Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Shifters
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
(Scrolls Book One)
In eighteenth-century Egypt, falcon shifter Con’s parents died attempting to keep powerful, ancient scrolls out of the hands of a monster. Now it falls to Con to keep the scrolls hidden and lead the hunter away so their sacrifice isn’t for nothing. But he isn’t quite fast enough, and he finds himself helpless in an unfamiliar English countryside village. That is, until an intriguing man with a limp carries Con to his manor to tend to his wounds.
As an alpha wolf, Quincy’s compassion embarrasses his pack, which leads him to nurse the falcon in secret. A bond quickly forms between Quincy and the mysterious raptor, so he’s concerned at Con’s reaction to the arrival of another visitor, the Countess Devonshire.
Now Con and Quincy are torn between duty and desire, and the consequences of their decisions could be the difference between life or death.
Second Edition with revised text.
The Review
Hunted Guardian is number seven in the Shifter Chronicles series and, unlike the others in the series so far, it is a period piece being set in 1784 in England. It is based in the English countryside, at a the manor house inhabited by a pack or family of wolf shapeshifters.
Lady Buchanan, or Lady Spenser as she is known within her pack, rules her pack and the villages and farms in her vicinity with a firm but fair hand. The humans may fear the wolves, but they appreciate the stability they have brought to the region. That’s about to change with the arrival of the Countess of Devonshire and her entourage.
Quincy is Lady Buchanan’s nephew, and has the position of pack guardian. He watches out for his pack, children or pups and the elderly in particular. Quincy has a deformed leg, and has worked hard to find his place in his family. Now he is respected pack member and is more loved than he realises.
Sadly, life is never going to be the same after he rescues an injured peregrine falcon from a number of village boys.
The falcon is a shape shifter named Con. Con is also a guardian. He is the hunted guardian in the title, and the guardian of a couple of rather dangerous scrolls. He takes his role seriously, but meeting Quincy has given him something else to think about. Something about a kind and handsome wolf with a limp.
The story describes what happens when the hunters of the guardians strike against the wolves, as they are also hunters of shapeshifters. What follows is both exciting and devastating for all involved.
The book ends with some background history for the rest of the series. While interesting, it worked less well for me than the main story – I’d like to see this section developed more fully, as it has the potential to stand on its own and to not just seem like a lucky coincidence.
That aside, this is a beautiful love story set in difficult circumstances, and was joy to read.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.