| Title | : | Shiftless (Wolf Rampant #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 185 |
| Publication | : | First published March 18, 2014 |
Forget the full moon, female werewolves shift uncontrollably at that time of the month. But after years of practice, teenaged Terra learns to squash her wolf, which allows her to flee the repressive village where she grew up.
A decade later, Terra realizes she has an even worse problem. After hiding from her wolf for so long, she is now shiftless, unable to change back into canine form.
When her father shows up with an ultimatum, Terra knows she'll have to learn to shift or return to her place in her family's pack. Will Wolfie, a nearby alpha who's more wolf than man, be a stumbling block in Terra's quest to maintain her freedom?
As Terra struggles to escape two werewolf packs that seem poised to suck her back in, the real question becomes --- does she really want to stay away?
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant #1) Reviews
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(Re-read October 2016)
After running away from home and her overbearing father, the Alpha of a werewolf pack, Terra makes a life for herself as a forest worker. But having suppressed her wolf for 10 years she has become a werewolf who can no longer change.
When her father tracks her down he gives her an ultimatum. Either she can find her nephew and hand him over or she can return herself. So she sets off in search of a nephew she has never met, unfortunately he is in another packs territory and they're not willing to give him up.
Shiftless is a quick and fun read. Objectively it's probably a 3 Star book which is more a reflection of the length than anything else. It's hard to write a 180 page book that has substance. Aimee Easterling gets close and the book really was fun, so 4 Stars. -
When I first saw the summary for "Shiftless" as well as all of the four and five star reviews, I figured I'd love this book. Unfortunately, I do not share all of the enthusiasm of the other reviewers.
Twenty seven year old Terra Wilder left her home and wolf pack ten years ago. Her father is the Chief of the pack and only cares about Terra for one reason, to ensures he has an heir. Terra's older sister left earlier and she hasn't been in touch since. Now Terra works as a park ranger but longs for the closeness of pack even though she has stunted her wolf's abilities to the point she can no longer shift.
Terra decides to go to a larger town to buy a Patricia Briggs book (Nice touch by the way). That's when she sees two weres and she knows as a female without a pack she must leave immediately. However before she can get very far, they find her and ask her to join them for coffee. Terra learns that the alpha is named Wolfie and his beta is Chase. She takes off before they discover who she is.
Terra volunteers to make some repairs at one of the cabins. Enroute she is confronted by her father and he informs her that her sister is dead leaving a teenage son that he wants as an heir. Terra must teach her nephew how to shift and turn him over to his grandfather within thirty days or Terra must return to the pack and be mated.
When Terra meets her nephew, Keith she also learns he is under the protection of the neighboring alpha none other than Wolfie. He introduces Terra to his misfit pack and vows to help her keep Keith safe from her father's abusive upbringing. Sounds good, right? Well, it just didn't deliver and here are the reasons:
1) How can a reader think of a main character as sexy when he is named "Wolfie?" It sounds like a child's nickname rather than a hunk of burning love.
2) There is an amazingly severe lack of dialogue in this book. For the first 46% of the book there was hardly any. There was page after page of how Terra hated her life among the pack and why she left. While this is important world building, it could have been shortened or enhanced through conversation. Then, as the story progresses there is only one sentence of dialogue per page. I found this to be boring and it left me feeling detached.
3) Most importantly, there is a tremendous lack of action in this read. Who challenges a cruel, abusive alpha to a game of pool? It is incredibly unbelievable.
Since so many people gave this book such high praise, I suggest you read it for yourself to see if it is something you would like. It just wasn't my cup of tea! -
DNF At 1 hour and 30 minutes
This is yet another one of those books I've been sitting on for quite some time. Dare I say a year or more? I've restarted this book over 3 times in that period of time and it still isn't for me. There's so much info dump and more telling than showing. The story doesn't have a nice flow and pacing. The characters feel wooden and one dimensional. This is the second book I've read by this author and it's looking more likely that her work just doesn't suit me.
The Audio Book:
The narration (or more accurately the hour and a half that I listened to) left a lot to be desired. I didn't love the narrator, to begin with. There were a solid thirty minutes where I could clearly hear her breath heavy before speaking and it almost drove me up a wall. There were moments where the audio got fuzzy all of a sudden was then corrected a minute or two later. There were also a few seconds of a car revving and zooming off into the distance that had nothing to do with the story. On the other hand, her character voices were good and everyone was discernable on their own and together. -
Shiftless
By Aimee Easterling
I found myself very disappointed in this book. This was the first book I've read by this author too.
I really didn’t care for Terra's attitude, personality, or her storyline. The only redeemable characters were Wolfie, Chase and Keith. Adored them. -
Sometimes, being a female werewolf can be a flat out nightmare. Especially when your father, the pack alpha, is a brutal, psychotic mess whose only interaction with you is to issue orders on your birthday every year, then walk away. And things are made even more difficult when you can’t seem to manage your shifts, making the thought of saving yourself from the situation even more impossible.
Hated by her own father and marginalized by her father’s repressive, misogynist pack, Terra struggles with her change and, when her father demands on her sixteenth birthday that she be mated and bred, Terra finally gathers her strength and flees her fathers hateful pack. Now on her own, life as the equivalent of a teenaged runaway is hard, cold, and more often hungry than not. Then, when the unthinkable happens, Terra knows that it is time to step up and bring her wolf under control – to lock her away and life solely in the human world.
Flash forward ten years, and we find Terra curled up in a chair in a bookstore, intent on a Patricia Briggs novel. If she can’t have a pack, she can at least read about them, right? But again, fate deals her a blow as a pair of werewolves, an alpha – on leash of all things and his beta walk into the bookstore, and straight into Terra’s life. Oh, shit. Not another alpha! And the world continues to crash around her when her father reappears in her live with ultimatums and torments, threatening to force her back into the life of servitude she has worked so hard to escape.
Will the alpha known as Wolfie and his highly unusual pack be able to protect Terra and her nephew from the torments of her father? Or will she be forced to give up her life, to bend to the will of her brutal former pack in order to save her nephew and the members of Wolfie’s pack?
This is a first novel for Aimee Easterling, and for a first, it is very well written. Even more pleasant, it is well edited, which in and of itself is a positive. The book has many of the same tropes as the ubiquitous werewolf and paranormal romance novel, which in itself is not a bad thing. Ms. Easterling has put her own unique twist onto the culture, especially in regards to Wolfie and his oddball, loveable pack. They were my favorite characters, from the yahoos (you will get the reference when you read the book) to the lesbian couple, something one doesn’t often show up in the werewolf/paranormal genre, and is a pairing that I found quite refreshing.
Overall, this is a pleasant, quirky read, recommended for a lazy afternoon with tea and a quilt, curled in your favorite chair. The book does end on a tiny bit of a cliffhanger, but not unpleasantly so. I look forward to reading the next book and watching to see if wildly disparate groups can learn to function as a community.
This book was reviewed at the request of Readergiveaways.com. All remarks and thoughts are my own. -
It just felt as if it were missing something
This book wasn't bad but not necessarily good either. I just never felt pulled into the storyline and the characters lacked depth. The ending also sucked which didn't help matters. Not a series I'll personally be continuing. It may work for fans of more YA genre. This book was definitely more young adult geared. It has no sex or great angst. No profanity etc. It just wasn't one for me. I prefer more mature books.. -
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant #1) by Aimee Easterling
PMS is no fun for werewolves.Forget the full moon, female werewolves shift uncontrollably at that time of the month. But after years of practice, teenaged Terra learns to squash her wolf, which allows her to flee the repressive village where she grew up.A decade later, Terra realizes she has an even worse problem. After hiding from her wolf for so long, she is now shiftless, unable to change back into canine form.When her father shows up with an ultimatum, Terra knows she'll have to learn to shift or return to her place in her family's pack. Will Wolfie, a nearby alpha who's more wolf than man, be a stumbling block in Terra's quest to maintain her freedom?As Terra struggles to escape two werewolf packs that seem poised to suck her back in, the real question becomes --- does she really want to stay away?
Considering that the base concept and birth of Terra's upbringing is so emotionally engaging I was expecting a lot more emotion in this book.
When you come from a childhood where you've been abused it affects you on a deeper level than was explored. I really didn't feel any kind of emotional connection from any of the characters. They went through the motions but something didn't quite click with me personally as a reader.
It felt more like Terra didn't like being controlled and in an act of rebellion refused to take part in what was in store for her.
That being said I still thought it was a good start to a series with a decent base it was just a little numb and emotionless despite all the emotional scenes that were in the book.
Could be just me personally that had the issue but I still think its worth checking out if you haven't picked it up yet.
Aimee Easterling
Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review via the author.
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Shiftless is unlike any other book I've read about werewolves. It is very well written. The author has an amazing way with words, sounding both intelligent and believable. She draws you into this complex, yet fun werewolf tale where you really to get know the characters. The author did an amazing job of blending the human side and the werewolf side, which I think is lacking in other werewolf stories. Although I know werewolves are not real, I felt by reading this book, I understood what it was like to be a werewolf. Not just about the physical transformation, but more importantly, the inner struggle the main character, Terra had with her wolf and human side. The way the author integrated the idea and importance of a pack was spot on. She combined canine and human seamlessly and I loved the "dog" mentality the werewolves exhibited both in human and wolf form.
I also enjoyed how strong Terra was and they way women were regarded in werewolf society. I liked how Terra ended up changing that perception.
The characters are interesting and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. Not only Terra, but Wolfie and Chase too (I'm anxious for a sequel so I can explore more of their relationship). I hated Chief Wilder for a majority of the book, which is a testament to the writing. One group of characters I particularly enjoyed were the "yahoos". I could just imagine a bunch of idiotic, yet fun-loving teenagers driving Wolfie nuts with their shenanigans.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable read. As previously stated, the writing itself is superb and the story has a maturity lacking in most other paranormal books I've read. It feels real and believable, although it is obviously about an unbelievable topic. It's worth the read and I'm looking forward to the next one! -
Exquisite worldbuilding underpins this tale a a young woman coming to grips with her werewolf nature, her self-chosen exile from her pack, and her new relationship with Wolf, the Alpha of another, much less traditional, wolf pack.
The types of werewolf, and the hierarchy within the packs, were slipped in seamlessly, with no info-dumps in sight--yet by the end of the novel, I knew a lot about werewolf society worked in this world, and accepted it as "real." Terra's own struggles to come to terms with her wolf, and regain her ability to shift, were also convincing; in fact it works so well as a metaphor for accepting yourself that I think from now on I'm going to be looking for the wolf inside everyone I know.
Her birth-pack, a rigidly patriarchal one, was so vividly drawn that I felt tense and anxious when her father reappeared on the scene. Even relatively minor characters, such as Terra's stepmother (a timid, obedient woman smelling of "bleach and applesauce"--which brilliantly encapsulates the way domestic chores enclose and limit the women in that pack), are fleshed out and believable.
Definitely a world I look forward to returning to, both to check in on Terra and Wolf and to (I hope) discover more about how Wolf' non-traditional pack came into being. -
I loved reading this book, Terra has some pretty amazing lady balls, "why?" I hurled back. "So you can act like a stuck-up alpha and have your friend translate for you? Are you too good to talk to a woman?" Wolfie though stood his ground and I just loved him, "one more thing," he added, the wolf winning out in his voice. "I would have had Chase ask you out on a date with me." And he's such a gentleman, "and this," he added, "is where I give you the kiss your wolf keeps asking for." He tilted my head up to meet his lips, and id I'd been a werecat instead of a werewolf, I would have purred." He wants to offer her the world and that made my heart speed up, "it can be your pack too," Wolfie offered, his rampant wolf making the alpha up-front about his intentions, as usual. "There's an empty suite next door to my room..." I really want Chase to get his own book.
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(RabidReads.com)This was one of those books that I bought recently and rather than let it sit in my to be read pile, I just went ahead and read it. And I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. It ended up one of those one day reads for me.
Terra is literally a lone wolf. She ran away from her pack years before, due to a dominating father who was alpha of their pack, and a totally horrible man. It’s a really lonely life without a pack, but she has managed to put her wolf in a prison in her mind, and lives as a human. A few years later, her father finds her to take her back home to be married off to the wolf of his choosing. He offers her a deal, if she can get to her thirteen year old nephew, Keith, whom she has never met, guide him through his first shift, and bring him to her father, then he will let her go. There were so many problems with this. How can she get her nephew to agree when he doesn’t even know he’s a wolf? Can she really take him away from his clueless, widower father? How can she get her wolf to wake back up to show Keith how to shift? And the big one, how can she take a thirteen year old sheltered boy away to be brought up by her psychotic father? When Wolf(or Wolfie as he is known)comes into the story as Keith’s alpha(although Keith doesn’t know it) and friend, she is drawn back into the middle of pack politics, her father’s and Wolfie’s pack, and also drawn in to a new romance.
I think I liked Wolfie as a character(even if I didn’t like his name) the best in this read. He’s a strong alpha, but as a bloodling, he’s not in the same league as Terra’s father, in any way. His pack are all misfits, wolves that other packs don’t want. As for the misfits, I loved the way they took in Terra and Keith and made them part of their family. Their camaraderie was one of the best parts of this book for me. And Terra worked pretty well as a heroine as she had a strong will, but I did have a problem with her wanting to give Keith to her father at one point, even if she was having problems with it in her mind. Other than that, I did like her.
If you are a fan of good world building and shifter world building in particular, this one fits that prerequisite. Not only do we get to see the dynamics of a large pack, we also see what happens in a pack of misfits, one with little money. Even though pack rules are pretty much the same, the differences between the two packs, one ruled with a iron fist, and the other ruled by a bloodling wolf who actually cares about each of his pack members, is like night and day. Bloodlings are wolves that are born in wolf form, which of course the mother usually(never?) doesn’t survive.
This book had everything I enjoy in a shifter read-good characters, plenty of time with the characters in shifter form, an interesting premise, and world building for days. There’s talk about sex, but no sexual scenes, so it’s fine for ages 15 plus. Recommended for paranormal romance readers. -
Having just read a dark and difficult series I decided I needed something light and this book stood out after all I do love a good shifter romance and the reviews for this were all really good.
It's an enjoyable read and surprisingly the first book by this author, it's difficult with so many shifter books out there to find something different, in most books shifters are born in human form and stay that way until their first shift which varies depending on the book and the author, this is also the case here as well for the most part but here we also have 'bloodlings' 10% of werewolves are bloodlings, most of these are put down at birth, these are the complete opposite of the normal wolf since they're born in wolf form which can be traumatic for the mother as I'm sure you can imagine and have their first shift to human form about the same time most shifters are taking wolf form, interesting variation. These bloodlings are also more in touch with their wolf since they've spent their early years in this form.
While I enjoyed this book I was never really hooked, one of the problems for me was I didn't feel any real connection to Terra, I never really bonded with her and therefore I found it difficult to truly care about her and while I liked Wolfie and his pack I never actually felt any real connection between Wolfie and Terra either.
So while this was an enjoyable shifter read it's only 3 stars from me, I'm sorry if this seems negative it's not meant to be I find the majority of free reads fall into this category. -
Once again I've found myself veering outside my usual waters and into the paranormal, and once again I'm lucky to have found a winner. "Shiftless" is my first read by Ms. Easterling, but it won't be my last.
Terra is at a vulnerable age for any young woman. Imagine what it must be like to find out you belong to a lineage of werewolves and must decide upon your fate within it on top of everything else. Hard to sum up that situation in your mind? Don't fret, because Aimee Easterling does it for you. Vivid prose fleshes out this world right off the bat and unfurls Terra's daily existence for us without bashing us over the head with it. I felt drawn in, rather than overwhelmed, by the painstaking detail of how werewolves must live and rule.
I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling a great read for anyone else. But I was genuinely surprised at how engaged I was once I let myself slip into the minds of Terra and her exceptionally strong supporting characters (Wolf, father, stepmother, and a host of others, none of whom feel anything less than three-dimensional), and I had to add my review to what must be a mounting pile of great ones. Not a fan of paranormal romance? I daresay that won't matter here; Ms. Easterling's writing and ability to tell a compelling story may well trump that for you. It did for me.
If this series continues (and I so hope it will!) I'll be continuing along with it. -
Again - don't let the 3 stars throw you. I enjoyed this book as I read it. I really did. Another thing to ignore? The synopsis. While the whole PMS thing plays a part in the world . . . it seems to be more of an "idea" than an over reaching part of the plot.
This book stars with Terra reading a Patricia Briggs novel. I was immediately in love with her. She has good taste. :D Pretty sure it was this unwarranted infatuation that kept me reading the book. There is an awful lot missing here - especially how did we get from point 'a' to point 'b'. And, how on earth did we arrive at the conclusion?
I really did enjoy the characters created - her alpha is a treasure. I also liked Terra. Most of my problems with this book come from thinking and discussing after I read it. I enjoyed it while reading it.
So - read it. Don't think about it. It certainly isn't deep. There are things missing. But, it is a nice little diversion from reality. I won't be continuing in the series. But, not because I don't want to. Rather, because it looks like it is going the one place that really irritates me . . . will they make it? how can we break them up? -
Excellent
This first book in the series has got me hooked. It's a great story, with diverse believable characters. My favorite character is Wolfie, he is not the normal Alfa wolf. He is much more, and doesn't make the women cower to him, or use any type of abuse to keep a pack in line. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book. I want Wolfie's, and Terra's relationship to grow, and bring the two wolf packs together. I'm not sure yet why they didn't do that to begin with, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'm on to book two, of this so far great book series. -
What a fantastic book. Had me not wanting to put it down or go to sleep last night. Terra is a strong person/Werewolf who from passed experience finds it safer to be alone than to trust a werewolf alpha or pack. Wolfie is an Alpha who finds Terra and wants to prove that not all Alpha's are bad. Put Terra's father, the Alpha from hell, into the situation and see the sparks fly. Who will be the smartest, strongest Alpha? Can't wait for more from Aimee Easterling.
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Free on Amazon today!
UK -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shiftless-Fan...
US -
http://www.amazon.com/Shiftless-Fanta... -
I am glad that I won this book from First Reads. I like this author's take on werewolves and the world that these characters live in feels real. I would read more books from this author and will probably check out her prequel story.
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I
very good I can't wait for the next one, if this is the first then we're in for a lot more great reads. -
The tale of a werewolf who fled her pack and repressed her wolf, only to be found years later, is detailed and full of angst. Women come off badly, unable to resist the alpha, unable to control much about their wolfish nature of shifts. But this girl worked at it and was shiftless for a decade. She didn't make friends, aware of being an outsider. Then she gets sucked back into pack politics, assigned to help her nephew through his shifting. If she doesn't she'll be made to mate one of the pack wolves. So the threat of forced marriage and the possibility of a pregnancy going badly wrong are in her mind as she travels. Werewolves, in this tale, are hidden from the rest of the world.
I would like to see a woman more in control of her fate, but I recognise that this is not how the author thinks werewolf packs would evolve, given the nature of wolves. I really don't see how a 'bloodling' - a baby born in wolf shape - would kill its mother, given that wolf pups don't kill theirs. Otherwise the dynamics are well thought out, and the dual mentality of the shared natures is well depicted. This is more of a thoughtful tale than an action one and the tensions are interpersonal.
Unlike some lycanthropy stories there isn't a gruesome murder to solve nor is it necessarily for adults, but I'd recommend it for older teens and adults.
This is an unbiased review. -
3.5 stars plus FREEEE.
Quite enjoyable :-)) -
The writing style wasn't really my cuppa, but the story itself was OK.
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http://naughtybibliophiles.blogspot.c...
I am so happy to be writing this review. This book was so good it had me from the first chapter in fact, I could not put it down and finished it in one day. After my last review I am so happy to be writing a good review.
I love shifter novels, but sometimes they can be a little dry or too predictable, so when I come across a book like this that keeps me on my toes I take notice. Aimee really understands what people want in the genre and gives it to them plus more.
I really love the way she writes about the two different family upbringings of the main characters and how that in turn teaches Terra to come to turn with her own darkness, and to maybe be able to help others like her.
I am so excited to read Aimee's new book Pack Princess and see where she takes the story. -
Don't know if it's my mood or my waning interest in paranormal. Setting aside
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Wolfie has a weird name, but I like him
Terra, as the main, female protagonist, serves as the sole, first-person point of view of this story, but my favorite character is her romantic interest, Wolfie. In spite of having the magical power of an extremely strong Alpha werewolf, he is a classic Beta AKA "cinnamon roll" hero. It is very heartwarming that he acts as a compassionate, inclusive leader of his band of misfit werewolves and their human mates and friends. I believe he must be a favorite with many other readers, as well, because the author has written a number of short stories and five or six novels that include him as an important character.
I will continue to read the stories that include him, especially the ones where he is given a POV. -
Wow!!! Why not rate this with 5 stars?! It's very engaging and well written! The plot is excitedly unfolded and the characters are well detailed and thought out ♡ How could you not like Wolfie?! This is the first I've read from this entertaining author and will not be the last! If you love a clever and diverting werewolf book, look no further! Loved that this is totally teen appropriate as well ♡♡♡♡
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Enjoyed the book but I like a real ending so that I can decide for myself if I want to continue on to the next book. If it's a good book it's unnecessary to do this. I would have gave it a 4 star reading if not for this.
I liked Terra and Woifie's pack and Terra's nephew. I thought Terra's brother in law accepted the whole werefwolf concept a bit too easily.
