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karentje's review against another edition
5.0
Finally!! :-)
I've been dying to read Gareth's story ever since reading about him in Bitten by mistake, the first book in this amazing series! And it was so worth the wait.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, I just couldn't put it down. I loved it so much!
Gareth is Cam's youngest beta and has been in love with his alpha for years, thinking he doesn't stand a chance with Cam.
After the loss of his wife, Cam has shut himself off from his feelings, afraid of opening himself up to that kind of heartbreak again.
I love the build-up and the tension between these two MC's, all the emotions and heartache on both sides... It makes it all the sweeter when they finally do get together.
Cam is taken completely by surprise when he discovers how Gareth feels about him, and he doesn't immediately realize that he also feels more for his beta than is "proper". I like that it takes him some time to understand this about himself. Otherwise, it would have felt too easy.
Aside from the great romance between these two lovely MC's, it was also a lot of fun to read about the rest of the pack and the challenges the Regent's Park Pack continues to face.
Can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series! Please don't let this be the end!!
I so recommend this book.
I've been dying to read Gareth's story ever since reading about him in Bitten by mistake, the first book in this amazing series! And it was so worth the wait.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, I just couldn't put it down. I loved it so much!
Gareth is Cam's youngest beta and has been in love with his alpha for years, thinking he doesn't stand a chance with Cam.
After the loss of his wife, Cam has shut himself off from his feelings, afraid of opening himself up to that kind of heartbreak again.
I love the build-up and the tension between these two MC's, all the emotions and heartache on both sides... It makes it all the sweeter when they finally do get together.
Cam is taken completely by surprise when he discovers how Gareth feels about him, and he doesn't immediately realize that he also feels more for his beta than is "proper". I like that it takes him some time to understand this about himself. Otherwise, it would have felt too easy.
Aside from the great romance between these two lovely MC's, it was also a lot of fun to read about the rest of the pack and the challenges the Regent's Park Pack continues to face.
Can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series! Please don't let this be the end!!
I so recommend this book.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
4.0
Finally, Cam and Gareth! Both of these guys have been prominent throughout this series and they're both completely lovable. These two have been close from the beginning, and there have been little hints of something more here and there, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. That moment when things are revealed is full of both sweetness and heartache. We do get a little more trouble from Newell, but it's more aftermath and tying things up from the blowup in the last book. We also have some relationship angst with Gareth being a clan beta, but these two have good chemistry and I enjoyed their love story. This is part of a continuing story, so I would recommend starting from the beginning of the series.
xanthe87's review against another edition
5.0
Considering this is the first book I've read from this series, I didn't feel lost. Just picked up bits of information along the way. It would of helped if I had, and I'd recommend it, but it didn't stop me from really enjoying Bitten By The Alpha.
I love Annabella's writing. All of her characters are well rounded and easy to identify with in certain ways.
Cam is a kind hearted alpha who lost his mate a few years before and has shut his heart away. Gareth is his beta who has secretly loved him for years but hasn't let that stop him from doing his job to his full potential for his alpha and his pack.
I felt for Gareth, especially the way his feelings are eventually made known as he had less control over the situation and himself than he ever has but it was good that it was now known too. Cam was struggling because of his feelings for his deceased mate but also for possible feelings towards Gareth. It's heartbreaking to read but you're also rooting for the couple to make it.
The world that Annabella has created is enjoyable. Shifters living in alongside (ish) humans, but this is the first time I've read it set in England so I actually know places that are being talked about or visited. It's great!
The betas around the MC's are supportive and can offer advice from their own matings and then we have a guest from Cornwall who may actually help in some way.
I'd definitely recommend this book and am going back to read the whole series!
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review
I love Annabella's writing. All of her characters are well rounded and easy to identify with in certain ways.
Cam is a kind hearted alpha who lost his mate a few years before and has shut his heart away. Gareth is his beta who has secretly loved him for years but hasn't let that stop him from doing his job to his full potential for his alpha and his pack.
I felt for Gareth, especially the way his feelings are eventually made known as he had less control over the situation and himself than he ever has but it was good that it was now known too. Cam was struggling because of his feelings for his deceased mate but also for possible feelings towards Gareth. It's heartbreaking to read but you're also rooting for the couple to make it.
The world that Annabella has created is enjoyable. Shifters living in alongside (ish) humans, but this is the first time I've read it set in England so I actually know places that are being talked about or visited. It's great!
The betas around the MC's are supportive and can offer advice from their own matings and then we have a guest from Cornwall who may actually help in some way.
I'd definitely recommend this book and am going back to read the whole series!
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review
janetted's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one based on what were bound to be complicated dynamics between an alpha and his beta, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Despite the absolute heartbreak of Gareth’s unrequited love and the push-pull of emotional uncertainty, Annabelle Jacobs expertly navigates the complex terrain of romance, action and suspense to deliver a satisfying HEA.
elvenavari's review against another edition
3.0
Man oh man, do I love Cam’s character! That said, I also disliked how quickly his feelings for Gareth turned in a dime. I wish there had been more build up between them. I liked Rachel and I can’t wait to read the next book, which is about her.
tiggers_hate_acorns's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this whole series.Pleased to see Cam find a mate. Annoyed that Newell got what he wanted.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
~ 4.5 Stars ~
I started reading Bitten By the Alpha only to realize I hadn’t read the blurb and had no idea what the book was even about, other than it was alpha Cameron Harley’s story I was digging into, which is a decent indicator of my faith that Annabelle Jacobs would deliver another solid read in the Regent’s Park series. She did. This novel is one more strong addition to an already well-constructed alternate reality, and at the risk of sounding cliché, I think the series just keeps getting better.
Cam and Gareth’s story has the advantage of much of the world-building already being done in the books preceding it. Knowing the pack structure and the rules in a -verse where humans and shifters coexist, even if they don’t often commingle on page, gives Jacobs the freedom to focus on the complications of crafting a believable romance between Cam, the pack alpha, and his beta, Gareth Stone. Cam is a widower who is firmly ensconced in lingering grief over the loss of his wife, Mia, who was herself human, vowing that he will never love another woman again. Which, ultimately, turns out to be true. He has filtered, compartmentalized and locked down his emotions so effectively since her death that he isn’t able to recognize that the love he feels for his pack is different than the romantic love he may feel for Gareth—who has done a decent job himself of beating back those feelings out of self-preservation, knowing Cam can’t and won’t love him in return.
As the relationship between Cam and Gareth shifts from the platonic love of the alpha for his beta to an all-encompassing imperative to bond, it’s done in a way that is neither immediate nor comes without a host of complications, increasing the slow burn of their relationship to the nth degree. Gareth believing his love for Cam is unrequited causes its share of pain and longing, and Jacobs does an excellent job of translating that without tripping over into melodrama. There’s not an over-abundance of angst for angst’s sake, either, even though there could have easily been. The setup for a Big Misunderstanding could also have materialized in the introduction of a new character who’s been handed over to Cam for reasons I won’t spoil. But, suffice it to say she isn’t there as a convenient device to create excess anxiety between Cam and Gareth, and in fact, I ended up loving her and wouldn’t pass up the chance to read her story if Jacobs chose to write it. But, back to the relationship that changes and strengthens between Cam and Gareth, it’s a testament to the mate bond—which Cam didn’t have with Mia—that it goes beyond the soulful, spiritual human capacity to love, and adds a preternatural aspect that defies definition.
The blending of the two London packs—the Primrose Pack being absorbed by the Regent’s Park Pack after the events that had been building up with its alpha since book one of the series—offers the friction and external conflict to the internal conflict of Cam and Gareth’s bonding and how it will be dealt with in relationship to Gareth now not only being Cam’s beta but also the alpha mate. The story arc which culminates in a face-off between Cam and former alpha Stephen Newell was excellent, offered up the danger and action and tension necessary to keep me glued to my Kindle and finish the book in one sitting, and led to the turning point for the integration of the new pack members.
While Bitten By the Alpha feels like it could be a definitive period at the end of the series’ sentence, I hope it isn’t. I’m more than greedy for more from these characters and the world where they exist.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
I started reading Bitten By the Alpha only to realize I hadn’t read the blurb and had no idea what the book was even about, other than it was alpha Cameron Harley’s story I was digging into, which is a decent indicator of my faith that Annabelle Jacobs would deliver another solid read in the Regent’s Park series. She did. This novel is one more strong addition to an already well-constructed alternate reality, and at the risk of sounding cliché, I think the series just keeps getting better.
Cam and Gareth’s story has the advantage of much of the world-building already being done in the books preceding it. Knowing the pack structure and the rules in a -verse where humans and shifters coexist, even if they don’t often commingle on page, gives Jacobs the freedom to focus on the complications of crafting a believable romance between Cam, the pack alpha, and his beta, Gareth Stone. Cam is a widower who is firmly ensconced in lingering grief over the loss of his wife, Mia, who was herself human, vowing that he will never love another woman again. Which, ultimately, turns out to be true. He has filtered, compartmentalized and locked down his emotions so effectively since her death that he isn’t able to recognize that the love he feels for his pack is different than the romantic love he may feel for Gareth—who has done a decent job himself of beating back those feelings out of self-preservation, knowing Cam can’t and won’t love him in return.
As the relationship between Cam and Gareth shifts from the platonic love of the alpha for his beta to an all-encompassing imperative to bond, it’s done in a way that is neither immediate nor comes without a host of complications, increasing the slow burn of their relationship to the nth degree. Gareth believing his love for Cam is unrequited causes its share of pain and longing, and Jacobs does an excellent job of translating that without tripping over into melodrama. There’s not an over-abundance of angst for angst’s sake, either, even though there could have easily been. The setup for a Big Misunderstanding could also have materialized in the introduction of a new character who’s been handed over to Cam for reasons I won’t spoil. But, suffice it to say she isn’t there as a convenient device to create excess anxiety between Cam and Gareth, and in fact, I ended up loving her and wouldn’t pass up the chance to read her story if Jacobs chose to write it. But, back to the relationship that changes and strengthens between Cam and Gareth, it’s a testament to the mate bond—which Cam didn’t have with Mia—that it goes beyond the soulful, spiritual human capacity to love, and adds a preternatural aspect that defies definition.
The blending of the two London packs—the Primrose Pack being absorbed by the Regent’s Park Pack after the events that had been building up with its alpha since book one of the series—offers the friction and external conflict to the internal conflict of Cam and Gareth’s bonding and how it will be dealt with in relationship to Gareth now not only being Cam’s beta but also the alpha mate. The story arc which culminates in a face-off between Cam and former alpha Stephen Newell was excellent, offered up the danger and action and tension necessary to keep me glued to my Kindle and finish the book in one sitting, and led to the turning point for the integration of the new pack members.
While Bitten By the Alpha feels like it could be a definitive period at the end of the series’ sentence, I hope it isn’t. I’m more than greedy for more from these characters and the world where they exist.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
wuxien's review against another edition
2.0
I cannot believe that I started the series most looking forward to Cam's story and when it actually came down to it, I think I liked his story way less than all the others.
The thing that bothered me most was the imbalance between Cam's and Gareth's feelings. I was actually feeling bad for Gareth at the end of the book. He was so genuine about his love for Cam and so noble about the whole unrequited thing. Poor guy *sigh* Whereas I didn't quite believe Cam's feelings were of the same intensity as Gareth's, he was conflicted for about 2 seconds before he was like 'Huh, a potential bond. Sure, why not?'. I got the feeling that what he liked best about Gareth was the potential bond and not Gareth, per se. It just didn't seem like he valued Gareth most out of everyone. I think that if it had been some other beta with the potential, he would've reacted the same.
So, yeah, that sucked. Because Gareth had been in love for years and he deserved someone to choose him for himself, not for the bond thingy. *sigh*
Also, it annoyed me a lot that Gareth had to give up his Beta status because, somehow, he couldn't be both Alpha's Mate and Beta. I'm sure a solution could've been found. The whole thing was left up in the air, like, what will his obligations and duties be? I wanted to know more. Ugh, I hated this sacrifice. It just made me think even more that his love for Cam was greater than Cam's love for him.
So, that's that. Curious to see who's next. Maybe Luke?