This series is seriously combustible. And addictive. My biggest regret is the long release lag time in waiting for the next book to arrive. Otherwise, mwah, hot, and *fans self* so in love with these mated couples.
This one takes it to the next level.
Itās a kinky air powerful witch and even kinkier arty werewolf assassin in mate love. In a forced marriage and suspense filled thriller of a story.
More of Rocco and Emmy! I honestly need them in more than this one book. They are fantastic!
Emilioās brutal family history has been played out over the previous storylines but itās damage to his character is front row here. Its meshes beautifully with the shaky history and past of Rocco, so when the magical power of the mate bond begins, itās also powered by their shared trauma and kinks. Itās sexy, raw, hot and believable for them and the reader.
Both the Lunetti Pack as led by Alpha Marco and the Elemental Mayhem MCās, who are led by Blaze, President of the MC (witches), are in well written and impactful roles. I canāt wait to see what the author has in store for them going forward. Silas too.
The vampires were curiously absent this time. Iām betting they will be a huge factor in the next book.
Thereās so many great elements here. From the side families, to the ongoing mystery and drama to that artwork. I want more.
Highly recommended and fabulous.
Cover by Camberion
Lunettti Pack:
His Mate By Vengeance (Angelo & Vin) #1
His Mate By Resistance #2 (Cal and Luca)
His Mate By Allegiance #3 (Rocco and Emilio)
His Mate By Defiance #4 (Rafe and Adri) – June 12, 2026
The wild in you calls to the wild in me, and if you let me, I will answer. I will always answer.ā
Rocco is being punished and he doesn’t like it. He probably shouldn’t have seduced and stalked the police chief’s son, but he’d been bored and no one ever should’ve noticed. His powers as an air witch skilled in illusion are too valuable for the Elemental Mayhem MC to let him go, so they’ve forced him into this sham of a wedding. They’re lucky the wolf shifter is so hot or he’d never go along with it. All bets are off once he can prove he was betrayed.
His Mate By Allegiance is an MM mafia shifter paranormal romance. It features arranged marriage, fated mates, shadow hands, and other paranormal play, including knotting. There is no mpreg in this world.
The second book in Marie Reynardās excellent paranormal fated mate mystery series, Impulsive Connections is one of those stories that kept me up til the early morning hours. Then ended on a thrilling cliffhanger. I wasnāt expecting that.
Reynard has been building a superb paranormal mystery that borders on the horror for this series. Itās a fated mate romance that has an overlying series plot about a disappearing shifters, shifter territories under siege by mysterious dark forces, and entire packs suffering or sometimes failing from odd magical symptoms.
With each new book and couple (a mage/shifter fated mate storyline), more of the complex arc plot and its elements are revealed.
Reynardās characterizations and plot lines are excellent. Both in terms of how the author builds the relationship between scholarly mage Liam Batiste and the extroverted romantic wolf shifter, Kade Mills, weaving series foundation knowledge and mystery elements into it while maintaining the core plot of a fated mate couple. Our attention is secured, our emotions engaged.
The author never fails to let her characters grow as the relationship develops, letting them reveal more of their inner lives and desires be communicated as the story progresses. This is true for not just the main characters but the equally important side characters as well, like Aran, and the other mages and shifters.
Another well done aspect of the series and the story is the magical elements. The various spells, the crafting abilities, and even the deep lore and research, stressing the importance for resources, itās all realistic and exciting. It makes sense and grounds this magical world.
Liam and Kadeās relationship is one I absolutely connected with, while enjoying their friendships with other people, including the close knit group of mages that arrived to help the Mills pack with their dark spirits troubling their territory.
Thereās a cliffhanger I hadnāt expected after the first book, and itās a heartbreaking moment. Itās times like this when I love having a fully finished series to read.
However, Iāll be waiting in mad anticipation for the third book to arrive and probably re-visiting this one to be ready!
Iām highly recommending this series and story for all lovers of the fated mate trope and paranormal romance novels. No mpreg. Thereās plenty of great suspense and magical battles to look forward to.
Read them in the order they are written for plot and character development.
Ignited by accident, fueled by fate. Some bonds burn brighter than any flame.
Kade Mills has spent over a decade dreaming of his ideal meet-cute. Surely the universe wouldn’t toss the perfect mage at him while he’s a scarred shadow of his former flirtatious self, recovering from his last encounter with the malicious spirits haunting his pack’s territory.
Liam Batiste is a man of simple pleasures; a quiet room and a stack of books are all he needs to be happy. He’s only in Lost Creek to help his friend save the Mills pack from the unknown evil infesting their land, but everything changes when he and Kade are paired up to capture the supernatural threat.
After a run-in with a spirit leaves them entangledāphysically and magicallyāthey must learn to control the newfound power their unwanted connection grants them. As they struggle to resist the heady pull of their bond, they begin to realize it may hold the key to defeating the dark forces that are endangering far more than just Kade’s packā¦ and perhaps it’s not as unwelcome as they first thought.
Impulsive Connections is a steamy 149k M/M paranormal romance featuring a playboy wolf shifter, a nerdy mage, and friends who are trying their very best not to meddle. This simmering slow burn is perfect for readers who love reluctant mates, unintended bonds, forced proximity, unfortunate bed shortages, and knotting. While it guarantees a happy ending for its main couple, the overarching plot does contain cliffhangers, and the series should be read in order. Please look inside for content warnings. (This series does not contain mpreg.)
Thereās certain books and series that just so grab your attention that they make you think why havenāt you been reading this author all along? Especially when itās a trope thatās a common must have for you.
Thatās what comes to mind when reading Mel Aitchessā Lunetti Pack series, a paranormal fated mate crime family romance series. Thatās a bunch of elements and tropes that just ticks all my boxes, narratively speaking. And the author does it outstandingly.
Now on book two and Aitchessā series gives us the hugely broken brother of the criminal Lunetti pack, brother to the Alpha and its IT hacker.
Thereās basically three crime families that run the city. Oneās a vampire clan, oneās all witches, and lastly, thereās the Wolf pack, the Lunettis. The author gives the reader a beautiful map in the beginning to help establish the territories and cityās layout in our minds. Itās needed because one of the series storylines is a murderous mystery and suspense driven plot of an anonymous character/group trying to drive a wedge between the three factions. Thatās a great story as a foundation for all the other plotting and elements to overlay.
Because prior weāve known that Luca has a tragic, traumatic past that has made the pack overly protective and turned him into an angry, solitary being. Scenes from the first book are now seen from his perspective and with more knowledge than we had previously. It builds a compelling narrative and complicated character.
Adding to this is another great character, that of the previously neutral water witch, Cal, who owns the hot night club, Hex Rated, we saw too in His Mate By Vengeance #1 . Cal and his club get fully fleshed out into his amazing water witch personality, complete with his water powers explored. Then itās taken up a notch.
Aitchess is weaving a brutal tale about two men with damaged pasts, in terrifying situations, under horrific strain and they still build a relationship, while not wanting to immediately accept whatās apparent.Thereās rightfully trigger warnings for violence among other things.
Thereās magic, brutality, crime, family, betrayal, fated mates, everything you would expect from a paranormal mafia romance, but more, complex, and the situation is ongoing into the future stories. Iām beyond frustrated I have to wait because Iām so addicted to this universe and characters.
The next book promises to be even more epic and dangerously exciting. Looks like several rereads in my future before then.
Both books, to be read in order, are highly recommended. A must read each.
His boy deserved better. He deserved to be the centre of someoneās world.
Luca stumbled on something he shouldn’t have and now someone’s trying to kill him. If only he knew what and who. He hates that he has to use his hacking skills against his own pack as he hunts down the traitor. He hates it even more when his Alpha sends him away for his safety. Hex-Ratedāthe hottest gay nightclub in New Trinityāis the last place he expected to be hiding out. The water witch who owns it better keep his damn hands to himself.
Cal has no time for the three crime families that run the city. He’s worked hard to keep his club on the right side of the law. That’s all put at risk when a favour for a friend has him faking a relationship with a Mafia wolf shifter. Luca’s a criminal and there’s no way Cal would go there for real. Even if the shifter brings out every protective instinct in him. Even if Luca is so good for him despite himself.
His Mate By Resistance is an enemies to lovers MM Paranormal Romance. It’s book two in the Lunetti Pack series, but can be read as a standalone. It features forced proximity, a fake relationship, knotting, a water witch Daddy, and magic sensory play. There is no mpreg in this world.
ā His Mate By Resistance: MM Mafia Shifter PNR (Lunetti Pack Book 2) by Mel Aitchess
Mel Aitchess isnāt an author Iāve read often, if ever before, but based on how much I enjoyed His Mate By Vengeance, Iām adding Aitchess to my list of musts.
This is the first book in a new paranormal fated mate crime family romance series (thatās a mouthful), and I loved it.
His Mate By Vengeance (Lunetti Pack, #1) by Mel Aitchess has individual mobs/packs of werewolves, vampires, witches, each with their own crime bosses, etc, all living their best criminal lives alongside an oblivious human society. Thereās a very cool map included of the City and distinct territories.
Aitchess does an excellent job of laying out the disputes that are occurring, internally whether from political or power struggles , or from outside factors that are affecting the various criminal families. The author does this, through the well written characters and their interactions, but also with revelations about their history through dialogue with others.
Itās a multi dimensional narrative that gives the reader beautifully balanced characters that inhabit a developing universe along with a growing mystery.
The main characters? Hot, so so hot. Equally emotionally damaged, murderously skilled, insanely sexy, with horrendous past histories that make them a perfect fit. Assassin Vampire to guardian werewolf. Thatās both Vin, the vampire assassin, and Angelo, the adopted werewolf protector of the Lunetti pack. Theirs is a fated mate enemy to lover romance thatās one I easily engaged with and found that I not only enjoyed the relationship but the storylines being built up around them.
That includes Marco, the Alphaās, and the next book to be released, His Mate By Resistance, which is Lucaās story .
Iām absolutely looking forward to reading this.
Final notes. These are crime families so expect certain events or elements to happen. See warnings. No mpreg.
I have lived for centuries. I have used and been used. Had countless lovers. And I have never wanted more. Not once. Not until today. Not until you.
Angelo is a protectorāhead of the Lunetti Pack’s security. He walks a delicate line avoiding the darker side of his mafia shifter pack’s business, but there’s no grey area in his hatred of vampires. Not after what they did to his family. When his Alpha orders him to keep one safe, it takes everything in him to obey. So, why is his wolf so intoxicated by the sassy vampire assassin’s scent permeating the safe house? And did there have to be only one damn bed?
Vin doesn’t know who’s trying to frame him for the bombing targeting the head of the local vampire coven, but he’s got the skills and ruthlessness to figure it out. When he called in a favour for somewhere to lay low, he hadn’t intended it to come equipped with a wolf shifter bodyguard, but he isn’t complaining. Angelo is as easy on the eyes as he is to rile up. Seduction is a game and Vin’s always loved a challenge. Until Angelo does something no one ever has before. He cares.
Now, all bets are off. Angelo is his.
His Mate By Vengeance is a steamy enemies to lovers, fated mates, MM paranormal romance between a grumpy wolf shifter and a murder sunshine vampire assassin. It features forced proximity, only one bed, and knotting. There is no mpreg in this world.
Lost and Bound has to be one of my favorites of this series so far. Itās got a horrifying beginning. We get dropped into a nightmare where a character previously thought dead is imprisoned, tortured, and experimented on.
Jared Armitage, a problematic character whoās caused no end of heartbreak and issues for his own family and pack is now close to dying. Heās cognizant that heās made many wrong choices to get where heās is but doesnāt want to die.
I like that Graysonās creation of Jared reflects the fact that Jaredās made enormous mistakes and that he realizes exactly why he made them, the flaws in himself that made his betrayals possible. Jared is such a tortured , damaged soul but his acceptance of his guilt lays the way towards his forgiveness and acceptance.
Calder is a striking figure. From the first dark, fearsome impression of a starving monster to the being that we continue to see grow beyond our understanding, heās such a formidable force. And my favorite.
Watching these two together, as they work through traumatic events, family disputes, and further emotional devastation, well, itās gripping, sexy, and deeply satisfying.
More about these two please because I feel their story is far from over.
Arik and Matt, Ian and Nate make strong appearances here. But the book belongs to Jared and Calder.
Iām highly recommending it. The series too. Read them mostly in order . Skip First Blood. For many reasons.
Kidnapped, imprisoned, and experimented on for two years, Jared Armitage has lost the will to live. When his captors give him to another prisoner, one who can and probably will take Jaredās life, he comes face to face with the most terrifying thing of all: hope.
Calderās warlock captors meant to turn him into a monster, and they nearly succeeded. Starved, desperate, and filled with rage, Calder hasnāt cared about anyone in years. Until Jared. Together they have a chance at escape and Calder has someone to fight and kill for. To cherish. Someone he doesnāt want to hurt.
Life after captivity isnāt easy. Jared never wanted a mate like Calder, but he craves Calderās intense attention, his ability to take Jared apartā¦and then put him back together again. Even if their mate bond is only temporary.
But Calderās made a promiseāone heāll die before he breaksānever to hurt Jared or let him be hurt. Unexpected enemies are lurking, targeting Jared, Calderās one weakness. Their intense bondāand maybe even loveāare worth everything, and they’re both willing to fight for itā¦or die trying.
Lost and Bound contains dubcon and graphic violence. It also includes a monster who torments his mate by being too gentle, the werewolf who canāt stop craving him, and knottingāand a guaranteed HEA. The book has new main characters, but it is best read in series. This series does not contain mpreg.
I picked up Pressure hoping by reading the first of the Lunar Wolves books Iād get a better understanding of the universe and setting for Burrellās stories and characters.
Unfortunately, the answer is not really. I still donāt know if the world the events take place in belongs to humans AND lunar wolves originally, or if lunar wolves came later.
Also unanswered is the question of how and why the solar and celestial wolves clans or species came to this world or dimension. And who they are exactly. They appear to have, at least the solar wolves do, a very specific and rigid culture.
But this is a lunar wolf series. Whereās their rich background? Are there other series Iām missing?
At any rate, once again, I enter a story with a incomplete picture of the world and itās cultural history and current affairs. That lack of information will have the reader try to piece together essential bits of storylines and failing because we just canāt make sense of them.
If you can toss aside the backstory and concentrate on just the relationship of Axe Landry, Chief of LCEA, and Caden Borealis, only son of a isolated witch clan, then the story is very interesting. I like the main characters as they met and finally agreed to mate. A messy path indeed.
Axe has a hidden secret (one the reader doesnāt know until later), but he must obtain a mate to continue on in his job.
All wolves ,apparently, must mate with a witch, due to The Sacred Pact. Thatās actually spelled out for the reader and Caden. Otherwise, they go primal, lone, and wild.
So arranging for a mate is a common practice among clans of witches and wolves.
Caden is a different sort of person. Heās headed towards being a drug dealer, with a sleazy boyfriend and loser attitude. I like how this turns out.
Burrell could have spent the entire storyline on the adjustments both Caden and Axe had to make to each other, to the surprises inherent in their relationship and mate bond. Also to Cadenās reaction to Crescent City and the paranormal world. It would have been a excellent time to get those pesky things like background elements and foundation building in.
But instead thereās a mystery and murder to investigate too.
For myself, that took away from character development and pushed the story toward more threads than it could possibly handle.
Did I enjoy Pressure? Yes. Did I feel I had read a story that had a firm foundation of its universe set out for its readers? No. Likable characters and romantic relationships are engaging but within a story where we donāt have a complete picture of the world around them.
Thatās a tad frustrating. Where did those solar wolves come from?
So if youāre a Burrell fan and have the answers, then Iām sure you will be picking up this book. All others make your own choices.
Axe Landry is the disgraced heir of a defeated Alpha. He craves law, order, and stability, but he’s clinging to his position of Chief of the Lunar Council Enforcement Agency, the protectors of Crescent City, by a thread. If he doesn’t find a mateāa witch mate, at thatāby the next full moon, he’s bound for a life of ridicule and isolation. And to Axe, that kind of humiliation is a fate worse than death.
Enter Caden Borealisāwild, reckless…and irresistible.
Caden hasn’t made much of his twenty-three years on earth. His dysfunctional family and traumatic past sent him on a five year bender, but when his grandpa gets sick, Caden knows he needs to take care of the only person who ever cared about him. Caden’s life is a mess, though, and he desperately needs money if he wants to save his grandpa’s life.
A deliciously indecent proposal.
When Caden first hears Axe’s proposal, he can’t believe Axe is serious. All he has to do is pretend to be Axe’s husband and Axe will give him half a million dollars? There has to be a catch. Sure, Axe is a little strict. And yeah, there’s a list of rules Caden has to follow. But he can play the obedient pretend husband for as long as it takes for his grandpa to get better.
Unless it’s all real…
When werewolves start to go missing in Crescent City, Caden realizes he might be in over his head. He’s never let himself rely on anyone before, but Axeāolder, gorgeous, steady Axeābecomes his rock as he learns to navigate this newfound world of witches and werewolves. But as the lines between real and pretend blur, Caden can’t always remember that he’s only acting like he’s in love. He needs to keep his head in the game, but it might just be his heart that’s calling the shots now.
Pressure is the first book in the Lunar Wolves series. It is a paranormal gay romance with mystery, suspense, a stern and sexy wolf, and an impulsive twink who maybe shouldāve actually read that contractālike Axe had instructedābefore he signed it.
Itās that cover! Couldnāt resist. So while I wasnāt really buying into some of the themes the authors (K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe are Mika Nix) created in book one, I went on and picked up the second novel in the series, Smoulder.
Turns out, itās missing most but not all of the elements I had issues with and I found this entertaining and a fast, enjoyable read.
For starters, this dragon brotherās character is one that I really found interesting and more nuanced. Whereas Nico was all hot headed , action without thought, Hemingway is almost his opposite. A collector of antiquities, gems, and, most importantly, books, Hemingway is a thoughtful and layered personality.
Dempsey Ryan, Drake Securityās newest client and Hemingwayās future mate here is a terrific character in his own right. In his early forties and a collector of rare and unusual items, especially books and jewels, his personality and interests are crafted by the authors to mesh well with Hemingwayās so their chemistry and instant attraction to each other makes sense on multiple levels.
The readers just like them together and we just get it. The strongest part of this story is the romantic relationship, with Hemingwayās attitude towards and attempts at wooing Dempsey.
The mystery that has Dempsey needing protection is probably the weakest part of the narrative. It builds backwards, filling in facts just when the reader is asking questions about where that aspect of the story came about. It feels hurriedly filled in instead of part of a plot. And the ending was anticlimactic for all the events and drama building up to it. While it was a nice surprise and added a new powerful character to the group, it wasnāt the ending that fit the storyline that lead up to it.
Smoulder finishes with a wedding, a new start for a couple I throughly loved, and a hint as to whoās going to be next in line for their mate and novel.
As much as I enjoyed this Iāll be heading into the next episode to see how it all goes down.
I was hired to protect him, but will our smoldering attraction ignite into love?
When my hot headed brother found his fated mate, a deep, aching desire opened up inside of me for my own. Everyone knows dragons are covetous, jealousā¦ possessive. I am all of these things, but never more so than when I set my eyes on Dempsey for the first time.
Beautiful. Awkward. Sweet. Shy. Perfect. My dragon wants to wrap himself around him the moment he bumps into me outside of his antique shop. Dempsey, however, is not as keen on that idea as my inner beast is.
He hired Drake Security for protection, and he needs it even more than he realized. Unfortunately, we specialize in brute strength and burning sh*t to the ground, and the problem Dempsey has is way out of our league.
Is he my fated mate or am I just so desperate for one that Iām falling for him too fast? Either way, Iāll move heaven and hell to protect him, even if the forces that are after him are unlike anything Iāve dealt with before.
Iāve spent thousands of years hoarding books and storing their words close to my heart. Will the love stories that live inside my soul be enough to woo him? Is it too much to hope that fate has chosen him for me?
**** Smolder is book 2 in the Drake Security series and has a reluctant fated mate, dragon shifters, book swooning, ancient mysteries, and magic. Each book can be read on its own, but is so much better if read in order. The series is all dragons, NO MPREG.
Mismatched Mates is a series I stopped because one book , First Blood, in it just disconnected me from the arc in that it was more of a side storyline. Unlike the other couples and relationships, that one of a sex worker and enforcer just wasnāt fully developed and I lost the momentum to continue onto the rest of the series.
Itās taken a while but Iāve meandered, via the story , Twice Bitten, back to the Armitage pack, related packs nearby and mismatched matings. So now Iām picking up where I left off earlier with The Alpha Experiment .
Itās a wonderful best friends to lovers or mates in this case storyline, with a sideline of drama, a morsel of clueless scientist, hot sex, and HEA. No mpreg.
A human born into a werewolf family by virtue of a human mother and were father, Dr. Newton McEwen has felt weaker, somewhat less than the rest of his family, although theyāve never given him reason to think that they love him any differently from his sibling because he was born without the werewolf genes. So his research has been to further develop human healing and other properties using shifter DNA. Research thatās brought shady tech company executives to his door.
Poor Newton. You feel for him immediately. He feels inadequate next to his shifter family, even his human mother. His research isnāt conclusive and heās frankly living in a dump. Next comes the threatening emails.
I do like that heās smart enough to realize he requires help and asks for it. And then agrees, mostly, with Colinās advice about how to proceed with the situation.
So many times Iāve read stories where the MC blindly goes ahead putting everything and everyone in danger, earning them a TSTL title from me. Thankfully itās avoided here. Thereās a tiny section where you think itās happening but all isnāt lost.
Newton makes mistakes. But itās his trust , faith , and feelings for Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball that holds true. Colin, a known figure here, is a lifelong best friend of Newtonās. Itās easy to pickup on the vibes that Graysonās written into the dynamics here for the couple. We know what they donāt early on, and have the enjoyment of watching the clueless mating dance.
Grayson builds a great bit of tension into the narrative. Sexual tension between the two main characters, the tension and suspense involved in the blackmail plot, and schemes to overturn it.
The author does all this while working to build a romance within a long-standing friendship and sorting out new conflicting emotions.
If it all came together a bit quickly, well, it was so satisfying that I was willing to look beyond that because the resolution was not a simple one and contained multiple elements to meet the conflicts that led into this situation.
I was left feeling happy, satisfied, and looking forward to the next installment.
Iām recommending this book. I like the series but recommend that you read the reviews as not all need to be read as a part of the arc flow. I have now read a couple out of order, Twice Bitten being the most recent. So the book order seems to be a suggestion rather than a requirement.
Studying shifter genetics takes brains, patienceā¦and sometimes simulating mating rituals with your alpha-werewolf bestie. You know, for scienceā¦
Brilliant geneticist Newton McEwen, the only human in a family of werewolves, has devoted his life to researching the scientific key to shifter magic. Now heās being blackmailed and his lifeās work is threatened if he canāt produce results.
Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball is a newly-minted pack leader with a mountain of responsibilities, but when his lifelong best friend tells him he needs help, Colin drops everything to run to his aid. But Newtās not just looking for a brawny bodyguard to watch his backāhe needs help with an experiment, one he canāt carry out alone.
Out of academically approved methods, and desperate to accelerate his research, Newtās trying a last-ditch approach, with himself as the test subject. And the very alpha Colin as the catalyst.
Determined to succeed, Newtās willing to get up close and personal with Colin as many times as it takes. Only feelings werenāt a variable logic-minded Newt took into account. Now not only is Newtās career on the line, his most important relationship is at stake. Can they outwit Newtās blackmailer and move on from their experimentationā¦or will they lose the friendship that means everything to them?
The Alpha Experiment features not-so-scientific mating rituals, magical handcuffs, some very inappropriate outdoor activities, knotting, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Even though itās number five in the Mismatched Mates series, it can be read as a standalone. The series does not contain mpreg.
Wolf Soul , third in the Outcast Pack series, is my favorite to date. It changes up things by introducing a cat shifter, in this case, a leopard shifter as a mate. It also brings in toxic male sexual stereotypical roles, hypermasculinity, all within a werewolf pack or rigid community.
And the idea of what constitutes a leader within that rigid hierarchy.
So yes, this story covers a lot of ground with a short amount of length and does a great job of describing the issues and resolutions. It , the drama, will be also carried over to the next book.
Kyle Ashfield, supposedly head of the Outcast Pack , but not officially, as the group has not been recognized by the Coven, the Paranormal governing board. With all the attacks on its members and home, the Coven is sending a agent to investigate the situation and make recommendations.
Thatās Cooper Badr, the leopard shifter.
The romance and relationship that comes from a meeting between Kyle and Cooper is sexy and full of emotion, especially when itās fraught with questions about leadership roles and toxic masculinity from past history.
I read the story right through. Itās exciting, full of a great action and excellent relationship growth. The characters are very well written and the supporting cast are equally memorable.
It makes me want to reach for the next book immediately.
If youāre a fan of paranormal fiction and romance, hereās a series you will want to check out.
Read them in the order they are written for events, and relationships growth and development:
With the rival wolves closing in, fighting attraction is one battle they canāt win.
For the last couple of years, Kyle Ashfieldās friends have used his rural property as a place to gather and run beyond the territory of the official wolf packs. But now, their numbers have attracted attention, and some packs are not happy that a bunch of outcast wolves are living so freely.
Cooper Badr is a leopard shifter and the Coven agent tasked with interviewing and investigating the pack so the Coven can make an informed decision about its future. Heās supposed to be impartial, but around Kyle, he wants to do other things than talk.
Will Coven grant the pack of gay wolf shifters territory, or will they be shut down and banned from running together?
Discover the Outcast Pack mm paranormal wolf shifter romance series. Join the wolves as they fight to make their pack official and fall in love along the way. Each book has a new couple and a HEA/HFN with no cliffhangers and no mpreg.
Wolf Soul is a steamy, gay opposites attract, age gap romance between a wolf who should know better and a leopard who has to learn to fight for what he wants.
Review note: This review contains several spoilers so please be aware prior to reading.
Mika Nix is the combined name of authors K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe who have co-written this series about dragon shifter brothers and their path to HEA with their fated mates.
Nico is one of a group of dragon shifter brothers who own and operate Drake Security. They live together in a complex/compound of single mansions and alternate taking on different clients as they are approved.
The latest is the son of wealthy businessman Lake Forrester II, Lake Forrester III. Heās a victim of a short term relationship gone very wrong, and now heās got a stalker.
Nico been hired to protect Lake and stop the stalker.
Iām a fan of dragons and the authors so wanted to see what they had in store for us readers with the new series.
I found some interesting stuff, some problematic issues small and large, characters that I liked, and a overall good thread that was entertaining.
First the positives .
I liked the idea of brothers banded by clutches. That while they have other siblings, the stretch of years between clutches renders each group more relatives than close family.
The family is distinct, with each brother having a different personality. They have chosen names and their dragon names, which are supposed to be hard to pronounce but just end up being French which I found hysterical.
The romance is a found soulmate one so itās a relationship that is quickly established and sweetly sexy if one sided dominant. I had some issues with the dynamics and relationship that begin with the character of Lake.
It has a HEA that will make most readers happy and itās a swift read in the genre that gives you a new series to look forward to.
For myself there are some things that the story lacks or I had issues with. They include:
š·The paranormal/human world history needs some work but I get the impression it will be addressed with each brother. This includes a lack of cultural context and knowledge here of dragon culture or history that lets soulmates fall into a almost mythological category but still be able to call ādadā up for soulmate bonding details.
š·Dragon Bigotry. I was really surprised at this. Paranormal bigotry between two species, right down to ugly stereotypes and name calling. While I think the authors are setting up a dramatic narrative for a Romeo/Julian situation here, it leaves a bad taste for me. Especially when the authors chose to use a well known werewolf mating technique (knotting) as a dragonās while making the werewolf/wolf shifter the lesser/ill-regarded species. itās explained itās only about territory and history but while making remarks about how they all āstink, are rank,..ā. Humans too are not regarded highly. But itās not as though the dragons exist within a isolated world. They live and do business within a human society.
So they come off as judgmental and prejudiced.
š·A dragon that talks human when In dragon form. That bothers the wildlife biologist in me. Yes Iām aware dragons arenāt real but if a author is going to treat them as though they are (spaces big enough for them to transform etc) then narratively do so in other ways too. Perhaps have them speak telepathically , not like a human. Because what about a dragonās bone structure, mouth and jaw shape makes that feel realistic or believable. Nothing. A telepathic form of communication has a far higher probability than than a dragon palette thatās able to throw flames and speak French.
šµIssues that earns a huge narrative side eye:
š·A big issue. Lakeās personality. He can seem like a giggly rich young man or an intelligent emotionally neglected one whoās absorbed just enough business sense from his family to make him a believable, layered figure. It varies honestly.
šØ Spoiler alert šØ
But heās extremely likable which makes the events towards the end disturbing. Heās abducted, there is an attempted sexual assault thatās extremely real, followed by a death. The expected narrative response to this would be emotional trauma and some kind of needed recovery. Does that happen? No. Itās fluffed off, like a bad minute, and itās onto some hot sex.
Thereās so many things that are deeply wrong about this treatment but it starts with the fact that if authors use SA as a story element then give it the serious consideration it is due. To say nothing of being abducted and physically assaulted.
It all happens, then a watery eye, a giggle, and Iām fine. Letās have sex. If as authors you needed Lake to be in danger, then surely another way could have been used that wouldnāt have made SA such a superficial element.
š·And finally , that whole disposal of the body nonsense at the end — last spoileršØ
What possible difference does it make if you remove a heart if you are going to burn the body and the scene of the crime to the ground so no one special āscentsā are left. Might as well leave it in. Itās so nonsensical.
Yes got the heart out. Signature move. Now everyone who see it will know it is us. Well done. Now toss it back on the fire with the lot . Burn it all up. Ashes ashes, thatās all that is left. So glad you went to the trouble of digging out the heart thatās ashes now along with everything else. SMH.
The more I got into the storyline the more puzzled and irritated I was. Elements didnāt add up, aspects of the story were just not necessary or given the depth of exposition required, or the tale just swung fluffy and fantasy wise. Oh look, weāre flying.
It was almost as though the authors couldnāt decide whether to go serious, funny, romantic, sweet, mystical, murderous, and kept swinging between them instead of melding them.
They are setting up the āQuietā shy Hemingway brother for the next book. Itās called Smoulder. Oh no.
Iām sure Iāll go there if only out of curiosity.
Protecting him is my job. Finding out heās my fated mate wasnāt part of the assignment.
Lake Forrester III entered my life like a wrecking ball. Drake Security, my firm with my brothers, was hired to protect him from a stalker ex, but what Lake doesnāt know is that heās not dealing with your average unhinged human. The unhinged wolf shifter he unknowingly dated will stop at nothing to get Lake in his clutches.
Just another day in the life of a dragon body guard.
The one thing I never expected was for Lake to be my fated mate. To say my protective instincts are on overdrive is an understatement. Iāll move mountains to keep him safe and delight in tearing the wolf apart with my bare hands if he gets too close to my mate. If it unleashes all out war with the wolf packs, so be it. I never claimed to be the level headed one.
In the meantime, my only focus is Lake and his safety. If anyone hurts him, itāll be the last thing they do. My dragon will make sure of it.
Hot Head is book one in the exciting new series, Drake Security. It features a dragon bodyguard with anger issues, a fabulous human with more money than friends, an ex on the loose, and fated mate goodness. Dive into Hot Head and feel the burn.
**Drake Security features dragon shifters with NO MPREG**
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 