4.5 Stars for this M/M shifter mystery romance. 
 Avery and Dylan are both shifters living in Portland, Oregon. They have known each other for two years and should be happily mated except: 
 1. Dylan thinks true mates are miserable, case in point--his parents. 
 2. Avery is a hedgehog shifter, and was deeply offended when Dylan made fun of the idea of mating with such a lowly creature (Dylan is a respected wolf shifter). 
 3. Avery insulted Dylan after Dylan's insult and now they mostly hate each other. 
 Avery is a bit of a spoiled brat. His parents give him a hefty monthly allowance which he blows on expensive clothes, personal yoga training and gourmet food. And still, he wagers on an illegal shifter race and finds himself $15K in the hole to a crime lord. Dylan hears of Avery's predicament, and bails him out. He doesn't have to, but he chooses to save his mate, even if they aren't officially mated. 
 In the course of his money trouble, Avery's parent's cut off his allowance and Avery is begging for a job. The Portland Pack Alpha is Avery's BFF Jaden's father, and Avery is able to secure a pack job, bringing meals to shut-in shifters and driving them to appointments. It's lowly, but Avery appreciates that he has more purpose than ever in his life. 
 In the meantime, Dylan and Avery recognize that their bond is becoming stronger of its own accord, and they should probably get to know one another to see if completing the mating ritual will be the biggest mistake evah. It's quietly endearing, the way they date and barely touch. Dylan fears being forever glued to a mate he cannot stand, and seeks some advice from his mother. He decides to "go slow" and this is good and bad. We get a lot of tension, but Avery isn't sure if Dylan's really interested. Hedgehogs don't have the same fated mates dynamic as wolves, so he figures Dylan is only invested from a wolf standpoint--and Avery doesn't want to fall hard for sexy Dylan if it's all one-sided. 
 I really did enjoy prickly Avery. He's so tender on the inside and armored on the outside! Even his designer clothes are a form of protection, keeping others at bay. He gets over himself, and really starts thinking of others first as the plot unfolds. Yay! 
 The final 2/3 of the book involve a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young female shifter, only daughter to one of Avery's shut-ins. Avery vows to find the lost girl and gets dragged into an investigation of a human trafficking operation. Expect a lot of action and drama on this front. Dylan is a great guy, the kind of mate anyone, even Avery, would desire. And Avery's desire is so attractive to Dylan that he's drawn in, against his reticence. 
 There are some yummy sexytimes, though they happen in the second half of the book. I did like the slow burn, and the cautious moves into what Avery and Dylan understand will be a forever relationship. They treat each other with respect, though there is a bit of secret-keeping that drives that action in the climax. 
 Definitely rooting for these guy in the sequel. And the secondary characters are all super yum. Expecting to see them in their own books!