Within the Mist

Dora Morten was left for dead at the bottom of White Canyon. A canyon whose mists, according to legend, swallowed trespassers, and never allowed them to leave. After months of abuse at the hands of her husband, Dora has lost the will to live. Lying in pain, she prays for an end to her suffering. Tomka, a native healer, comes upon Dora and cannot let the woman die alone. He takes her to his home where she would at least be warm and dry when she passed away.

As Tomka cares for Dora’s physical injuries, he begins to feel another kind of connection to her. The depth of his emotion surprises him because ever since he failed to save his mate during a plague that also killed most of his tribe, Tomka has felt tremendous guilt. Dora is attracted to Tomka at first sight, but since she is still married to her monster of a husband, she feels guilty as well.

As the tribe's only healer, Tomka must find a new mate and have a child before anyone else in the tribe is allowed to mate. He longs to have Dora. Would his people accept an outsider as his mate? Will Dora even want him when she finds out what he is?

Within the Mist is a sensuous paranormal that had me hooked from the first paragraph. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting. Chessie Granger writes so well that it’s hard to believe this is her debut as an author! The reader is completely enveloped by the misty world inside the Canyon.

The way Tomka takes care of Dora makes him irresistible. He’s the perfect combination of physical strength, animal magnetism, and gentleness. Dora has not had an easy life. She doesn’t recognize her inner strength, but with Tomka’s help, she realizes her potential.

Tomka’s people are believable with their own language and customs and the many secondary characters are well developed. However, it’s the love story between Dora and Tomka that really moved me. Here are two people who deserve a chance of happiness after going through so much pain and loss in their lives. Watching them fall in love was a pleasure. I highly recommend this wonderful book to readers who love a good shape-shifter romance. This is only the beginning of what I predict will be Ms. Granger’s successful writing career. I look forward to her next story, which I hope will be about Tomka’s brother, Moha!

Reviewed by: Shelley