Do you love all things that howl at the moon and start sprouting fur when angry? Well, we do. You may have to start emptying your vacuum cleaner a little more often and investing in some Febreeze to get rid of that wet dog smell, but there brand of wild loving and fierce devotion have won over UTC. So here is a list of the top ten shifters:
10. Lachlan “Lock” MacRyrie from
The Mane Squeeze (Pride #4)
by Shelly Laurenston
10. Lachlan “Lock” MacRyrie fromWhenever I think aboout Lock, I can’t help but let out a little sigh and a big grin. He is literally a cuddly teddy bear, although he is a teddy bear that can transform into a huge actual bear if you piss him off. But mostly Lock is sweet, yet hilarious with a fixation on honey and able to do some interesting things with his mouth.
Growing up on the tough Philly streets, Gwen O’Neill has learned how to fend for herself. But what is she supposed to do with a nice, suburban Jersey boy in the form of a massive Grizzly shifter? Especially one with a rather unhealthy fetish for honey, moose, and…uh…well, her. Yet despite his menacing ursine growl and four-inch claws, Gwen finds Lachlan “Lock” MacRyrie cute and really sweet. He actually watches out for her, protects her, and unlike the rest of her out-of-control family manages not to morbidly embarrass her. Too bad cats don’t believe in forever.
At nearly seven feet tall, Lock is used to people responding to him in two ways: screaming and running away. Gwen-half lioness, half tigress, all kick-ass-does neither. She’s sexy beyond belief and smart as hell, but she’s a born protector. Watching out for the family and friends closest to her but missing the fact that she’s being stalked by a murderous enemy who doesn’t like hybrids…and absolutely hates Gwen. Lock probably shouldn’t get involved, but he will. Why? Because this is Gwen-and no matter what the hissing, roaring, drape destroying feline says about not being ready to settle down, Lock knows he can’t simply walk away. Not when she’s come to mean absolutely everything to him.
9. Vane Kattalakis from
Night Play (Dark Hunter #5 Were Hunter #1)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Okay, I admit I might be the only person in the PNRverse who isn’t a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon. However, she has still won my eternal devotion for writing up the beautiful Vane. Vane is wolf shifter with a tortured past who managed to steal my heart with his warm heart and mad changing room sex skillz.
Bride McTierney has had it with men. They’re cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor.
She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur…
Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn’t what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride’s case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn’t looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered–something no self-respecting wolf can accept…
But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win.
8. Mercy Thompson from
the Mercy Thompson series
by Patricia Briggs
A coyote shifter surrounded by big bad (and in some cases sexy) wolves, Mercy is a character you wish you could be friends with. Smart, loyal and tough but with a heart like a marshmallow Mercy is the kind of heroine I love reading about.
Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy’s next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy’s connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water…
7. Damon from
the Colbana Files
by J.C. Daniels
Strong, powerful, gorgeous all these are words that can apply to cat shifter Damon. Of course arrogant and manipulative are also traits that can be attributed to him, but it is all part of the of his appeal.
Kit Colbana – half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades – has a new job: track down the missing ward of one of the local alpha shapeshifters. It should be a piece of cake.
So why is she so nervous? It probably has something to do with the insanity that happens when you deal with shifters – especially sexy ones who come bearing promises of easy jobs and easier money.
Or maybe it’s all the other missing kids that Kit discovers while working the case, or the way her gut keeps screaming she’s gotten in over her head. Or maybe it’s because if she fails – she’s dead.
If she can stay just one step ahead, she should be okay. Maybe she’ll even live long to collect her fee…
6. Dragos Cuelebre
from Dragon Bound (Elder Races #1)
by Thea Harrison
Just like the other heroes we’ve picked, Dragos from Dragon Bound is at the top of the food chain. He is by reputation “wicked, cunning and ruthless”. Also the only “real dragon” of the Elder Races. Beautiful, very large and very possessive just the alpha we like to read about.
Half-human and half-Wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the Wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful—and passionate—of the Elder Races.
As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in each other.
Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave—although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul.
5. Kalen Black
from Black Moon (Alpha Pack #3)
by J.D. Tyler
Kalen is dark and mysterious. With that aura of alluring danger that you can’t help but get sucked in. Of course, the fact that he shifts into a sleek sexy panther might have something to do with that. And add to that he’s got magic too….Combustible combination. Sexy and intense, and all into one lucky girl you’ll be wishing it was you!
A group of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers combating the greatest dangers in the world. But sometimes those dangers are more intimate than they bargained for…
Ever since he saved Dr. Mackenzie Grant’s life, panther shifter and sorcerer Kalen Black has had trouble keeping the beautiful doctor out of his thoughts, and his heart. The brush with death awakened an intense passion between them—one that for the first time had the notorious loner letting down his guard.With the Alpha Pack battling an evil Fae who is slowly gaining control over Kalen’s mind, Kalen can no longer trust his own actions, and he breaks off his affair with Mackenzie in order to keep her safe. But when Mackenzie learns that she is carrying Kalen’s child, no amount of danger will keep her away from the man she loves. To protect his mate and unborn child, Kalen will have to battle a terrible evil, unleash the full fury of his power, and risk destroying them all…
4. Hawke Snow
from Kiss of Snow (Psy Changeling #10)
by Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh has written so many delicious shifters in her Psy Changeling series, but the one that we all love to talk about is Hawke. Alpha of the SnowDancer pack his ice blue eyes and tragic past have managed to ensnare us even if his resistance to accept his mate have driven us mad.
Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.
Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.
Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…
A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…
3. Lachlain MacRieve
from A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark #1)
by Kresley Cole
I picked Lachlain because he is my favourite Lykae from the IAD series, but there are plenty to chose from, Kresley Cole is the master at writing sexy shifters. Their beast lies close under their skin ready to rise up and protect their mate and destroy their enemies, all that lethal force and barely leashed wildness makes my mouth water and my knees tremble.
Acclaimed author Kresley Cole introduces a sizzling new series with this tale of a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire—unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death.
A mythic warrior who’ll stop at nothing to possess her…
After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he’s waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.
A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy…
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents—until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae—and their notorious dark desires—ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.
An all-consuming desire…
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?
2. Charles Cornick
from the Alpha & Omega series
by Patricia Briggs
They say still waters run deep, and Charles is the personification of that saying. Quiet and intense Charles is both beautiful and deadly and yet completely devoted to his mate Anna. If his hot body and gorgeous face hasn’t won you over then Charles’ love, patience and care for his horrifically abused mate is all but guaranteed to get him in your personal top ten.
Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack… and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.
Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack.
1. Curran “The Beast Lord”
from the Kate Daniels series
by Ilona Andrews
I admit, I am a little obsessed about Curran, if you look at any top list of favourite heroes/shifters/series UTC have done you will see Curran or the Kate Daniels series there. What can I say, The Beast Lord just does it for me. Is it his sense of humour? Because he is so ruggedly handsome? Powerful? Arrogant? Clever? Loyal? Cunning? Possessive? I have no idea but Curran never fails to make me fall in love with him just a little bit more every time I read the Kate Daniels series.
When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.
The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…
What Shifters Made Your List?
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Great post; love your list! A few additional shifter loves for me are Mace Llewellyn from Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series; Parish from Laura Wright/Alexandra Ivy’s Bayou Heat series; and Jayce Kazan from Katie Reus’s Moon Shifter series.
Thanks for sharing! #ShifterLove 🙂
Oooh more shifters to add to my wishlist…Thanks guys!
I love shifters and you pretty much covered my favorites, but I’d also add Rule Turner from Eileen Wilks’ World of the Lupi series, and Ric Van Holtz from Shelly Laurenston’s Big Bad Beast. I especially love Ric because DeeAnn, his mate, is the big bad alpha wolf, and Ric doesn’t try to gain control over her. Instead, he’s totally in love with her strength and supports her no matter what she does.
I love all of Shelly Laurenstons’s Pack stories. All of Nalini Singh’s, not to mention Lora Leigh’s Breeds. Read the Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh. One of my absolute favorites.
Wonderful list. I’ve either read the series and loved them or their on my wish list. I love Eve Langlais’ quirky shifter stories, Alexandra Ivy’s weres, Eileen Wilks’ wolves, Will from Bec MacMasters’ series, Kendall McKenna’s Strength of the Wolf series and so many others.
Oooo I forgot about eileen wilks!
Curran!! And vane yum….I also like the shifters in cherise sinclair’s books, storm from the beladors series by sherrilyn kenyon and jeff and gabriel from the chicagoland series by chloe neill
Marc from rachel vincent’s shifter series.