About In Their Own Skins: Shifting Sands
Written by Kiernan Kelly
158 pages / 63000 words
ISBN: 978-4-60370-577-6, 1-60370-577-5
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc, paperback
Shapeshifter Dakota thinks he's the only one of his kind in the whole world. Then he meets Jax and the sparks -- and fur -- flies. Convinced now that there must be more like them, Dakota and Jax seek out other shapeshifters and bring them all to the Shifting Sands ranch, where they can be free to be themselves. Where the restraints of cities and people can't hold them back.
But what if not all shifters are content to just subsist side by side with humans? What if there are predators out there from time long past who consider themselves to be the top of the food chain? There may be forces at work looking to take the Shifting Sands ranch out of the picture. Can Dakota and Jax save themselves and the world from the predators? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew?
Shifting Sands includes two bonus stories in the same universe, The Sound of Home, and Mother Blue's Bar and Grill. Get all three of these great stories in one volume!
Review
Mychael Black, author of the Hearth & Home series, writes: Dakota isn’t like other guys. In fact, he’s never met another human being like himself: a werebear. Then again, he’s never met anyone was any sort of… were. Lounging in a ski resort, he’s content to sip hot drinks and watch the humans do insane things like skiing, when he spots a lone guy sitting at the bar. Dakota makes his move, only to find that his new companion for the evening, Jax, is just as wound-up, if not more so, than he is. Once they get to know each other, though, things start to fall into place.
Life, however, isn’t all fun, fur, and games. A vicious shifter named Cain is wreaking havoc and it’s ultimately up to Jax and Dakota, along with a few other weres, to stop him.
Kiernan Kelly’s trademark humor shines in this story. The first shifting scene is one I can’t read without laughing out loud, just for the visuals. The sex between Jax and Dakota is scorching, their animal natures coming through as loud as clear as their human sides (more so, at times).
In addition, there are two shorts at the end that give more glimpses into this bizarre, amazing world where shifters can take any number of traditional -- and not so traditional -- forms.
If you’re a fan of Kiernan’s stories, and especially her weird and wonderful sense of humor, then In Their Own Skins: Shifting Sands will not disappoint!
Sample
Idling, the bike growled like a hungry, black-and-silver predator, its headlight dark. Camouflaged by the night, only its distinctive rumble gave away its position. The naked rider crouched low over the handlebars, motionless, revving the engine and waiting with the patience of an experienced hunter.
The purr of an automobile was heard moments before the twin beams of its headlights cut through the gloom. It passed by, a darker blur against the blackness of the night, leaving exhaust-scented spoor in its wake.
A few heartbeats later the motorcycle roared, pulling onto the road and following at a distance.
Popping sounds and the screech of brakes reached Cain’s ears as the car ahead of him hit the stop sticks he’d spread across the macadam about a half-mile up the road. His lips curled in a feral smile, white teeth flashing.
As the bike rounded a bend in the road, Cain spotted the car off to the side, its tires flat and shredded. Cain’s eyes reflected the weak light given off by the moon, his exceptional vision giving him a clear view of the driver as he angrily kicked the flattened tires of his car. The driver turned and jumped up and down, trying to flag Cain down as he passed. Fool, Cain thought, it’s like an antelope waving to get the lion’s attention. Passing the accident scene, Cain pulled off onto the soft shoulder of the road.
Dismounting, Cain stretched himself to his full height, nearly seven feet of rippling sinew and muscle. Tipping his head from one side to the other, he cracked his neck; the popping of his vertebrae was reminiscent of the sound the tires had made hitting the nail-studded sticks.
This was the moment he lived for, when he could allow himself to shed his flawed and frail human form and assume the one that was far stronger, far superior, and far deadlier. The form that would one day soon allow Cain to take the role that nature had intended for him. Supreme ruler. King. God.
Throwing his head back he bellowed, his voice deepening, his body expanding and lengthening along with the volume of his voice until his roar rolled across the desert like a shock wave, and each step he took shook the earth like a seismic event.
Reptilian eyes focused on the tiny human who screamed piteously and tried to scramble away as Cain thundered toward him.
Soon all that broke the peaceful silence of the desert night were wet, crunching sounds as Cain fed.