jilrene reads

I really liked this book, but it was missing something. I’m not sure what, though. I read it straight through, but not because I couldn’t put it down. This book is set in Finland, right on the border with Russia. No other books I’ve read have been based in Finland, which makes it a nice change. Mikael, a half shifter, owns a farm and offers sanctuary to any shifters who travel through. Mikael can’t shift and doesn’t know what type of shifter his mother was. She died in childbirth and his father was too depressed (or upset?) to discuss Mikael’s mother. The first part of the story is basic background on Mikael and the farm. The POV is 3rd person omniscient, so we get to know what everyone is thinking. While the first part is interesting enough, it isn’t integral to the story of Mikael and Maxim. Maxim enters in the second part. Mikael is in the forest evaluating trees for firewood when he finds a tiger (Maxim) badly wounded (almost mortally, it seemed) and unconscious. The farm residents get Maxim to the house and work together to save him. The rest of the story is about Mikael and Maxim falling in love. Well, insta love. The whole book only covers four months or so, including the epilogue. There is a little drama and danger, but it’s mostly a romance. 3.5 stars