Date Published: October 12, 2016
Publisher: Agropoli Publishing
It’s survival of the fittest, but first you have to fit in.
Shae is sure the icy rage that eats away at her is driving away her friends and pulling her closer to the wrong boy. But, as her protected world unravels, she discovers the violent supernatural world that lurks in her quiet hometown and the ancient feuds that threaten to destroy both her friends and her family. To save those she loves, Shae must succumb to her own fury, but at what cost?
Sanctuary is the first book in the Shifter Chronicles series by Melle Amade. Poor Shae. She has horrible people in her life. Her mother. Her friends. They all are pretty sucky. I enjoyed this story quite a bit though, and there was always something happening. So, it was very hard to put down. There are so many different shifter types. I've never seen a frog shifter! A frog shifter! He was cute, and probably my favorite of Shae's friends. There was a lot of action, and their world is really interesting. They have all these odd rules, and most aren't huge fans of humans. I'm excited to read the next book and learn more about these shifters. As much as I'd love to see Shae and Roman together, that's not likely to happen. So, I'm Team Callum. I don't fully trust him, but I still like him. I hope Shae punches Aiden in the face in the next book. While she's at, it she needs to punch Zan too. Twice.
Callum’s not watching them, though. His gaze is on me. My skin heats up in a micro-second.
“How was your summer, Shae?” Aiden’s voice startles me. I was so caught up in Callum I didn’t notice Aiden leave his fans. Callum takes another swig of beer, but he’s still looking at me as I turn to Aiden.
“Good.” I glance around for Zan or Roman.
“Callum, why don’t you get me a beer,” Aiden says.
“Sure,” Callum acquiesces. My head swivels from one to the other. That was weird. I’m pretty sure Aiden gave Callum an order.
“How have you been, Shae?” Aiden asks. I open my mouth to repeat my answer but he places a finger over my lips. “Really,” he says.
“It’s been a pretty quiet summer,” I say shrugging. “But, look, I’m really sorry about -”
“How’s your mom?” he asks.
“She’s okay.” I shrug, but he doesn’t look like he believes me. “Really.”
“I can’t help worrying about you.” His smile is rich and warm as he puts his arms around me, pulling me into a friendly hug. I stand there scrunched in his grip, not daring to hug him back. It’d be too hard to let go. I just breathe into the moment wishing I could stop time.
A piercing scream shatters the air. Aiden and I break apart. My eyes find Zan in the crowd. Her hands are over her ears to block out the shriek. But, it doesn’t stop. It wrenches the sky in half. Someone needs help. Now.
“How was your summer, Shae?” Aiden’s voice startles me. I was so caught up in Callum I didn’t notice Aiden leave his fans. Callum takes another swig of beer, but he’s still looking at me as I turn to Aiden.
“Good.” I glance around for Zan or Roman.
“Callum, why don’t you get me a beer,” Aiden says.
“Sure,” Callum acquiesces. My head swivels from one to the other. That was weird. I’m pretty sure Aiden gave Callum an order.
“How have you been, Shae?” Aiden asks. I open my mouth to repeat my answer but he places a finger over my lips. “Really,” he says.
“It’s been a pretty quiet summer,” I say shrugging. “But, look, I’m really sorry about -”
“How’s your mom?” he asks.
“She’s okay.” I shrug, but he doesn’t look like he believes me. “Really.”
“I can’t help worrying about you.” His smile is rich and warm as he puts his arms around me, pulling me into a friendly hug. I stand there scrunched in his grip, not daring to hug him back. It’d be too hard to let go. I just breathe into the moment wishing I could stop time.
A piercing scream shatters the air. Aiden and I break apart. My eyes find Zan in the crowd. Her hands are over her ears to block out the shriek. But, it doesn’t stop. It wrenches the sky in half. Someone needs help. Now.
Date Published: March 21, 2017
Publisher: Agropoli Publishing
Shae’s body is betraying her and she's terrified. Though she's joined the ranks of her shifter friends, she knows inside she’s not like them. Her unstable cells won’t let her control the shift.
As Topanga grows crowded with suspicious shifters, aligned with the fascist Order, it becomes clear they have been living in a tiny haven on the edge of an intolerant, militant shifter society. Even worse, Shae's formal presentation to El Oso, the Order's Berserker Supreme Leader, is only days away. Without full control of her powers or her body, she's not sure she'll survive the inspection.
As Shae discovers the dreadful truth about her family heritage, she's faced with a severe choice: break with the Order and lose her friends or submit to a life of subjugation and lies.
No matter what she chooses, she'll be left with only Remnants of the life she had.
Remnants is the second book in the Shifter Chronicles by Melle Amade. This shifter world is pretty unique, which is something we need since there are so many shifter books out there that seem so similar to one another. These characters have depth and offer some of the unexpected with their secrets and other things. Aiden and Zan may have redeemed themselves a little. But, just a little! Let's not get too crazy. I'm still irritated at them! The world is well built. The more I learn about it, the more I want to learn. Second books always worry me. They almost never live up to the first book. That is not the case with Remnants. There's action and tension abounding. I just want to go hide in a cave somewhere so I can read the rest of this series and not be bothered.
“I still can’t get used to the idea that Berzerkens are real and rule the Order,” I mutter.
“Oh they’re real. And they’re sense of smell is intense. Our best bet is to try to keep them out of Topanga completely,” Zan says.
Or else they’ll smell me. The nuvervel. The shifter that can shift into a dove and a raven. I have got to master my shifting and prove myself Ravensgaard.
My blood calls out to them.
I want to battle, fly, soar and drive my claws into their faces.
If I could just get the shifting under control.
Zan presses her hand against my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”
Aiden pats my shoulder, but he doesn’t have any solutions. They’re all trying their best to hide me in plain sight, but it’s starting to get difficult.
“We’ll figure something out,” Zan says. “We always do.”
I cringe. We managed by the skin of our teeth to resolve Murtagh’s Revolt that almost got us all killed, but I don’t know how that’s going to work now. I haven’t told them about the pain that comes every night. I haven’t dared. If they knew about the shooting spasms that run through my body, they’d totally freak out.
“Oh they’re real. And they’re sense of smell is intense. Our best bet is to try to keep them out of Topanga completely,” Zan says.
Or else they’ll smell me. The nuvervel. The shifter that can shift into a dove and a raven. I have got to master my shifting and prove myself Ravensgaard.
My blood calls out to them.
I want to battle, fly, soar and drive my claws into their faces.
If I could just get the shifting under control.
Zan presses her hand against my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”
Aiden pats my shoulder, but he doesn’t have any solutions. They’re all trying their best to hide me in plain sight, but it’s starting to get difficult.
“We’ll figure something out,” Zan says. “We always do.”
I cringe. We managed by the skin of our teeth to resolve Murtagh’s Revolt that almost got us all killed, but I don’t know how that’s going to work now. I haven’t told them about the pain that comes every night. I haven’t dared. If they knew about the shooting spasms that run through my body, they’d totally freak out.
Sanctuary and Remnants by Melle Amade was kindly provided to me by Silver Dagger Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.
Since I was eight I have been writing stories that capture the adventures in my head and the characters strong enough and flawed enough to have them. When I look at an empty field I see a formidable citadel. When I meet a vulnerable old man, I greet an emeritus warrior. When I walk through city streets I feel dimensions hiding around every turn. It has been my lifelong passion to explore these worlds that reveal the pain of loneliness, the joy or self-actualization, and the hope of magic.
I grew up in a place called Potter Valley where the Milky Way is held aloft by a circle of mountains and the central business district consists of a bait store and a saloon. At 19 I moved alone to London and spent the next ten years exploring the world, even becoming an Australian citizen, before I returned to California and found a new home in Los Angeles. My world revolves around my two wee children and my love of travel.
My days are spent in an office overlooking Los Angeles International Airport where I work as a Director of Marketing for a data center technology firm, which wouldn’t make you think I had an MFA in film with an emphasis on writing from Chapman University. However, I also have degrees in visual communications and global communications, which allowed me to work for some of the finest technology firms in the world. In my spare time I have penned six screenplays, four stage plays, an opera libretto, numerous short stories, and five manuscripts for novels. My heart lies with my manuscripts, which are focused on YA and New Adult audiences and range in subject from Vikings in Iceland to Knights Templar in Italy to Aborigine mysticism in Australia to shapeshifters in Los Angeles.
To learn more about Melle Amade and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Book Bub, and Twitter.
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