This Love of ours by Sydney Skye

• Facebook
• X
• ShareCopied to clipboard

INITIAL THOUGHTS

When I read the blurb for This Love of Ours, I was hooked instantly. Predator-prey romance? Check. A supernatural town with shifters of all kinds? Yes, please. Political tension and an alpha showdown? Sign me up. I was ready for a rich, atmospheric story with danger, forbidden love, and deep world-building I can sink into. Instead, the further I got, the more my excitement fizzled. What should have been a tense, addictive shifter romance became a frustrating mess. It felt disjointed and as if it skipped the editing stage entirely.

WHAT IT IS ABOUT

Wolf Creek is a small town divided. Predators rule, prey obey, and anyone who dares to break the rules risks exile. Killian Morgan, a predator mountain lion shifter, is determined to take down the corrupt alpha who stole his father’s title. Clover Davis, a prey bunny shifter, likes breaking curfew and running through the forest at night. Their worlds collide at a midnight witch party, and from the second they meet, they’re obsessed. But their “fated” connection isn’t just illegal. It throws them headfirst into shifter trafficking rings, political power plays, and more kidnappings than I was able to count.

MY REVIEW

Writing Style

This felt like reading a first draft that never saw an editor. Typos, tense changes mid-sentence, missing punctuation, malapropisms, random capitalization (Burrow vs. burrow), and sentences that went on forever made it a chore to read. At times I had to reread sections just to figure out what the author meant. It yanked me out of every emotional moment the book tried to create.

Themes & Messages

The foundation was there for some fascinating themes with predator-prey dynamics, corrupt leadership, unjust laws, and resistance movements. But none of them were fleshed out. The law against predators and prey being together is a huge part of the plot. Still, we never learn why it exists or who made it. We also don’t find out what’s at stake beyond “you lose the ward protections of the town.” Without that context, the tension falls flat.

Characters

Clover is supposed to be an adult prey bunny shifter, but she reads like a stubborn teenager sneaking out past curfew. Killian is positioned as the alpha-in-waiting, yet his decision-making is impulsive, reckless, and often contradictory to the “protective” image the book tries to paint. Their romance is all instant obsession and shallow pet names, “Wildflower” and “Killer”. The romance story line falls flat with very little emotional development. The most glaring moment? Killian rescues Clover from a life-or-death situation, then immediately leaves her there alone so he can drag the villain back to his basement torture chamber. Not exactly swoon-worthy.

Vibes, Settings, and Tropes

The predator mansions, prey neighborhoods, mysterious “Burrow,” endless forests, and warded town borders should have been an incredible setting. But it all felt like quick sketches without any real color. The shifter trafficking subplot had so much potential. It included underground circuses, kidnapped children, and shady political cover-ups. Promising story line threads were introduced and then abandoned. They would only pop back up later without any gaps filled in.

Favorite Quotes

“The part I only acknowledge alone at night, I want him to catch me. I yearn for it. I want to be his, but will he prove to be worthy of catching me or is he another pretty boy like the shifters who have tried before? (Clover, p. 59).

“My bunny deserves to have the world brought to its knees at her feet and that’s exactly what I plan on giving her. Together we can bring the supernaturals out of the shadows into the light. She is everything.” (Killian, p. 60).

“… but if he makes you happy. More than that, if he makes you feel something, and he brings joy into your life. I’m going to encourage you to pursue this. You won’t find judgments from me. I just want you safe and happy.” (Talia, p. 68).

What Worked For Me

The premise itself was gold: forbidden love in a politically divided supernatural town, plus an underground rescue network for shifters. I was getting True Blood vibes! I also liked the concept of a corrupt alpha that needed to be taken down. On paper, those are exactly the kinds of hooks that make me stay up reading until 2 a.m.

What Didn’t Work For Me

The execution didn’t match the potential. World-building was practically nonexistent, and the plot jumped between so many threads that it felt chaotic. The threatening note to Clover? Never explained. The underground circus? Shows up, disappears, and is never meaningfully resolved. The romance felt physical-only with no foundation. And Killian’s so-called protectiveness fell apart every time he made a decision that put Clover in more danger.

Final Thoughts

This book had the bones of a great shifter romance, but the lack of editing, scattered plot, and missing world-building made it a frustrating read for me. If you like quick, drama-heavy romances and don’t mind unanswered questions, you might still have fun here. Personally, I won’t be continuing the Wolf Creek Shifters series.

Let’s Talk

Do you like your shifter romances packed with nonstop drama, or do you prefer slow-burn stories with deep, immersive world-building?