Review--The Shifter Romances the Writer by Kristen Painter

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.

The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.

For romance writer Roxy St. James, living in Nocturne Falls also means a fresh start. And as soon as her unbearable ex signs the divorce papers, that new beginning will be a reality. Unfortunately, her ex doesn’t seem ready to let her go and the subtle threats he’s been making leave her no choice but to confide in her oh-so-handsome neighbor, who just happens to be a deputy with the sheriff’s department.

But Officer Alex Cruz isn’t just the law. He’s also a panther shifter, a secret he’s sworn to keep (along with the truth about Nocturne Falls) from the very foxy Roxy. Humans aren’t supposed to know the town is filled with supernaturals. Then she starts seeing things she shouldn’t and thinks she’s losing her mind. His attraction—and concern—for her wars with the promise he’s made.

Will his truth be more than she can handle? Or will it cause her to write him out of her life? 

I finally got myself back to Nocturne Falls! One of my favorite places to visit as Kristen Painter has created a world where supernatural types can all live out in the open, the upside is that all the visiting humans think it’s just pretend! But the residents always know better! In The Shifter Romances the Writer, we see one Roxy St. James moving into her new house located in Nocturne Falls! The catch? Roxy is human and a writer of paranormal romance books to boot!

Humans living in Nocturne Falls isn’t out of the ordinary per se, but it just means that for the time being, Roxy will have to drink plenty of the magically touched spring water that keeps all humans thinking everything is town is pretend. She is in the middle of a rather nasty divorce, one where she’s still trying to get her ex to sign the papers that will set her free. Starting out her first day in town by getting a ticket from one of the sheriff’s deputies wasn’t her idea of a warm welcome though.

Alex Cruz is a shifter, he takes on a panther form and the last thing he expected was to be charmed by the newest resident in town, Roxy. Giving her a speeding ticket didn’t exactly endear him to her, but when they learn that they are in fact neighbors, it’s best to let bygones be bygones! There’s definitely an attraction happening between these two, but Alex has always had his sights set on marrying a shifter like himself, but as the days move on, he’s starting to rethink that idea.

To add a little trouble to the mix, as this is more than just a love story, Roxy learns that she’s got a stalker. She thinks it’s her ex, as he was a very controlling and hurtful type that left a lot of emotional scars on Roxy. The notes she’s finding are unsettling her, and making her get even more behind on her book. She turns to her sexy new neighbor for a little help since he is a police officer!

Since it’s been a long while since I last read a book from this series, I was excited to pay a quick visit while in between reads! I would seriously live in this town if it were a real place! I swear it was meant for me, and likely other readers like me! Paranormal reads have been my favorite ever since I picked up my first vampire novel all those years ago! I’ve never looked back since!

Perhaps my one complaint was that the mystery involving the stalker wasn’t as consuming as I had expected it to be. Roxy had a lot of downtime moments that were filled with things not related to the stalker issues. It was still an incredibly fun read, don’t get me wrong. I loved seeing Roxy working on her book, it’s even kind of got my own muse knocking at my head again as I’ve let my own WIP sitting in dust for far too long. Anywho, Roxy was definitely a character I could relate to. There were several instances where I felt like her reactions to this and that ringed true for a lot of people. She was a very lovable heroine!

I guess my other issue is more of a “me” thing and not understanding fully what rules are applied to the other non-vampire paranormals. When you read as many paranormal books as I do, a lot of “rules” don’t apply for everyone. I guess I just haven’t been in this world particular for a while, so I can’t remember the rules of shifters here and how things work for them. I realize I am being a little vague but I don’t want to mention my problem exactly as it’s sort of spoilery, but given the series to date, not so much when you think about it! Lol! Alas, I shall keep to my hedging. It’s a minor thing and since everyone was happy at the end, I guess what I thought was true, wasn’t. So mystery solved! Lol!

The Shifter Romances the Writer was definitely yet another winner in the Nocturne Falls series! I love this world soooo much! This is a series all paranormal readers ought to give a try! It’s so fun! It’s quirky, cute, and the romance is always so sweet! You can really pick up the series whenever you want to as the books tend to have new heroes and heroines each time, though the characters do all interact with one another. The only thing you will be spoiled for is the aftermath of the previous happy endings. For if you read the descriptions about the book, you pretty much know who ends up with who! This is always going to be one of my favorite series, so I highly recommend giving it a try! You’ll never want to leave Nocturne Falls if you do!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars