The Night Pack Series, Shane Honorae

This is a really exciting start to an interesting series.  There are mysteries at every turn and enough answers that keep you satisfied enough to keep reading.  The Winter Omega is a prequel to the Night Pack series (and currently free!) which gives context to The Last Omega and is a good idea to read first just because it helps to understand what kind of world Asher lives in as well as making it a little easier to wait for the eventual answers the rest of the series will provide for Asher's parents.  Yeah, for all the sense that last bit made...I'll make that more clear below.  I'm really excited for more from this series!  These are my first tastes of this author's work and I'm totally in!  I signed up to receive an ARC of The Last Omega and was more than pleasantly surprised to not just like the book, but to enjoy the writing style.

So, here's a run-down of why I liked each book and why I'm really excited for more!

*Currently FREE!

In this short prequel we meet Frost and Kane, a winter wolf and a kitsune shifter.  We find that Frost is a special wolf, one that is thought to be unlucky and a curse because their snowy white fur can't hide them or their innate magic from an entity known as the Terrors.  It's unclear what they are except that they exist in the shadows and feed on humans and shifters alike.  A pregnant winter wolf, and a male no less, is in even more danger because humans fear shifters and believe them to be responsible for the Terrors.

Frost is spurned from his pack because his presence and his fur will attract the Terrors so he makes his way in the wilderness.  There he meets his mate, a kitsune shifter named Kane.  A kitsune is an uncommon and very, very special shifter.  They are foxes that grow multiple tails as they gain experiences and age and they also have a special magic innate to them.  Together they run, hide, and develop a great love.  They also create new life.  Frost becomes pregnant and as the time for the delivery fast approaches they are forced to make a choice that will forever change not only their lives, but the life of their unborn son and every life he will touch.

This was very short so we get basics and a summary but it's very clear that lives aren't peaceful and there's danger everywhere.  We grow to feel deeply for this couple and see them embark on an incredibly uncertain future.  Included are also some tidbits of information that give a very general overview of what the world looks like for them.  It's a really great introduction to how they live and what life is like for these three groups that fear and hunt one another.

And now we come to Asher and his story...

*Currently only 79¢!

Opening with Asher in an orphanage...

wait, WHAT?  We totally just read about his parents, what happened?!

...and in this orphanage he is older, a little jaded, built for survival and scrappy but has an innate goodness about him and is determined to protect those younger and smaller than him.  One particular boy requires more than the average saint's patience and is currently in a situation that needs rescuing.  Asher has the ability to see paths and where they'll lead based on certain decisions but is completely unaware of his magic and his own mysterious past.  He just thinks it's one of his quirks.  By saving Petey and escaping the human colony to protect him because he's a werewolf, they find themselves at the mercy of the wilderness.  A group of Terrors find them on the first night and would die if not for the wolf-witch Sage and a couple pack members who came to their aid.

Sage is an alpha but has taken vows to be only a wolf-witch.  He sees the coming of chaos and change in a dream and is unaware of all the implications of it.  When he finds the distressed young alpha and a human being attacked by the Terrors.  Once back within the pack's borders they find a whole other set of difficulties with a "Major A-hole" for a pack leader as well as his cronies, magic, humans, border threats, and mounting attractions.  Pun not exactly intended there...

So with the drama in the pack, frustrations with outside threats, and avoiding their attraction, Sage and Asher are having a difficult time navigating all the complex emotions and draw they feel for one another.  There's not really a lot of romantic build between the two but there is a lot of education and information that they share with one another that builds a foundation of trust and authenticity that and it serves as a much better way for them to have the passion last.  Well, until there's an ambush, a forced claiming of a claim (awkward wording, I know, but when you read the story you'll understand), and forced separation.

Even after and during all of that it's all Sage can do to maintain the borders and do his duty because he aches without Asher, now Ash, by his side.  Similarly for Ash, he longs for Sage but can do nothing except submit to the strictures placed on him by the pack alpha.  Ash does, however, have a plan because all is not as it seems with him.

Watching all of this play out was exciting and intriguing, so much so that I didn't mind all that much that the romance was a bit overshadowed.  The final confrontation was unexpected and really well done.  I'm excited for where the series will go, especially with all the hints and conflict left at the end.  I'm especially looking forward to two stories, Raven and Kane...yep, that Kane =]

Stronger Than Truth, Dakila Reed

This was both as dark and as hopeful as I expected. Regem and Liam were almost doomed from the word "go" to be on opposite sides of the fence and yet to also become partners in a way neither of them could have predicted. Not all is as it seems and there are some things that are stronger than truth.

Liam is in a situation that seems like it's either too cruel to be true or just too cruel. The real truth was slightly predictable, but not in the simple way you would think. He's not just a good guy in a bad situation, nor is he seeking a way out. That's not really a spoiler, it's what you would go in assuming because of how awful he's painted. Well, there's so much more to the story and to Liam that the only way to know him and why he does what he does is to read the story. I liked Liam, even with his brutality.

Regem was a bit more annoying to me. I understand about his past and his prejudices, but his attitude toward Liam is more than frustrating because he's blinding himself to just about everything except his own personal angst and taking things at their face value. With his job and supposed intelligence he should know to open his eyes and mind wider, to see the truth behind what's visible, and to know that not everything is as black and white as he wants it to be.  He eventually gets there, but he experiences another heartbreaking moment before he realizes just what he could have had.

The whole book was filled with difficult situations and more lows than highs.  In then end, though, it became worth it because it wouldn't have felt right if it didn't.  I wish the very end were a bit longer to solidify the happiness that they're beginning to have, but it ends with hope and love so I can't really complain.  There wasn't really any steam in the entirety of the story and the physical coming together of Liam and Regem was more about healing and acceptance and building a future than it was about passion and excitement.

Without reading the first book the world is a little confusing because there are so many things that are unfamiliar and unexplained.  I would recommend reading the series from the beginning but more for the world everyone exists in rather than continuity of relationships and characters.  The world could have been described better.  When I say better, I don't mean the number of words used, because there's no shortage on Hemingway-esque descriptions, but I mean clear and concise information would be quite helpful.  But overall, the ending was satisfactory and made me a little interested in the world that was created.

One Call Away, Felice Stevens

Coming out, forgiving, accepting, confessions, upheavals, honesty, reconciliations, gaining self-confidence, community, heart. All of that and more. I loved it.

Noah struggles with his past and is the king of "Do as I say, not as I do." Thankfully he finds Oren who struggles with his present. Together they heal themselves and one another. Their struggles and coming together create a bond and a friendship that carries over into their romantic relationship. That kind of foundation is solid and believable.

Oren was my favorite. He struggled so hard with all the changes that came with admitting who he really is but the entire time he never once avoided what needed to be done. My favorite was that he didn't project his insecurities onto Noah or make Noah feel guilty for being who he is. Oren's heart was both strong and so sweet.

Noah was great too. His own frustrations with his past colored the start of things with Oren, which was understandable, but because of Oren's direct and honest attentions, he figures things out.

The plot was slow to start, but once it picked up I found that I wasn't too tolerant of my various distractions. Thankfully SpongeBob has a magic ability to distract my 4 year old during her sister's nap and I could just sit and read since I didn't want to put the book down. It wasn't riveting, but it was definitely engaging and I became invested in these men and their situations.

Overall, this was a great read, one I would absolutely recommend to someone who wanted to read about men who love and struggle just like the rest of us. They struggle with identity, forgiveness, jobs, family.

Haunted, Casey Ashwood

This was more of a tender story than a scary one.  Given the title you'd think it was meant to be more on the scary side but through the course of the story it becomes apparent that the haunting actually becomes a vehicle for something much larger, more important, and heartfelt.

Colby is totally awkward and more shy than most but is really trying to get out of his shell and experience life and people.  Well, he's planning to.  When a house is suddenly inherited from a recently deceased relative he's surprised to say the least.   It gives him an unexpected chance to make some necessary changes in his life.  The house comes with a bit of something...extra, though.  When he discusses the creepy noises and presence in his house with his friend he's encouraged to find a ghost hunter to investigate.

Declan is the hunter Colby gets to come check things out and there's more than a little interest on both their parts.  The ghost is what initially draws him to Colby but that interest quickly turns into something more, something based on reality and not the possibility of a haunting.  With his own painful past drawing him into this life and Colby as a possible future, he finds healing for his soul and his heart.

By solving the mystery behind Colby's haunting they are able to bring peace and resolution to the ghost, an old man, and to both Colby and Declan.  The ghost provides a way for each of these people (and even an aloof uncle) to make amends, find freedom from pain, answers to questions, and a way to accept themselves for who they are and who they love.  So it's not just a ghost story, the ghost was merely a tool for something else to get a message out.

This was an uplifting story with some creepy shadows that were well written.   I could feel Colby's nervousness and liked his shyness.  Declan was alright, but I felt closer to Colby.  Overall, the book was a quick read and enjoyable.

*Currently only 98¢!

New To The Game, Juno Chase

The beginning was fun and I was really getting to know Chloe and like her.  She had a good head on her shoulders, knew the general direction she wanted to go and was set on making herself useful, valuable, and getting all the knowledge and experience this internship would allow her to.  As the story progressed I felt like she was losing sight of what she was all about.  She was easily distracted and I didn't enjoy her trying to get Harrison to make a decision for her.  She had a lot of contacts at her disposal and when she was put in a place where she needed to decide her path she could have thought things through a bit more instead of becoming more emotional than rational.  For her character I think she started strong and ended in a place that was more immature.   If the book were longer I think she could have been written better so that she didn't end up on a decline in strength.

Harrison was alright, we don't really know much about him as a person and I felt like we were shafted because he could have been a strong match for her.  He was intriguing, dark, sexy, and intelligent, but as the story moved forward I felt like he wasn't helping Chloe achieve her potential.  As a partner he could have been more encouraging, more solid.  Instead, his back and forth and his teasing helped turn her into a hormonal teenager rather than a woman of purpose and strength.  Her pluck and sexiness drew him in but they didn't really progress beyond that as individuals or a partnership.

Each of the characters could have been much more.  The book started strong and then ended in a way that you have to read the rest of the series to know the women and the outcome of the BINGO game but to also hope for more from each pairing, even in the periphery.   It was a pretty good book overall and a good start to the series.   I'd read more, but I'm hoping the author ups her game for the rest because if each woman stagnates or declines, I'll be disappointed.  Here's to hoping there's more and better from here on out...