Rav Miller is a big, brawny biker with a heart of absolute gold, when it applies to dogs. People, not so much. He grew up in a family that thrived on making tons of cash in real estate and business, but he didn't like the cut-throat, often not even legal, tactics they took to make more and more money. So, he stepped away and began rescuing dogs. 
 Over the years, he decided that opening a no-kill shelter was the best manner to his goal: more dog rescues. He even went to shelters in his area and rescued dogs tagged for destruction. A year ago, he met some strange men from Mad Creek, California; these guys helped him return all his animals from sheltering int he desert after vandals had turned the whole facility loose. Rav never forgot the experience, and he was struck by the intelligence in the eyes of some random dogs they'd brought along, including Milo. And, he sees that same spark of intelligence in Sammy, a shy chocolate lab. 
 Sammy's first life was as a chocolate lab, and it began with a great start. He loved his owner, and she loved him, but she fell down the stairs one day and he was too scared to bark for help. Her sister took Sammy in when his first owner died. But, this woman's husband was abusive and particularly hated Sammy. He hated when Sammy interfered while he was beating his wife, and he beat Sammy, too. He threatened to leave Sammy out in the snow during the winter, so she took him to a shelter. There he meets a dog who can turn into a man, one who insists Sammy will be able to do so if only he tries hard enough. Sammy isn't sure if he can, but he also recognizes that he needs to get away from this shelter before his kill date comes up. He takes careful note of his dog-man-friend's instruction on how to make it to Mad Creek and be safe. All Sammy needs to do is get adopted, however, he is terrified of large men and few families are willing to adopt him. His kill date draws lethally close. Until Rav comes along. 
 Rav tries to win Sammy's trust, but it's hard to do. Within a week, Sammy the dog goes missing. Rav's speechless when he watches surveillance footage showing Sammy open his cage, and several doors, in order to release himself from captivity. Upon activating Sammy's tracker, he follows his meandering labrador to Mad Creek, several hundred miles away. Two connections to Mad Creek in one year is too much coincidence, and Rav decides a road trip is necessary. Arriving, he cannot believe what he finds: lots and lots of doggy-acting humans. Is it magic, or science? If there's any people Rav could love, it would be these remarkable dog-people. 
 Sheriff Lance Beaufort isn't happy that Rav's deciding to stay, but the whole town is overjoyed when Rav announces he's planning to open a dog rescue in Mad Creek, and he's willing to hire members from the community as staff: firstly, Sammy. He immediately notices how many unemployed people live in Mad Creek, and how thin the financial resources are stretched. Yet, working with Sammy shows Rav how easy it is to train the "quickened" dogs (who appear as people because they are dog shifters) in new, but repetitive, tasks. It's first nature to them to do the same thing over and over, and it gets Rav's brain working on potential industries he might be able to bring to Mad Creek, to provide jobs for the thousands of quickened who'd never adapt sufficiently to standard jobs in an unsheltered life. 
 While Sammy is falling head over tails for Rav, Rav's doing the same with Sammy. Their relationship grows slowly, because Sammy is newly quickened and his physical body is more mature than his emotional or mental age. Plus, Sammy is still shy of large men, even in his human body. Still, being close with Rav is exciting and Sammy's pals, like Milo, help him figure out how to become a physical lover. Rav's patience and quiet love for the man-dog he'd rescued back in Arizona pays off, and Rav's experience in business brings new life to Mad Creek. I don't really want to discuss those details, because the intricate plotting is very sweet. The book is a bit of a slow burn, and has some dark moments, too. Like, Sammy's experiences of abuse, and the way the Mad Creek folks try to run Rav out of town. Expect true love to win the day, Sheriff Lance to get a new partner in caring for Mad Creek, and the quickened to find new hope and industry. It's tender adn sweet and gooey and I loved every second of it. While there's no guarantee we'll see another book in this series, I'm wishing on stars and howling at the moon for one.