Review: The Admiral's Mate (Space Warriors #5) by Sydney Lain

 Creel Stark always felt like an outsider in Warsarian society. He never measured up and his family hated him because of it. Instead of trying to fit in, Creel left before his secret was exposed. He can see the future, a rare Warsarian ability that, if discovered, would limit his freedom.

Admiral Zeith Stern is the Warsarian king's uncle and head of the military. He doesn’t respect non-warriors. It’s survival of the fittest, and all warriors need to be prepared for battle. Those beliefs are challenged when Creel enters his life.

Creel has a vision and uses his ability to save Zeith’s life, which causes Zeith to question the real strength of a warrior. Will these two be able to work together and stop a dangerous group from attacking their home planet? Opposites attract and passions ignite, but can Creel and Zeith accept each other or will their different beliefs drive them apart?

Title: The Admiral's Mate (Space Warriors #5)
Author/s: Sydney Lain
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: March 2015
ISBN: 978-1-632591-09-8
Buy it from Siren Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

I loved this book. I enjoyed it much better than the first four, and I grew to love the characters despite the novella's length. It was fast paced and to the point; there was no beating around the bush when it came to telling the story it wanted to tell.

I adored Creel. He wasn't the typical image of what a "warrior" was by Warsarian standards, but he was intelligent and he knew how to get things done. I was sympathetic to his plight as an outcast of his race, and I felt really bad about reading what he went through in the hands of his father. I was delighted to read him mention about Kaden, since it clearly showed how his story tied up with Theo's. I actually liked Creel better than Kaden because while Creel was rightfully scared of the implications of mating, he didn't spend ninety percent of the time trying to put himself down and/or trying to run away. He knew something needed to be done, and he was completely focused on accomplishing what he came for. Despite his terrible history with his people, he was brave and kind enough to return and warn them of the impending danger.

I won't lie: Zeith started off like a bit of an asshole. I had deep misgivings about how his feelings would be toward Creel, since Zeith supposedly had no regard for those he considered "non-warriors". Even when he bumped to Creel, you could immediately tell that he wouldn't have given Creel a second second glance if they hadn't been mates.

Even so, Zeith proved himself a pretty decent guy as the story moved forward. He had his doubts about Creel's claims, which I thought were pretty reasonable, with him being Admiral and all - he was required to doubt everything in the interest of his people. While I didn't particularly enjoy reading about him thinking that Creel was insane, I respected him for being wary even of his lifemate's claims. He had an important job, and I'm glad he didn't lose focus because of Creel. If anything, I appreciated him trying to do something so Creel would be cleared of possible charges that could be held against him. Zeith never once thought of losing his pride or whatever because of being mated to a non-warrior, but instead, he started contemplating on his long-held beliefs about strength and power. I thought it was quite admirable that he was willing to open his mind to a new way of thinking because of his mate.

Overall, I loved Creel and Zeith together because of their amazing dynamic. Zeith has a domineering personality, but underneath it all he really cares for Creel and what he wants to do. He's supportive of it, going as far as joining Creel in doing what he set out to do. Creel, on the other hand, may not be considered a warrior in the traditional sense of their people, but he had a unique strength to him that made him very realistic and easy to relate to. He wasn't as dominant as Zeith was, but he was stubborn and feisty and his dedication to what he was doing was admirable; I thought he was simply the perfect mate for Zeith.

Before I forget: I liked seeing Kwan and Alex in this book, too! It was nice to see them ruling together, with Alex having some influence on Kwan's decisions. I would have liked to see Creel's reunion with Theo, although I suppose it wasn't totally necessary in the story.

This is probably the best book in the series so far, and it's easily one of my favorites. Five stars.

Review: Temptation (Guardians of the Five Rubies #1) by Shannon West, Victoria Sue

Vampires are born, not made. Can one night change everything? At a nightclub called Temptations, Kaden, the Saak’da or future ruler of a race living on Earth secretly for generations, is trying to stop a massacre from happening. He’s had a tip that a small disgruntled faction of his people plan an attack that night that will result in a great loss of human life. Kaden is focused, disciplined, and determined to protect the humans who are ignorant to his people’s presence. But when he prevents a tragic accident from happening, one that would have been fatal to the little bus-boy, Matty, he sets a powerful force into motion. Kaden broke the rules about not interfering in human lives because one touch from Matty convinced him that Matty was his fated blood-angel, and that the bond between them would last for the rest of his very long life.

Matty can’t believe his good fortune when a sex-god like Kaden D’Marco wants to take him home. Matty is just a nobody, abandoned and abused as a child, bullied and picked on by his boss at the club. He washes dirty glasses for a living, and he’s never attracted the attention of a man like Kaden.

Kaden has waited a long time for his fated one, but can a man who feeds on human blood find happiness with someone who faints at the sight of it? Can he convince this scared young man to trade a taste of his blood for a love that will last a thousand years and bring him happiness and gifts that he can’t even imagine?

Title: Temptation (Guardians of the Five Rubies #1)
Author/s: Shannon West, Victoria Sue
Publisher: Dark Hollows Press
Publication Date: November 2015
ISBN: 978-1-944054-20-5
Buy it from Dark Hollows Press

Maria's Rating: ★★

This book was a bit of struggle for me. My biggest problem was actually the same as Kaden's dilemma – trying to explain the whole ruask'aa mating to Matty without freaking the human out.

I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but this book made me realize just how awkward it is when one of the involve parties does acknowledge that yes, this whole thing is ridiculous and can you step away a little from my personal space, please? Of course, it must be said that shifters/mating stories usually involve this deal, which I’m actually okay with, because it can be done. I've read stories that can make you forget that fated mates have barely known each other for a month (hell, a week) but are already professing their undying love for each other, and it doesn't sound the least bit ridiculous. Unfortunately, while Temptation explicitly acknowledges this mating 'problem', it doesn't do anything further than… well, acknowledging that.

The relationship between Kaden and Matty is strained, at best. Their attraction for each other is not up for argument; it's obvious from the very beginning that they want each other. It's when they try to communicate that we see the problem – they can't. Despite being as old as he is (507 years old yay), Kaden fumbles very badly with his words. He is completely incapable of explaining his history and the mating ritual to Matty, and he doesn't get any better even as they move forward. He recognizes this problem, which I actually give him credit for, but other than that he is unable to do anything else but watch hopelessly as the love of his life flees from him in confusion. He doesn’t even explain his feeding to Matty, which is obviously the very basic of mating, since it can kill him. And he certainly doesn’t make things any better by thinking with his dick. Kind of makes me wonder what the future holds for his people, since he’s the guardian and all.

If there’s anything I actually like about Kaden, it’s that he’s aware he’s absolute shit at explaining his life, and he doesn’t pressure Matty into giving into him. Which would have actually endeared him to me, except he chooses instead to make sad puppy faces in hopes that Matty will understand what the fuck he’s on about (e.g. he doesn’t want Matty to go because it’s dangerous, but he doesn’t explain just how dangerous it can be, so Matty is left to his imagination). Oh man. Unlike him, Matty can’t read minds, so maybe he could have moved things along and said what he wanted to say?


I’m not sure how I feel about Matty. I understood his confusion and I found his pink bikini briefs hilarious (because c’mon, it was gold). While I like his independence, I find him a bit too flighty and too impulsive, especially as the story moves forward. He can’t make up his mind about how he feels or what he wants to do, but then again I guess that has a lot to do with Kaden being a confusing fuck himself. The addition of his sister toward the end is silly at best; it struck me as a sorry excuse to get him away from Kaden and get him busy. I wish they’d just established a friend nearby he could hang out with, while keeping the sob backstory about being abandoned.

And don’t even get me started on the number of things that they tried to add to this book. We saw (1) fated mates; (2) dying father who has something important for his heir; (3) rebellion against status quo; (4) vampires/aliens; (5) mpreg (which didn’t actually happen, but was mentioned; (6) estranged brothers; (7) good twin bad twin; (8) guardianship of something super important!!; (9) assassins; and (10) others, which include but are not limited to mind reading, teleportation, dumb attempt at jumping from one building to another, etc.

I’ve finished the book and I'm still not sure what it's about. For one, it doesn’t seem like Davv’id is the villain that he was initially made to be; I doubt he will harm Matty given his experience with his own ruask’aa. Amariska hasn’t shown herself yet, but she wasn’t emphasized enough to hold my attention; I don’t really care about what happens to her. The rubies sound like they're a big deal, but I still fail to grasp just how important they are, because they're simply mentioned like they're not that important. I wish there had been further elaboration on what these rubies can do.

I haven’t read a lot of Victoria Sue to really identify her writing, but I can definitely say I didn’t see much Shannon West in this one. I’ve seen these authors work together so well in Supremacy of Wolves, so this collaboration is a huge disappointment. Especially when they're able to write something as powerful as the following:

When he'd touched him, he'd known. His body had known. His blood had known. Five hundred years and he had given up searching for the one that legend said would complete him, love him, make him whole.

Overall, I didn’t hate the book, not when Shannon West and Victoria Sue can string very powerful words together beautifully. Unfortunately, that's not enough to make this book a very compelling read, so I'm giving it two stars.

Review: Monster Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #7) by Marcy Jacks

Peter Ramsey is a human and a doctor in training, all things that his mate, alpha wolfhound Phoenix, despises. Though Phoenix loves him, Peter thinks something is wrong, especially when he and Phoenix can hardly spend any time together thanks to Peter's work and schooling. If Phoenix decided he didn't want him, Peter wouldn't be able to survive it.

Phoenix doesn't understand humans. Even after mating with Peter, he still distrusts them, especially scientists and doctors. The only human he does like is his mate, and even then, Phoenix worries that Peter might not want to live the dangerous life that comes with being mated to a wolfhound.

When humans and rogue wolfhounds attack the pack, Phoenix loses control of the vicious animal within him for he first time in years. His nightmare comes to life as that bloodthirsty animal comes face to face with the man he loves. The man who cannot defend himself should Phoenix attack.

Title: Monster Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #7)
Author/s: Marcy Jacks
Publisher: Siren Publishing Inc.
Publication Date: December 5, 2015
ISBN: 9781632598561
Buy it from Siren Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

I waited all week for this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. After the sixth book, I was looking forward to reading more about Phoenix and Peter and their adjustment to their lives as mates.

This will sound all wrong, but I love the miscommunication between them. It’s very realistic, especially considering Phoenix’s past experience with humans. He’s very guarded even against Peter, and it makes him more sympathetic and much easier to relate to. His uncertainty is adorable; he’s so convinced that Peter doesn’t want him despite being already told otherwise. His struggle to come to terms with his feelings and the fear of not being good enough is… oddly sweet, especially for a man (wolfhound) as tough and as powerful as he is. He’s undoubtedly the alpha in their relationship, but his moments of self-doubt make him almost too fragile.

I really like Peter. He has a certain manner of conducting himself that makes him the perfect match for Phoenix. His love for Phoenix is given, but he tries to strike a balance by not being so clingy, as he puts it. Like Phoenix, he’s scared that Phoenix doesn’t want him, but he still makes an effort to reach out. Granted, he’s not always doing a very good job of expressing himself and how much he really loves Phoenix, but he keeps trying.

Despite their weak communication, there’s something about Peter and Phoenix’s relationship that makes it work. I think it has to do with the fact that they genuinely care for one another, despite their struggle at saying just how much. Reading about how they gradually come around and finally say what they have to is beautiful, because you know that they took great pains to get to that point.

I specifically love the part where Peter coaxes Phoenix to shift from wolfhound to human. Peter is rightfully terrified, of course, but when it's done and over you realize just how sweet it really is. That it's Peter who can compel Phoenix to return to his senses and shift back from his wolfhound form is a great demonstration of just deep the bond is between them. Considering Phoenix's history with human doctors, the scenario delivers a very powerful evidence of just how far he and Peter have come as mates.

Overall, this was a very good read. It’s a slow, agonizing burn watching Phoenix and Peter fumble with their words, but the knowledge that they’re actually so into each other makes it all worth it. One thing I really would have liked to see was Phoenix finally setting Peter apart from other humans, but I guess it’s a start that he’s able to keep his bloodlust and not harm his mate even in wolfhound form. Nevertheless, it doesn’t keep the book from telling a wonderful story. This is definitely one of my favorites from this series.

Five solid stars.

Review: Command Me, Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #6) by Marcy Jacks

Phoenix absolutely hates the human race. Born and bred in a lab, he's a creature that should not exist because of his thirst for blood. He can control these urges now, but sometimes he doesn't want to. When he discovers his mate is human, he doesn't know whether to lock him up or spend every waking moment loving him.

Peter Ramsey is an intern at the hospital, and he hasn't been feeling so good lately. After passing out in the parking lot, he wakes up in a strange place. He was kidnapped by the most handsome man on the planet, a man who lights him up with pleasure only to leave him immediately after they finish.

Though Phoenix is distant, the man is still sending small hints that he cares, and Peter wants to care for him too. He wants to love him, but he cannot spend the rest of his life locked away, not even for love.

Title: Command Me, Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #6)
Author/s: Marcy Jacks
Publisher: Siren Publishing Inc.
Publication Date: November 28 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63259-831-8
Buy it from Siren Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

I've been dying to get my hands on this book ever since the fifth installment stopped at a cliffhanger two weeks ago. My timezone is ahead by a few hours, so you can just imagine how worked up I was as soon as the 28th hit; I was furiously refreshing the Bookstrand page so I'd know as soon as the book was finally available for buying. Finally!

I've always been fascinated by Phoenix. He is, after all, "the biggest human hater of them all", as Dean puts it. We've read some of his interactions with George and Joey, and they weren't exactly pleasant. I've always wondered what it would be like if he got mated to a human, and I was absolutely delighted when I found out that that  was going to be the case.

For someone who hated humans, I thought Phoenix was actually pretty nice to his mate. He was always very aware of what he was doing, and it was interesting to read his conflicting thoughts and feelings toward having Peter as his mate. Peter was both a doctor (in training) and a human, everything that Phoenix had had traumatizing experience with, but Phoenix never once directed his hate to Peter, and I really appreciate that. He was wary of Peter, yes, but he never blamed him for what had been done to him before. In fact, the worst he ever did was distance himself from Peter, despite the growing attraction between them; I honestly thought that was a bit cute. Not that Phoenix would appreciate being called cute.

I liked Peter. He was pretty cool with the whole mating business, and it left me snickering a bit when he admitted being attracted to Phoenix despite the "gruff personality and mean nature in general". He wasn't scared to talk about what he felt (e.g. he told Phoenix he missed him, which of course did all sorts of weird things to Phoenix's heart and ego), and he wasn't scared to go to his mate and confront him about it. I liked him even better when he found what happened to Phoenix and he... didn't try to really open the subject, but he very subtly offered Phoenix an assurance that he was going to be different from the other humans that Phoenix had dealt with in the past. He never showed Phoenix pity or contempt for it, despite Phoenix's deep misgivings about the subject, and I thought his approached just worked. It definitely disarmed Phoenix, which I thought was an important step forward for their relationship.

I squealed like mad when they slept together outside and Phoenix allowed Peter to touch and pet his wolfhound. It really underscored the gradual buildup of trust between them. Oh, and how they admitted they loved each other? That was fantastic. I was reduced to a pile of goo.


In my review of Rogue Wolfhounds #5 I mentioned suspecting that Monster Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #7) would be about Hyde because, well, I thought for sure they'd use that sort of title on him. Upon checking Bookstrand, however, I found out that I was wrong. Surprisingly, it turns out book #7 will still be about Phoenix and Peter, when Peter goes back to the hospital and the university.

While I have been really looking forward to reading about Hyde and his mate (who I'm still hoping will be a tiny human who loves cuddling), I am in no way disappointed by this interesting twist. Hell, I AM TOTALLY DOWN WITH THIS CONTINUATION. Marcy Jacks can write three more books about Phoenix and Peter and I'll happily support her, because these two are easily my favorite couple in this series. As it is, book #6 leaves so much room for them to grow, and I'm super excited to find out how their love deepens and how their relationship further develops. Hopefully the next book will show Phoenix coming to trust Peter a hundred percent, and being able to distinguish between his mate and the humans who experimented with him before.

This book is definitely my favorite in the series so far. Can't wait for Monster Alpha.

P.S. I'm really stumped by the development of Dean and Joey's relationship. At the moment I'm at least 85% sure that they aren't mates, because Dean doesn't appear to be experiencing that mysterious pull that Phoenix himself describes as pretty darn intense. Sure, Dean has grown to actually give a shit about Joey, but it just... kind of develops, and it isn't even a desperate need to care for him and make sure he's okay, etc. I have two theories: (1) the experiments fucked with Dean's biology so he's ended up not being able to distinguish his mate, among other things; and (2) Joey and Dean aren't really mates, but Joey has been getting sick because his actual alpha mate is somewhere in the house and there's gonna be one hell of a drama when the alpha mate finally reveals himself.

Of course both my theories could be wrong lol. Just gave it a shot.

Review: Property of the Alpha (Supremacy of Wolves #1) by Shannon West, Victoria Sue

When Quinn, the Supreme Alpha of all the Nine Territories first sees a young man in the arena, he is struck by his beauty and by the fact that despite his chains, he’s barely contained. Quinn recognizes him almost at once as the human who led an assassination attempt on him just weeks before, yet when he tries to take him into custody, he’s shocked to find the human is his fated mate. He has only one option to keep the council from executing the young man for his crimes — to make an example of Aaron, and to debase and degrade him as his love slave so that none of Aaron's followers will celebrate him as a martyr or a hero.

Aaron is on a quest to find his brother, separated from him during the plague that devastated the population, killing seventy percent of all the humans on the planet. When he gets word that his brother is among the rebels, he joins them too, hoping to find him. Instead he gets caught up in a failed assassination attempt on the Supreme Alpha, a strong, powerful wolf shifter who now has Aaron right where he wants him--at his mercy.

Despite his growing attraction to Aaron, Quinn has to try to keep his heart from getting too involved, and when another assassination plot is uncovered, Quinn has to make a difficult decision. He must put Aaron aside despite his feelings for him and imprison him, even though the mating bond between them means Aaron will suffer and die without Quinn. And when Aaron disappears and word gets back to Quinn that he’s dying, he has to take a leap of faith to bring him home and back to Quinn's bed where he belongs.

Title: Property of the Alpha (Supremacy of Wolves #1)
Author/s: Shannon West, Victoria Sue
Publication Date: July 2015
ISBN 10: 1942176864
ISBN 13: 978-1-942176-86-2
Buy it from Dark Hollows Press

Maria's Rating: ★★★★

Having been totally won over by the third installment of this series, I decided I'd reread the first book and write a review as well. Doing so made me realize two things: (1) while it's not a bad book per se, it introduces a lot of questionable 'norms' in this wolf universe that will leave you incredulous and maybe a little disconcerted; and (2) it's a very addicting read – I swear, I've reread it about seven times already, and it just keeps growing on me everytime.

I love Shannon West's alphas. She's at her best when she writes them, and I love her for it. These alphas are always ridiculously good-looking, powerful, and come with nasty tempers. They can be the biggest dicks you ever met, but at the same time – and one of the reasons why I really like them – they can be expected to fight for their mates to the death. The power imbalance is as fascinating as it's tricky; it's a constant source of strife and misunderstandings between alphas and their mates (dominant alphas almost always demand their mates to be submissive), but it also serves as a beautiful reminder that physical strength isn't the one single source of power in a relationship. To put it simply: alphas may talk big and try to boss their submissive mates around, but caring for and protecting their mates are always their #1 priority.

That being said, it should come as no surprise that Quinn is an asshole. He gets better as the series goes on, thank God, but he definitely starts off as a terrible mate material. I believe he's a good alpha as far as having the best interest of his territories at heart goes, but he would have been the last wolf any human would have wanted for a mate. His view of humans is condescending at best, and although I understand that it's the accepted view in this particular universe, it still made me cringe when he all but said that humans are idiots who can't do shit for nothing. Of course, it must be said that history in this universe more than agrees with Quinn, but still...

There are plenty of instances where he treats Aaron very badly, which made it hard for me to like him easily (e.g. Aaron tells Quinn he doesn't like blood or needles, but Quinn insists he knows what's in Aaron's "best interest"). While I knew Quinn would never deliberately hurt Aaron as his mate, I still think he dismissed Aaron's concerns too quickly, like they didn't deserve a thought at all. It's clear enough that he isn't sure whether to spoil Aaron rotten or throttle him headfirst, but the sudden shifts in his actions can be exasperating. Communication isn't one of Quinn's strengths, sadly, and he explicitly says that wolves still don't know a lot about humans, a fact that doesn't help his case one bit. He expects Aaron to follow his orders blindly, even when he makes no attempt to make Aaron understand the reasons behind them. Even the whole mating business isn't explained to Aaron, although I guess that's because Quinn doesn't want him to know how much power he has over him.

It gets somewhat frustrating because we're privy to Aaron's and Quinn's thoughts, and we know that they have a mutual (and almost worrying) affection for each other, but they're too chicken to say anything about it. It's a slow, agonizing burn before they understand what they have between them, because they're both fond of saying one thing despite feeling another. They're scared of giving the other person too much power over them, and it certainly doesn't help that they started off as enemies.

Still, though, I think these conflicting feelings and spoken words make the whole thing work, no matter how twisted. Quinn is a lovestruck idiot, despite being a true alpha, and I think he genuinely wants only the best for his mate. He's really just terrible at showing that he cares because of his massive pride, and he obviously has to work on that, but at the very least I appreciated his cooperation with Jaime/Jay when Aaron's well-being was at stake. He even apologized (even if he was still arrogant about it lol), which I thought was a solid step forward.

One thing that really made me grin about this book is Aaron finally realizing that he has as much control over Quinn as Quinn does over him, maybe even more. It happens toward the end, so it's a bit late, but it means a lot, because even when the words are unspoken it's as if there's a silent understanding between Quinn and Aaron about the power dynamics in their relationship. I thought that was very interesting, and it left a lot of potential for their future as mates.

I can't remember how many times I've reread this book, because like I said it grew on me each time. I don't believe this book is for everyone, but I still consider it a very good read worthy of four stars.

Review: The Alpha Takes What He Wants (Rogue Wolfhounds #5) by Marcy Jacks

Jason has no last name, just a number. Born and bred in the labs to be a killer, he and his pack have escaped, and have been hiding among the humans for years. Jason also harbors a dangerous secret. He is in love with one of the doctors who used to oversee his care, and after years of careful self-control, he can't hold back anymore.

George Green helped the pack to escape, and he's been a prisoner of the Wolfhounds ever since, but that's not enough to distract him from his lust for one particular alpha in the pack.

It's sick. George cannot believe himself for having such thoughts, not after what he once put Jason through. But his love and lust are so great that he can hardly resist when Jason takes what he wants, and though George wants it, he believes Jason cares nothing for him, and he doesn't know if his heart can handle that.

Title: The Alpha Takes What He Wants (Rogue Wolfhounds #5)
Author/s: Marcy Jacks
Publication Date: November 2015
ISBN:978-1-63259-818-9
Buy it from Siren Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

This book was very fast-paced, the world of wolfhounds expanding and slowly unraveling as the series continues. What I really like about Marcy Jacks is how she makes sure all books are interrelated through the characters; she tells you about them, makes you want to know more about them, so that when she finally writes their story, you're already fairly invested. I myself look forward to some of them, in fact.

There's a certain maturity to both George and Jason that makes their relationship work. George is human but he's far from being a weakling; he has a responsibility to the pack and he's really good at it. I think it's perfectly understandable that he has some ambivalence about his pack standing, seeing as he was one of those who used to experiment on Jason and the others. I like him because he has his own fears, but at the same time he enjoys what he's doing, perhaps even takes pride in it, and he doesn't want to quit it just because he's a little intimidated. Jason, despite being five years younger than George, is actually fairly straightforward about the whole mating process. He's already made a decision that likes George, so he does something about it, and despite the good amount of miscommunication and hitches along the way, he comes into terms with the mating easily. I think he's even relieved to find out that George is his mate, since it makes the claiming much easier.

One of the biggest reasons I love this book is because it showed us more about Phoenix, who hates humans. A lot. In my review of the previous installment, I had this weird theory that Phoenix may actually be Joey’s mate, too, because hey, who doesn’t like menage, right? (I hate menage lol.) This book stomps on that idea and completely tosses it out the window, which I'm very, very glad for. I savored the last few pages telling of Phoenix and that small strip of cloth he managed to snag from his human in the hospital. I was giggling like mad when he admitted feeling like a pervert for practically making a treasure out of the cloth and sniffing it like his own personal cocaine. It was hilarious; I really wanted his mate to be human and I'm giddy to know what will happen because it's apparently the case.

I ventured out a little more and checked if there was already a summary about Phoenix and his human mate – there’s no way the next book isn’t about them! – so I went to Siren Bookstrand and apparently the release date of the sixth book is November 28. That's just two more weeks away and I'M. SO. EXCITED.

Even better, it looks like Rogue Wolfhounds #7 will be about Hyde, if the title is anything to go by. (Sorry, Hyde, but who else will be called the Monster Alpha?) This one will be out December 5, just a week after Phoenix's book. I'm a sucker for "wounded" characters, and I'm really looking forward to reading about a wolfhound outside Max's original pack.

Review: Being Offered to the Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #4) by Marcy Jacks

Ryland wasn't expecting to see his mate again so soon. He especially wasn't expecting to see him so sick. Scott looks to be near death, and Ryland needs to save him before he loses his mate before he can even have him.

Scott can't understand it when he wakes up in a lavish room he's never been to before. His body is on fire with burning lust and pain, and he can't explain why, but he needs to get off... right now.

When Ryland walks into his room and finds his mate in heat, he can't resist. He has to have him. Scott's passion impresses Ryland to no end, and now that he finally has his mate, he is determined to make up for all the bad things Scott had to live through by giving him everything he has.

Title: Being Offered to the Alpha (Rogue Wolfhounds #4)
Author/s: Marcy Jacks
Publication Date: November 2015
ISBN:978-1-63259-799-1
Buy it from Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

I was very excited to read this book; the third installment left a cliffhanger that made me want to cry in frustration. Thankfully I read Trust in Me only recently, and I was happy to know that this one was coming out on the 7th (yesterday).

The book was very fast paced, and I really appreciated how it picked up from where the last book stopped. I liked Scott; I thought despite being an omega he had a certain strength to him that made him very easy to like. Quite vulnerable, but not so much that he was annoying or irritating. I sympathized with his plight, and I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him when he was starting to settle with the rest of the pack and he was slightly uncomfortable at having everything in front of him suddenly (i.e. how there was so much food, when they had to hunt for it before, etc). 

I thought Ryland was a good alpha; he certainly gave off the dependable, "I would be your shield" kind of vibes. One thing I really liked was how he didn't pretend and told Scott that he would have fought for the latter to the death when they first met. I know mating stories have that sort of concept going on for them, so it was a bit of a surprise to me when he said that. I actually liked him even more because of that; I thought it was only realistic and rational that Ryland's sense of loyalty could not be overridden by the mating pull. Not that that wouldn't change soon lol.

One thing that really confused me about the story was the effects of the drugs. I thought what they injected Scott was... gonna make him turn against his mate or something? I would have liked to see more of that. Another thing: Why didn't Ryland go after them in the first place? Because Smith did, as we've seen in the previous book. Is the mating thing different for different people? Am I mixing up the shifter universes that I'm reading about? Very likely.

Now I'm curious about Griffin because he was apparently mated to Scott's dead brother Remy. But, y'know, in shifter stories that usually just leads the widower to find another mate... so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully Marcy Jacks is planning on something creative. I'm actually thinking Remy might be alive. It's like an unwritten rule, isn't it? If you don't see the body, that fucker ain't dead. That's just my theory, though. It'd be interesting to see where that leads should it be true.

I feel bad for Logan because Max was really giving him a hard time, and I'm not really sure if I'm rooting for Max or I just want to punch him in the face (read: Dean treating Joey like shit). I definitely like Logan much better, because I felt like he had been doing such an amazing job at taking care of his pack despite their lack of resources. Hopefully he finds his mate soon; I'm really excited to read about that.

I'm not comfortable at the idea of Dean and Joey being mates; I just... I don't know, Dean has sadly failed to endear himself to me, and it's already the fourth book. Given his asshole-ish attitude I doubt he'd care, and honestly I don't give a fuck either. He's a douchebag and I don't care how much he hates humans - I hate people who treat others like shit just because he was wronged by their peers. That's stupid and fucking narrow-minded. Also, may I recall book two where Dean walked away while Joey was drowning. I know, I know, he saved Joey in the end, but hey, can we say that again? Dean fucking walked away and actually had plans of letting Joey drown and die. What the fuck is romantic in that? He even has the guts to make it sound like Joey owes him for saving his life. Ugh. If I were Joey I'd be running to Max and demanding to be reassigned or something. Dean is so full of shit, and I can't believe Max isn't doing anything about it. (Oh hey maybe this is why I like Logan better. He actually called Max out on Dean's shit.)

On a positive note, I LOVE HYDE. I don't know why but I just want to read more about him and his future mate. I'm torn between wanting Marcy Jacks to prioritize his book, and wanting to learn about him from the perspective of the other members of the pack. Either way, I want to read more about him very soon.

Overall, I liked this book and there are some very interesting characters I'm keen on reading more about. I'm wondering about Phoenix because I feel like there's a huge possibility that he's also Joey's mate or something. I don't know. I hate menage but I'm beginning to think like I hate Dean more.

Review: Strength of the Alpha (Supremacy of Wolves #3) by Shannon West, Victoria Sue

When Brandon finally gets his chance to train to become an alpha, he’s ecstatic. His joy doesn’t last long, however, when he soon finds himself one of the two most unpopular of the new trainees, along with a former house-human named Cody. Even their trainers, Rhys and Tucker think they don’t have what it takes and despite a growing attraction to the men, both trainers seem determined to wash them out. Even worse Brandon is more and more convinced that Rhys is his true mate. After a violent encounter with other recruits, both Brandon and Cody find themselves back home, wondering how it all went so wrong. Then Quinn, the Supreme Alpha, comes up with a bold new idea for a Black Ops team, and to Brandon and Cody’s surprise, they’re chosen as members, along with their former trainers Rhys and Tucker.

Brandon and Cody are determined to make good on this second chance, but their alpha partners doubt their abilities to perform their duties. The fact that Rhys is attracted to Brandon almost against his will only complicates things. When the new team is called up, it means Brandon has to work undercover for Mikkail, the hated homophobic bigot who tortured Brandon’s wolf the last time he got his hands on him. It soon becomes clear that the men will have to draw together to become a team or risk losing everything, including their lives.

Title: Strength of the Alpha (Supremacy of Wolves #3)
Author/s: Shannon West, Victoria Sue
Publication Date: October 2015
ISBN 10: 194405413
ISBN 13: 978-1-944054-010-6
Buy it from Dark Hollows Press

Maria's Rating: ★★★★★

Okay, I really, REALLY loved this. Shannon West and Victoria Sue totally outdid themselves with this installment, and I wanted the story to last forever.

I'm ridiculously fond of Alphas despite their asshole-ish, caveman ways, but I really liked Rhys and Tucker. They had their dumb alpha moments, sure, but overall I found them quite endearing. Rhys was particularly infuriating with his insistence on trying to get away from Brandon, but I liked him, and I never had to stop and think 'why the hell would anyone want this one for a mate?' His narrative was solid; being given a chance to read from his perspective made it easy to like him. He was a big ball of contradiction, which made him much easier to relate to. For example, he said he didn't like Brandon AT ALL, but deep down, it's easy to see that 'oops nope he totally lied what a clueless, lovestruck idiot lmao'. It actually made me grin a bit when Cody basically said that everyone already knew how much in love Rhys was with Brandon, except Rhys. That was ridiculously cute. And I probably shouldn't describe an alpha as 'cute'. Not that I'm stopping.

Tucker was intriguing to me. I thought the idea of having human Alphas was very clever, and it was nice to have him as a sort of human representative, proving that not all humans are weak (unlike Quinn's original thought! boo Quinn lmao jk I like that guy). I loved how protective he was of Cody, and I gushed a whole lot whenever he showed it (e.g. when Cody got bullied; when he visited Cody in his tiny room). He was tough and scary without trying, but he was also sweet and thoughtful and super protective - he was PERFECT. I actually kinda wish he'd been turned at some point in the story, just because I wanted him and Cody to have the whole mates deal going on for them, too. But I guess that would kind of ruin the ideas of human alphas. I thought him and Cody marrying in the end was hella sweet, by the way. It was wonderful.

I'm not particularly fond of damsels in distress (or, uh, dudes in distress in this case?), so I was very happy that Brandon and Cody were neither incapable nor in need of rescuing. Their strengths weren't muscle and brawn, but they were both very sharp and skilled, and I really appreciated that. They could do SOMETHING, and although that might not mean defeating their Alphas on the mat, what they did were  actually key to accomplishing what needed to be done for that pack. Sometimes they needed their alpha's help, of course, I won't say they didn't - but these two definitely kicked some serious ass, although not in the traditional way people probably expected them to. They were just the right balance of vulnerable and fierce, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I loved reading about Tucker and Cody, Brandon and Rhys getting together.

I also wanted to commend both authors for writing about two pairs in one book. I thought they found a good mix; one pair was given just as much focus as the other, and it worked well; all four of them came together to tell a very good story.

The only thing that really ticked me off about this book were the editing issues. There were a few places that had some typos and character names were mixed up, etc. I honestly thought the editors could have done better - surely they could have checked that one? It really irritates me to find mistakes like that in my favorite books. Especially since one of the two authors is Shannon West, and she's a big name in this industry and genre, hello. I swear, if there was an opening, I'd totally sign up for DHP to proofread this series prior to release, because I really love it.

That aside, this is still a very good book, and I loved every second of it. There wasn't a lot of sex, which was pretty surprising, but I think it added strength to it, made the emotions more raw and real. I hope we see more of these characters in the future, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Solid 5/5.

Review: Just Breathe (Primal Heat #5) by Lynn Hagen

All Jake ever wanted was a perfect life with a bonded mate. He soon finds that life is never that easy and things can go very wrong. After having his heart ripped out twice already, Jake decides the perfect life doesn’t exist. That is, until he meets Zach and Quad.

Quad Cash is an enforcer for the Bourne Coalition but leads a double life. He's a mercenary and has just been handed a contract to take out a Russian drug lord. But things go wrong and he barely escapes with his life.

Leaving a life of luxury behind, Zach becomes an enforcer in Stillwater. He's lusted after Jake for three years, but when Zach is kidnapped by a man who swears he has intel that he doesn’t, his life is forever changed.

Can three men on different paths come together to build a life together, or will the insurmountable forces destroy them all?

Title: Just Breathe (Primal Heat #5)
Author/s: Lynn Hagen
Publication Date: June 2015
ISBN 13: 9781632594044
Buy it from Bookstrand

Maria's Rating: ★★★★

I don't usually read menage; the first and the only time I'd given it a chance, the book was so poorly written and so ridiculous I nearly gouged my eyes for even trying. But even without that, the idea makes me squirm and for me it's just hella unthinkable that three people would be totally cool with... y'know, being in a relationship together and acting like that's normal. I don't care if it's straight or gay; heck, I don't care if it's between a monster and a human - I really just prefer reading romantic relationships between two people.

Anyway, I decided to give this a go because it appeared to be the last one in the series. And besides if there ever turns out to be another coming after this then I'd save time and jump on the sixth book.

This book was actually well written for most part, although something could be said about the swift 'resolution' of the other conflicts brought up in the previous books (e.g. the necessity for Dane to drink Lucius' blood because he was dying, and Lucius wanted Syn to help him find his traitor brother). It was rushed and it disappointed; I really expected more since Hagen is usually fond of drawn out battle scenes.

I have to say, however, that Hagen's latest materials are a far cry from how bad her first ones were; she has definitely improved over the years, particularly in pacing, fleshing out characters, and telling a balanced relationship. It showed in this book, and I was very glad for it. I still found some typos while reading, however, and although they were not really distracting, I felt bad because the editor should have been able to point them out and got them fixed before publication. Hagen certainly deserved better than that, especially since she a relatively established name in the book's publishing house.

I started the book rooting for Jake and Zach, but as the story progressed, Jake proved to be an exasperating main character. He came across as whiny and desperate and overall a pain in the ass who wanted to get laid and fast. I understand he was trying to get over how Zach had ditched him, but really, developing feelings for Quad while still pining for Zach AND keeping Quad at bay was a total dick move. I know, I know, this is menage, and he needed to NOT get over both guys, but honestly, it was painful to read. I don't know how many times I muttered "please fucking calm your dick, Jake" to myself while reading the book, especially when he decided he'd go for Manny, too, since Quad no longer appeared to be interested in him. Seriously, how needy and pathetic could one person be? He never really endeared himself to me, and most especially not when he said he wanted both Zach and Quad. At the same time. Even if it's menage. You can tell me I'm missing the point of menage, and I know I am, but it really got to me.

I got tired of Jake's shit barely fifty percent into the book, so when I saw an opening aka sexual tension that didn't involve Jake somehow, it was only natural for me to jump ship and be Team ZachQuad instead. Without Jake in between. Screw that indecisive, horny sonofabitch.

I liked Zach. Of course I wanted to whack him in the head when he couldn't even bother with a call to Jake after what happened between them, but overall he was a chill guy. I sympathized with him after his torture in the hands of the Russian, and I felt bad because the mistake that wasn't even his own cost him so much. I thought there was more chemistry between him and Quad (not to mention A LOAD OF SEXUAL TENSION), because they were at each other's throats prior, and it was hella interesting to find them... working things out between them after what had happened. I was actually giddy when I read Quad comforting Zach while the latter was having nightmares. Quad claimed that he was just guilty that Zach got mistaken for him and took the torture that was intended for him, but what the hell. He rescued the guy, kept him in his home while he healed, and comforted him when he was plagued by nightmares. There was too much good material to make them into a fantastic pairing, and they totally were.

I have this theory that Hagen actually ended up liking Zach and Quad together better than the menage with Jake. For one, Zach and Quad got to have an actual private sex without Jake, which was hilarious in a twisted sort of way, because they claimed to tolerate each other for Jake. But nope, Quad and Zach humped like bunnies without Jake in there between them, and Quad actually bit Zach to establish a sort of claim on him. Quad told Zach not to hide anything from him, and they even engage in a playful banter in the middle of sex. HOW AMAZING IS THAT.

Overall, I liked the book, but I'm definitely Team ZachQuad all the way! I'd read it again for those two, really. I wish Hagen had gone in that direction instead; I certainly would have given it one more star if it did.