae. Niall is a blacksmith who was once a renowned sword maker. He’s also a shifter and single father of two. Having sort of removed himself from shifter life in general, it’s a bit surprising when Alanna, a Fae princess, shows up on his doorstep demanding he make a magical sword.

Alanna isn’t what she first appears to be. Instead of the ice princess persona she tries to sell Niall, she’s actually just as much a prisoner of her brother’s machinations as Niall is. These two work together to find a path forward that actually yields a nice HEA.

I read this after reading nearly all the other Shifters Unbound series and I recommend you read at least one of the full-length novels before you read this one as the importance of the sword to the Shifters isn’t exactly emphasized in this novella. However, it is also a good start to the series itself, taking place hundreds of years before the rest of the novels, when the Fae had yet to fully abandon our world. As with all of Jennifer Ashley’s stories, this is a romance. A hard romance between a Feline Shifter – Niall – and a Fae woman – Alanna – and how they came to forge the Sword of the Guardian, and more especially, why.

Personally, it was a nice, but very short read, though I felt it could have been a little more drama surrounding the Fae/Shifter hatred those two should be experiencing. And it was really too short to like or dislike the main protagonists and it obviously wasn’t deeply involved. However, for a short fluffy explanation piece, it was well done. 3 stars.

In Shifters Made, Jennifer Ashley takes the reader back to the time before the sword was created. It had been a while since I'd read the first two Shifters Unbound books, but because this story takes place hundreds of years before those books start, I had no trouble at all following.

A fae woman on a mission for her brother, the prince, must convince a bear shifter to craft a magical sword. There's emotional depth to this short story that surprised me. The romance is somewhat rushed, but I didn't mind because I liked the characters. It's a great intro to the series if you're a fan, but it's not necessary to read this to fully grasp the amazing world Ashley crafted in her Shifters Unbound series.

Definitely worth a read, especially for the money.

SJ

WOW, this particular story made me cry from the heaviness but then made me laugh with joy!!! I'm recommending this book and the subsequent series that follows to all shifter lovers the world over!!!

One of Your Greatest Fans,

Lena deLeon
[email protected]

To find out about the Shifters Guardian's sword and how and why it was created ties up many questions up for me. A good and exciting read. Thanks for letting us know where it came from and why. Alanna took big risks as did Niall,but it was worth it.

This is the prequel for the Shifters Unbound series. It is a short story to start the series Niall the widowed shifter sword maker and Alanna the fae princess who loved a human who was killed by her evil fae prince brother. They fall in love over the making of a sword. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more books in the series.