Shifters in Love

Usually (but not always–see my book Savage Bliss), a shapeshifter romance novel features a hero who can turn into an animal. It’s very often the case. More variable is the heroine’s powers. Often, she’s human, so here’s a post to celebrate the leading ladies who can turn furry.

Badass Shapeshifter Heroines

Here they are, in no particular order–

Patricia Briggs’s Moon Called

As a coyote shapeshifter, Mercy Thompson has had to be cunning to survive. She’s strong, she’s smart, and she can carry a tune. She also does things like leave a junker car in her yard just to annoy her domineering (and sexy-as-hell) neighbor, Adam.

T. S. Joyce’s Axman Werebear

Dragon shifter Diem Daye is quiet, obedient, and yet immensely strong. Her arranged marriage is pretty much the worst news ever and for the first time, she’s fighting against her father’s wishes. Her interactions with Bruiser, a grizzly shifter, melted my heart.

Tori Knightwood’s Savanna Dance

Inira Makeri is a giraffe shifter, and that alone has me bouncing in my seat & clapping my hands. How freaking cool is this? She’s wild at heart despite the fact that her family’s expectations have always weighed on her. I loved watching her blossom over the course of this book.

Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten

Elena Michaels was turned into a werewolf in a way that still pisses me off, but there’s no denying she is wears her fur in style. This lady is so smart and capable, she almost makes me want to get off the couch and do a couple laps around the track (almost).

Keira Blackwood’s Pierced

Hannah Lewis is not only balancing her experiences as a wolf shifter with managing college–and living in the dorms! She’s also an amazing friend who will stop at nothing to ensure her friends are safe. I would count myself super lucky to have a buddy as loyal as Hannah.

Ophelia Bell’s Dragon Equinox

Numa’s so strong, she has to search among the elite in order to find a partner who is powerful enough to not only mate her, but help her save the freakin’ world. This is one bad-ass dragon.

Some Shapeshifting Ladies in My Books

There are quite a few shifter heroines in my own books. Two of my favorites are book blogger Nina Vidal in Savage Heartache, and potty-mouthed Hayley Jaynes in Wild Atonement. In fact, Nina has her own blog, and I’ve already written about Hayley, here.

Paranormal Romance Tropes

While I always adore reading the shifter books with the alpha shifter male and the human woman who is shocked and surprised by not only the existence of shifters but the fact that her beloved is one of them, I also like these romances that explore the shifter dynamic in other ways. Have you read any of these ones, or do you have other favorites? I’d love to hear about them!