A review by booksjenrecs
Shifter's Valentine by Rebecca Rivard

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

Having read and loved Rebecca Rivard's vampire novels, I knew I had to dive into her shifter books next, and reading Shifter's Valentine during February was the perfect opportunity. 

This novella is part of Rivard's larger Fada Shapeshifter series, but Chico and Jenny's story can definitely stand alone or be read as part of the series. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I had no problem understanding the world building or shifter dynamics presented in this book. 

I loved the energy between our main characters. Jenny had an artist's soul, and Chico was a dolphin shifter; neither fit the typical mold of small-town life, and they called to each other's differences so well. I also loved that Rivard crafted a series around atypical shifters; the Rock Run shifters aren't your run-of-the-mill wolf shifters, and I don't think I've ever encountered dolphin shifters in any of my paranormal romance readings before. It definitely made Chico unique, and it made me want to read more of this series just to see more of these uncommon shifters. 

Even in a shorter format, I love Rivard's storytelling. She packed a lot into this novella, not only focusing on the budding romance between Jenny and Chico, but also his previous succumbing to a dark fae and how that affects him even all these months later. Neither Chico nor Jenny were one-dimensional characters, and I found myself loving the fada shifters world even more because of them. 

This was a sweet and spicy, Valentine's Day-adjacent shifter romance that was a cute romance on its own, while also serving as a great introduction to the rest of the fada shifters world and series.