Author: Cardeno C.
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Pages/Word Count: 224 Pages
At a Glance: Read this book if you like a shifter story, and enjoy the twist of a well written world delivered in its pages.
Reviewed By: Janet
Blurb: A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force.
When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more.
Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.
Review: Any book written by Cardeno C. is bound to be a pleasure, as I enjoy the aww factor that’s a part of every book written by this author. Johnnie is a shifter story that did not go in the direction I assumed it would. Just when I figured there wasn’t a fresh shifter story to be told, Cardeno C. came up with a beauty.
Although the story is told by Hugh, and is from his point-of-view, this book is about Johnnie—the who, what, and why of him is the basis of the story. There is some pretty decent world building done in this story too, to balance the information we are absorbing about the characters. In fact, the author is able to have me suspend disbelief very quickly and become invested in Johnnie’s welfare almost immediately. The yearning he has for an identity is easily seen by the reader, while Hugh struggled with the concept at a level that infuriated me. This is exactly how a good author creates a bond with the reader and the characters in their books. Reacting emotionally to words on a page is a gift for a reader, and having the talents and skills to constantly create these stories in fresh new ways is but one of the accomplishments at Cardeno C.’s disposal.
Creating a relationship that gives so much value to the characters is another. The growth of the strengths and abilities between the Premier and the Siphon is a reflection of the personal growth of their relationship. It’s that aww factor at work—the more you truly love and appreciate another, the stronger you are as an individual. This is the lesson of this story and is a favorite of the author. The “moral of the story” aspect of Cardeno C.’s books is another favorite part of reading them for me.
Read this book if you like a shifter story, and enjoy the twist of a well written world delivered in its pages. Read this book if you like a definite HEA, full of hope and a future full of joy. My only complaint is that the story was over far too soon. At just under 60,000 words it’s a full novel length, but the story was so good I would have liked it to be longer.
You can buy Johnnie here:
