The Shape of Desire
A Shifting Circle Novel
Sharon Shinn

Ace Books
2012 /ISBN-10: 1937007170
Fantasy / Paranormal
Amazon

Reviewed by Carmen Ferreiro

"I was twenty when I fell in love with Dante," Maria tells us on page 187 of The Shape of Desire. She also tells us she knew he was a shapeshifter, which meant that a couple of days each month, he would involuntarily shift into an animal.

Now, 15 years later (when the book starts) Maria and Dante are still a couple, but the time Dante spent in animal form has increased, and Maria worries that a day may soon come when he won't change back and she won't see him again.

Even after all this time, Maria has kept their relationship a secret from her family and friends and barely knows Dante's brother and sister. Her life is centered on Dante and his condition. But she loves him so much that she wouldn't want it otherwise.

Maria trusts Dante is telling her the truth, although she has never seen him change. She also trusts that he's not dangerous even when he's in animal form. But when a series of fatal attacks occur in parks close to her house at times when Dante was in animal form, she starts worrying that he might be losing control of his humanity when he shifts.
Yet, she realizes, she could never turn him to the police even if he were guilty. But because in her anguish over Dante's fate she has confessed the truth to a friend, the choice may not be hers anymore. Desperate, Maria tries to find a way to save her love.

An interesting look at a paranormal romance between two adults, The Shape of Desire analyzes the problems of the relationship realistically. Maria has a normal life, job, family and friends that she must balance with having a very unusual boyfriend. Because I could relate to Maria's life, I had no problem believing the paranormal element of the story, and kept reading-- hoping for Maria and her lover to make their relationship work against all odds.

Although it is the first book on a series, the story works well as a standalone and has a satisfying conclusion.

The second book, Still Life with Shape-Shifter, will be released in November 2012