Laura Diamond

I loved this book, and I was sad when I read the last words. Diamond has created such an interesting world, complete with complex pack politics and an engaging mystery, and nestled it so neatly within our own. I feel like I could walk out my door and find a new shifter friend, or enemy. What I appreciated most about Shifting Pride is the care Diamond takes in interspersing shifter info and lore into the story, be it with a book Nickie finds or folklore other shifters share with her. Diamond show more is very thorough in her world-building and it definitely adds to the overall realism of this shifter tale.

Diamond does a fantastic job keeping the pace snappy. She gives us just enough information without overloading the reader or making her plot predictable. With each new revelation, I was anxious to see how she manipulated the information and was not disappointed. I kept hanging on to each word, each sentence, each paragraph, each page, hoping right along with Nickie that she would soon be reunited with her dad.

Shifting Pride is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an engaging story. Even if one strips away the shifter element, we’re still left with a great book about a daughter who will stop at nothing to bring her missing father home. show less

Tsavo Pride is a companion short story to Diamond’s novel Shifting Pride and brings the story of the Tsavo lions, the shifters Nickie Leone briefly reads about as she’s learning about her true shifter nature—“For example, the lions of Tsavo, Africa, were frequently thought to have been shape-shifters gone rogue, former kings taking revenge on European invaders.”

That is exactly the story Diamond gives us. Though it’s brief, it’s also powerful and tragic. Diamond quickly tosses show more us into the mix as we watch the British, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Patterson, construct a railroad through the heart of Santamo’s territory. As the alpha of a two-man pack, Santamo takes it upon himself to figure out a way to stop Patterson. All the while, his brother and beta, Legeny, craves blood.

Diamond does an excellent job of getting the reader to crave more. Santamo’s dark imagery and defiance are palpable as we get the story from his first person viewpoint. He and his brother are not kind, yet there’s still a likeability to the alpha that keeps the reader invested in his revenge plot, even though in the end, it costs him everything he loves.

Readers who’ve loved Diamond’s intelligent and sometimes gritty world of shifter political intrigue would love Tsavo Pride, especially considering how this story helps shape our understanding of just how powerful the Leone line of black panthers truly is. By itself, Tsavo is able to stand on its own four paws as a beautifully tragic tale of how grief and anger and revenge can rob a person of what he desires most. show less

I absolutely loved Shifting Pride. From reading the book description I knew I was going to like it from the start.
Nickie’s father had gone missing a year ago and although people thought he was dead she knew he was alive and wanted to get proof so people would believe her.
Xavian moved into the neighbourhood and he was always there when something happened, when Nickie was threatened in some way. Pretty much like an annoying Guardian Angel (in Nickie’s eyes).
Nickie started getting cravings show more for tuna, now this would not be strange except she hated tuna. Still she thought it was something to do with grieving for her father (who loved tuna) and that was why she was wanting it.

I loved Nickie and Xavian’s relationship, she couldn’t work him out but there was something about him. He would do anything to protect her and once Nickie fell in love with him, she too would do anything to save him.
The book was full of werecats, adventure, mystery, suspense and a fantastic love story. It was brilliant. show less

I would like to thank Spencer Hill Press and NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Blurb:
"For almost-16 year-old Anne Devans, the annual Renaissance Faire means three things—her dad spending weeks in the smithy, her bipolar mom doing some manic costume making, and another ruined birthday for her and her twin sister, Mary.This year, Anne wants things to be show more different, and she's going to do things her way.On the eve of the Faire, Anne (along with a reluctant Mary) conjures up a spell that will make their 16th birthday party a whirlwind event. Little do they know that it's a literal request.After the mini tornado in their room subsides, the girls realize they've invoked the power of the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. That's the good news. The bad news is they also caught the attention of a sorceress named Zeena who has been collecting children born under each Zodiac Sign to enhance her power. Once she captures Anne and Mary, Gemini twins, the entire Zodiac—and the world—will be hers.Anne leads the fight against Zeena, but her one-sided decisions could throw them into a world so far from home, even the Renaissance Faire would seem like a brilliant vacation. Between managing their new Zodiac powers, dodging their manic mother and trying to stop Zeena, they'll get a 16th birthday they'll never forget."Filled with magic, relatable characters, and age appropriate emotions and situations, this is an entertaining book I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys YA and/or fantasy. Twins Anne and Mary may look the same on the outside, but on the inside they couldn't be more different. Anne is quick to anger or take offense, always leading Mary into trouble, and is content to coast through school doing just enough to keep her folks off her back. Mary always wears coordinated outfits, right down to the accessories, makes a 4.0 GPA look like a walk in the park, and internalizes everything emotional, which is expressed in her OCD tendencies.For all that the two are different, they have an incredible bond. Yet as they grow older that bond is beginning to fray. It's a major theme in the book, and one around which many emotions revolve. Between their differences, the fact that they are beginning to be interested in dating, and the ways in which they cope with their home life, it's no surprise that the friction between them is increasing.Their adventures begin when the grandmother gives them their birthday gifts early. Mary gets a practical gift, something's she has wanted for ages, while Anne is completely surprised by her gift. Gamma gave Anne her Zodiac book of magick, a book the three of them used to pour over when the twins were younger and magick was still alive for them. But upon seeing the book all the old thrills of all things magical come rushing back to Anne. Mary however is too pragmatic to believe in magick anymore.Anne rushes headlong into the world of magick, sparking an adventure that will forever change not just her life and that of her twin, but many other lives as well. Throughout the story the girls both do some maturing, ending the book as different versions of themselves. And they make a radical shift in their bond as twins, though only time will tell if things will remain changed or if there will be still more changes to their bond as time goes by.The supporting characters are fascinating in their own right, and are also engaging. They each respond to the situations they find themselves in differently, which allows the reader to view a range of methods for dealing with unique events. Plus, they bring the romance to the story, with the universal response to first love. Lest you think the book is all fun and adventure, it also touches upon loss, abandonment, alcoholism, and mental illness. While these issues aren't the focus of the story, they certainly impact the characters in more way than one. There are no lectures about those issues, no directions; they are just brought into the story to show that not everyone has the perfect life, regardless of how things might appear. Personally, since there isn't really any information on how to cope with situations such as these within the story, I'd have liked to have seen a listing of resources at the end of the book. I believe that'd be useful to some readers, regardless of their own situation.Overall this was a quick read, filled with some entertaining, and unexpected, plot twists. Solid characters whose emotional growth aligns with the steady arc of the story make for a worthwhile read. A read full of fun and suspense in equal measure. show less