Dakota is a man out for a good time and nothing else – after all, it’s not like he can have a long-term relationship with anyone while hiding the fact that he shifts into a bear.  So, while he is spending a nice winter vacation in a ski lodge Dakota gets to enjoy the snow bunnies without having to step too far from the warm hearth.  However, when one night he stumbles upon Jax, Dakota becomes inexplicably addicted to the man and the spectacular heat they generate.  But as they get ready to part ways at the end of their vacation they can’t help but want more from each other and in a drunken fit Dakota reveals to Jax that he is a were-bear, only to be shocked in return by Jax revealing that Jax himself is a were-wolf.  Now that they have found each other they are not about to let go – especially as they had believed they were the only of their kind…

But as Dakota and Jax settle into their brand-new ranch, Dakota starts seeking other shifters bringing them together in a hodge-podge of a family, however, as they happily come together a greater evil stalks them with deadly intent…

In Their Own Skins: Shifting Sands is a unique shifter tale that will capture your attention from the first page!  Kiernan Kelly does a wonderful job of creating characters in Dakota and Jax that will endear themselves to the reader with their silly antics, lava hot sex and chemistry, to leave you wanting for more at the end of the story.  However, the conflict of the evil character that stalks them is resolved rather quickly, almost in a slapdash manner, after such suspenseful buildup during the tale.  Still, it leaves the door open for a sequel, which I’m eagerly awaiting!  And not to be missed are the two short stories at the end – The Sound of Home and Mother Blue's Bar and Grill which give interesting glimpses into the intricate and rich shifter world Kiernan Kelly has created in In Their Own Skins: Shifting Sands.  However, it must be noted that this book suffered from inconsistent editing, which at times created jarring effects – such as a character changing name mid-scene.  Still, In Their Own Skins: Shifting Sands is a fun, unusual and erotic story that shouldn’t be passed up by romance lovers who like the spice of shifters in their stories!