I gotta say, I am having a blast with this crew!
First, Keira Blackwood gave me the freaking best cover for Book 1, Filthy Beast. I couldn’t have even dreamed up this beauty!
Then, I get a big old group of bad boy shifters full of flaws and angst and guilt. They take their shirts off and fight each other, like, all the time. And what’s not to love about hotties flexing their muscles and showing off their strength?
And THEN a woman shows up and the shit really hits the fan. Nothing makes me feel more wicked than laughing while I watch a shapeshifter hottie lose his mind over his mate.
The process for this series is involving a lot of laps around the park while I think out scenes and characters. I’m talking into my phone as I go, so I don’t forget new ideas, and I probably sound like a crazy lady going on about inner beasts and fated mates and battles for dominance.
But it’s really freaking fun. 🙂
So, Filthy Beast is up for preorder for ONLY 99 PENNIES (coming out May 11th)! The prequel novella, Filthy Vandal, will be released in the Bound to Change anthology on April 17th, so you can get an early taste of these trashy romances. 😉
Filthy Vandal by Liza Street
I really loved this book. Shifters, insta-love, unexpected allies, a witch and a human who has to accept it all in one big rush…it just ticked all my boxes! The Junkyard is where the Alphas of their packs, clans, prides, etc. send their worst of the worst whether it be for the crimes that they committed or their out-of-control aggression. Enter Grant, who sends these shifters across the magical boundary that keeps them away from the rest of the world permanently. That is until a newbie shifter assists him and Grant is hauled over the line and trapped with the very shifters that he’s been sending through the barrier. God, I could have kicked that kid’s ass. Four months later of fighting for his life and for some semblance of authority, he now has to protect Caitlyn, an innocent jogger who was lured into the crossing the barrier when she tried to help an injured shifter.
The introduction of each character is smoothly written so as not to feel like exposition and gives you an instant connection to each one. Grant is a laidback artist at heart who lives in a cabin in the mountains that overlooks the Junkyard but answers the call when there’s an incoming Alpha and Caitlyn is a nurse who’s filled with compassion and left her hospital job in the city to take care of her aunt until she passed away. By the time that they meet, you know that Grant is an honorable man who’s going to ensure Caitlyn’s safety no matter what the cost and Caitlyn may only be human but she is definitely a fighter. You also meet Carter who was sent to the Junkyard for being too aggressive but turns out to be a great help to Grant as he has is own sense of honor which sadly does not extend to babysitting duties. You’ll read what I mean and want to kick his butt too.
While Grant exerts his dominance with the other shifters to keep his claim on Caitlyn, he comes to realize that she’s his mate but doesn’t tell her as he’s not sure that the bond that is felt between mates is able to be felt by humans. His only priority is Caitlyn’s well-being and he is ever the gentleman as he takes care of her needs and gives her the time that she needs to work out her feelings. Caitlyn’s thoughtfulness shines in her nursing skills and concerns over others. It was wonderful to see them open up and share their lives as their trust and feelings grew deeper. I also loved the imagery in the story. The descriptions of their hand-holding walks, the fights that the shifters had daily to pass the time, Grant longing for his cabin or just running for their lives kept me lost in the story as I envisioned it all.
There’s a witch who comes to help them escape the barrier and she does but not in the way that you would think. Caitlyn and Grant had a quick romance but it didn’t make their relationship any less fulfilling to me, the chemistry and heart of the story was there in every page with a great happily ever after. I also loved Carter’s character despite his derelict guard duty skills, and was thrilled to find out that his story is next and am starting the next book tonight. I can’t stand Mathers, the true villain of the story, and sincerely hope he gets his in the end. Since each book takes place in the Junkyard, I have to assume that he’ll be in future stories and as he’s in there for the assault and killing of both human women and female shifters and I am crossing my fingers that there’s a lady we’ll be meeting eventually who can take him down. Anyway, great book and fantastic read with characters that I really took to my heart. I heartily recommend this book and I know that I will definitely revisit it again.
Filthy Beast by Liza Street
You know how the sequel is never as good as the original? Well, that was not the case here! I LOVED this story as much, if not more, than the prequel. This book is Carter and Lena’s story. If you’ve read Filthy Vandal then you remember that Carter was sent to the Junkyard for being too aggressive and in this book, poor Lena was sent to the Junkyard because the Alpha of her pride was a dick. No, seriously. Her Alpha’s obsession with her family line has cost her dearly and when forced to choose between mating with him and being sentenced to the Junkyard, she willingly chooses the Junkyard. There’s only one way to escape the Junkyard’s magical barrier but Lena is content to remain safely inside from her Alpha with her two new friends, Kyle and Marcus, who she met on the truck that brought them there. That is until her Alpha, Shaw, sends himself to the Junkyard and her sanctuary becomes her prison.
Along the way, there is love, loss and a lot of combat. I adore Carter, he is absolutely hysterical. His style of fighting is pretty much no holds barred and apparently so is his mouth filter. When he speaks, you are left in no doubt of his opinion. Carter is an excellent foil to Lena, who tries to keep the peace between Carter and her friends whenever she can and then lets loose when she’s had enough. As different as Carter and Lena can be, they can be similar. Their approach to each other and others differ but they are both pretty open and up front about who they are and what they want. Whether friend or foe, you know where you stand with them. While Caitlyn and Grant had a rushed courtship due to needing her human self safely out of the Junkyard, Carter and Lena have more time to explore their relationship and I became even more invested with them as I watched it take root and grow. They may have been instantly attracted to each other but the love gradually evolves as they give each other space, face and talk out their problems and give each other their full support. The banter they have with each other is so fun, the wit and comebacks flying back and forth, and it fills my heart watching them be able to close out everything and anyone around them except what they feel for each other. They seem to lose all ability to guard their hearts whenever they’re in close proximity of each other and I’m in awe at the care and tenderness that they have for each other at all times, even if they’re out of sorts with each other.
Kyle and Marcus are incredible, they are both strong men but who don’t look down on females and although they tended to be more considerate of Lena for being female, it still didn’t make her any less in their eyes. The bonds of trust and friendship between these three grew quickly and for the situation they are in, it is entirely believable. The guys aren’t just her friends or allies, they’re her family and it’s felt so strongly between all of them that it was palpable right off the page. Even Kyle and Carter are able to make peace when a secret comes to light and its resolution was nothing that I ever would have expected but heartily embraced for not just it’s originality, but heart.
There is loss in the book. One that truly left me reeling and others that made me cheer out loud. The villains, new and old receive their comeuppance in the best ways and each time it was an excellent twist that I didn’t see coming. Although Lena’s Junkyard family readily came to her aid throughout the story, she was the one who finished the battle. She saves Carter and I LOVED THAT! Thankfully the women who find themselves in the Junkyard are strong and resourceful and the men around them respect that. As always, the secondary characters never feel like background created to propel the story and even as the main characters’ story evolves so do characters like Kyle, Marcus, Jase and Stetson to where you can’t wait to know more about them. Speaking of which, I promised myself to break from this series to read a book that’s been in my TBR pile but that was such a hard promise to keep after finishing this book, especially with the teaser for the next one! Marcus will feature in the next book and I can’t wait. Marcus was hit especially hard in this book, physically and emotionally, and it will affect both his human and shifter side. I’m looking forward to seeing how Marcus handles these afflictions because he’s so strong and protective of those he considers in his care. After what happened in this book, it makes me wonder how he’ll be able to open himself up to taking any type of risk again. Sorry for the long review, there’s just so much to love about this book and I honestly don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you read it.
Thank you so much for these beautiful reviews! I’m so touched to read about your obvious enjoyment in the books, and very grateful that you took the time to post your thoughts here. <3 Thank you again!