Shadows of the Soul by Holly Oliver

Author Holly Oliver released Shadows of the Soul this week. The start of what Janet hopes is a new series.

From the blurb:

If you have an aversion to or are sensitive to reading about sexual assault, it is referenced in the prologue – but if this bothers you, the story can be read from Chapter One.

This is essentially an MM shifters Fated Mates romance with a twist. Neither Darius nor Max particularly like working with a partner -for different reasons, I might add.

Max may not be keen to buddy up with the profiler, but he is loyal and understands the weight this case carries. As soon as he lays eyes on the stunning man, his wolf goes belly up with lust, and the pining begins.

Darius, on the other hand, whose been trying to contain his leopard to the shadows of his mind, is nothing if not confused, but oddly curious about the man.

Join these men as they hunt for a despicable sadistic serial killer, while Darius unravels the traumas of his past.

Can Darius learn to trust his leopard, himself, and Max?

Can Max stay loyal and patient after being pushed away?

And can they catch the nefarious forgiven killer, before he escalates again?

Trigger warnings: this story contains mention and memories/flashbacks of childhood physical and emotional abuse, depicts gruesome crime scenes, and has some on-page scenes, which mention and reference rape and torture (though not between the MCs. All from the killer's perspective). There is also some adult language and hot and heavy consensual MM sex between our two lovers.

Janet's Review:

Shadows of the Soul is the first in what I hope is a new series. Fantastic debut into this world. 

Darius, a leopard shifter is a profiler and Max, a wolf shifter a member of the dog squad. Darius needs structure and routine. Darius has put his leopard so far into his mind that it sleeps most of the time. Max’s wolf is always present and helps him to solve cases. They have to work together to find a vicious serial killer and put them away. But in the middle of everything going down, Darius’s leopard comes back in full force and tells Darius that Max is his fated mate. 

Full on action with a decent amount of steam and a fantastic mystery/murder to solve makes this a fantastic story! Well written with addicting pacing that kept me engaged and flipping the pages. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Angel's Review:

I was blown away by this story! Honestly when I first started reading I was thrown by the first chapter, I had to make sure I was reading the right book. But the reason I got confused was because the book starts off in the killer's perspective which was really unique and interesting. I don't think I've read a book before that's had the killer's point of view apart of the story. So, that was really special and something I really liked.  This book was slow going at first but eventually picked up the more I read, and the more I read the more I enjoyed all of the characters and their commentary. I was so sad reading about Darius's past, the way his father treated him was beyond cruel. 

The plot for this story was so well done, I was not expecting who the killer was, nor was I expecting how bad Darius's dad was. 

Max was such a great character, he tried to be so patient and calm for Darius's benefit. Even when that meant causing himself some pain. He was also a goofball at times, and a major softie. The relationship he had with his family was so heartwarming to read about. As was the relationship Darius has with his sister Dharma. 

I really hope Jackson gets his own story at some point, I honestly think he was my favorite character in this whole story. 

The scenes where these characters were in their animal forms was my favorite parts of this book!! They were so detailed and added so much to this story, not to mention it helped the characters bond! 

I highly recommend this book, you should read it for yourself today! 

Rating: 5 Stars

Shadows of the Soul is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read Kindle Unlimited subscription.