"Not-to-be-missed Shapeshifter Anthology"

SHIFTING FACES is an anthology consisting of two novellas: THE QUEST II: DIVIDED LOYALTIES by Marilyn Lee and A MATTER OF FACES by Elizabeth Jewell. Both stories are sexy, erotic romances that play with the notion of dead lovers being resurrected in loving detail.

THE QUEST II: DIVIDED LOYALTIES is the continuation of Marilyn Lee's novella in the anthology FOREVER, published by Ellora's Cave. In the previous volume, Jemi was contacted by her dead husband, who wanted her to meet him, to trust him. She did, and found herself in someone else's body in an entirely different world. Her husband Cody, it turned out, had borrowed the body of the mysterious Hunter. Jemi never expected to fall in love with the dangerous feline, putting the fate of their Jeroni's world on the line for her lust.

In this second half of that hot story Jemi and Hunter have to battle a traitorous seer and find a way to love and keep each other, even though they still share their bodies with Jeroni and Cody. They also finally resolve the promises and obligations that they have wrestled with since Jemi first arrived in that new world -- including the fact that Jeroni (and therefore her body) is promised to another man!

This story is not really one you can savor without reading THE QUEST first, as it picks up exactly where the first novella left off and keeps on going. Old characters return to spice things up, including Dion, the sexy bodyguard that Jemi lusts after and Slayer, Hunter's cub. The relationship between Jemi and Hunter was tender at times, and fierce at others. The end is a nice one, and is pleasing after so long waiting for it. Readers of THE QUEST I will have to get this one just to see how the story turns out, and new readers may find themselves sucked into Lee's story-world even without a prior indoctrination.

Potential readers should be warned that Lee's work pushes the envelope of erotic romance -- she explores double penetration, non-monogamous relationships, and sex in front of a family member. The shapeshifting in THE QUEST II is limited, though no less intriguing for its backseat role.

The second story, MATTER OF FACES, is a contemporary shape- shifter romance with a lot of heart, a little danger, and a very talented man. Piper is inaugurating the second anniversary of her boyfriend Billy's death when a stranger offers her a drink -- a very familiar stranger. She is unable to resist what he offers, and she goes home with Trey (who wears Billy's face) even though she knows it is impossible. She confronts him afterwards, and when Trey realizes that he hasn't done his homework properly, he invokes an ancient code and binds himself to her, changing both their lives forever.

Trey and Piper are fun and intriguing characters. Jewell has a way of drawing you into the world she creates and dragging you along for the fun of it. Though the romance is sweet and the sex smoking (their relationship develops nicely and believably, as well) we are also given the treat of a look into Jewell's world of shapeshifter politics and ceremonies. There is some exploration in this novella about what exactly a shapeshifter would be able to accomplish, sexually speaking, which includes some female/female action, even if one of the females is Trey himself. If shapeshifters are one of your weaknesses, this is a story you can't miss.

Reviewed by Ann Leveille
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted September 26, 2002

Summary

The Quest II: Divided Loyalties by Marilyn Lee

A continuation from "Hunter's Passion" in Forever... A recent transplant to Volter, Jemi Hunter has heard much of the mythical home of her shape shifting carnivore lover, Hunter. He regales Jemi with fond tales of his boyhood home, which lead her to believe that when she, Hunter, and his son, Slayer reach Tern Terra, they will live happily ever after.

However, treacherous plans are in place to prevent Hunter from returning to claim his rightful place as future ruler. First Jemi is kidnapped, then Slayer disappears. The trail of Jemi's abductors and Slayer's last known destination lead in different directions. Hunter has to decide whom he will attempt to save first, his only surviving cub or the woman he loves.

A Matter of Faces by Elizabeth Jewell

When Piper sees Billy in a bar, she can't believe it. Here is the man she had once loved. She goes home with him, for reasons she herself doesn't entirely understand. And he's exactly as she remembers him—touch, taste and scent. But Billy died two years ago...

Trey, a shapeshifter who can assume any human form, has been studying Piper for a year to learn who would ease her heart. Now Piper knows his secret and he is obligated to protect her in the way his race has done since their time began. In a sense, she "owns" him.

But the truth brings more than a real-life erotic fantasy into Piper's life. It also brings danger in the form of another, power-hungry shape shifter who wants her and Trey dead.