When I was a little girl, I watched The Wolf Man, an old black-and-white horror film from 1941. This was my introduction to the world of shifters. The werewolf in that movie was a tortured soul, a man unable to control his violent impulses, a man terrified that he’d kill the woman he loved. When he shifted into his werewolf form, he kept his human shape, but long fur sprouted over his face and the backs of his hands. There was nothing sexy or attractive about this homicidal werewolf. (Check out pictures of Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry the werewolf if you want to see what I mean.) If you’d told me then that someday I’d be obsessed with shifters—that I’d consider them among the hottest, most appealing romantic heroes ever—I probably would’ve run screaming from the room.
Times change. The depictions of shifters in popular culture evolved, and my attitude toward them turned from “Hard pass” to “Yes, please.” Modern shifters haven’t lost their edge. The threat of violence remains, but it’s a threat tempered by their deeply rooted protective instincts and devotion to their mates. I’m a sucker for big scary guys who will love you forever and who will do anything to keep their people safe.
My ten favorite shifters in TV and fiction:
Charles Cornick from the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs. Charles is a scary character, an enforcer, an executioner tasked with maintaining discipline among the often unruly North American werewolves. He doesn’t like to get close to people because he might someday be ordered to kill them. The violence he’s forced to commit eats away at his soul. He’s essentially a good man with strong protective instincts, especially toward the vulnerable. Only his mate, Anna, sees his tender side.
Adam Hauptman from the Mercy Thompson series, also written by Patricia Briggs. Adam is a dominant werewolf and the alpha of his pack. His protective instincts run deep and he has a hard time turning away from people in need.
Curran Lennart from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Curran is a lion shifter and alpha of a mixed pack of shifters in Atlanta. He’s smart and thoughtful. Diplomacy comes naturally to him, but he’s ruthless against anyone who threatens those under his protection.
Jordan Pride from Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protectors series. Jordan is the alpha of a mountain lion pack, and a strong and compassionate leader. He carries a secret that forces him to hold people at arm’s length.
Seth Volk from Zanetti’s Stopes Pack series. The deadly predator lurks just beneath of the surface of the merciless enforcer. He’ll make any sacrifice and do whatever it takes to serve his pack.
Wheeler Cole from Dannika Dark’s Seven series. Wheeler is a grumpy, tattooed bad boy with a tortured past who finds love in the most unlikely place.
Riley Kincaid from Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. Known as “the Wall,” Riley stands between his fellow wolves and any threat, external or internal. After his sister is kidnapped, he’s consumed with guilt and blames himself for failing her. He’s a classic “still waters run deep” type of character. When he cuts loose, wowza!
Deke from Renee Rose and Lee Savino’s Shifter Ops series. He’s a scary, damaged, ex-military, biker dude with major issues. He’s also loyal, protective, hot-as-sin, and totally irresistible.
Derek Hale from television’s Teen Wolf series—or as my husband calls it, “The Derek show.” (The man knows me very well.) He’s another shifter with a tortured past. He’s a brooding, dangerous man, but beneath his tough guy exterior beats a good and loyal heart. Tyler Hoechlin brought a lot of depth and soul to the character and an—ahem—impressive physicality.
Finally, my tenth favorite shifter is a collective. I’m indulging in a bit of shameless self-promotion here. In creating the heroes for my Black Rock Guardians series, I took everything I love about shifters and gave those qualities to my characters. Adam, Zane, and Viggo have very different personalities and back stories, but they’re all strong, fiercely loyal, protective, and one hundred percent devoted to their mates.
How about you? Who are your favorite shifters?
Marked Under the Midnight Sun Black Rock Guardians
Book Three
Susanna Strom
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Cougar Creek Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781960382092
ASIN: B0CKKXFYFC
Cover Artist: Lori Jackson
Tagline: He was loaded for bear. And he still wasn’t ready for her…
Book Description:
Viggo
I do jobs no one else in my pack can do. Dirty jobs.
Like kidnapping Liv Hagen.
I didn’t want to do it. I was just following my alpha’s orders.
I never thought my bear would think she’s ours.
But there’s no way I can keep her. The consequences are too dire.
So, when the time comes, I’ll have no choice but to surrender her to fate.
Even if it kills me…
Liv
Kidnapped, held captive, and used as a bargaining chip against the Black Rock Guardians.
Yeah. Seems about right for my luck.
But if the big, bad bear shifter thinks I’m going to submit to his—or anyone’s—will, he’s got another thing coming.
Which is why I’ll just have to ignore my attraction to the sexy jerk. It’s probably Stockholm syndrome, anyway.
I mean, it’s not like he’s my fated mate or anything… right?
Marked Under the Midnight Sun, Book 3 in the Black Rock Guardians Series, is a lightly angsty, enemies to lovers paranormal romance with plenty of spice and tense moments, and just the right amount of suspense, action, and adventure. Download today and get ready for the supernatural romance you didn’t know you needed.
Excerpt:
Liv huddled next to the
campfire, a flimsy Mylar sleeping bag wrapped around her shoulders. Soaking
wet, her cheeks flushed scarlet from the frigid air, the human was in trouble.
The sun had dipped below the horizon and the temperature was plummeting.
I glanced at my shivering
captive. “Gimme your coat, dress, and boots.”
“What?” she sputtered. “Dude,
I’m not stripping in front of you.”
My lip quirked. Nobody but
this feisty, gotta-be-freezing-her-ass-off woman would dare call me dude. Most
pack mates cringed in my presence, and referred to me as Mr. Creed, or sir.
Not Liv.
“You’ll never warm up if you
spend the night in wet clothes.” I pointed at the sticks wedged into the ground
next to the campfire. “I’ll put your things close to the flames to dry out.”
“Forget it.” She yanked the
emergency sleeping bag up to her ears.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
I never got a good look at her body underneath the sodden down parka, but her
legs were shapely and I bet her figure matched.
What
the hell am I doing?
Was there any thing more
pointless, more self-destructive than being attracted to the woman I’m turning
over to my heartless alpha?
Time to shut this shit down.
I stepped toward her and
deliberately shaped my features into an intimidating scowl.
“You telling me you’d rather
freeze to death than take off your wet clothes?”
She didn’t answer, probably
realizing how foolish she’d sound if she said yes.
“My orders are to bring you
safe and sound to Medved. I can’t let you get hypothermia.”
“And a flunky like you
doesn’t dare disappoint his alpha, right?” Scorn dripped from her voice.
“That’s right.” No point in
taking offense when she spoke the truth. I lowered my chin and put command into
my voice. “So either you strip or I’ll do it for you.”
Color returned to her cheeks
in an angry flush. “Try it, buddy, and you’ll lose a hand.”
I could easily overpower the mouthy woman and peel her clothes off. Grizzly
shifter versus human? Hell, no contest. Liv wasn’t stupid. She had to realize
how powerless and vulnerable she was. Still, she jutted out her chin, and her
pretty brown eyes shot sparks.
Rubbing the back of my neck,
I debated how to handle the insolent human. I’d ripped her away from everybody
and everything she knew. Her next few days were bound to be rough, especially
if she shot off her mouth in front of Medved. Why not cut her some slack? If
she saw me as a reasonable man, she might be more willing to listen when I
warned her to mind her manners in front of my alpha.
“How about I turn around and
look the other way while you undress?” I proposed.
The fingers clutching the top
of the sleeping bag had turned bone white, and she trembled from the cold.
“Fine,” she said reluctantly. “Do it.”
I put my back to her. “Just
don’t get any crazy ideas about picking up a branch and clobbering me.”
She snorted. “We’re in the
middle of godforsaken nowhere.” I heard rustling as she dropped the sleeping
bag and shed her wet clothes. My imagination filled in the details as I
imagined her naked behind me. “Even if I managed to knock you out, where would
I go?”
Susanna loves to read―and write―stories full of complex characters who find love, hope, and connection while navigating through an exciting and dangerous world. Susanna lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two very spoiled cats.
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