I really enjoy shapeshifters and J.M.'s writing so I had a feeling I was going to like ths story. And yeah, I liked this story. A lot! It is set during the American Civil War and involves two men from opposite sides of the country that bond over a certain trait that they share. They are both bobcat shapeshifters and every month under the full moon they shift at night into their furry counterparts. I know!!! I mean, when was the last time you read a story like that?!? Yeah, never is the correct response.

This is the first of three novellas in the Between States series. I read this story in preparation for my review of the final story A More Perfect Union. You really do need to read this series in order and since they are relatively short it isn't hard to do. This first story is told strictly from Caleb's POV as he discovers Brance hurt in the woods and, despite the other bobcat's fierce refusals, helps clean his wound. Unfortunately upon his return the next morning Caleb is forced to reveal the location of the Yankee camp and Brance is captured. Caleb must then make a difficult decision to either remain quiet and protect himself or help Brance, who may never accept his apologies.

I really enjoyed the characters of Caleb and Brance and the details that J.M. has created around their shifting. It is an intense process that is quite painful but in their bobcat forms the men enjoy the benefits of being a cat: heightened vision, smell, sound and the ability to hunt and run quickly. The little details of how the bobcats move and interact are so very feline and make it easy to believe these characters.

What really makes these stories special is the setting, during the American Civil War. The men are both shifters yet they come from very different parts of the world. They are meant to be enemies but they are drawn to each other by their common ability. This story in particular explores the historical setting and how it affects the men. Some of my favorite lines of the story come about because of this setting.

"A row of wounded men lay on the ground just beyond the surgeon's tent, mere boys in a game of war, scattered and broken like toy soldiers."

"Covered in mud and blood, the blue and gray uniforms were the same sordid shade."

Caleb and Brance may be from different sides of the war, but they are mates in every way. Their interactions are fascinating to watch and the interactions between the men are engaging and moving.

"You may hate to admit it, and you can try to fight it if you want, but this isn't about blue and gray, or North and South, or even right and wrong. This is about you and me ~ we're cut of the same cloth; we share the same soul. You can't deny it. You can't fight it. You need me."

Under a Confederate Moon is a wonderfully engaging story about two shapeshifter that meet under the most difficult of situations. The characters are fascinating in their differences and their similarities. This is an excellent beginning to an exceptional series of stories!

http://emily83176.livejournal.com/270... ( )

I became a fan of JM Snyder after reading some of her excellent science fiction novellas. This novella is more urban fantasy, but does not disappoint. Her scifi stories are usually futuristic, but here Snyder turns to the past with a shapeshifter themed story. A lovely M/M romance with a supernatural twist.

Shapeshifter stories are becoming more common, often with uber-powerful alpha males. Snyder throws this convention aside and takes readers back to when shapeshifters were more simple, and limited. Caleb is a bobcat – or at least he is during the three days surrounding the full moon. He can’t change at will, and the change is painful. The rest of his days he’s a private in the Confederate Army, currently on picket duty. At the onset of the change he dashes into the woods to avoid discovery, and for the first time discovers another like himself. Brance is a bobcat; he’s gruff, strong, and unfortunately in the Union Army. Caleb spends the night curled up at Brance’s side, but when he returns to his camp he’s accused of deserting! To save himself, he inadvertently reveals the Yankee camp’s location. Brance does not take kindly to the betrayal, to put it mildly. Can these two overcome being on opposite sides of a war?

This is a short, sweet romance story but the shapeshifter aspect adds a little something special. There were several factors that made it so appealing. First, they turn into bobcats – not the king of the jungle, or a big bad wolf. They’re about twice the size of a domestic cat. Another plus is that they don’t have any extra powers. No superfast healing, or automatic healing after changing. They’re just like other bobcats, only sentient. NOTE: this story includes sexual situations while both men are bobcats. So, if that isn’t your cup of tea, this novella may not be for you. For me, it was the first time I encountered this – and I found I didn’t mind at all. Snyder handles it well. Both men are cats at the same time, acting on animal instincts. The sex throughout the story is well done, but not as graphic as some M/M. This falls more on the romance side than the erotica side, in my opinion. Overall, another winner from Snyder, as is the sequel, “Beneath a Yankee Sky.” My only quibble is that I would have preferred the two stories be put together as a short novel, rather than selling them separately. ( )

Caleb is a confederate soldier of a renegade army. He is also a werecat and has a serious problem: during the full moon he changes automatically and can't prevent that. So happens also this time but during the first night he finds another werecat, Brance. Brance is wonded and rough, not at all friendly. But he is the first werecat Caleb has ever met, and Caleb is eager of companionship. And so he insinuates himself on Brance's life.

But the morning after he discovers that Brance is a union soldier, an enemy. But not a Caleb's enemy. Caleb is not fighting for an ideal, he has joined the army only to leave his home, and now that he has found a man he can trust with all himself, as human and werecat, he is not ready to lose him.

This is a very good weres story. The two men pass most of the time together in shifted form and when they are in that form they act like an animal not like a human. They are instinct and wild. And so their animal nature will win on their rational human form? Soldiers on opposite front could be lovers in the same paranormal world they share?

I like very much J.M. Snyder's style. She is very good in write realistic story setting in irrealistic world (paranormal or futuristic). The characters are true even if they are paranormal being and enthral you in few pages.