Evelyn Amos left her Cherokee homeland desperate for independence. She had it… briefly. Until her crooked boss blows up her careful five-year plan, hiding secrets, and money laundering… mafia enforcers. There’s only one safe place Evie can run. A place with no surprises… except one.

The last thing Evie needs is a sexy mountain man getting in the way. One whose magnetism overpowers her good sense. Whose stacked muscles and irresistible brown eyes torture her dreams. Whose love of animals matches her own. It doesn’t matter if it’s the worst time for love… Wyatt kickstarts Evie’s scared heart, and she’s having a heck of a time denying the inevitable.

For Wyatt McAllister, future alpha of the Big Paw Shifters, his basic needs, and those of his bear, have taken a backseat to his responsibilities. He has no time for a mate, but when she shows up in the middle of his adventure tour, Wyatt is powerless to deny fate. She drives his bear crazy! Could a human accept his big secret? He needs to tell her, but Wyatt won’t risk scaring her away.

Unfortunately, Evie’s trouble hasn’t forgotten her. Heartbroken and scared, she’s in a fight for her life and all alone. Turns out, her secrets were a lot more dangerous than Wyatt’s.

Good thing he won’t let anyone hurt his mate. Wyatt’s paws to the ground, fighting for his happily ever after, even if he needs to tear through the entire mountain to get it.

First in the Big Paw Mountain Series, full of protective Alpha shifters, small-town life, and a slow burn of steamy chemistry to drive you crazy. HEA, No cliffhanger, No cheating.

My Review

Evie is a vet tech and certified workaholic. It til one late night when she sees and hears things she isn’t supposed to. She is Native American by heritage, and of course, with her new 10-year plan in shambles, why not head home for an impromptu visit. Home is strange for her; she feels disconnected, but distraction and distance are good things. I like her childhood friend Ash. He seems very smart and hot.

Wyatt is a tour guide and owner of Smokey Mountain Tours. He is a bear shifter still looking for his fated mate. It seems that on his first hike, he finds his mate, but she isn’t a shifter. Evie doesn’t know it yet, but this hunk can’t wait to make her his. 

Ash is very jealous and starts a lust triangle. Evie is very hot and cold, unsure of what she wants and who she wants to trust. Her recent trauma is still having an effect, even at home. I like how Wyatt takes things slow with the human mate story part of this, and I’m totally rooting for him to get the girl.

This book is very slow. He has secrets, and so does she. It does get steamy as they can’t seem to resist the attraction. But then it’s very gripping as her issues finally bring her into danger. I would say this storyline is detailed but quite slow. Her acceptance of his character and shifter nature is finally a turnaround. 

I did enjoy the happy ending and family bonding at the end of the story. Honestly, this book was a cute human-mate story with bear shifters, but it just moved too slowly for me. I needed a hotter burn. I liked that there were midlife characters, but it took too long to get anywhere. 

You can find it on Amazon if you want to read Shattered Illusions by Annie Rae. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Shifter, Fated Mates, and Steamy.