In 2016, New York became a Sanctuary City for supernaturals…but things quickly spun out of control. Now, Third Shift is an elite team of operatives tasked with exposing the gritty underbelly of New York’s criminal-supernatural underworld, taking down the worst of the worst and protecting human- and shifter-kind alike.

Joe Peluso has blood on his hands. But lawyer and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia is determined to help him craft a solid defense…even if she can’t defend her own obsession. Because Joe took out those Russian mobsters for good reason–they were responsible for the death of his beloved foster brother. Those six bad guys were part of the ruthless clan of bear shifters who control Brooklyn’s Russian mafia, so his vigilante justice has earned him countless enemies in New York’s supernatural-controlled underworld, and no friends in a government that now bends to Russia at every turn.

Joe knows that creatures like him only deserve the worst. Darkness. Solitude. Punishment. But meeting Neha makes him feel human for the first time in forever. He’s never wanted anything in his life like he wants Neha, and he’ll break almost any rule to spend a minute alone with her. But when the Russian mob attacks the jail for payback, Joe and Neha are forced to escape. Before long they’re on the run–from monsters who want him dead and from their own traitorous hearts.

Titles in the Third Shift series include – Big Bad Wolf –

Title:  Big Bad Wolf
Series:  Third Shift #1
Author:  Suleikha Snyder
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Published:  January 26, 2021
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating:  4.5 stars

I straight-up loved Big Bad Wolf.  It’s just that simple.  It’s the type of PNR that I cut my teeth on in this genre more years ago than I’d like to admit to.  This is a gritty world, one that (sadly) reflects, in a fictionalized way, what I believe my country could have become given the right circumstances (and we were far too close for my comfort in reality and in my opinion)… and that was clear from the start.

I believe you have to go into Big Bad Wolf with the belief that you are at the beginning of an ongoing saga, that this is a world being built word by word that has many stories to tell in the future.  There is worldbuilding here, there are several points of view, and there are all types of paranormal beings to be introduced to… friend and foe.  And it is also steamy, sizzling sexy with what may not always be comfortable for every reader.  (In my opinion, just skim past what you’re not comfortable with and get on with the whole story.)  There is also more than one romance going on here, and the hint of more to come.  So, as I said, this is a world being built and, frankly, what an amazing world it is turning out to be.

Joe and Neha make an extremely interesting couple from many sides.  Yet, they fit, they work together as a couple.  I’ll admit that I’d have liked to see them on the page more often, but it isn’t my book to write.  The secondary characters grabbed my attention almost as much as the main story/couple – they are diverse, interesting, and well, let’s just say unique as I’ll let you discover all the people and beings you are about to meet in this story.  What you really need to know before picking up Big Bad Wolf can be found within the cover description blurb, the rest I believe you should discover for yourself firsthand.

I had an absolute blast with Big Bad Wolf.  If you love a really good paranormal world setting then you’d feel right at home here.  The writing is smooth, the characters interesting, and the plot full of possibilities.  I’d definitely recommend getting in on the beginning of the Third Shift world, I know I can’t wait to return soon I hope.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available in paperback, audio, or your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle.