Jennifer Ashley: Two Shifters Unbound novellas

As the military liaison between the human Shifter Bureau and Shiftertown, Walker is often stuck trying to appease both sides—and angering both. So when bear-Shifter Rebecca is captured taking a run in a restricted area, Walker comes up with a compromise: if Rebecca helps him find a missing woman—thought to have been abducted by a Shifter—she won’t be charged and executed.
As a bear used to roaming for miles, Rebecca hates being confined, distrusts anything involving humans, and—worst of all—the strong and handsome Walker starts triggering her mating need. They have no choice but to work together but both Walker and Rebecca find it hard not to mix business with pleasure…

 Jace Warden is sent to the Shiftertown in Austin to find a way to free all Shifters from their Collars. But pulling off the Collars can cause Shifters to go mad or kill them outright.
In Austin, Jace meets Deni Rowe, a wolf Shifter with troubles of her own—she was deliberately run down in the road, and while her body has healed, she still has episodes of total memory loss during which she retreats into her pure animal self.
Jace has never met anyone like Deni. Courageous and beautiful, she volunteers to help him test the Collar removal. And as Deni and Jace work together, they feel the mate bond begin. But can Jace help Deni believe she can heal enough to be anyone’s true mate?

Comment: Two more novellas by Jennifer Ashley in my attempt to keep in track with the huge amount of series and authors I follow.

Her most prolific series so far seems to be the Shifters Unbound and I've read two more stories, namely novellas 5.5 and 6.5

I liked them but the first clearly disappointed me...

Feral Heat tells us the story of Jace, a cub in the beginning of the series who now has adult status and found his mate. She is Deni, sister to Ellison, another recurrent character.

The story is mostly centered around Jace and Deni being mates as well as the Collars problem Shifters need to solve. Jace volunteers to try to have his Collar removed because that could free many others.  Of course it's not simple but I liked the little new tidbits we learn about this subject, something that has been key in the recent books.

What disapointed me here was the relationship between Jace and Deni, I don't think it was as emotional as it could, considering Deni's past in particular. I know Shifters aren't ashamed of sex and how they see it but it does bother me how much they believe in mates but the way things happen isn't romantic. I suppose it doesn't have to be but this is a romance book, I wanted to see the relationship more seriously developed or, at least, the main couple act more like it at the mating stage. The way it was done, it felt like it just was handy they were unmated and I really didn't feel a connection between them. 

Grade: 5/10

Bear Attraction was more interesting. The plot was very interesting indeed and it allowed for some more development and introduced new characters which will be key in future books, like Kendrick. I think the reader can feel more in sync with the things that are happening and the main couple wasn't as weak as Deni an Jace.

Rebecca and Walker met in previous books, she was charged with keeping him secure because he was thought to be working against Shifters but he proved to be a good ally. Now Walker is investigating a case - which I liked reading about by the way - and he and Rebecca keep looking at each other with serious intentions in mind. Sure, the relationship changed too fast, it seems people don't talk enough for their romances to be believable or more romantic but somehow Becca and Walker seemed to be more balanced as a couple and I liked how sweet it looked for them at the end.

Grade: 7/10

All in all, new developments are here which is always positive, I'd prefer different focus on the relationships but I guess it's just the way it is.

I'm looking for to read more stories and, hopefully with more seriously dealt intent.