Book Description:
The visit to Elk Ridge is supposed to be just another assignment for
Tom Barrington. Then he encounters Bryce Reynolds, a generous, warmhearted
cowboy who has the easiest smile he’s ever seen. It doesn’t take long for Tom
to break all his rules and end up in Bryce’s bed.
Bryce Reynolds believes there’s no such thing as a hot politician,
right up until he meets Tom Barrington. Tall, dark, and principled, Tom
overturns all of Bryce’s prejudices, and Bryce starts to forget that he doesn’t
do serious and he doesn’t do commitment.
As Bryce and Tom struggle to make sense of what’s happening between
them, they’re drawn into a political battle—one which could affect the future
of every shifter. And when long-buried secrets start coming to light, things
turn deadly. Nothing will ever be the same again for the Elk Ridge pack.
Note: This is book 4 but it can be read as a
standalone
Excerpt:
“So what do you need to know?” Bryce asked. The thought that the
sooner they got business done, the sooner they might get to other things was
not in his mind at all. No way.
It turned out to be pretty much what he’d expected. Tom broke out a
tablet on which he already had a list of pack members’ names. He jotted down
the brief additional details Bryce offered and asked some open-ended questions,
which Bryce answered in a meandering way that gave away precisely nothing. Then
Tom wanted to examine for himself the potential hostile zone.
“You mean the house and ranch?”
Tom’s lips curved again into that grin. It did something quite
remarkable to what was otherwise a serious-looking face, and Bryce found he
wanted to keep seeing it. “Sorry,” Tom said. “Occupational hazard, using
jargon.”
“I hear you,” Bryce said. “Like when I exit the vehicle in the
vicinity of the building, rather than get out of my car at home.”
The grin widened. “Is it okay if I take a look around? I’d like to see
your territory as well as the house.”
Even though Bryce found himself smiling back, he was aware that there
was a lively intelligence in those brown eyes. They might be smiling, but Tom’s
focus on what he was here for hadn’t faltered in the slightest. Given the
secrets the pack was guarding, that made him a little dangerous.
“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Show you the lay of the land.”
“Thanks,” Tom said, then hesitated. “I think Tristan said he might
help with that. Him and Colby.”
Well, yeah, but Bryce had given in to Tristan’s begging before he’d
found out just how sharp Tom’s brain was. He didn’t want him spending time with
Colby. He thought Colby would sooner be eaten alive by fire-ants than betray
Matt and the pack, but he’d find it hard to answer any questions about how he
came here without tipping off someone as alert as Tom that he was hiding
something. And they couldn’t risk the wrong person finding out they’d had
dealings with Cale’s pack, or they might just find themselves the next loose
end to be cleaned up.
Bryce shrugged casually and let his eyes run appreciatively over Tom
again. It wasn’t exactly a hardship. “Yeah, but I can show you things Tristan
can’t,” he said, and bounced his eyebrows suggestively.
Tom was grinning in genuine amusement. “Bet you say that to all the
National Council aides.”
“I’m going to have to find out. You’re the first I’ve met so far,”
Bryce said.
Tom laughed, but Bryce could see his brain was still working. He was
probably wondering why Bryce had changed his mind about Tristan and Colby
showing him around.
“Also,” Bryce confided, “Colby’s—well, he’s just come out of a really
bad relationship, met Tristan, and found out they’re mates. To be honest, the
two of them could do with some time alone.”
Tom’s eyes softened as he nodded in understanding. Bryce was glad—not
only had he steered him away from asking Colby questions about his past, but it
also seemed as if Tom was a genuinely good guy. Added to the attractive exterior,
that made him quite a package. One Bryce would very much like to spend some
time opening.
“How do you want to do this?” Bryce asked, getting to his feet.
Tom’s eyebrows rose. “And there I was, thinking you were a little more
experienced than that,” he said with a wicked grin that made Bryce choke. He
was pretty sure he was going to get lucky later.
They decided to shift so Bryce could show him the pack territory
first. And damn it, Tom wasn’t supposed to be just as attractive in wolf form
as in human. He was lithe, his pelt a glossy dark gray, and he had the sort of
awareness of his surroundings that Bryce had only previously observed in Matt
and Karl. Tom might be attractive—okay, no might about it—but Bryce would do
well to remember he was potentially dangerous. He hated the predictable way he
found that knowledge even more enticing. It was the same thing that had always
attracted him to Matt—the dangerous edge, the knowledge that he wasn’t entirely
safe.
He shook his head impatiently, not willing to entertain those
thoughts, and led the way out of the yard with Tom close on his heels.
Why shifters?
Some of my friends have looked at me
in confused horror when I’ve told them what my latest series is about. “Werewolves,” they echo blankly (because
realising they wouldn’t understand the shorthand of shifter, that’s the term
I’ve settled on for those who haven’t yet been initiated into the genre). “But why?”
Why shifters? What is it about them
that has so many people, myself included, intrigued? I’ve no idea what it is
for other people – and would love to
hear – but for me there are a number of different things going on. Firstly, I
love the whole pack dynamic. The shifters that are the focus of my Strength of the Pack series are wolf
shifters, and while the rules of a wolf pack have been adapted to reflect human
drives and needs, I love the social nature of the pack. I love that they need
one another for support even while they don’t all get along all of the time.
Which brings me to a second reason –
I love the idea that underneath the veneer of civilisation, there’s a feral
nature lurking. It’s why they turn so easily and often to violence, leading to
drama that’s great fun to write!
There’s something alluring about the
idea of being able to transform at will into a different creature and run under
the moon, wild and free, but still be able to parse it all through a human’s
consciousness. As a dog-lover, I suppose
I also have a weakness for the idea of piles of furry wolves draped on top of
one another or basking in the sunshine.
And there’s the alpha dynamic. In
real life I’d loathe such a hierarchical structure, but in fiction there’s
something intriguing about a strong leader who is responsible for his pack. I
think Matt Urban deserves a sainthood for putting up with his troublesome crew.
Oh, and last but definitely not
least – the concept of mates. Not everyone finds the idea of mates
overwhelmingly romantic and desirable, which is something that Shifting Sands tackles. But whether
characters love, hate, or are scared of the whole concept of mates, it gives
another dynamic to explore.
With so many different, fun strands
to play with, I’m left wondering why anybody wouldn’t enjoy reading and writing about shifters!
My Review:
Coming this afternoon!
About the Author:
Joy Lynn Fielding is a sucker for happy endings. She believes,
however, that if characters don’t suffer along the way, they won’t fully
appreciate being happy. Not all of her characters thank her for this viewpoint,
but what do they know?
Joy lives in a small English market town, but also inhabits a number
of fictional worlds at any one time, reflecting what she’s writing and what
she’s reading. She has a tendency to share enthusiastically with anyone who
will listen the latest fascinating facts she’s stumbled across in her research
for books. Thankfully she has a very patient Labrador, who has a gift for
looking as though he’s interested in what she’s saying while he waits for the
food to arrive.
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Emily - it doesn't seem five minutes since I was here with 'An Impossible Mate'!
ReplyDeleteI'll be around all day if anyone has any questions or comments about shifters - I'd love to know what attracts other people to them - or the books or the series, or absolutely anything else that comes to mind. :)