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Merissa (14146 KP) rated Unapologetically Me (Offbeat Shifters #3) in Books

Mar 25, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2023)  
Unapologetically Me (Offbeat Shifters #3)
Unapologetically Me (Offbeat Shifters #3)
Colette Davison | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
UNAPOLOGETICALLY ME is the third book in the Offbeat Shifters series, but the first one of Charlie and Austin. Charlie was the unreliable pop Divo, who wouldn't take any nonsense, and Austin was Jesse's dad, who made more than a few mistakes when raising his son. This is their story.

And what a story it is!!! I really enjoyed Jesse and Isaac, I did. But these two, wow! I loved their story. It made me smile, it made me laugh, and it also made me cry. I NEED their happy ending! Part of what I loved though, was seeing Jesse and Isaac with the twins, through Austin's eyes, and seeing how he felt about his past.

This is an incredibly well-written story, that has an open ending designed to leave you hanging on for the next book, which I need, like yesterday! The characters are all amazing, with their own interests and foibles to make them more 'human'. I loved how Charlie bakes when he's stressed! And I do so love a flapjack.

This really is a fantastic addition to the series, and I can't wait for more. It was brilliant seeing Jesse and Isaac again, but now I need to know Austin and Charlie get their HEA!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 25, 2021
  
DL
Dead Letter Office
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Before I start, please note that this book was given to me free by the publisher in exchange for a review. What I have written is my honest opinion.

This is the first 'Active Fiction' e-book I've read. It gives the reader an option of the direction they want the plot to take. The last time I read a book (let alone an e-book!) in any way similar to that was when I was about 10, reading an Enid Blyton <i>Famous Five</i> 'red herring' book. I was therefore really intrigued as to what to expect. Would there be red herrings? Would it make the book worse? Well, no and no, as it turns out. I'll get to that in a bit.

This is a brilliantly written story that centres around Celia, who has just lost her father and moved to New Orleans with her mum so she can get to know her father's side of the family. Celia soon has 3 friends (2 of which are potential love interests) and bounces well off the other characters. Snyder has included the obligatory 'popular crowd', but added unusual details to a few of the group's members that makes it interesting, and slightly more dangerous than your average 'death-by-gossip' group.

Starting from the beginning, this was one of those books I knew would capture my interest as soon as I read the first line:

<blockquote>"The dead man smiles at me."</blockquote>

The rest of this page draws me in further, and I went from there. An odd thing I liked (and noticed fairly early on) is that Celia doesn't ruin the first person narrative she's got going on by telling us what she looks like. It's good enough for me to know she's pretty enough to have a surfer dude boyfriend before she moves away, haha!

Coming back to the reader choices, I was a little startled when the first one came up, but that's just me not being used to it! I liked the sense of power I got from helping Celia make the 'right' choice. They were also placed really well within the story, at pivotal plot moments, so there wasn't too much or too little of them. There was only one (right at the end) that I thought was pointless, although having re-read the description on Goodreads, I now know that it's a vote the author wanted so as to establish reader preference on Celia's love interests. Lucky Cee!

I must admit, I did read all the alternative versions, so I can say that there are no 'red herrings'. Some choices lead you to the answer faster than others, and sometimes there'll be a quirky scene that comes with one choice, but is barely mentioned in the other. Without wanting to spoil anything, something key to the background knowledge of Donovan and Peyton's relationship is only mentioned in one of the choices. I haven't quite decided if this is a good thing yet - that little piece of knowledge was good to know, I thought!

Overall, Kira Snyder has built a great sense of anticipation between the main characters, and has set the foundation for future crime/mystery-solving. It was a brilliant book and I'll definitely be reading the next in the series.