ARC review: Silver Mine by Vivian Arend

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available as e-book.

The Source: ARC from the author

The Grade: A

The Blurb: Life in isolation is the safest place for Chase Johnson, a crossbreed who doesn't know which form he'll assume next-cougar or wolf. Once a year, his unelected position as spokesman for the Yukon outcasts forces him to visit civilization. This time he runs across someone unexpected. She's not his mate, but she pushes all the right buttons.
It's taken years for Shelley Bradley to gather the courage to return to her home pack. In spite of being the lowest of the low-a shifter who can't shift-she's determined to make a place for herself as the Whitehorse locals' new vet-slash-doctor.

There's definite electricity between her and Chase, but sex with fellow shifters and the inherent mind games got old a long time ago. Ignoring him seems best. When he shows up at her office with a wound that won't heal, she's stuck-yet drawn to solve this medical mystery.

As they journey deep into outcast territory in search of answers, their powerful sexual attraction crumbles her resistance. But time is of the essence. If a cure can't be found before his human and cougar succumb to his injury, he-and others like him-will die.

Warning: Contains a silver-tongued, hairy-chested, lean-muscled Alpha who's got what it takes to lead in the wilderness and in the bedroom. Yeah, I know...not really much of a deterrent, is it? Throw in continuing territorial wars and a domestic cat. Stir and enjoy the chaos.

The Review:

I jumped on the chance to read an ARC of Silver Mine when Vivian Arend posted about the opportunity on her blog. And I am glad I did. This book was Vivian Arend at her best.

This book took place in Whitehorse and in the wilderness in Yukon. I loved the tiny details in small town life. From how everyone knows everyone, to the layer of secrets that existed beneath the surface. But, I loved the descriptions of the wilderness more. It tugged at something within me, and made me long to walk along the path that led to Chase cabin.

When it comes to the characters, I loved how Chase and Shelley reflected each other. They were both outcasts, but it very different ways. Shelley's wariness towards re-joining the Takihini pack made sense. Sometimes, I wanted to smack the old Takihini Alpha. This also affected their relationship. The attraction was there, but Shelley fought it. It was nice to meet the Takhini wolves again, but my favorite characters were the outcasts. They were grumpy, and had their bad sides, but all of them had a heart of gold.

But what made the book for me was how it showed that shifters isn't perfect. When Chase got wounded he shrugged it off, but the tension and worry gradually increased when his wound didn't heal. More, I liked how it was gradually revealed that the infection didn't just affect him, but it threatended all shifters. And that it affected shifters differently. Some it affected mentally, and some it affected physically.   

I cannot say that there was anything glaring that I disliked with this books, just a few typos.