Jess Haines

Standard UF fare, but good, standard UF fare. Very readable, likeable characters, lots of action, a sentient belt that made me laugh, nice friend dynamic.

But it just didn’t hook me enough to want to read the rest of the series. Reading reviews for further books, there seems to be a strong theme of the (female) MC being exploited one way or there other in every book, and if I’d been interested before, I’m definitely not now. I have no interest in reading about victims, even if they’re tough and can get themselves out of scrapes. Not even for the sentient belt.

Definitely not a bad book at all, but for me it’s a one and done.… (plus d'informations)

I think I'm done with this series. I was unhappy after Shia was potentially turned into a werewolf against her will in the last book (after being placed in thrall to a vampire against her will in a prior book), and here we have yet another male gendered entity taking control of Shia's mind for his own ends. Shia gives some lip service to wanting to be her own self and not under the control of another being, but she turns that over quickly enough by the end of the book.
It's just not my thing at all. Shia making a choice to be a part of a community of others and accepting some loss of independence is fine, but that's not whats going on here. Her consent for the events of the end of the book is obtained by rather manipulative means at a time when she is physically and emotionally exhausted and vulnerable.
I'm also finding this world less interesting as time goes on, and there were a number of plot points that I just didn't buy.… (plus d'informations)

I overall enjoyed the first few books of this series, but this was a big no from me. I had a hard time buying that Shia would be so incredibly passive in her relationship with Chaz, while also making repeated stupid decisions. What kind of sense does it make to meet Chaz's pack when they're all wigged out by the full moon, away from home turf, and en masse? Why not ease into things with a few at a time, building acceptance within the pack? Oh yes, that would be less dramatic. The conflicts between Chaz and both of his nemeses were anticlimactic - nearly ridiculous really - and the reveal of Chaz's situation was both predictable and disappointing. My least favorite bit here, however, is the forced (potential) change. This is the second time that Shia has been bitten against her will, and I'm tired of it. If she wants to become some sort of other and chooses that, fine, but it feels like sloppy storytelling to put her in this same position again. I'll likely still read the rest of the series, but this was a disappointing turn.… (plus d'informations)