The Centaur's Bride: A Steamy Shapeshifter Romance (Mates for Monsters Series Book 4)

An original and refreshing shifter romance by Tamsin Ley. I did not know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised at how I enjoyed reading the book. Well written, the story flowed well and has a good plot and storyline. There is a lot happening in this book for adults, including steamy sizzling scenes. It is fast paced, has love, mystery, murder and betrayal. At times the story seemed a little rushed nevertheless that does not deter from the storyline. The characters are well developed, both good and not so good, and there are good detailed descriptions to scenes and settings, especially that of the Ranch where most of the story takes place. Character dynamics and the dialogue between the main characters are excellent. An original and different type of shapeshifter as one of the main protagonists. An interesting book to read.

Best book cover ever! Sadly the first name choice for the MMC was disappointing - needed to be something Greek or refreshing like Matthias. Entertaining story with a great shifter idea that was new to me.

Black and Renee, what a unique and interesting couple. Renee inherits her Grandfather's Ranch. Black is a shifter that is having a difficult time being accepted by his herd. Black is also the vet for the ranch. This book has quite a few twists and turns which make for an outstanding read. Great plot and the growth of the characters is remarkable.

This author has potential, but needs to develop. In her stories, the couple hurry up and get together. My personal preference is for their trust to evolve, and to have a real relationship, rather than the insta-love that happens in 24 hours or a couple of days. In this installment, I liked the male character Black. He showed protective instincts, even if he was significantly cowed by the Alpha Mare, Lori. However, when she proposed that he marry Renee in order to cheat her out of her inheritance, at best, or murder her for her inheritance, at worst, he went along with it. That is a major character flaw. Since the entire story unfolds in a couple of days, with a brief afterward a week later, he does see the light. He briefly wonders at the extraordinarily unlikely circumstances of his grandmother's death, but doesn't have the backbone to even ask a question. Renee, meanwhile, is a trust fund child who blew every last dime partying with a rock star, literally. She never worked a day in her life, and wasted her money paragliding, etc. Again, this is not a character that I can really get behind. She did show some character development when she finally stood up to Stephanie, and later Lori. There were some distracting holes in this story that I think the author will certainly be able to improve on in future novels. For one, how did this ranch financially survive? What was its revenue generation that not only kept the ranch in the black for years, but also provided Renee with a large enough trust fund for her to live lavishly for years? It is not a cattle ranch. It is not a horse breeding or training facility. It is not a farm. It is not a tourist destination. How does it feed a seemingly limitless number of horses during the winter? I have horses, and hay costs around $26 a bale. Which will last a horse around 2.5 days, with the size of the bales in my area. Since modern hay is grown on nutrient poor soil, and many vitamins degrade when green grass or legumes is dried, then horses need vitamin and mineral supplements, too. It would have been much more interesting if the herd all worked in the human world during the day doing normal jobs, and then shifted when they got home. Or, do they need to graze all day like real horses do? Black went to veterinary school to gain some value to the herd. That means he'd have to go to elementary, middle, and high school, college, work for vets for at least the last few years of his schooling, and go through veterinary school. However, it is remarked that the only person to have ever left the herd was Black's mother. If they sent him to school, they would have done it when he was 5 years old, rather than much later when he first shifted into a Centaur. If no one else left the ranch, then they would all be illiterate (or equine home schooled?) Living a double life was a missed plot opportunity. Why is living as horse shifters hard? All it would take is a gated community and shifting in a barn. Why was the herd so destitute and helpless that it depended on a human man to save them, making his ranch the last safe place on the planet? For that matter, why would Renee, who grew up on a ranch until she was 8, not realize she couldn't wear sandals at the barn if she wanted to keep her toes attached to her feet? Why would she ever think she could ride in capris, which would leave her legs a bloody mess full of saddle sores? Why would she not know that a baby horse is called a foal? Why would she put her hand out to Millie as a mare, instead of knowing how to pet a horse? Honestly, if she rode a horse with stilettos she'd just get bucked off. If Steph really told her millions of followers that there was buried treasure at this ranch, there would be hundreds of treasure hunters hopping the fence and descending on the place. That did not make sense. Finally, Ley did not get horse behavior right. Yes, there is an Alpha Mare, or Lead Mare. She is at the top of the pecking order. She uses her experience to lead a feral band of mustangs to water at the right time of day. She knows which pasture to graze in. She leads the procession while the stallion nips up stragglers or watches for danger or rival stallions. When the stallion needs the herd to run on cruise control, he lets the Alpha Mare lead. She also instills order and reinforces her rank on her subordinate mares. All colts are booted by the stallion from the herd by age 2, or earlier, when they become sexually mature. Then they join a bachelor band and fight with each other, to practice for when they will challenge a herd stallion for his harem. Anyone who has actually ever been around a stallion would never, ever, think that he would be terrorized by mares. Well, OK, there was this one stallion who was kicked rather hard in the testicles who was, actually, quite worried about mares. But that's the only one I can think of. Otherwise, stallions dominate mares. In no way is the stallion subordinate to any mare. Mares can kick if they are not completely in season. But if the alpha mare wants to go to, say, Pasture A, but the stallion smells a rival stallion, then he hustles her butt to Pasture B. She has absolutely zero say on which stallion takes over the herd. She has no say over who she breeds with. Where they go if the stallion has a preference. She is only in charge of mare social hierarchy. In absolutely no way would an Alpha Mare like Lori even have been able to terrorize multiple stallions. It makes me think less of the shifter herd that they actually voted for an abusive leader, and let her stay in power. In addition, absolutely no one thought it was fishy the way that the prior Lead Mare and the ranch owner died? No one asked questions? Millie, in fact, knew about the crime and kept silent, which made her culpable. Saul was advised of the plan and agreed to murdering Renee. What the heck is wrong with these people/shifters? That just dissolved quite a bit of interest I had in any of them. Lori could have been fleshed out more. I was never clear if her plan all along was to sell the ranch herself for the gold. How could they possibly live there if she brought in a mining company? Finally, we had the same loose end that we had in the last one. What would the children of this pair be? Human, centaur, or shifter? Was Black a Centaur because he was half human? If so, then what would a 3/4 human kid be? Overall, this story had a lot of promise, but the characters were a bit of a turnoff.

When Renee returns home to sell the family ranch the last thing she expects is to find a sexy rugged cowboy. Black is an outcast from the horse shifter herd. A centaur, part man, part beast, 100 percent sexy. When Renee discovers a herd of horse shifters on the property, plans go awry. Lori the herd leader has other plans in mind and sets a plan to get rid of Renee and steal the ranch. Black is the only one who can protect her, and he will risk his life to do so. Plenty of action and Romance in this fast paced story. With a HEA guaranteed. A delightful read.

This was my first read by Tamsin Ley and it definitely won’t be my last. It was a whole different take on the norm of shifters and I really enjoyed it. I loved Black. At first I wondered, but his character builds throughout the story and by the end he’s quite the catch. There’s a monster alright, but it’s not Black! I’m gladly volunteering to give this review. Can’t wait to get started on her next novella.

Now you will want a Centaur for your very own! Black is an outcast and meets Rene when she comes to sell the farm after her grandfather died. Eyes meet across a crowded field and the rest is good story telling. Although I wish we knew more about what happens to their parents, does Black find out if he is really half human or a Centaur shifter!!!

This was the most beautiful story I have ever read. It had all the elements I love. Shapeshifter. Love at first sight and the challenege of TRUE LOVE. This story revealed what true love really is real despite the difference of the person and the situation. The biggest part was the shapeshifter was a Centaur. OH I LOVE IT!!!!! This is a beautiful story. A must read and highly deserved 5 Stars!!!