Shadows in the Night by M.A. Church

Shadows in the Night by M.A. Church

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Shadows in the Night was an enjoyable shifter novel. I loved the way Ms. Church opened the book with a scene from Chip’s past. Not only did we get to see the bond that young Chip had with the black panther (sorry, I’m a Florida girl and that’s what we call them) but also the bond the cat had with Chip’s grandmother. This introduction served as a nice foundation for the story and goes a long way in explaining why Jason seems to move so fast when Chip returns to town to take up residence in his recently deceased grandmother’s home.

Because she helped raise him and was an influential person in his life, Chip loved his grandmother immensely and her death was an unexpected blow. That it came so close after losing his job due to downsizing turned out to be an unwanted blessing in disguise as it gave him a place to live, a much needed change of scenery, and a sense of purpose as he was able to focus on fixing up the house a bit. I will admit that even knowing that this was a shifter book, I was a little thrown by Chip’s reaction toward some of the side characters – well, except for his reaction to Garon because that dude just screamed bad news. But none of that compared to his reaction to Jason – now THAT man sounds like sex on a stick and I was right there with Chip in wanting to tangle my fingers in Jason’s hair. Yummy!

Being privy to Jason’s true nature made watching their courtship unfold rather entertaining. On one hand you’ve got Chip who feels a stronger attraction to Jason than he has ever felt for anyone before and who is trying hard the rein in his inner slut (his words). On the other hand you’ve got Jason who we know is a shifter and we assume from the opening chapter that he recognized Chip as his mate when Chip was a child (not as gross as it sounds, just think Renesmee and Jacob and you’ll get over it). So while Chip feels as though he’s just met Jason and doesn’t want to move too fast, Jason has been waiting more than 20 years for Chip to become an adult so that Jason could claim his mate. Fun times, fun times. Jason’s slow seduction over several dates made for some steamy foreplay encounters, I particularly enjoyed the drive-in movie scene. But Chip’s life has never been easy and the manner in which he learns Jason’s secret was no exception. The threat to Chip’s life makes Jason want to speed up the claiming of his mate, while Chip merely wants to catch the first train out of Freaksville (again, Chip’s word – the man did make me laugh a lot). As the remainder of the story plays out, Ms. Church treats readers to the fascinating tale of Jason’s history and how it converged with Chip’s ancestors, Chip finding himself in a whole lotta danger as someone uses him as a means to seek revenge on Jason, a snazzy little hummingbird, and a seriously hot bout of mating sex. Yep, I thoroughly enjoyed Shadows in the Night and have added its sequel, To Touch the Sky, to my to-be read list so that I can enjoy Simon and Hawk’s story.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the #Throwback: Shadows in the Night blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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