shifters, apiary, paranormal, romance, family-dynamics

This is one very special book. Sure, it's a romance novel with shifters, but it's a lot more. The shifter is called home from a travel writing assignment on Everest because his human dad has taken seriously ill. The human young woman who is the first local he meets, has been badly damaged by her early life (she feels that foster care was a godsend for her) and has a very negative self image. He knows immediately that she is his mate, and the remainder of the book is a fine rendering of his gentle courtship of her and the many misunderstandings and difficulties along the way. Way different from so many of the overBEARing type of shifter stories. I really enjoyed it! ( )