Primal Passions (Lost Shifters #1) by Stephani Hecht

Primal Passions (Lost Shifters #1) Reviews

• 
  Sophia Triad

  This series and this book in particular were the first MM shifters stories I read a few years ago. And I have to say that I was unexpectedly pleasantly surprised.
  
  I liked the whole idea: There is a secret base and feline shifters are working with the government in military secret missions.
  The series describes also shifters that I never imagined back then that they could exist in literature like raven shifters or snake shifters or spider shifters.
  
  The series is called 'lost shifters' because a few years ago raven shifters who hate felines killed a great number of the youngsters from the feline society. Some of them have disappeared in the human society in families and in foster homes. Now they have grown up between humans, not knowing they are shifters (the first shift happens when they are around 25 years old).
  
  The survivor felines try to find these lost shifters, explain to them their true nature and reunite them with their true families.
  
  The series focuses on the MM relationships since it is stated from the first book that feline shifters are bisexual. It is interesting the fact that in the whole series the writer tries to describe minorities and the problems they are facing and how they overcome them. For example gay couples who cannot adopt children, victims of bullying, people with mental problems, people with physical disabilities like blindness etc.
  
  The only problem I had with the books was the lack of strong women characters with the exception of 2-3 women mostly in later books. It is a very lonely world if you are a female there.
  
  Anyway, some books are really very good, others are less good. But all of them are definitely interesting and enjoyable.
  
  This first book of the series is a good starting point. We meet Jacyn a jaguar shifter, the brother of the leader of felines, and Logan a black jaguar shifter who is trying to find him and bring him home.
• 
  Helen

  Enjoyable , on to the next !! But there are 31 books in this series !!! Gulp !
• 
  Jimmy Hanson

  Over-all, a very good read. Stephani Hecht is not the best with grammar or smoothness of her words [she uses 'the male' way too much:], but the characters and plot, and action, always seem to make up for it. This new novel of hers, while following the same guidelines of above, doesn't disappoint in the characters and action, but kind of lacks in emotional attachments and plot.
  At first the relationship between the two jaguars is hot and believable. But then Jacyn turns a little TOO willing to believe everyone when they say he has a brother [um ... desperation??:]. Add to that the fact that almost ALL of the side-charas are tee-total A-holes and smart-@$$es, and it's hard to wade through but you want to, because of the promising start.
  Then the two main charas turn teary and woman-ish and 'oh, woe, he shall hate me but it must be this way ... *sob*' and that always just kicks me.
  One of the whole points of reading man-love novels is so you can get [hel-LO?:] MAN ... LOVE.
  Men don't love like women, they don't get paranoid over every little thing and dramatize it into a super huge mess [at least, not often:].
  The ending also, in my opinion just seemed vague ... to the point that I don't even remember what happened in the last few scenes. Doesn't really bode well. But it's definitely on my 'to be kept' list because, despite all else, parts of it were a very interesting and captivating read.
• 
  Heather C

  I really enjoyed this story.  It was a simple read without a lot of world building for a PNR and I really liked all the characters.  I only had two major issues with it that come to mind.  First, was the "insta love". I always find that a little annoying when the characters are so in love with each other right after meeting. Of course, Jacyn and Logan didn't immediately admit it too each other, but I was still bothered by it. Second issue is that I was kinda icked out by all the lube-less sex. Ouch!
  
  Anyway, I'm really interested in reading more of this series and getting the stories of the other characters. Also, the story ended with a bit of a cliffhanger to set up for the next story arc so I hope to read the next one soon.
  
• 
  Elisa Rolle

  Aside for the cover that, sorry, but it wouldn’t have attracted me to read the book, the first instalment in the Lost Shifter series is pretty good for a gay paranormal themed book.
  
  True, Stephani Hecht mostly uses known themes, like the “mate” rule (you are my mate and I will only love/have sex with you), or the “pack” concept (you are part of my pack hence you are a good boy and we will fight together against the big bad men), but she did that in her own way so that, in the end, this first book didn’t seem a copy of many other similar stories.
  
  Jacyn is a Lost Shifters, one of the many cubs who went missing years ago during a feud between the raven shifters and the feline ones. He doesn’t know about his origins, being raised like a foster kid and believing to not having any relatives at all. Logan is the black jaguar, a misfit among the shifters, but he has a debt of honour towards Jacyn’s brother, Mitchell, and for that reason he would do everything it needs to bring Jacyn back home.
  
  True to Jacyn, even if at first the whole shapeshifter idea is too much and too strange, he adapts well to the news, and more or less shift his interest on another topic: his attraction for the handsome Logan and how he will manage to get him in bed. Logan doesn’t put off much resistance, even if he tries the lame excuse “I’m an outcast, you are too good for me”; it doesn’t do much against the insistence, and prettiness, of Jacyn, and when they are back into the pack, Michell is not happy at all that his little brother has the scent of another shifter all over himself.
  
  Even if the romance is center stage, and the sex as well, Stephani Hecht was not tight with the adventurous scenes; moreover they are also quite “bloody”, and even if she doesn’t indulge in the nasty side, not all the people involved will come out unscathed. But in the end she focused on the love story between Jacyn and Logan, and she balanced well the light part dosing it with a bit of drama, just the right dose to not make all the story too sugary.
  
  
  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XREY40/?...
• 
  JenMcJ

  This looks like the start of a new series based on feline shifters.
  
  Jacyn and Logan are a likeable pair and there are enough secondary characters that enhance the story and have hooked me and interested me already for future possible stories.
  
  The characterization and conversations are very witty and made me laugh. I liked Jacyn's sense of humor and irreverance. He met up with enough other like minded characters in the compound so hopefully this won't be lost when he is no longer the focus of the story.
  
  The baddies are creepy but it is hard for me to wrap my head around evil bird shifters. I had a little trouble with that. I kept picturing the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.
• 
  Serena Yates

  I really liked this first story of the "Lost Shifters" series. It sets up the problem for the series and introduces the key characters, but the focus is still on this story's main characters.
  
  Jacyn's shock at finding out that he's a feline shifter was palpable. The attack and suffering he has to go through until his rescuer Logan can get him to safety certainly held my attention! Add the emotional turmoil both he and Logan (who turns out to be his mate) go through before they recognize and admit that they're meant to be together was intense.
  
  If you like shifters and the struggle between their human and animal sides, you will like this series. Thank God I waited with reading this until I had a few more volumes and was able to go straight to book 2.
  
  
  
• 
  Alessandra Magagnato

  Un mondo molto ben costruito per l'inizio di una saga dove caste di mutaforma di varie specie combattono tra loro. Non il solito shifter mutaforma/umani, e questo gli dà un quid in più.
• 
  Lara Di Iorio

  3.5🌟🌟🌟✨ Una storia davvero interessante e intrigante. Un inizio di serie che apre ad un mondo dove mutaforma felini combattono contro i corvi, il bene contro il male. Peccato per la velocità e la brevità della storia.
  Presto la recensione per il blog.
• 
  Scarlett

  This was the FIRST MM book I ever read in my life. Besides, it was also the FIRST book in English that I read on my own accord.
  
  It was maybe 2010 or 2011 when a friend recommended this series to me. And I still remember my reaction. I was totally WOW. Up until that point, I had only read MM manga, and I couldn't even imagine that there was a whole world of books with MM couples. I was both fascinated and horrified because reading in English seemed impossible.
  
  But I continued reading because of the story and the characters. After the third chapter it became so interesting that there was no way I was going to put this book down and not see what was going to happen between Jacyn and Logan.
  
  My rating from 2010/2011 - 5 ⭐
  My 2022 reread book rating - 3.5, which I round up to 4⭐ because this is my first MM book and as people have said - old love doesn't rust.
  
  What I liked - The whole idea and plot about "lost shifters" and about Jacyn's family. The main feud of the feline shifters with the ravens was a premise for tension and a certain promise of development of this conflict.
  
  I loved that Jacyn was raised away from the shifter world and had no idea what was going on around him. Watching him rediscover this new world with me /it's new at least the first time/ was exciting.
  
  I have to admit that characters who are "outcast" are a big weakness of mine. It was no different for Logan. From the first moment he appeared, I knew there was going to be an "insta love" moment and all the hot sex that would follow between the two.
  
  The battles were well described and definitely exceeded my expectations for this book. Additionally, the idea that all shifters are bisexual was interesting and opened up a lot of possibilities for the author.
  
  I can't help but mention that the secondary characters piqued my curiosity.
  
  What I didn't like was that for such a wonderful and conceptual world, the book was short even though that at first glance it can appear to be long.
  
  There were many opportunities to unfold the world and develop it. Also, the second time I read it, I also noticed some minor mistakes.
  
  In conclusion, I'll say it's a nice book to read if you want something quick and easy. The focus is certainly on the love story, but there is also development of the overall plot in both this and subsequent books.
• 
  Kelly H. (Maybedog)

  I did enjoy the book and plan to read the next one.
  
  I liked the idea of the crow shifters and their roles.
  I liked the idea of a man searching for his siblings and how important it was to him.
  I liked that the "weaker" member of the couple learned how to defend himself and kick ass.
  I liked that the "strong" member of the couple was vulnerable and hurting.
  
  
  There were a lot of issues I had which kept this book at a 3.75 for me:
  
  MC named Jaycin. Seriously.
  Poor grammar, e.g., "it fit just as nice [sic] as the previous outfit had."
  An MC assumed that a guy in fear for his life would not be able to function and is surprised when the guy is able to.
  MC takes time out in the middle of a chase scene to keep pestering the other MC, who is saving his life, with questions unnecessary at the time.
  MC's love/obsession with the other guy and how great he is got to much even for me.
  
  3.75 rounded up to four because of the potential in the series.
  
  Happy ending? Yes, HEA.
• 
  Katrina Passick Lumsden

  Stephani Hecht is a terrible writer. I don't feel like pulling any punches here, because to do otherwise would be a disservice to my fellow readers. These books are awful, but have their own compelling pull. I wanted to carry on to see what happened next, even though the writing was making me insane, the characters were all the same, and the sex was becoming incredibly redundant. It wasn't until I got to the third book based on Shane (seriously, again?), that I finally hit a wall and couldn't read any more. It was (sorta) fun while it lasted.
• 
  Jo * Smut-Dickted *

  A good start to the series. It sets it up well - so likely this is the one with more tell and less show but the world is sketched/built out nicely. Established bad guys, bit of mystery, and the quest to find lost family members. It is insta kind of love but it feels o.k. - great sex and some really interesting characters.
• 
  Christy

  Can you imagine having no clue that you are a jaguar shifter until your entire world goes to hell in a handbasket? I can't, and I love shifter stories, but I'm pretty sure I'd have lost my mind if I'd gone through what Jacyn experienced. 'Primal Passions' is book one in Stephani Hecht's series 'Lost Shifters' and I was super excited to read it because it had been recommended by more than one friend. The fact that this author is new to me also held its own appeal as I adore discovering new favorites. The premise and world building is very well done and will most definitely keep me coming back for more.
  
  Jacyn is an orphan who was tossed around in the foster care system. Now at twenty-five, he doesn't really have any friends and he pretty much works all the time as a paramedic. In one night everything he knows about himself and the world around him comes crumbling down. Attacked inside a convenience store by four large males, he is helped by Logan, a very sexy man. However, the Ravens manage to kidnap Jacyn, although he shifts for the first time (oh, holy crap, that's got to be a dream, right?) and puts his own beat down on his abductors. Once again, though, Logan saves him, they escape, and Logan tells Jacyn he's a jaguar shifter, part of the lost shifters that disappeared and everyone thought they were dead, but now they know they've been raised as humans and the search is on to locate them before humans discover their kind. Oh, and lucky Jacyn, he also has brothers and a sister. Logan also tells him the bird shifters hate everyone and have been systematically trying to decimate all the other shifter populations. Huh. I think my head would have been hurting after all of that.
  
  Logan is a black jaguar, which apparently is looked down upon, and to make it even worse, his parents were rogues. No matter how attractive he finds Jacyn, nothing can happen, because Logan isn't good enough for the brother of the feline shifter leader, Mitchell. Logan has some confidence issues, although they are not unfounded based on how the other shifters treat him, except for Jacyn's family. Logan is a loner who hunts down rogues, rescues kidnapped shifters, and fights against the Ravens. He's basically a jack-of-all-trades. Now Logan is stuck transporting Jacyn back to Michigan and these two in close confines become incendiary. But Logan is bound and determined to step back when they reach their coalition because he just knows that Jacyn will end up looking at him the same way most of the other felines do. *rolls eyes*
  
  This was a good and interesting read that builds the baseline for future stories. Jacyn and Logan get their happy ever after, but even more importantly, Jacyn is able to help Mitchell to track down more of the lost shifters. Jacyn and Logan were both good, strong, and very sexy characters that I liked, a lot. Now, I'm looking forward to more books in the series.
  
  NOTE: This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on
  Rainbow Book Reviews
• 
  L-D

  This was the first book in the Lost Shifters series and it's off to a fun start. Jacyn is an EMT that is on duty when he is attacked by some very hulking, goth-looking, well-armed men. Luckily, Logan, a similarly well-armed and large man comes to his rescue. As if that isn't strange enough, Jacyn is awakened to a world of hidden shifters when his attackers turn into Ravens and he discovers that not only is Logan a black jaguar, but Jacyn himself comes from a family of jaguars.
  
  The series is called the Lost Shifter series, because 20 years ago, many of the shifter children who were thought to be killed in a war between shifters, were scattered around the country and separated from their families. Jacyn is one of those lost shifters and Logan's primary objective is to get Jacyn back to his family.
  
  While this book was a good opener, I only gave it 3 stars because of the way Logan handled his relationship with Jacyn. It seemed a little bit angst-for angst's sake. But I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and getting to know the other shifters up close and personal.
• 
  Trisha Harrington

  This is the first book in what looks like a very long series. And it was a strong enough start. I really liked the book issues and all, and let me tell you, there were issues with it. Not very strong ones, I guess. But some of them annoyed me. The name Jacyn being one of the issues. The name just annoyed me after a while, I don't know why.
  
  Saying that, Jacyn and Logan were nice together. The sexual tension was great. The sort of but not really break up was another thing that annoyed me. After three months I would have wanted a hotter reunion than these two had. I wanted to feel all of the emotion. It only came, for me, when Jacyn was trying to remember what happened to the others in his family. Most people would probably wonder if I actually liked the book. I did. The couple were really nice together, they had some tender moments that I loved. It was just in general the story wasn't a favourite of mine.
  
  I also loved the kind of cliffhanger. Yes, I know it sounds strange. But it made me excited to read another book in this series one day. And it might not be in the next couple of days. I will, however, get around to it eventually.
• 
  Ami

  Jacyn Adams, a paramedic, finds out that his life rapidly changes into a strange realms -- when he is kidnapped, beaten, and chained to a wall. Then a stranger comes to help him and tells him that he has long lost siblings. And oh, he also sees birds turn into humans! So what to do? Nature thing of course, get attracted towards his savior :)
  
  After falling in love with Stephani's "Drone Vampire Chronicles", I decided to jump immediately to her other series, the shifters. I think this one gives a very good set up to the whole shifters world. There is a war between the felines and the birds. Love the interaction between Logan and Jacyn. Also a number of fun characters to get attached to. Can't wait to read the next one.
• 
  MLE

  A little clichéd in some aspects, but still an entertaining read. I especially enjoyed many of the side characters and can't wait to read Rat's book. I would have preferred a better balance in the romance of this book. Logan came off as a little unlikable, and one man constantly feeling the need to dominate the other wears on me after awhile. Jacyln came across as a really strong character, and I would have liked that to have been reflected in their sex life a little more. I will be the first to admit I’m not a huge fan of the whole dominating, brooding, “alpha male” type in any sort of romance.
• 
  ❂ Endless

  The characters were promising, the plot was promising but the actual writing was so disjointed that it drove me to distraction! It was difficult to connect with the characters and follow their motivations to love each other...I will, however, get to the second book in the hopes that the writing will be a little bit better...
• 
  ~♥I_Luv_2_Read♥~

  I agree with several other reviewers. The story is a good one, however, the editing sucks. A lot of spelling mistakes and not a lot of depth where there should be. The sex scenes are unrealistic and the one in the tub leaves me quoting Anita Blake "As wet as water is- It is NOT a lubricant!"
  
  I will read the next one because like I said, the story idea is a good one.
• 
  Elizabetta

  I have absolutely no recall about this book. Now I see Bubbles likes it and I love Bubbles's reviews. Should I re-read it or...just...let...it...go? Decisions, decisions. Man, this series goes on for-ev-er.
• 
  Natalia

  Re-read May 2022
  ___________
  Taking my rating down to 3 stars.
• 
  Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions

  I like this series
• 
  Fran

  Not gonna lie the amount of sass from these characters is awesome. The characters alone earned 3 of the 4 stars I gave this book. Jacyn and Logan are so full of snark, sarcasm, and a touch of sweetness its amazing and adorable. That's not even factoring in the siblings, who are also wonderful I love Cassie. I just wish they had taken the time to get this from novella to novel. It could have fleshed out into an amazing book. Its good don't get me wrong but I want more of their story. The rushed love scene at the end kind of made me sad (not because the ending is sad, it's not) but because their beginning was so epic I wanted the fateful moment to be as well. All in all a really good read.
• 
  I~❤️~Books

  3.5 Stars!
• 
  Alex

  3/4
• 
  Jessica The Ink Spell

  2.5
• 
  Barb ~rede-2-read~

  This was a nice shifter story about Logan, who was always treated as an outcast because of his family history, but who has faithfully worked to help Mitchell, the alpha of his pack of cat shifters as Mitchell tries to bring peace among the various species in the shifter world. Mitchell is also trying to find his brothers, young men who were reported dead at the time his parents were killed, but for whom information recently surfaced showing they may be alive.
  
  One of those brothers is Jacyn, and Logan arrives to retrieve him just in time to save him from Ravens, a rogue group of shifters who are working to destroy all cats.
  
  Though there is a definite chemistry between the two men, Logan doesn't feel he's good enough, and once he gets Jacyn back to Mitchell, he departs on a three month mission, breaking Jacyn's heart.
  
  The two, of course, get back together for their HEA and Logan's acceptance into their family. It was definitely easy to tell that it was one of the author's early works due to the typos and the immaturity of the writing style here and there, but if you like shifters, you should like this one. I gave it 3.5 stars.
• 
  Sierra

  I was very disappointed but am aware that this was the first book in a very long-lived series that may have improved. The writing was so amateurish and the emotional content so unexplored and simplistic. I felt like the book needed to be much longer to develop the characters' situation and feelings. Some things were just silly--who asks for lots of explanations (obvious device for giving background in big chunks) when bullets are flying and things are so insane? There were some great one-liners and other humor but everyone had them instead of them becoming the voice or personality of a single character. If I knew it wouldn't mess anything up too badly to read out of order, I might try reading one of the more current novels to see what the quality now is like. I just hate to spend money I might use on an established favorite to gamble on improvement.