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A review by ivets
Beautifully Shattered by B. Livingstone
5.0
***SPOILER ALERT***
SUMMARY: Riley, the 13 year old, wolf heir to the Shadowcrest Pack, loses her parents. The regent alpha of the pack, Alastair attempts to force her into a mate bond on her 16th birthday. She and her sister Grace, escape to find a home with a neighboring pack, but she ends up losing Grace too. Dealing the only way she knows how, Riley becomes an alcoholic and drug addict. She works as a bartender for her boss named Cree who is a bear shifter. He realizes that Riley's addiction is becoming detrimental to Riley's health and her wolf. Cree and his friends Axel, Enzo, Wilder, and Reed (who are all wolves) realize that Riley is their mate. They go to great lengths to help Riley detox. A sober Riley is able to communicate with her late sister Grace through dreams. Grace sets Riley on a path to take back the Shadowcrest pack. Riley realizes that in order to become strong enough to do that, she needs to stand on her own and not be completely reliant on her mates. She asks for independence from them, offering her "friendship" for the meantime. The Epilogue sets up a quite a few cliffhangers. Grace appears (in person?) to Riley and her mates. Alastair has a spy within Riley's circle (clues point to Wilder), and he knows of Grace's appearance and of Riley's intentions to take back the pack.
My Opinion: I marked this 5 stars and put it on my "Favorites" shelf. It's a slow-burn reverse harem with some steamy scenes and loads of sexual tension. What I love the most is how flawed Riley is. She is just like the rest of us, toting around our past pains and doing our best to live whatever way we can, with whatever crutches are necessary. I also love how she's taking a "break" from her mates to focus on herself first. After reading 150 some Reverse Harem books in 2020, the whirlwind, instant romance was getting a little (okay, a lot) old. This was a quick read and I have already downloaded book 2.
SUMMARY: Riley, the 13 year old, wolf heir to the Shadowcrest Pack, loses her parents. The regent alpha of the pack, Alastair attempts to force her into a mate bond on her 16th birthday. She and her sister Grace, escape to find a home with a neighboring pack, but she ends up losing Grace too. Dealing the only way she knows how, Riley becomes an alcoholic and drug addict. She works as a bartender for her boss named Cree who is a bear shifter. He realizes that Riley's addiction is becoming detrimental to Riley's health and her wolf. Cree and his friends Axel, Enzo, Wilder, and Reed (who are all wolves) realize that Riley is their mate. They go to great lengths to help Riley detox. A sober Riley is able to communicate with her late sister Grace through dreams. Grace sets Riley on a path to take back the Shadowcrest pack. Riley realizes that in order to become strong enough to do that, she needs to stand on her own and not be completely reliant on her mates. She asks for independence from them, offering her "friendship" for the meantime. The Epilogue sets up a quite a few cliffhangers. Grace appears (in person?) to Riley and her mates. Alastair has a spy within Riley's circle (clues point to Wilder), and he knows of Grace's appearance and of Riley's intentions to take back the pack.
My Opinion: I marked this 5 stars and put it on my "Favorites" shelf. It's a slow-burn reverse harem with some steamy scenes and loads of sexual tension. What I love the most is how flawed Riley is. She is just like the rest of us, toting around our past pains and doing our best to live whatever way we can, with whatever crutches are necessary. I also love how she's taking a "break" from her mates to focus on herself first. After reading 150 some Reverse Harem books in 2020, the whirlwind, instant romance was getting a little (okay, a lot) old. This was a quick read and I have already downloaded book 2.