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ginabbina's review
1.0
I didn't enjoy this book. I decided to try out the free books from publishers thing. I didn't want to keep reading the book but felt obligated to.
It's mostly boring and poorly written. Some nice things: the characters are modern and a lot of the everyday life feels realistic. The pacing is quick and the plot mostly makes sense once you get past the werewolf reveal.
The plot before the werewolf reveal is very weak. She finds a new job, apartment, and gets back with her high school boyfriend within two weeks of her dad going to the hospital. She cares about her dad enough in the first couple chapters to upend her life, but he's almost never (actually never?) mentioned again through the rest of the book.
The book is very chaste for a romance, and I don't want a lot of sex scenes in books, but the flirting and chemistry wasn't convincing. It seemed very conservative.The main character is pregnant at the very end and she's like "I really really don't want to be a mom. Guess I have to be a mom." She's supposed to be a modern woman in her early twenties, statistically she's pretty likely to be pro choice, but she didn't even pause. I also didn't like the background of the relationship: they were childhood friends who dated in high school, then broke up for a few years until she moved back unexpectedly. They immediately jumped into a relationship. It seemed like a lazy excuse for them to be in love so fast. Also in real life, these couples tend not to be healthy. High school sweethearts that last have to make an effort to mature and to have independent lives. These two did not and they are very codependent after like a week of being back together. She happens (??) to get hired at the boyfriend's job. It's super weird that she didn't realize it was his company because at that point they had been on several dates and allegedly spent hours talking.
There's a lot of damsel in distress and the main character is useless for like 98% of the plot. I don't think the book described Tessa at all but she falled into the "sassy best friend" trope and also the "magical negro." Still, though, she would have made for a much more interesting protagonist. How do you become a witch? Is there a variety among different cultures? Is there a genetic element? How much training is required? What about discipline? Potion prep work? Werewolves are hereditary, which made them extra boring.
I thought it was annoying that the two main villains were people she met through romantic moments. One was the bitter ex girlfriend of the new boyfriend. The other was a super hot dude she made out with at the bar. Like even if we take at face value that the evil werewolves want to kidnap her for bargaining power, why would he need to have had made out her earlier on? It didn't seem like it was part of his evil master plan, or if it was supposed to be, it didn't make sense. And poor Chelsea. She was so one dimensional. Her entire character is to be angry that Sam broke up with her and to be jealous of Lily.
There's also a lot of really basic poor writing, like run on sentences and sentence fragments. Maybe it'll be fixed before real publishing but it's worth noting anyway.
“I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy."
It's mostly boring and poorly written. Some nice things: the characters are modern and a lot of the everyday life feels realistic. The pacing is quick and the plot mostly makes sense once you get past the werewolf reveal.
The plot before the werewolf reveal is very weak. She finds a new job, apartment, and gets back with her high school boyfriend within two weeks of her dad going to the hospital. She cares about her dad enough in the first couple chapters to upend her life, but he's almost never (actually never?) mentioned again through the rest of the book.
The book is very chaste for a romance, and I don't want a lot of sex scenes in books, but the flirting and chemistry wasn't convincing. It seemed very conservative.
There's a lot of damsel in distress and the main character is useless for like 98% of the plot. I don't think the book described Tessa at all but she falled into the "sassy best friend" trope and also the "magical negro." Still, though, she would have made for a much more interesting protagonist. How do you become a witch? Is there a variety among different cultures? Is there a genetic element? How much training is required? What about discipline? Potion prep work? Werewolves are hereditary, which made them extra boring.
There's also a lot of really basic poor writing, like run on sentences and sentence fragments. Maybe it'll be fixed before real publishing but it's worth noting anyway.
“I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy."
prdgreads's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this, urban fantasy with a twist of love and romance, I fell in love with Lilly and Sam instantly, I liked how she was a strong independent woman but was also vulnerable underneath, and he was the perfect antidote to her vulnerability, my only issue is that the book wasn’t long enough & I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!
book_witch23's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Love a good werewolf story, I especially liked the detail on the packs history in this book.
Sam is dreamy, he’s a strong alpha male with the gooey sweetness of a man in love.
Lily begins as the meek woman but soon shows just how kick arse she really is, but never looses that gentleness about her.
I love how the chapters swap between the main 2 characters POV, it’s my favourite style in books as I get a better understanding of the characters.
Liked the supporting characters and would love to see more development of them in coming book/s.
The story had some good twists that I didn’t see coming which kept me engrossed.
Next thing I come to the end of chapter 43 and it’s over? Whatttttt, it ties up nicely and yet also leaves on a slight cliff hanger. I’m wanting more and looking forward to June 2020 when the next book is released.
Love a good werewolf story, I especially liked the detail on the packs history in this book.
Sam is dreamy, he’s a strong alpha male with the gooey sweetness of a man in love.
Lily begins as the meek woman but soon shows just how kick arse she really is, but never looses that gentleness about her.
I love how the chapters swap between the main 2 characters POV, it’s my favourite style in books as I get a better understanding of the characters.
Liked the supporting characters and would love to see more development of them in coming book/s.
The story had some good twists that I didn’t see coming which kept me engrossed.
Next thing I come to the end of chapter 43 and it’s over? Whatttttt, it ties up nicely and yet also leaves on a slight cliff hanger. I’m wanting more and looking forward to June 2020 when the next book is released.
brittnichenelle's review
5.0
This is the best Werewolf book I've ever read. It's one of those books where you can't see all that's being set up in the moment and then everything kind of hits you at the end. The last 30 percent of the book is one shocking twist after the other, that all pay off from earlier hints. What the author does very well is set up the rules of the world early, so that when everything goes down, there is no need to delay and explain which has been a pet peeve of mine in other books in the genre.
The characters are special because none of them are perfect. They each make their own mistakes and have intentions that sometimes go awry. This makes them feel real and relatable. Everyone does what they believe is best in the moment.
But the real star of this book is the world-building in the wolf community. I have never been so captivated or immersed. Whenever I'm learning the customs or norms of the wolf world, I am on the edge of my seat. Isn't it supposed to be set up or exposition? Nope. It's so vivid and unique that I dreamed about wolves every night, the entire time I was reading this book.
5 Stars for Charlee Garden's debut.
So... like... when is the next one coming out?
The characters are special because none of them are perfect. They each make their own mistakes and have intentions that sometimes go awry. This makes them feel real and relatable. Everyone does what they believe is best in the moment.
But the real star of this book is the world-building in the wolf community. I have never been so captivated or immersed. Whenever I'm learning the customs or norms of the wolf world, I am on the edge of my seat. Isn't it supposed to be set up or exposition? Nope. It's so vivid and unique that I dreamed about wolves every night, the entire time I was reading this book.
5 Stars for Charlee Garden's debut.
So... like... when is the next one coming out?
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