Buy Me Love

Shapeshifter Series Book 1

Romance - Paranormal
269 Pages
Reviewed on 09/10/2022
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Julie Tetel Andresen is a world traveler and linguist who has written over 30 novels and three works of nonfiction. With love stories as her primary canvas, Julie’s novels span genre, geography, and time periods. She has written romantic mysteries and paranormal stories; BDSM, motorcycle club, and MMA novels; historical and contemporary plots. Julie gains inspiration from travel, setting many of her novels in the diverse locations where she has lived or visited – from Brazil to Vietnam, France to Romania, Germany to Mongolia.

Before establishing her own publishing company (LLA Books, formerly Madeira Books), Julie was published by mass-market publishers Fawcett Crest, Warner Books, and Harlequin.

In her non-fiction professional life, Julie achieved the rank of full Professor of English at Duke University, with a specialty in linguistics. Her most recent academic work is Languages in the World: How History, Politics, and Culture Shape Language. Julie and co-author Philip Carter of Florida International University (FIU) have donated all profits from book sales to the Endangered Languages Fund, which works to conserve languages that are on the brink of extinction. Julie has also served as a Visiting Professor at Florida International University in Miami, teaching Languages and Cultures of the World.

Julie lives in Durham, North Carolina and spends most summers in Bucharest, Romania.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Buy Me Love (Shapeshifter Series Book 1) by Julie Tetel Andresen is a story that initially brings together two protagonists that you will grow to love. Moses Reilly is a Detective Chief Inspector for Scotland Yard, and Zelda Sachsen is a Guardian for a security company called G4S. On top of that, Zelda is a werewolf. Given that they are both in the same field, they are destined to meet when they investigate the same case—a report of a dead body in Russell Square. Two elderly people had been killed over a two-day period, and both deaths have been made to look like werewolf attacks. A blogger known as Werewolf Hunter had predicted an imminent werewolf rampage, and this news brought crowds pouring into the streets of London. This is why Zelda’s assistance is summoned, and nothing could have gratified Zelda more than the look of profound surprise and intense desire that crossed DCI Reilly's face.

Buy Me Love works well in its time period and the romantic angle is very digestible. Julie Tetel Andresen proves that werewolf stories are very much alive and will continue to give vampire tales a run for their money. Personally, I love werewolf stories—the bloodier the better. But the likes of authors like Andresen have given my taste for this paranormal genre a new twist, as I am beginning to appreciate its blend with romance. This story has a plot that is like a marriage between Sherlock Holmes and Underworld. Andresen has written this initial offering in a new series with care, where the scary and mysterious elements creep around enough to send chills down your spine. Buy Me Love is a great fusion of mystery, paranormal, and romance that will entertain you as you read.

Peggy Jo Wipf

DI Moses Reilly has been on a long game sting operation involving a dating scam. Reilly attempts to break up this gang known for swindling money from love-hungry people. He begins the dating game by casting out the bait that is most alluring to the criminals - a lonely and rich man, eager for female attention. Zelda Sachsen has several side hustles. She is the perfect candidate for bringing the illegal dating ring to an end, but she keeps dating the same guy under different aliases and disguises. Reilly gets pulled from the dating scam to work an unusual murder. A man is skillfully killed and placed on a park bench in one of the most influential areas. A man with deep pockets pays to get this murder solved quickly and quietly, with one stipulation; Reilly must work with Zelda. The sparks begin to fly. There is an energetic force drawing them together but can a werewolf and a human become more than colleagues?

Buy Me Love by Julie Tetel Andresen is the beginning of her Shapeshifter series. Julie Tetel Andresen draws her readers in with the sparks and unknown future of DI Reilly and Zelda, but it appears as if she is laying a foundation for other books in her Shapeshifters series. Buy Me Love has the mystique of a difficult case, refreshing new love, and the thrill of the supernatural. The author captures the shock and wariness in a paranormal romance with a captivating skill. The British background sets your fantasy running wild with historical killers, magical creatures, and uncanny skills in solving the unusual.

Pikasho Deka

Buy Me Love: Shapeshifter Series Book 1 is a paranormal murder mystery romance novel by Julie Tetel Andresen. The first installment in the series follows Zelda Sachsen, a werewolf recently returned from exile who's currently working for the powerful and mysterious security agency called GS4 in London. When a dead body is found under unusual circumstances on a bench in Russell Square Garden, Detective Chief Inspector Moses Reilly is assigned to investigate the case. To Reilly's chagrin, however, he has no choice but to include Zelda into his unit and use her keen observational skills due to the influence of Zelda's pack Alpha, Egon Hanover. As they work together, Zelda starts to see Reilly as her lifelong mate. Reilly, meanwhile, struggles to keep a clear head as he falls head over heels for Zelda.

Author Julie Tetel Andresen spins a captivating yarn full of suspense, mystery, and romance that keeps your eyes glued to the pages. Buy Me Love is a stellar start to the Shapeshifter series, which as a whole, has been one of the best paranormal crime detective series I have read in recent years. There is not a single dull moment in the entire book. The revelations are unexpected and Andresen's quick-witted dialogue keeps you entertained all the way through. The two main characters, Zelda Sachsen and Moses Reilly, have sparkling chemistry, and every scene involving them together is a blast to read. If you're a fan of werewolves and sleuth mysteries, I recommend this book.

Rabia Tanveer

Buy Me Love is the first book in the Shapeshifter Series by Julie Tetel Andresen. Zelda Sachsen does not want to be exiled from her pack once more. A pack-less werewolf is as good as dead. However, she is finally in the good graces of Egon Hanover, the Alpha, and it is enough to grant her a position in the elusive G4S. When a gruesome murder happens near the G4S headquarters and Scotland Yard is involved, Hanover gets Zelda to join the investigation team led by Chief Inspector Moses Reilly. Zelda was ready to prove her worth to the Alpha, but she wasn’t expecting to find her mate in Moses Reilly. Reilly doesn’t want to believe that he is Zelda’s mate or the fact that Zelda is a werewolf. Reilly just wants to find whoever killed an innocent person and call it a day. However, Zelda needs to help Scotland Yard solve the case and make Reilly believe he is her mate. Or else, Zelda will be exiled once more.

I love werewolves and vampires. Buy Me Love is the kind of supernatural thriller that I love. There are no hyper-masculine alpha male werewolves desperate to find their other halves. I loved how Zelda was the focal point of the story, and her love interest wasn’t a werewolf. Moses Reilly is the kind of character you love right from the beginning. He is funny, smart, and hilariously focused on the job at hand. The spark between Zelda and Moses is real and intense, yet he steels himself to solve the case and not think about how perfect Zelda is. I love how this is a romance, but the author does not make it the center of the story. The plot gets plenty of spotlights, readers enjoy the murder mystery as well as an entertaining tale of romance between two very stubborn people who bicker a lot and find each other insanely attractive.