Sonja is used to living on the edge, pitting her wits against powerful men.  She is not above using her feminine wiles if necessary to win the game.  So venturing into Shadowmere is a risk she is more than willing to take despite all the rumors and horrific stories about the beastmen lurking in the dark forests.

When she encounters pack alpha Jarek, and his pack brothers, Thorne, Arman, Rafe and Byron, Sonja’s skills are put to the test in more ways than one.  These males are more than ready to match wits with her, and for the first time, Sonja discovers what it means to fight for something more than survival.

Set in the Shadowmere universe, Shadow Runners captured my interest and held it from when Sonja firsts meets Jarek and his crew.  After the initial onset where she engages in some fantastic group sex (lucky girl) with the horny shape-shifters, it proved to be a bit more difficult to stay engaged once she’s removed from their animal magnetism.  Sonja’s interaction with her beastmen brought her to life in the story.  She’s an interesting woman but there’s not enough about her to keep me connected until the plot takes her back to point A.   Throughout, I was impressed by her intelligence and her willingness to work beyond her limits.  Still, I felt the storyline should have involved Jarek and his pack brothers more.  The surprises proved enjoyable but the added extras here and there mentioned would have improved things overall.  Cover artist Eliza Black does a superb illustration of Sonja and her beastly hotties.   This can be read as a stand-alone.  Gorgeous cover art or not, I’ll be the first to admit that if I hadn’t read Jaide Fox’s Shadowmere trilogy I would have been left feeling more ambivalent.