Part of Me by A.C. Arthur

 Shadow Shifters: Damaged Hearts—a deeply emotional, unforgettable New Adult paranormal romance series by A.C. Arthur about the men who are sworn to protect the females—human or otherwise—from the savage fury of his own nature… Lidia Morales has always felt out of place. The one stable presence in her childhood has always been Brayden. Every major moment, every growing pain, everything in her life has been shared with him since they were little, so it makes sense to her that they will stay friends at college together. Until one night, emotions are revealed in a heated kiss, and Lidia’s world is turned upside down. Brayden has always been just a friend and she knows she should look somewhere else for love. But the memory of the passion between them is undeniable—and Brayden isn’t about to let her forget it. As trouble brews, Lidia may need Brayden more than she realized and Brayden will do whatever it takes to convince her that they are soulmates…bonded for life, in　Part of Me　by　 A.C. Arthur.

Part of Me is the second novella in the Damaged Hearts series. Just as Aidan rebelled against being a Shadow Shifter in book one, Lidia does the same in book two but for an entirely different reason – she wants to shed her shifter life and live as a human so that she no longer feels judged because of her uncle’s actions and her parents’ desertion. Because of this, she fights her instincts and the draw of her mate, insisting that her feelings are limited to that of siblings as the Sanchez family took her in after she was orphaned. With all that she has endured, it is hard as a reader not to feel sympathy and admiration for Lidia as she tries so hard to prove that she is not the same as her uncle and that their shared blood will not send her on the same path … that of a rogue shifter.

As Lidia fights her heritage, Brayden Sanchez fights his inner cat as he is determined to give Lidia the space and time she thinks she needs, time until she admits that they are mates and they will be joined as Shadow Shifters to take their place in the ever-looming war with the rogues. Of course, you can’t help but like Brayden. He’s trying so hard to fight his animal instinct in order to do what his mate is convinced she needs to do even though he thinks she’s fighting a losing battle. When Brayden begins to question whether Lidia will actually return to take her place as a Shadow Shifter with the tribe, he contemplates whether he can return to the tribe without her OR if he too will turn his back on their tribe in order to remain with his mate – even as she continues to refuse to acknowledge they are mates.

Brayden is a nice guy who finds himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Will he choose his mate or his tribe? You’ll have to read Part of Me to find out. As with Mine to Claim the story is focused more on the relationship and less on the sexual interactions despite the couple’s obvious chemistry, and yet again, you don’t feel short-changed. Ms. Arthur has given her readers another well-written installment in her Damaged Hearts series and I am looking forward to the next novella in the series, Hunger for You.