When Tatum got bit by a Spider

Title: When Tatum got bit by a Spider

Author: Stephani Hecht

Publisher: eXtasy Books

Publisher’s URL: http://www.extasybooks.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-77111-323-6

Genre: {M/M}, Paranormal, Series

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymph Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Tatum is crazy, you can ask anyone.  Sure he’s not as crazy as his brother, or even Shane, but people still run in the other direction when they see him.  Because of that, he never thought he would stand a chance with Baxley, a spider shifter seeking refuge with the Coalition. 

I am a big fan of The Lost Shifters series, anxiously waiting for each new book to see who is finally getting a story of their own.  When the newest book, When Tatum got bit by a Spider, came out, I was thrilled to see another unlikely pair.  While I generally love all the main characters, I tend to lean a little more to the slightly crazy ones and Tatum fills that bill quite well.  Like many of the new shifters who seem to be finding their way to the coalition, Tatum was sold into slavery as a child. Forced to become assassins, both he and his brother soon found themselves losing their humanity, until they become part of the Coalition.  Tatum has many of the same characteristics as Shane and Carson, making him a bit of an outcast.  He is a strong character, however, which makes him the perfect counterpart for Baxley.

Baxley is a spider shifter, who has been abused by his hive for as long as he can remember.  The constant abuse left him with a low self-esteem that keeps him from going after what he wants, which is Tatum.  It takes the men a while to come together, but the connection between them is strong, and I like the changes the relationship brings to both the men. 

There is a lot going on in this story, all of which holds the reader’s attention.  The action is fast-paced and the final scene between Tatum and Baxley’s former master is over the top.  The story is peppered with a lot of previous characters and the interaction between everyone always comes across fresh.  There are, however, several typos that throw the flow of the story off a little but don’t allow that to keep you from reading this story.