Audio review - Abby Craden is kind of the FF romance narrator. Feels like every book I listen to in the genre, Craden narrates!

Shifter + human pairing, psychiatrist and nurse leads that are longstanding coworkers at the hospital, short and sweet romance, no on page sex. Overall a short and quick listen. Curious if they pop up more throughout this series.

Also, coyote shifters sound like fun!

It's the world of supernatural creatures, and Shelby is one of the shapeshifters. Though the rules discourage these shifters from any possible human entanglement, Shelby has lost her heart to Nyla, a human. With the approaching full moon, it's becoming increasingly difficult for Shelby to keep her secrets and maintain her distance from Nyla. However, fate and the moon have other plans in store for them.

To start, I felt that this book was too short. Just as I was getting a grasp of the baseline, it ended abruptly. The plot was intriguing, with a forbidden romance trope, but it was disappointingly brief - shorter even than a novella.

Thanks to @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the audiobook.

Genre: #romantasy #fantasy #adult
Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️ because I feel incomplete

Previously I had steered clear of Jae’s shapeshifter stories however a chance to hear Abby Craden changed my mind. This is indeed a wonderful introduction to shapeshifters and I am tempted to seek out the other books in the séries. With Jae’s usual well written story, interesting characters with amusing banter and narration that soothes the ears, I highly recommend Manhattan Moon.

This sweet novela about a shapeshifter and human was perfect. Jar’s writing draws me in like a warm blanket and Abbey Craden’s narration is spot on. The story is sweet and easy to sink into. Nyla and Shelby are easy to become invested in and both are completely likeable.
It was a perfect short read on this cloudy day.

I enjoyed the shape shifter series! There are precious few lesbian paranormal romance books so this was a breath of fresh air. Rich world building. Strong female characters. Lots of different dynamics. I hope there are more books to come!

*Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook copy for review.

Quick read. Shifter/human. Dr/nurse. A dr, who is a secret coyote shifter, has a crush on a nurse she works with. As a shifter, she’s not supposed to be involved with humans.

Yay for a sapphic shifter story!
I love books about shifters, especially werewolves, but so far I’ve only read MM ones so this was a nice surprise.
It was a cute little romance story where the main theme was hiding their true identity from the love interest.
I wished there was a bit more of background information about the MC and her family. It was barely included, so her problem with being with a human didn’t really feel palpable.
It was a cute story though and very short, the narrator had a nice voice so it was great as an in between read.

**Audiobook review**

Jae is a prolific author in a multitude of genres. This is the first I've read in the Shape-Shifter series, but there are definitely key traits of her writing style - the characters are well-developed, and the story paced well. However, Manhattan Moon does end abruptly with a few unresolved aspects and I was confused by this sudden ending. Regardless, this novella is very sweet and the romance between Shelby and Nyla is low in angst and easy to follow.

The audiobook is narrated by Abby Craden, and again she does a fantastic job in her narration. I definitely recommend the audio version if you are intrigued by the Shape-Shifter premise.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tandor Audio for a copy of this audiobook. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

You just can not beat a narration with Abby Craden-I have the ebook and loved this story so could not pass up the chance to hear this read by Ms. Craden!

Really enjoyed this!
It is the first book I have read from this author. Will definitely be looking into for of their work!
Would definitely recommend!

This was a nice quick audiobook and Abby Craden does a great job narrating. I am not familiar with the series (this book is listed as Shape-Shifter 1.75) but I felt that I could understand the characters and the rules of the universe without the other books. Even though this is a novella I enjoyed the characters and the well paced story.

Shelby Carson is an attending psychiatrist and also shapeshifting Wrasa, leading a double life. And to make the matter more complicated, she's falling for Nyla Rozakis, a human nurse. Talk about forbidden romance! The tension and chemistry between Shelby and Nyla are so well-written, it had me completely hooked. Their dynamic is just so heartwarming. The concept of the Wrasa and how their hidden world operates is fascinating. But it's a pretty short read. I breezed through it quickly because I was so invested, but I kind of wished there was more complexity in the story. I really wanted to read about the issues they were facing because of their differing backgrounds. The conflict around the Wrasa-human relationship was interesting, but it felt like there could've been more exploration there. Then, at the end, the story kind of wrapped up abruptly. I was left wanting more about what happened after Shelby and Nyla decided to continue their relationship despite the Wrasa's rules. How did they worked on those challenges? I wanted to see them overcome those struggles together. All in all, I loved the book. The shapeshifter concept totally lived up to my expectations, and the characters – Shelby and Nyla – were so likable. I wish there was a bit more to the story, especially in terms of the conflicts they faced as a Wrasa-human couple. If you're up for a quick and engaging paranormal romance, this one's definitely worth checking out.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jae is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is now my fourth book of her’s, but my first of her Shape-Shifter series. Manhattan Moon is part of a larger series but works as a standalone novella.

Shelby Carson is a psychiatric doctor in a hectic ER who lives a relatively ordinary life, except for one big thing - she is a Wrasa, a coyote shape-shifter living a secret existence. But the biggest problem with this secret comes in the form of a female human nurse, Nyla Rozakis. Wrasa are forbidden from having relationships with humans. Shelby’s crush on Nyla proves too strong to resist, though, and she asks her on a date. But not only does Nyla not know Shelby is a Wrasa, she doesn’t even know Wrasa exist. Which makes dating a bit more complicated.

There are also other layers to Shelby’s existence as a Wrasa. She doesn’t quite fit in with the pack, but she’s also not human. Which makes it hard for her to navigate life and find out where she belongs.

I really enjoyed this book and the layers of identity struggle and forbidden romance that are woven throughout. There is no real build up of the chemistry between Shelby and Nyla because it happens off page before the novella begins. I thought Jae did a great job of squeezing quite a lot into such a short story. These two are adorable together and I love their connection. The ending was a perfect way to wrap up this part of their story 🥹(but I will leave it there instead of sharing any spoilers)! I would love to learn more about what happens between Nyla and Shelby next. But even if I never do, I have faith that they will somehow figure out whatever life throws at them.

And as always, Abby Craden’s narration was perfection. As soon as I saw she was the narrator, I knew I had to listen!

This was a fun paranormal, queer women romance novella! It's a quick listen and I enjoyed it. (As a doctor, I appreciated that the scenes that took place in a psychiatric emergency department weren't distractingly unrealistic beyond the point of suspended disbelief.)

Thanks to Net Galley and Ylva Publishing for the audiobook advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Attending psychiatrist Shelby Carson works in a busy ER in NYC. She is also a Wrasa, a member of a species of shape shifters, that live among humans. Shelby is attracted and drawn to ER nurse Nyla Rozakis. Finally summoning her courage she asks her on a date. But there are rules against mixing with humans and of course Shelby will have to share her secrets if they want to be together.

I’ve previously read a short shorty that belongs to this shape shifting series but this is a complete novel on its own. I like the way Jae describes the differences in the Wrasa, their vision and sense of smell. It makes things seem very plausible. I listened to a new audio book of this story that was published Oct 2012. I’m glad that more sapphic stories are being made available in audio form. Abby Craden is a voice I trust and she does a great job with this narration.

I really enjoyed this short novel and both Shelby and Nyla. I missed the intimacy that is kept behind closed doors. And I was disappointed that there wasn’t an explanation for Shelby’s difficulty in shifting forms and I wondered at the consequences of their relationship from the pack. I’m not a big fantasy reader so I’m surprised I liked this so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio book and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This series is so much fun, LGBT shifters what else can you ask for? I am hoping Jae continues, I'd love to see more of the world

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. The story was short and sweet. There weren’t too many characters and plot points crammed into too few pages which I really appreciated. I also enjoyed the small nods to the characters from the previous books and short stories.

Shelby and Nyla were both very likable and had nice chemistry as a couple. They fit well together with Nyla’s desire for someone loyal and honest who got along with her family and Shelby’s need for a pack that accepted her no matter what. It was also funny to read about Shelby’s confusion about human mating customs.

The narration was great and went well with the story. The character voices fit with their personalities and elevated the story to another level with little laughs and sighs. My only criticism would we that there wasn’t much of a pause between sections that needed one so couldn’t really tell that some time had passed and the characters had moved settings/situations.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to someone who wanted a short, sweet shifter romance.

As always, everything I've read by Jae has been great and never disappoints. Also Abby Craden has an amazing voice and way of telling the story she narrates.
I usually don't really read shape shifter books, but Jae is the exception.
Overall I enjoyed listening to Manhattan Moon, it could've only been a little bit longer.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the Audiobook version in exchange for leaving a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley & Ylva Publishing for the advance audio copy of Manhattan Moon!

Shelby Carson has had nothing short of an exciting life, being both an attending psychiatrist in a busy ER and a Wrasa, a shape-shifter whose people have been forced to hide their existence while living among humankind for centuries.

Shelby's life is further complicated by developing feelings for Nyla Rozakis, a nurse at the ER, who is also a human who is unaware of Wrasa's existence in the world. If Nyla were to find out about Shelby's true identity, she would be at risk of harm from the Wrasa community.

This is a sweet and fast-paced novella with a happy ending. Manhattan Moon is my first read by Jae, and I can see why Jae is so widely acclaimed within the lesbian fiction realm. While a short book overall, Jae manages to delve into Shelby & Nyla's characters well.

Abby Craden is a top-notch narrator and I always find myself enjoying the novels that she narrates. Manhattan Moon was a short, sweet, and interesting take on the "forbidden romance" trope. I will definitely check out some of Jae's other works in the future.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for the audio copy of Manhattan Moon in exchange for my honest review.

This is the cute short story of Shelby Carson, psychiatrist in a hectic ER and Nyla Rozakis, a nurse she works with. Shelby is a Wrasa, a shapeshifter, and she has feelings for Nyla, who is human. The Wrasa have a rule that forbids relationships with humans, though.

4⭐ (story) I really enjoyed the story. It was short and sweet, what you would expect from a romance novella. I loved the forbidden angle. Things are always more fun when they're supposed to be off-limits!

4⭐ (audio) The enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I read a lot of audiobooks (and I'm nit-picky about them!), and I had no problems here. Abby Craden did a great job telling this story!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!