Cody is a wolf shifter prone to roaming on the nights of the full moon and ending up wherever his wolf form leaves him. Adrien Le Roy is the veterinarian who finds him on the side of the road, naked and scratched. He is also Cody's new boss. When feelings neither of the men are expecting arise, both men’s lives change forever. Cody was a very complicated character. He was a mixture of vulnerability and dominance. A childhood of abuse had formed him as an adult to be a man who was wary and full of shame, hindered to the point of considering himself worthless. As a wolf shifter there was also a side to him that was dominant and powerful, but his past prevented any type of confidence from spilling over to his everyday life. Adrian was a surprise and also a man of many contradictions. When we first meet him, he was the caring vet who found a stranger naked and torn up on the side of the road. Then, as we got to know him he admitted to being a typical city boy, used to his comforts and the cool, casual encounters with sophisticated lovers. Adrian also had a wistful side to him that allowed him to surrender to his inexplicable instinct to move to the ranch. In order to do so he had to abandon everything he had ever known in order to move to a remote ranch miles away from the closest town. He was also loyal and understanding given the rather strange and incomprehensible situation he found himself in with Cody. At one point in the book his loyalty was tested and he passed with flying colours and I liked him all the more for it. Cody and Adrian’s relationship was a time of growth for both of them. Adrian discovers many new things about himself as a result of his relationhip with Cody. For one, his need to submit. His need to be taken was a craving when he was around Cody that had never existed before. As the partner who had always taken the leading role with his previous lovers, his need to submit to Cody was primal and unexpected, yet felt strangely fitting when he was with his wolf. Secondly, there was his need for another person. For a man who had been used to casual lovers and waking up to cool sheets the next morning, his need to be held by a man who ran from him all the time was unsettling and frustrating. Cody was so skittish and prone to disappearing that getting him to trust Adrian was not an easy feat. The natural dominance that came from his wolf side came to the forefront when with his mate and the sex was always hot and raw. As a man that also possessed beautiful creativity which he channelled into the restoration of furniture and creation of wooden bowls, he was also incredibly adorable.This story of a werewolf discovering his mate was not the usual easy shape shifter paranormal romance I’m used to. There was no need for a dangerous villain or intricate plot because in this, Cody was his own enemy in a way. He was the one stopping himself from reaching for happiness and keeping it close. With Cody’s past and his inability to deal with people, his growing confidence was a lovely thing to see. When confronted by a person who would not walk away from his hang-ups, somebody that was willing to stick around and love him despite what he thought of himself, he learned that he had a right to courage, to believe that he was a good man and especially to believe that he was his own man and not moulded by his past. This book was a disappointment to me. Cody is a cowboy/wolf shifter. Shunned and beaten by his human mother's people, he has no confidence in himself. Adrian, the town vet and Cody's boss has never been in a serious relationship either. I really didn't like either character and the way they hid their neediness. The thought that Adrian was Cody's mate was rushed and seemed a surprise to Cody also. The whole read just left me feeling like I wasted my time.
What do You think about Shifter Cowboy (2011)?
This was a great story. Cody was such a shy sweetheart. I wanted to hug him all the time.
—JodiM
Jan is on a role. This is a well written shifter book!
—puppy326
