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A review by shandra
Second Time Charm by Hollis Shiloh
5.0
Second Chances Make for Great Happy Endings
Ever been the kid picked last in gym class? Yeah. I've been that kid; Zachary Sinclair is that guy in the Shifters & Partners program where he's on his third -and last- try to land a wolf shifter partner to bring back to his precinct. I really loved seeing the perspective of a guy who had done the program not once, not twice, but was on his third go around without having "clicked" with a wolf. It added a bit of realism since they always have more humans than shifters to give the wolves plenty of options. Someone has to go home alone, right?
Turns out it was Zack. A lot.
He's not a bad guy. He's a kind of average guy really. I liked him a lot because he was pretty much an Everyman character. It struck me as amusing he wound up getting into trouble because Simon initiated a sexual encounter between them while they were in training. Simon comes across as a very standoffish sort of wolf who has a lot more feral to him than the average shifter. He's no pushover. I really enjoyed how he wasn't physically perfect too. He's got scars. He's got issues. He's a headache most of the time---but he's the kind of headache Zack can handle since he's Zack's last shot.
Simon had failed to work things out with his first human partner which was why the program directors were nervous about him starting something physical during the training. He was unpredictable. He was needed though so they pretty much let him get away with whatever which was exactly what he wanted. I found him like an annoying brat most of the time who I couldn't help liking. I have to admit I enjoyed seeing Zack try to get to know him without ever really knowing how to do the whole get-to-know-you thing at all.
Second Time Charm was unique in a lot of respects to the other books in the series. I think my favorite aspect was that Hollis Shiloh addressed the question of what happens when the shifter isn't satisfied with a human's stamina? I mean, shifters are described as being faster, stronger, and more than humans in all ways. They're probably also more demanding sexually too, right? I liked that Zack brought in sex toys to supplement the times he just wasn't physically able to meet the demands of his partner, but he wanted to be there for him anyway. I liked it wasn't something he got really down on himself about. I know a lot of guys who are completely intimidated by the idea of toys in the bedroom. I liked the way they made it workable for Simon and Zack.
Simon had a much more difficult pack than any of the other shifters we've met to date. I liked seeing the intolerance of his pack even if it did make me sad to think he'd suffered so much. I think it was the diversity involved which made me enjoy it more. I loved seeing the way he "clicked" with Zack because Zack had chosen to be nice to a gay teen when he really didn't have to be. It was fitting for Simon to respond to someone who'd offered comfort he'd never received to someone who had been in a similar situation to his own life.
Second Time Charm isn't a light read. I rank it highly as one of my favorites in the series because it's got more pain to it which touches on real issues for me. I also just really loved the characters. It can be read as a standalone. I think I'd recommend this one to anyone who is comfortable with topics of abuse and fans of hurt/comfort reads. I really love the Shifters and Partners series and look forward to the next one.
Ever been the kid picked last in gym class? Yeah. I've been that kid; Zachary Sinclair is that guy in the Shifters & Partners program where he's on his third -and last- try to land a wolf shifter partner to bring back to his precinct. I really loved seeing the perspective of a guy who had done the program not once, not twice, but was on his third go around without having "clicked" with a wolf. It added a bit of realism since they always have more humans than shifters to give the wolves plenty of options. Someone has to go home alone, right?
Turns out it was Zack. A lot.
He's not a bad guy. He's a kind of average guy really. I liked him a lot because he was pretty much an Everyman character. It struck me as amusing he wound up getting into trouble because Simon initiated a sexual encounter between them while they were in training. Simon comes across as a very standoffish sort of wolf who has a lot more feral to him than the average shifter. He's no pushover. I really enjoyed how he wasn't physically perfect too. He's got scars. He's got issues. He's a headache most of the time---but he's the kind of headache Zack can handle since he's Zack's last shot.
Simon had failed to work things out with his first human partner which was why the program directors were nervous about him starting something physical during the training. He was unpredictable. He was needed though so they pretty much let him get away with whatever which was exactly what he wanted. I found him like an annoying brat most of the time who I couldn't help liking. I have to admit I enjoyed seeing Zack try to get to know him without ever really knowing how to do the whole get-to-know-you thing at all.
Second Time Charm was unique in a lot of respects to the other books in the series. I think my favorite aspect was that Hollis Shiloh addressed the question of what happens when the shifter isn't satisfied with a human's stamina? I mean, shifters are described as being faster, stronger, and more than humans in all ways. They're probably also more demanding sexually too, right? I liked that Zack brought in sex toys to supplement the times he just wasn't physically able to meet the demands of his partner, but he wanted to be there for him anyway. I liked it wasn't something he got really down on himself about. I know a lot of guys who are completely intimidated by the idea of toys in the bedroom. I liked the way they made it workable for Simon and Zack.
Simon had a much more difficult pack than any of the other shifters we've met to date. I liked seeing the intolerance of his pack even if it did make me sad to think he'd suffered so much. I think it was the diversity involved which made me enjoy it more. I loved seeing the way he "clicked" with Zack because Zack had chosen to be nice to a gay teen when he really didn't have to be. It was fitting for Simon to respond to someone who'd offered comfort he'd never received to someone who had been in a similar situation to his own life.
Second Time Charm isn't a light read. I rank it highly as one of my favorites in the series because it's got more pain to it which touches on real issues for me. I also just really loved the characters. It can be read as a standalone. I think I'd recommend this one to anyone who is comfortable with topics of abuse and fans of hurt/comfort reads. I really love the Shifters and Partners series and look forward to the next one.