Hawk is alone, hiding from the world, living in a tiny, rickety cabin his grandfather built. He has few supplies and fewer yet of the skills needed to survive on his own, but because of what he did, because of what his father caused him to do… well, there’s just no other choice.

But then one day “Ghost” shows up. A large black lone wolf who begins to “take care of” Hawk. He brings him game, he protects him from predators, and he even pulls him from a raging river. He is Hawk’s only friend and Hawk begins to talk to ghost as if he is human and can understand.

Except Ghost isn’t human.

Ghost has filled a void in Hawk’s life, and he is very grateful, but he is a wolf and Hawk needs the company of a human. In fact, Hawk is desperately lonely, to the point he even tells Ghost he longs for the touch of a man, the first time he has ever said such a wicked thing out loud.

Then one full-moon night, a large, beautiful, naked man breaks into the cabin. At first Hawk is terrified, until he realizes the stranger has Ghost’s amazing golden eyes…

Anyone who knows me, knows that I enjoy a good shifter story. Now, while Hurri Cosmo has never disappointed me, she gave me something unique this time. Not just A shifter story, but the FIRST shifter story.

Okay, let me start from the beginning.

Hawk is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit. There was an axe. There was a death. There was… Well, the guy deserved it regardless. But Hawk knows the penalty for his crime, and he’d rather not stick around to try and prove his innocence. So he flees the only home he’s ever known–even if it is a shitty one.

He holes up at a cabin, certain he can learn to live off the land. Only…not so much. He’s not inept, but he has no skills. Think city boy tossed into the country and told to survive on his wits alone. Hawk is likely not going to survive the winter. Until a wolf shows up. He’s huge, he’s obviously powerful, and he’s wary of Hawk, who calls him Ghost for his skill at vanishing as though he was never there.

Ghost realizes that he could make a meal out of this human, but… Something, and he’s not sure what, stops him. It’s almost as though he’s drawn to this man and his intoxicating smell. In an effort to make sure Hawk doesn’t die, Ghost does something remarkable. He begins to take care of Hawk. He leaves him food, he keeps away predators, and he cares, but… It’s not enough. Ghost wants more. He wants to be able to touch Hawk, to…something.

Now that we have the basics, let’s get to the review, shall we?

The writing on the story is tight. There were some suspenseful parts, and a few that made me smile (like the epilogue). Hurri has a knack for shifters, and this story in no way disappointed me in the least. I will say one thing here. What I like best is a comment I made back when I reviewed Upon a Once and Future Time, the book she did with Shannon West. Hurri doesn’t make Hawk weak. I very much appreciated that fact.

True, he needs Ghost to protect him, but he also steps up to protect Ghost. He cares for him, he is willing to die for him. How much truer can love get?

If you like shifters, I heartily recommend this story. If you’re a fan of a well-crafted book, but have never tried shifters, why not read the book that shows how shifters came to be?