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Law of the Lycans #1
The Mating
She lay beside him, staring blankly at the ceiling. The deed was done. They were mated. It didn't matter that she had no love for him nor he for her. Political alliances were more important than feelings, or so she had been told. That fact was cold comfort right now as her heart broke within her.
Elise had no idea when she came home that day that she'd end up mated to a complete stranger. A new Alpha and the need for an alliance between packs have made her a pawn.
Elise had no idea when she came home that day that she'd end up mated to a complete stranger. A new Alpha and the need for an alliance between packs have made her a pawn.
340 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Nicky Charles
21 books2,878 followersNicky Charles is an independent writer/publisher who became an author quite by accident. She always saw herself as a ‘reader not a writer’ and can thank—or blame, depending on the day—her friend/editor and fellow author, Jan Gordon, for the career she now finds herself immersed in. The tale goes something like this:
In January of 2009, Nicky penned a fanfiction for an old TV series, “Scarecrow and Mrs. King”, and soon became ‘hooked’ on story telling. She joined a fan-based group for the show and through there met Jan Gordon. It was an idle comment made by Jan during a review of Black Silk (Jan’s newly published book) that inspired Nicky to write her first original story. Over the course of the next two months, she hastily scribbled down a suspense driven romance entitled Forever In Time and presented it to the world in August of 2009. Soon after, she wrote The Mating, a paranormal romance and followed it up with The Keeping and The Finding. The three stories formed a loose paranormal trilogy called The Law of the Lycans. Nicky continues to expand the Lycan series and has a long list of possible plots waiting in the wings.
Nicky works full-time and writes in her off-hours, few though they may be! In the next few years she hopes to retire from her day job and concentrate more of her energy on her new passion of writing.
When she writes, Nicky sees the story unfolding in her head like a movie and tries to include enough detail so that readers can ‘see’ the story just as she does. The sights, sounds, smells and sensations of a scene are almost as important to her as the actual plot.
Creating main characters that are ‘real’ is also something she strives for. Nicky tries to make each character different, to give them an interesting back story, to make their actions and feelings logical and to hopefully make the reader actually care what happens to the people in the story.
Nicky lives in Canada and tries to stick to Canadian spelling and punctuation in her work, in support of her country. She is an avid supporter of animal shelters, nature conservancy, food banks and a variety of other charities. Currently she has two ‘inside’ cats and one official ‘outside’ cat though a number of strays seem to take up residence in her garden each year.
When not writing, Nicky enjoys reading – though she often bemoans that she seldom has time for it any more. Her favourite authors are Elizabeth Peters, S.C. Stephen and Cherise Sinclair. She also enjoys spending time out in nature, gardening, taking day trips and eating dark chocolate.
In January of 2009, Nicky penned a fanfiction for an old TV series, “Scarecrow and Mrs. King”, and soon became ‘hooked’ on story telling. She joined a fan-based group for the show and through there met Jan Gordon. It was an idle comment made by Jan during a review of Black Silk (Jan’s newly published book) that inspired Nicky to write her first original story. Over the course of the next two months, she hastily scribbled down a suspense driven romance entitled Forever In Time and presented it to the world in August of 2009. Soon after, she wrote The Mating, a paranormal romance and followed it up with The Keeping and The Finding. The three stories formed a loose paranormal trilogy called The Law of the Lycans. Nicky continues to expand the Lycan series and has a long list of possible plots waiting in the wings.
Nicky works full-time and writes in her off-hours, few though they may be! In the next few years she hopes to retire from her day job and concentrate more of her energy on her new passion of writing.
When she writes, Nicky sees the story unfolding in her head like a movie and tries to include enough detail so that readers can ‘see’ the story just as she does. The sights, sounds, smells and sensations of a scene are almost as important to her as the actual plot.
Creating main characters that are ‘real’ is also something she strives for. Nicky tries to make each character different, to give them an interesting back story, to make their actions and feelings logical and to hopefully make the reader actually care what happens to the people in the story.
Nicky lives in Canada and tries to stick to Canadian spelling and punctuation in her work, in support of her country. She is an avid supporter of animal shelters, nature conservancy, food banks and a variety of other charities. Currently she has two ‘inside’ cats and one official ‘outside’ cat though a number of strays seem to take up residence in her garden each year.
When not writing, Nicky enjoys reading – though she often bemoans that she seldom has time for it any more. Her favourite authors are Elizabeth Peters, S.C. Stephen and Cherise Sinclair. She also enjoys spending time out in nature, gardening, taking day trips and eating dark chocolate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,268 reviews
January 30, 2013
*a spoiler free and quick review*
The deed was done. They were mated.
Beside her, he stirred and she sensed him rolling over, his amber eyes staring at her. She made no move to look at him and instead tried to steady her breathing. It was no use. As she inhaled, her breath quivered betraying her emotional state. Despite blinking rapidly, a stray tear trailed down her cheek.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meet Elise. She is the daughter of her pack's leader. She is young (19 year old to be exact), fun loving, carefree......
And she is a WEREWOLF!!!
Meet Kane. He's the Alpha of his pack...the leader...kind, fair, tall, hot, and practical.
[image error]
And they've been mated....
It's an arranged mating....a move to strengthen political alliances between 2 packs, secure pack area boundaries....not a love match...
[image error]
But jealous exes, a dangerous brother-in-law (who's probably the culprit behind creating havoc for the pack), interfering well-meaning adopted in-laws and love have a way of breaking down defences and bringing two people, literally strangers to each other, close and close and closer....
All of it can turn even the most sensible man into a possessive lover...
When Kane finds Elise talking to her childhood friend, Bryan, on returning to her after finishing some important errands...
But will it turn into something more? Will it ever grow into love??
Read to find out....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a nice, light, quick read. I enjoyed it as a one-time read, mostly because I love paranormal romances and shape shifters. The story is interesting and fun and the characters are enjoyable( the story could have done with a little more development but it was enjoyable nonetheless). So, if you're in a mood for some wolfy-love and light paranormal romance, then you can pick this one....and it's pretty easy to get it because it's free!
It's available here on Goodreads. Here's the download link: http://www.goodreads.com/ebooks/downl...
So, hope you'll enjoy it if you decide to give it a try. :)
The deed was done. They were mated.
Beside her, he stirred and she sensed him rolling over, his amber eyes staring at her. She made no move to look at him and instead tried to steady her breathing. It was no use. As she inhaled, her breath quivered betraying her emotional state. Despite blinking rapidly, a stray tear trailed down her cheek.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meet Elise. She is the daughter of her pack's leader. She is young (19 year old to be exact), fun loving, carefree......
And she is a WEREWOLF!!!
Meet Kane. He's the Alpha of his pack...the leader...kind, fair, tall, hot, and practical.
[image error]
And they've been mated....
It's an arranged mating....a move to strengthen political alliances between 2 packs, secure pack area boundaries....not a love match...
[image error]
But jealous exes, a dangerous brother-in-law (who's probably the culprit behind creating havoc for the pack), interfering well-meaning adopted in-laws and love have a way of breaking down defences and bringing two people, literally strangers to each other, close and close and closer....
All of it can turn even the most sensible man into a possessive lover...
When Kane finds Elise talking to her childhood friend, Bryan, on returning to her after finishing some important errands...
Kane gave Bryan an almost imperceptible nod. “I’m glad you had someone to keep you company while you were waiting, but it would do your ‘friend’ well to remember that you are now my mate and off limits to all others.”
Feeling her face burn at his innuendo, Elise tried to defend her actions. “We were just talking, nothing else!”
“I do not appreciate other males standing quite so close when...talking... to my mate.” The words rumbled from his throat and Bryan stepped back, instinctively acknowledging Kane’s dominance.
...."...I do not share my mate with anyone. We are bonded and you are mine. No other male is allowed to sniff around you.”
But will it turn into something more? Will it ever grow into love??
Read to find out....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a nice, light, quick read. I enjoyed it as a one-time read, mostly because I love paranormal romances and shape shifters. The story is interesting and fun and the characters are enjoyable( the story could have done with a little more development but it was enjoyable nonetheless). So, if you're in a mood for some wolfy-love and light paranormal romance, then you can pick this one....and it's pretty easy to get it because it's free!
It's available here on Goodreads. Here's the download link: http://www.goodreads.com/ebooks/downl...
So, hope you'll enjoy it if you decide to give it a try. :)
July 1, 2011
I liked this book at first. It starts off a bit awkwardly, but draws you into the world of the werewolves nicely. Somewhere around the half-way point it totally loses it and becomes a bad Nancy Drew detective novel. The main character, Elise is so mind-numbingly stupid I wasn't sure I would be able to finish the book. Elise actually makes a list of all the things that have gone wrong, but still can't figure out what's going on. The hero is equally stupid. The ending is choppy and has even more stupidity and wacky hijinks that make no sense.
I assumed it was a young adult novel because the characters were so immature. There is absolutely no mystery since it's obvious from the beginning who is behind all of the bad things happening in the pack. The author drops clues like anvils all over the place. Not subtle.
I also found the way the women in the packs were treated and Elise's blind acceptance of it when she considers herself a "modern female" to be insulting. Bad behavior, and a near-rape are all blamed on her heat cycle, also very insulting.
If it wasn't for the graphic (yet horribly boring) sex, this would be a young adult novel, no question.
For a free book, it kept me entertained. No way would I pay money to read this.
I assumed it was a young adult novel because the characters were so immature. There is absolutely no mystery since it's obvious from the beginning who is behind all of the bad things happening in the pack. The author drops clues like anvils all over the place. Not subtle.
I also found the way the women in the packs were treated and Elise's blind acceptance of it when she considers herself a "modern female" to be insulting. Bad behavior, and a near-rape are all blamed on her heat cycle, also very insulting.
If it wasn't for the graphic (yet horribly boring) sex, this would be a young adult novel, no question.
For a free book, it kept me entertained. No way would I pay money to read this.
September 3, 2013
I can't even explain how much this book pissed me off. Especially because I couldn't stop reading it. Even when I wanted to reach in, tear open the heroines belly with my bare hands and dance in her blood... I still couldn't put it down.
Oh Elise, how much do I hate thee? Let me count the ways:
1- You're so very very stupid. Calling you naive is like calling Gollum special, it's a huge understatement. You actually made lists, Lists!, of everything going on around you and STILL couldn't connect the dots. Even when the dots were evenly spaced out, in a straight line and had start and end signs.
2- You have no purpose. You simply exist. First as a tool for your father, then as a pawn for Marla. You have no ideas, no influence, no pertinent thoughts. If I had succeeded in my plan to eviscerate you - NOBODY WOULD NOTICE.
3- You think being raped, threatened, bossed around and intimidated is sexy. You need therapy, lots and lots of therapy.
I'll move on from Elise, and summarize. The world was stupid, other than shifting NOTHING else was about werewolves. It could have been a regular book about humans and there wouldn't have been a difference.
The backward gender roles PISSED ME OFF. Men do all the pack "business" and allow the poor feeble female minds to focus on womanly duties, like nursing, cooking, shopping and having babies. When Elise had to "ask permission" to leave... I threw up a little.
In fact Marla was the only character I could stand, despite the author spending no time making her more than a shallow queen bitch. She was the only woman with a job, was smart, and had them all dancing to her tune. Good for you girl!
... Now if only she had succeeded in killing Elise
Oh Elise, how much do I hate thee? Let me count the ways:
1- You're so very very stupid. Calling you naive is like calling Gollum special, it's a huge understatement. You actually made lists, Lists!, of everything going on around you and STILL couldn't connect the dots. Even when the dots were evenly spaced out, in a straight line and had start and end signs.
2- You have no purpose. You simply exist. First as a tool for your father, then as a pawn for Marla. You have no ideas, no influence, no pertinent thoughts. If I had succeeded in my plan to eviscerate you - NOBODY WOULD NOTICE.
3- You think being raped, threatened, bossed around and intimidated is sexy. You need therapy, lots and lots of therapy.
I'll move on from Elise, and summarize. The world was stupid, other than shifting NOTHING else was about werewolves. It could have been a regular book about humans and there wouldn't have been a difference.
The backward gender roles PISSED ME OFF. Men do all the pack "business" and allow the poor feeble female minds to focus on womanly duties, like nursing, cooking, shopping and having babies. When Elise had to "ask permission" to leave... I threw up a little.
In fact Marla was the only character I could stand, despite the author spending no time making her more than a shallow queen bitch. She was the only woman with a job, was smart, and had them all dancing to her tune. Good for you girl!
... Now if only she had succeeded in killing Elise
January 13, 2017
Warning: I read this last night while watching last weeks SNL and realizing how much I miss Amy Pohler on Weekend Update
This book was a freebie on Smashwords.com. It is pretty good, sometimes free stuff not so much. A werewolf romance, it reminded me a bit of J.R Ward’s series, many of the rules of mating are similar, but for a free book very enjoyable.
Elise is mated/arranged marriage to neighboring pack leader Kane. This is not what Elise had planned for the weekend, but she seems to be a team player so that’s that. It’s not just a trashy romance (which there is totally some sexytimes, no worries there) Nicky Charles is world building and does a pretty good job of it too.
It’s just the main character, Elise is kind of a dumb dumb. Not only is she the Queen of the pack, she is also the “Queen of not using her God damned brain”.
So your new husband’s ex shows up in some skanky-ass outfit, hangs all over oblivious said husband, makes demeaning remarks towards you and then reports to your husband that you have been extremely unkind to her, causing new husband to reprimand your behavior. You apologize and promise to try harder.
Really!??!
And then arch nemesis is found snooping in restricted areas of the compound including your own bedroom, she has the lamest excuse ever and just wants to be friends. First friendly advice is to lie to new husband and shatter his trust completely. Of course now that you two are friends she seems extremely trustworthy and you are absolutely SHOCKED when she rats your ass out to him and tries to break up marriage and get herself in there.
Really!??!
Big time showdown in the woods and finally a villain is shot, no one checks vitals, the consensus is that our baddy “looked very dead” and that “we will comback for the body tomorrow “
Really!??!
Jessi rule #1 always check for a pulse, come on! Really!??!
Still a fun paranormal romance read.
This book was a freebie on Smashwords.com. It is pretty good, sometimes free stuff not so much. A werewolf romance, it reminded me a bit of J.R Ward’s series, many of the rules of mating are similar, but for a free book very enjoyable.
Elise is mated/arranged marriage to neighboring pack leader Kane. This is not what Elise had planned for the weekend, but she seems to be a team player so that’s that. It’s not just a trashy romance (which there is totally some sexytimes, no worries there) Nicky Charles is world building and does a pretty good job of it too.
It’s just the main character, Elise is kind of a dumb dumb. Not only is she the Queen of the pack, she is also the “Queen of not using her God damned brain”.
So your new husband’s ex shows up in some skanky-ass outfit, hangs all over oblivious said husband, makes demeaning remarks towards you and then reports to your husband that you have been extremely unkind to her, causing new husband to reprimand your behavior. You apologize and promise to try harder.
Really!??!
And then arch nemesis is found snooping in restricted areas of the compound including your own bedroom, she has the lamest excuse ever and just wants to be friends. First friendly advice is to lie to new husband and shatter his trust completely. Of course now that you two are friends she seems extremely trustworthy and you are absolutely SHOCKED when she rats your ass out to him and tries to break up marriage and get herself in there.
Really!??!
Big time showdown in the woods and finally a villain is shot, no one checks vitals, the consensus is that our baddy “looked very dead” and that “we will comback for the body tomorrow “
Really!??!
Jessi rule #1 always check for a pulse, come on! Really!??!
Still a fun paranormal romance read.
May 9, 2013
3.5 Stars
This was a surprising and well constructed story that reminded me why I enjoy werewolves tales...
The bonds among the wolves, the solidarity, the caring, how noisy and nosy they are, are completely endearing to me... Maybe because I come from a large family and they remind me of them. The support, interference, being there no matter what and no questions asked. Wolf Packs fascinate me!!
So, back to our story....
Elise and Kane are forced into mating for the allegiance between their two packs.
We watch them struggle with their feelings, themselves, each other and especially an outside threat. An evil, ready to tear their whole lives apart!
Our heroine, Elise is pretty young (19 years old) and the sheltered daughter of an Alpha. She fancies herself in love with her childhood friend but all her dreams crash when she has to mate with another Alpha for the sake of her Pack and an ancient Lycan Law, The Mating .
She is innocent, naive and how to put it mildly.... she comes off as a little... stupid. There I said it!!!
She irritated me in no end!!!!!!!! Half the time, I was torn between hitting her with my Kindle and crying.
If she had opened her pretty little mouth and used half her brain we could have avoided many hair-pulling incidents... And by many, I mean A LOT people! Misunderstandings, accidents, injuries, deaths... EVERYTHING!!!
Okay, okay.
I'm calmer now.
Don't get me wrong. She is endearing and likeable but....
Our hero, Kane, is the Alpha of his Pack.
He won this position through blood and heartbreak. He fought his own brother to earn it and he faces many threats from the outside world and his pack, trying to keep their existence secret and upholding another ancient Lycan Law, The Keeping .
He is magnetic, protective and possessive. A true Alpha. A little inconsiderate at first of his new mate's needs and stubborn, but also strong and decisive.
The suspense/mystery factor in this book is pretty exciting, with many twists and turns and a satisfying climax.
AND THE BEST VILLAIN EVER!!!!!!
Sidenote: For the sake of this review and because I don't want to give anything away, I'll proceed as if he were male. Don't make any assumptions!!!!!!!!!
Where was I?? Ah, yes the villain...
True, pure evil!! I loved him! Crafty, devious, scheming (and OK with a lot of help from our unsuspecting heroine) he ruled this book!
I won't call the ending a cliff-hanger but there are a few threads dangling to keep you interested in the next books. I liked where the author goes with the werewolf mythology and with a little more depth in the characters I'd give a higher rating.
I have a good feeling for the future....
FAREWELL GIF-T
This was a surprising and well constructed story that reminded me why I enjoy werewolves tales...
♪♫ Run with the wolves
Calling all the wolf pack
When did you go and when did you get back? ♪♫ ~ The Vaccines - Wolf Pack
I ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY LOVE WOLF PACKS!!!!!!!!
The bonds among the wolves, the solidarity, the caring, how noisy and nosy they are, are completely endearing to me... Maybe because I come from a large family and they remind me of them. The support, interference, being there no matter what and no questions asked. Wolf Packs fascinate me!!
So, back to our story....
Elise and Kane are forced into mating for the allegiance between their two packs.
We watch them struggle with their feelings, themselves, each other and especially an outside threat. An evil, ready to tear their whole lives apart!
Our heroine, Elise is pretty young (19 years old) and the sheltered daughter of an Alpha. She fancies herself in love with her childhood friend but all her dreams crash when she has to mate with another Alpha for the sake of her Pack and an ancient Lycan Law, The Mating .
She is innocent, naive and how to put it mildly.... she comes off as a little... stupid. There I said it!!!
She irritated me in no end!!!!!!!! Half the time, I was torn between hitting her with my Kindle and crying.
If she had opened her pretty little mouth and used half her brain we could have avoided many hair-pulling incidents... And by many, I mean A LOT people! Misunderstandings, accidents, injuries, deaths... EVERYTHING!!!
Okay, okay.
I'm calmer now.
Don't get me wrong. She is endearing and likeable but....
Our hero, Kane, is the Alpha of his Pack.
He won this position through blood and heartbreak. He fought his own brother to earn it and he faces many threats from the outside world and his pack, trying to keep their existence secret and upholding another ancient Lycan Law, The Keeping .
He is magnetic, protective and possessive. A true Alpha. A little inconsiderate at first of his new mate's needs and stubborn, but also strong and decisive.
The suspense/mystery factor in this book is pretty exciting, with many twists and turns and a satisfying climax.
AND THE BEST VILLAIN EVER!!!!!!
Sidenote: For the sake of this review and because I don't want to give anything away, I'll proceed as if he were male. Don't make any assumptions!!!!!!!!!
Where was I?? Ah, yes the villain...
True, pure evil!! I loved him! Crafty, devious, scheming (and OK with a lot of help from our unsuspecting heroine) he ruled this book!
I won't call the ending a cliff-hanger but there are a few threads dangling to keep you interested in the next books. I liked where the author goes with the werewolf mythology and with a little more depth in the characters I'd give a higher rating.
I have a good feeling for the future....
FAREWELL GIF-T
June 18, 2010
What can I say? LOVED. THIS. BOOK!
I've read some other reviews and I feel that they are unnecessarily harsh. People forget that this book is free and not "free for publicity" but free as in "I wrote it and am self distributing it". I doubt the writer has a team of editors to "edit" the plot, delete sections, etc. to change the story into something that will sell the most amount of copies and appeal to the greatest audience. That doesn't mean it isn't good, it means it's different.
This is similar to the difference between a music artist with a powerful label behind them and one without. The artist without a label has a little less polished product, and usually an edgier because they have more control over their product. In the end they have a different product than the mass produced label artist, and many people would argue that the non-label artist is actually a better artist with a better end product.
What am I saying here? I am saying that this book has to be approached differently than your polished, run-of-the-mill, mass-produced Harlequin.
I didn't like everything about this book. Particularly, I thought there was a LOT of narrative, that I ended up skimming through. Also, I didn't know how to categorize the story. Was it meant to be a mystery? I think it was, slightly, but I think everyone will agree that the main villain was no surprise in the end. So not so mysterious. The mystery was in the details ...
The story was interesting, though. I really liked the emotional setting of the book. The romantic development was crafted well and was realistic (or at least not utterly and completely bs fantasy). Loved the characters, although I couldn't relate to either of them, it was interesting to see how they functioned and what Elise's rationalization were for her actions.
Although the book was written in 3rd person, it was mostly from Elise's POV. People have complained about that. I can understand why it was done that way - We do see a pivotal scene from Kane's POV, and putting it in 3rd person doesn't allow there to be any misunderstanding about who is the subject of the scene. Also, 3rd person allows the reader to be privy to info about the characters that the characters might not know or realize.
This is an uncharacteristically long review for me. I don't know the author and only read this book because I am on a werewolf kick and I literally tripped over it on a site (it's a free ebook). Having read it now I can say I am a supporter of Nicky Charles. I will follow her writing. I hope she puts up a website. I think she has a great book here and I can't wait to see more characters from this story/world get their own books.
Hurray for Nicky Charles!!
** P.S. You may get a copy of this book that has all types of errors. I read somewhere that the conversion software used by some doesn't convert error free. I posted a version on GR that is mostly error free (from what I could see). Some reviewers are really down on this book because of the lack of "editing" - but I think they are confusing the conversion errors with careless proofing. It may be free but the version I read was complete and error free. If you get a version with errors find a clean copy of it.
I've read some other reviews and I feel that they are unnecessarily harsh. People forget that this book is free and not "free for publicity" but free as in "I wrote it and am self distributing it". I doubt the writer has a team of editors to "edit" the plot, delete sections, etc. to change the story into something that will sell the most amount of copies and appeal to the greatest audience. That doesn't mean it isn't good, it means it's different.
This is similar to the difference between a music artist with a powerful label behind them and one without. The artist without a label has a little less polished product, and usually an edgier because they have more control over their product. In the end they have a different product than the mass produced label artist, and many people would argue that the non-label artist is actually a better artist with a better end product.
What am I saying here? I am saying that this book has to be approached differently than your polished, run-of-the-mill, mass-produced Harlequin.
I didn't like everything about this book. Particularly, I thought there was a LOT of narrative, that I ended up skimming through. Also, I didn't know how to categorize the story. Was it meant to be a mystery? I think it was, slightly, but I think everyone will agree that the main villain was no surprise in the end. So not so mysterious. The mystery was in the details ...
The story was interesting, though. I really liked the emotional setting of the book. The romantic development was crafted well and was realistic (or at least not utterly and completely bs fantasy). Loved the characters, although I couldn't relate to either of them, it was interesting to see how they functioned and what Elise's rationalization were for her actions.
Although the book was written in 3rd person, it was mostly from Elise's POV. People have complained about that. I can understand why it was done that way - We do see a pivotal scene from Kane's POV, and putting it in 3rd person doesn't allow there to be any misunderstanding about who is the subject of the scene. Also, 3rd person allows the reader to be privy to info about the characters that the characters might not know or realize.
This is an uncharacteristically long review for me. I don't know the author and only read this book because I am on a werewolf kick and I literally tripped over it on a site (it's a free ebook). Having read it now I can say I am a supporter of Nicky Charles. I will follow her writing. I hope she puts up a website. I think she has a great book here and I can't wait to see more characters from this story/world get their own books.
Hurray for Nicky Charles!!
** P.S. You may get a copy of this book that has all types of errors. I read somewhere that the conversion software used by some doesn't convert error free. I posted a version on GR that is mostly error free (from what I could see). Some reviewers are really down on this book because of the lack of "editing" - but I think they are confusing the conversion errors with careless proofing. It may be free but the version I read was complete and error free. If you get a version with errors find a clean copy of it.
January 3, 2021
The Mating was a very surprising read. It was enjoyable but had many flaws. One being that it read more like a contemporary YA novel with some sexy times and shifters sprinkled in. Half the time I forgot they were even shifters. The main characters were okay. I enjoyed the heroine's vulnerability and insecurities but I wish there had been more of a development there. The hero might as well have been wearing ear plugs half the time because he barely listened to the heroine. There was also a lot of petty drama and I found myself exasperated half the time because the villain was so damn obvious (like, they might as well have put a sign over their head). And the hero and the heroine had their fair share of TSTL moments...
BUUUUT despite all the flaws, I couldn't stop myself from finishing the book in one sitting. There was something about this book that was so addictive. I couldn't put it down! Perhaps I just vibe with the author's writing style. And it doesn't help that I'm always going to be a sucker for the arranged marriage trope. I'm still really intrigued by Ryne (the half-brother of the hero in this book and the hero of the next book), so I'll definitely be carrying on with the series!
Honestly, for a kindle freebie, I'm pretty satisfied. If you plan on reading The Mating and you're a die hard shifter romance fan, I suggest you lower your expectations.
Rating: 3/5
BUUUUT despite all the flaws, I couldn't stop myself from finishing the book in one sitting. There was something about this book that was so addictive. I couldn't put it down! Perhaps I just vibe with the author's writing style. And it doesn't help that I'm always going to be a sucker for the arranged marriage trope. I'm still really intrigued by Ryne (the half-brother of the hero in this book and the hero of the next book), so I'll definitely be carrying on with the series!
Honestly, for a kindle freebie, I'm pretty satisfied. If you plan on reading The Mating and you're a die hard shifter romance fan, I suggest you lower your expectations.
Rating: 3/5
February 6, 2015
I really wanted to like this; however, it used my least favorite plot device of all time: the Big Misunderstanding. Also, the narrative was kind of choppy. Open to trying more from this author in the future though.
April 5, 2019
I read this years ago and really enjoyed it... well with qualifications.
So i listened to the new audio book... the reader, Vivienne Leheny was good.
The things that bothered me the first time around were just as annoying this time unfortunately, so I deducted a star. It's probably more of a 3 star read, but I loved the setup and I like the author's writing.
The story opens on the wedding/bonding night between Kane (the new alpha next door) and Elise, the sheltered 18 year old. I don't know Kane's age. I would guess it is at least mid twenties.
It was an arranged mating between Kane and Elise's cold dictatorial father. She doesn't even meet him til the ceremony because her father forbade it.
Elise had hoped to bond with her childhood friend, Bryan and finds herself torn between her friend and her new overwhelming attraction to her mate. This doesn't go far enough to be awkward but it does bother Kane and make him jealous. Which he deserves for his blind spot to his childhood 'friend', Marla.
This is technically a spoiler but it's so OTT obvious from the start that Marla is evil. There I said it. She's an evil BITCH. This author tends to make her villains VERY villainous. She plays Kane and his brother Ryne off of each other till they no longer seem like brothers.
Ryne shadows the story as the invisible boogeyman. Always in the background doing evil deeds.
Elise is left to fend for herself between Kane's willful blindness towards Marla and his devotions to his job as alpha. She makes some friends in her new pack, but she has nobody to talk to about her suspicions.
SO my big complaint with the story isn't so much Marla. She just defies logic.
My complaint is with the lack of closure between Kane and Ryne. And also between Kane and Elise.
No grovelling and only one sort of offhand apology.
The extent of Kane's blindness to Marla when all and sundry hate her and tell him so, just made him look kinda stupid. And same for Ryne.
Safety is OK.
So i listened to the new audio book... the reader, Vivienne Leheny was good.
The things that bothered me the first time around were just as annoying this time unfortunately, so I deducted a star. It's probably more of a 3 star read, but I loved the setup and I like the author's writing.
The story opens on the wedding/bonding night between Kane (the new alpha next door) and Elise, the sheltered 18 year old. I don't know Kane's age. I would guess it is at least mid twenties.
It was an arranged mating between Kane and Elise's cold dictatorial father. She doesn't even meet him til the ceremony because her father forbade it.
Elise had hoped to bond with her childhood friend, Bryan and finds herself torn between her friend and her new overwhelming attraction to her mate. This doesn't go far enough to be awkward but it does bother Kane and make him jealous. Which he deserves for his blind spot to his childhood 'friend', Marla.
This is technically a spoiler but it's so OTT obvious from the start that Marla is evil. There I said it. She's an evil BITCH. This author tends to make her villains VERY villainous. She plays Kane and his brother Ryne off of each other till they no longer seem like brothers.
Ryne shadows the story as the invisible boogeyman. Always in the background doing evil deeds.
Elise is left to fend for herself between Kane's willful blindness towards Marla and his devotions to his job as alpha. She makes some friends in her new pack, but she has nobody to talk to about her suspicions.
SO my big complaint with the story isn't so much Marla. She just defies logic.
My complaint is with the lack of closure between Kane and Ryne. And also between Kane and Elise.
No grovelling and only one sort of offhand apology.
The extent of Kane's blindness to Marla when all and sundry hate her and tell him so, just made him look kinda stupid. And same for Ryne.
Safety is OK.
June 9, 2022
2.5* at the max.
It has a nice sensible contemporary-like beginning without any ott were-mate drama.
I seriously appreciated the normal contemporary-NA feel of their moc and evolving relationship.
The other people in the pack are actually nice wholesome people unlike the usual dysfunctional fare in such books.
The wannabe ow in the background promises upcoming trouble (although her past with the H is not explained properly).
So, all good.
It has a nice sensible contemporary-like beginning without any ott were-mate drama.
I seriously appreciated the normal contemporary-NA feel of their moc and evolving relationship.
The other people in the pack are actually nice wholesome people unlike the usual dysfunctional fare in such books.
The wannabe ow in the background promises upcoming trouble (although her past with the H is not explained properly).
So, all good.
December 5, 2011
Since this book is free, I feel like I should rate it 5 stars. If I had paid $6.99 for it though, I would have rated it a 1 star. It started out good, but the middle section really dragged, there was a lot of exposition and many meaningless misunderstanding MacGuffins(editors note- that is my best use of alliteration in a goodreads review.) Marla was also super over the top for a villian. If she had a moustache, she would have twirled it. However, this is at least as good as that Amanda Ashley book I snarked the other day, and I really liked the werewolf world that was set up. The book made it sound really fun to be a werewolf and I enjoy that not all supernatural creatures are so emo.
And for everyone on here complaining about the Canadian spelling, give it a rest! It is free for Christ's sake! Canadians are people too!
And for everyone on here complaining about the Canadian spelling, give it a rest! It is free for Christ's sake! Canadians are people too!
August 3, 2022
I reread this book every year it seems, so I’ve decided to bump it up. It combines two of my fav tropes (PNR & AM/MOC) and has some of the best evil OW machinations out there. For me, it could’ve been a 5⭐, if the characters would’ve been less passive… and acted normal. The conflict is sustained by Elise being a pushover and stupid, and Kane being clueless and persuadable (neither alpha or Luna behavior) rather than making it relatable (towards the end it gets ridiculous) sucking out most of the feels. (it's hard to care when the mc's don't) It’s really going to come down to how much you can take, and if you don’t have buckets of patience for a wimpy h that makes stupid decisions and an easily manipulated H… then this might not be for you.
**********Original Review******
2.5 Stars
This is a re-read, and I’ll keep the 3***, by rounding up, but I didn’t like it as much this time around. On paper it looks like my kind of book… political marriage w/ the h hung up on OM, a wicked meddling wannabe OW, a mystery w/ danger, but the delivery was off. It’s hard to pinpoint, but I think that it boils down to the prolonged conflict through misunderstandings, and the utter clueless/stupid actions/lack of awareness of MC’s… seriously you can only do so many stupid things before it’s pathetic.
Kane was likeable enough; he was very kind/understanding to Elise, but he’s so blind to what’s glaringly obvious that I started doubting his ability to lead the pack. Elise starts out strong with what she’s dealing with, but starts making a series of absolutely stupid decisions, and continues to walk into obvious traps that got old quick. Marla was an alright evil OW, but she’s passive aggressive, and I prefer aggressive aggressive.
Bottom Line- Not bad, but not great either. I felt the pace was a little slow because we’re waiting for them to catch up. It’s part of a series, but for the most part their part is tidied up. The other books are also on scribd. The epilogue sets up the next book.
**********Original Review******
2.5 Stars
This is a re-read, and I’ll keep the 3***, by rounding up, but I didn’t like it as much this time around. On paper it looks like my kind of book… political marriage w/ the h hung up on OM, a wicked meddling wannabe OW, a mystery w/ danger, but the delivery was off. It’s hard to pinpoint, but I think that it boils down to the prolonged conflict through misunderstandings, and the utter clueless/stupid actions/lack of awareness of MC’s… seriously you can only do so many stupid things before it’s pathetic.
Kane was likeable enough; he was very kind/understanding to Elise, but he’s so blind to what’s glaringly obvious that I started doubting his ability to lead the pack. Elise starts out strong with what she’s dealing with, but starts making a series of absolutely stupid decisions, and continues to walk into obvious traps that got old quick. Marla was an alright evil OW, but she’s passive aggressive, and I prefer aggressive aggressive.
Bottom Line- Not bad, but not great either. I felt the pace was a little slow because we’re waiting for them to catch up. It’s part of a series, but for the most part their part is tidied up. The other books are also on scribd. The epilogue sets up the next book.
June 12, 2019
Holy Moly, I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with these characters. I loved how this world was portrayed. I was sucked in, the dynamic between Kane and Elise just grabbed me. I am a fan of shifter romance’s and find there just are not many that don’t all feel the same. This book really was different from others I have read/listened to.
It is an arranged marriage and maybe I just haven’t read/listened to many of them but I found it fascinating how they build a friends/relationship from nothing. Like I said I was enthralled I want to shout it from the roof PEOPLE LISTEN TO THIS BOOK!
The narration is fantastic, Vivienne Leheny not only captures Elise’s voice but she does an amazing Kane. I highly recommend this book and HOPE we get more from this author and the narrator.
If you love shifter romances as much as I do, you will love this book.
It is an arranged marriage and maybe I just haven’t read/listened to many of them but I found it fascinating how they build a friends/relationship from nothing. Like I said I was enthralled I want to shout it from the roof PEOPLE LISTEN TO THIS BOOK!
The narration is fantastic, Vivienne Leheny not only captures Elise’s voice but she does an amazing Kane. I highly recommend this book and HOPE we get more from this author and the narrator.
If you love shifter romances as much as I do, you will love this book.
March 26, 2011
A very enjoyable read. Different from other series that have been written in this genre. In my opinion this book is better than what I've seen from established and published authors. The story moved along nicely and I had a hard time putting it down. I felt that the 2 main characters, Kane and Elise, had great chemistry and the passion between them felt real and not forced. It was nicely written. Looking forward to reading The Keeping and other books in the series. Thanks for the great freebie Nicky Charles!
February 16, 2012
I have a unique perspective with any book written in 3rd person. If it's done correctly, (in my opinion), it can be a rewarding and exciting point of view. Although, when it's not, the narrative can come across as patronizing; even making the reader feel like the proverbial 12 year old. That being said, this book had good potential, it just couldn't follow through.
The story begins with Elise, the heroine who also happens to be an 18 year old virgin. In order to keep relations peaceful and land bountiful for the two neighboring werewolf packs, Elise's father thrusts her in the arms of Kane, the neighboring Alpha and story's hero. They are strangers to one another and when they "bond" it will unite the two wolf-packs as one. (Simple enough, right?) After Elise and Kane's first few nights together, they return to Kane's "Alpha-house" and most other pack-members are very welcoming towards Elise, excpet for one. Enter "Marla," the overberring, spoiled, too-pretty-for-her-own-good and too bitchy (pun intended), to have any real friends. She and Kane grew up together and even dated and (of course), are very close. Unfortunately for Elise, Kane hasn't clued in to Marla's minipulative ways and money hungry, viscious schemes. (There's always a clueless man involved, unfortunately.)
The premise of this story showed great promise at first, and I was enjoying myself. That being said, the actual writing was driving me crazy. I didn't need to be reminded when dinner was every night and how Elise and the other women would set the table. Or how when Elise and Kane would kiss, they would have to step back from on another, "breathing heavily," over and over again. I actually kept hearing the old cliche' line in my head, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch," throughout this book! That's when I succomed to the fact that I was rolling my eyes WAY too much.
I'll admit to skimming a bit, which, I usually never do. Towards the end, however, it did get better, or maybe by then, I was used to feeling like a 12 year old having a story read to me. Either way, this author had a few clever moments and I was happy with the outcome of this book; just not her writing style.
The story begins with Elise, the heroine who also happens to be an 18 year old virgin. In order to keep relations peaceful and land bountiful for the two neighboring werewolf packs, Elise's father thrusts her in the arms of Kane, the neighboring Alpha and story's hero. They are strangers to one another and when they "bond" it will unite the two wolf-packs as one. (Simple enough, right?) After Elise and Kane's first few nights together, they return to Kane's "Alpha-house" and most other pack-members are very welcoming towards Elise, excpet for one. Enter "Marla," the overberring, spoiled, too-pretty-for-her-own-good and too bitchy (pun intended), to have any real friends. She and Kane grew up together and even dated and (of course), are very close. Unfortunately for Elise, Kane hasn't clued in to Marla's minipulative ways and money hungry, viscious schemes. (There's always a clueless man involved, unfortunately.)
The premise of this story showed great promise at first, and I was enjoying myself. That being said, the actual writing was driving me crazy. I didn't need to be reminded when dinner was every night and how Elise and the other women would set the table. Or how when Elise and Kane would kiss, they would have to step back from on another, "breathing heavily," over and over again. I actually kept hearing the old cliche' line in my head, "Meanwhile, back at the ranch," throughout this book! That's when I succomed to the fact that I was rolling my eyes WAY too much.
I'll admit to skimming a bit, which, I usually never do. Towards the end, however, it did get better, or maybe by then, I was used to feeling like a 12 year old having a story read to me. Either way, this author had a few clever moments and I was happy with the outcome of this book; just not her writing style.
July 8, 2013
This was a bad book on so many levels. I am absolutely shocked at the high ratings.
Let's start with the factual/giant plot holes. An oil company cannot force you to let them drill on your land if you also own the mineral rights. The pack has owned this land for over a hundred years and they were supposedly going to be forced into signing a lease. They are out in the middle of nowhere and probably the only mineral owner out there. This is a completely made-up boogey man.
Second, just how big is the pack and nearby town? Seriously no one notices that the slick red sports car that belonged to Ryne (the "bad guy") is now being driven around by Marla? Please.
Third, exactly how big are the packs? Only about a dozen people are described, but they must be larger or everyone would be mating with their uncles and sisters.
And that segues into the lack of description. The author describes the settings, characters and events in a very vague way. We don't know how big these packs are. Do the pack members regularly interact with outsiders? Do they ever date or befriend an outsider? More importantly, what happens when a werewolf shifts? The process is never described. Is it instantaneous or take time? How much energy does it take? Do they have to shift during a full moon?
And lastly - the main character drove me up the wall. She's supposed to be the mate of the alpha and expects respect, but never actually does anything to earn it. She literally does nothing except mope around and whine. Her new mate is crazy busy with pack business. So what does she do to fill her time? She gets a part-time job in town. Umm, how about helping your mate with pack business instead? Maybe everyone would stop treating you like a stranger then too.
She's just so weak and wishy-washy. She can't solve a problem to save her life and her sole existence seems to be geared towards creating mass confusion and misunderstandings. This is behavior I would expect from a Victorian romance, not a book about werewolves!
Let's start with the factual/giant plot holes. An oil company cannot force you to let them drill on your land if you also own the mineral rights. The pack has owned this land for over a hundred years and they were supposedly going to be forced into signing a lease. They are out in the middle of nowhere and probably the only mineral owner out there. This is a completely made-up boogey man.
Second, just how big is the pack and nearby town? Seriously no one notices that the slick red sports car that belonged to Ryne (the "bad guy") is now being driven around by Marla? Please.
Third, exactly how big are the packs? Only about a dozen people are described, but they must be larger or everyone would be mating with their uncles and sisters.
And that segues into the lack of description. The author describes the settings, characters and events in a very vague way. We don't know how big these packs are. Do the pack members regularly interact with outsiders? Do they ever date or befriend an outsider? More importantly, what happens when a werewolf shifts? The process is never described. Is it instantaneous or take time? How much energy does it take? Do they have to shift during a full moon?
And lastly - the main character drove me up the wall. She's supposed to be the mate of the alpha and expects respect, but never actually does anything to earn it. She literally does nothing except mope around and whine. Her new mate is crazy busy with pack business. So what does she do to fill her time? She gets a part-time job in town. Umm, how about helping your mate with pack business instead? Maybe everyone would stop treating you like a stranger then too.
She's just so weak and wishy-washy. She can't solve a problem to save her life and her sole existence seems to be geared towards creating mass confusion and misunderstandings. This is behavior I would expect from a Victorian romance, not a book about werewolves!
October 16, 2022
From 4 (with at least 3 rereads) stars to 1.5 (for the love of God please give me my money back) stars.
I started rereading this last night, needing a solid hit to carry me into dreamland. This book is not new to me. It is an old fave that I come back to fairly regularly, like an old sweater or pair of fuzzy socks. Imagine my horror when I read the author's note explaining that she has had some changes in her life and has edited her books to reflect those changes. Having read and LOVED the old version of this book, imagine my disgust when I discovered that this story of two strangers in a suddenly arranged political (between packs) marriage had been cleansed of ALL SEXY TIME MATERIAL. For me, that content really ratcheted up the angst, probably in similar ways to reading historical romance where virtual strangers wind up married and are in the pressured position to have to create an heir. Removing all of that delicious sexy time material winds up stealing from the story. In this book's case, all that is left is the OTT OW drama and pack politics. That is NOT ENOUGH to sink my teeth into.
I am an adult. I pay for the books that I love so that I can keep them forever. I would not have spent money on what is essentially now a mid YA book about shifters. I can't call this PNR because THERE IS NO ROMANCE LEFT IN THE DESICCATED BONES OF THIS BOOK.
I applaud folks who make what they consider positive changes to their lives. I DO NOT applaud those changes when they wind up pissing on MY toilet seat (or raining on my parade, or whatever other metaphor suits your mood). Can the pre-change writings not simply be enjoyed for what they were? You cannot change history. And now, because the author has tried to change history, she has lost a reader. I WANT MY DAMN MONEY BACK.
I started rereading this last night, needing a solid hit to carry me into dreamland. This book is not new to me. It is an old fave that I come back to fairly regularly, like an old sweater or pair of fuzzy socks. Imagine my horror when I read the author's note explaining that she has had some changes in her life and has edited her books to reflect those changes. Having read and LOVED the old version of this book, imagine my disgust when I discovered that this story of two strangers in a suddenly arranged political (between packs) marriage had been cleansed of ALL SEXY TIME MATERIAL. For me, that content really ratcheted up the angst, probably in similar ways to reading historical romance where virtual strangers wind up married and are in the pressured position to have to create an heir. Removing all of that delicious sexy time material winds up stealing from the story. In this book's case, all that is left is the OTT OW drama and pack politics. That is NOT ENOUGH to sink my teeth into.
I am an adult. I pay for the books that I love so that I can keep them forever. I would not have spent money on what is essentially now a mid YA book about shifters. I can't call this PNR because THERE IS NO ROMANCE LEFT IN THE DESICCATED BONES OF THIS BOOK.
I applaud folks who make what they consider positive changes to their lives. I DO NOT applaud those changes when they wind up pissing on MY toilet seat (or raining on my parade, or whatever other metaphor suits your mood). Can the pre-change writings not simply be enjoyed for what they were? You cannot change history. And now, because the author has tried to change history, she has lost a reader. I WANT MY DAMN MONEY BACK.
October 22, 2011
For the good of the pack, Elise has been told she will be mated with an Alpha from another territory. Gone are the dreams of remaining by her best friend, the man she had hoped to spend eternity with. Presented in front of Alpha Kane she must do what is expected from her. Within twenty four hours her life has changed, she is mated and relocated to the new pack.
Finding her way though is an uphill battle when loyalties are questioned, despite her growing feelings for Kane, will he trust her enough as his mate to believe in her.
This was a fascinating read, loved every morsel of it. From the very beginning it is startling as Elise's life is being ripped apart but she endures and has a strength that would challenge even the best heroines in books. Kane is a complex character, as the story unfolds you begin to realize what his hopes are from Elise, but he is vulnerable when it comes to her as well. Would reread this one in a heartbeat.
Finding her way though is an uphill battle when loyalties are questioned, despite her growing feelings for Kane, will he trust her enough as his mate to believe in her.
This was a fascinating read, loved every morsel of it. From the very beginning it is startling as Elise's life is being ripped apart but she endures and has a strength that would challenge even the best heroines in books. Kane is a complex character, as the story unfolds you begin to realize what his hopes are from Elise, but he is vulnerable when it comes to her as well. Would reread this one in a heartbeat.
January 8, 2011
A very unique and interesting take on modern day werewolves. The Mating is a hot, romantic novel embedded inside an edge of your seat mystery. Nicky Charles perfectly sets the scene, placing you inside this incredible world of honor and deception, love and duty. You won’t be able to put this one down!
April 30, 2012
Another great one from Nicky Charles and what makes it even better is that this and the others in the series are free from Smashwords. The only thing Nicky asks is that you make a donation to your local animal shelter or foodbank which in my opinion is a lovely and thoughtful thing to do ☺
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am regretting that I left it so long before actually picking it up and reading it. Like the first one I read (0.5 in the series) I was once again up until the early hours of the morning as I didn't want to leave it before finishing.
I really liked the character of Elise and felt quite sorry for her that her father just sprang an arranged marriage on her. She had no warning at all - she came home and her dad introduces her to the man she is gonna marry and then the next thing we know there is a mating ceremony and the poor thing has to then be subjected to having the bedsheets shown around the next morning as proof that she was a virgin and that the mating had been consumated. I didn't like the fact that she slept with him immediately despite only having just met him and suposedly was in love with someone else. Yes I know this is normal in PNR but usually both characters feel the mating bond immediately and then get together but neither of these two felt that so it was kind of strange even for this genre. For a werewolf I thought that Kane was a mild mannered man and was kind and considerate towards Elise which made us, the reader, immediately soften to him and thought he was a special man. I do agree with most other reviewers here and that is I wish we had seen more of Kane's perspective rather than just from Elise.
These books are not short/novella length but are full size. This one registered as 314 pages on my Ereader.
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am regretting that I left it so long before actually picking it up and reading it. Like the first one I read (0.5 in the series) I was once again up until the early hours of the morning as I didn't want to leave it before finishing.
I really liked the character of Elise and felt quite sorry for her that her father just sprang an arranged marriage on her. She had no warning at all - she came home and her dad introduces her to the man she is gonna marry and then the next thing we know there is a mating ceremony and the poor thing has to then be subjected to having the bedsheets shown around the next morning as proof that she was a virgin and that the mating had been consumated. I didn't like the fact that she slept with him immediately despite only having just met him and suposedly was in love with someone else. Yes I know this is normal in PNR but usually both characters feel the mating bond immediately and then get together but neither of these two felt that so it was kind of strange even for this genre. For a werewolf I thought that Kane was a mild mannered man and was kind and considerate towards Elise which made us, the reader, immediately soften to him and thought he was a special man. I do agree with most other reviewers here and that is I wish we had seen more of Kane's perspective rather than just from Elise.
These books are not short/novella length but are full size. This one registered as 314 pages on my Ereader.
April 27, 2018
...black wolf...amber eyes...★★★★✩ I enjoyed this book; it held my attention. I really liked that it started off with the hero and heroine werewolves already being mated, a “fait accompli.” That was a nice change. (BTW, it is free right now on Kindle.)
This was a quick read as the writing flowed. Not too many editing errors; only one really jarred me out of the story. While there is nothing really new in the story-line, the characters where likable and the pacing was good. Some things were reiterated more than I like. **shrug** Still, I gobbled it down in a day.
The heroine, Elise, is young, but thankfully NOT a pouting, immature one who is put in TSTL plot contrivances. Mostly this book has scenes of Elise mixing in with her new pack life, both domestic and political.
There is a plot about an oil company interested in the pack’s land and a mystery surrounding sabotages and pack member endangerment. Maybe an old friend or family member who was a rival for the hero’s Alpha position? Or could all the trouble be from another source altogether? There is also the “other woman” triangle, if you want to call it a triangle, with the hero just being totally oblivious to her machinations. Nevertheless, this doesn’t prevent there being some sweet scenes between the H/h as they get to know one another and the sex scenes are well done, if almost a little too rough three-fourths of the way through.
This was the first time I read anything by this author; I recommend the book, as I’ll probably read the next in the series.
December 20, 2021
I wanted to love this one so hard. I adore OW conflict, and I love forced/arranged marriage stories. That being said, this one was just blah to me.
The dialogue was strange and robotic, and very immature. Also, these people in this community felt 100% plain old human, people who rarely had any werewolf changes or traits. If I had to stab a guess, It would be that the author wrote this story about humans, then decided to go back and sprinkle in a few werewolf references, so she could change her story into the werewolf genre.
Elise was annoying. She is so jealous about Marla's obvious advances and desires to steal Kane away from her, and yet she refuses to tell Kane anything about what Marla is truly up to. Elise does many irritating things through the story like having her face intentionally pelted and ripped open by rocks from a speeding car wheeling around super close to her. but when Kane asks her what happened to her face, she lies and says she ran into a tree branch. Instead of asking him questions or voicing her concerns about Marla trying to sabotage the relationship between the H and h, she just passively ignores it and just stresses to herself. Then there's her idea to keep meeting up with Brian, the boy she supposedly loved before she had to mate with Kane, all the while refusing to tell her mate she's meeting up with her old love. In what werewolf universe would this EVER be acceptable? Seriously, her TSTL actions killed this story for me. And how does Kane deal with his jealousy over Elise's supposedly secretly meeting Brian multiple times, as well as her loving words about Brian in her diary? Well OBVIOUSLY, Kane pulls out his magic penis and Elise jumps right on that baby. Next came one of the most awkward and cringy sex scene ever.
And Kane was the least intelligent Alpha I have ever read in any werewolf story before. Instead of getting upset that Marla was obviously trying to poach him away from his mate Elise, he just ignores it and babies Marla through the entire story. This Includes telling Elise to befriend Marla, be kind to Marla, include Marla and quit being shitty to Marla. Not sure why he didn't just ship Elise back to her family and take up with Marla, because at least Marla had a brain in her head (even as evil, manipulative and shady as her machinations were).
And it's so obvious what kind of sabotage is happening on Kane's territory, but it takes Kane a while to savvy that someone is desperately trying to take this community's land away from them in shady ways. He's a bit of a Moron Hero.
The one redeeming character in this story was the evil Marla. She was such a manipulative, scheming, traitorous bitch, but she was the ONLY one in the story that was truly interesting.
I really wish I could have enjoyed this story more, but it was a real struggle to make it to the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2014
I really liked this book. I fell in love with the world Nicky Charles created pretty immediately. The story starts out fast. There was no dragging and setting up, it grabbed my attention on the first page. I loved how much I hated the villain/villainess and I love that there were surprises at the end that I didn't see coming.
I was so impressed with this story because it was free. Actually the whole series was free. I downloaded all of them immediately without having read one word. I'm amazed that she is not charging for this book. Yes, there are a few editing issues, but I have paid for books that are not nearly as well written as this book. I also know I would have paid for this book and not been sorry.
That being said, I did have one little issue. I just didn't think Elise could be so naive when it came to Marla. Ugh, Marla. Most women have a pretty good BS radar and can sense insincerity in a person like Marla. I just didn't understand how Elise could fall for her nice act. I also didn't like that Elise didn't tell Kane about Brian BEFORE she met with him the first time. She lied by omission when she said "I'm meeting a friend." That part of the story annoyed me from the start and continued to annoy me every time she FAILED to tell him.
But all in all, I really liked reading this. I would have enjoyed a few more tender moments at the end between Kane and Elise because I wanted to read more about them while the world wasn't falling apart.
I liked how Elise handled things. I like that she was tough and despite having to mate with Kane when she thought she loved someone else, she did as she was told and she didn't give Kane a hard time. She even tried to be a good mate. I loved that about her. She was strong and she gave Kane a chance to win her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAVORITE QUOTES
"[...] I swear, the tougher they are when they're healthy, the worse they are when they get sick!"
~Julia
The reason I love this quote is not necessarily because its funny (it is, but thats not why I love it) but because it is SO TRUE!! PARKER!
I was so impressed with this story because it was free. Actually the whole series was free. I downloaded all of them immediately without having read one word. I'm amazed that she is not charging for this book. Yes, there are a few editing issues, but I have paid for books that are not nearly as well written as this book. I also know I would have paid for this book and not been sorry.
That being said, I did have one little issue. I just didn't think Elise could be so naive when it came to Marla. Ugh, Marla. Most women have a pretty good BS radar and can sense insincerity in a person like Marla. I just didn't understand how Elise could fall for her nice act. I also didn't like that Elise didn't tell Kane about Brian BEFORE she met with him the first time. She lied by omission when she said "I'm meeting a friend." That part of the story annoyed me from the start and continued to annoy me every time she FAILED to tell him.
But all in all, I really liked reading this. I would have enjoyed a few more tender moments at the end between Kane and Elise because I wanted to read more about them while the world wasn't falling apart.
I liked how Elise handled things. I like that she was tough and despite having to mate with Kane when she thought she loved someone else, she did as she was told and she didn't give Kane a hard time. She even tried to be a good mate. I loved that about her. She was strong and she gave Kane a chance to win her heart.
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FAVORITE QUOTES
"[...] I swear, the tougher they are when they're healthy, the worse they are when they get sick!"
~Julia
The reason I love this quote is not necessarily because its funny (it is, but thats not why I love it) but because it is SO TRUE!! PARKER!
May 13, 2013
Let me start off by saying to everyone that Nicky Charles is a very good writer. She is also very generous because all of her books are free. You can find them on Smashwords.
This story is about Elise. She grew up in a wolf pack & is now 19. She never really paid to much attention to the politics of the pack. She should have because she is told that she is to marry an Alpha, Kane, of a Northern pack to make an alliance & keep the peace. She never met him before & it is happening in less than 24 hours. The major problem is she is in love with Bryan.
Elise has no choice but to go along with it & hope for the best. She is nervous about the bonding considering it is her 1st sexual experience & now it will be with a stranger. The deed is done & she off to live with Kane & the Northern pack, leaving everyone & everything she knew behind.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Elise & Kane are trying to make the relationship between them work as best they can given the circumstances. Once at the Northern pack Kane is called away to attend other matters & is unable to spend time with Elise. Elise questions if they will ever get to know one another to form at least a friendship & have more than a physical realationship between them.
The pack has some major problems steming from Marla, who wants Kane & is trying to break them up. And from Ryn who is Kane's half brother. Their land is in termoil over an oil spill in part of their land & an oil company wants to purchase or rent another parcel to drill on. The oil spill will take lots of money to clean up & the oil company won't give up on trying to push them off there land.
In the end it is a happy ending with some twists & turns. Some you see coming & others you do not. I am starting the 2nd book of the series "The Keeping" now.
This story is about Elise. She grew up in a wolf pack & is now 19. She never really paid to much attention to the politics of the pack. She should have because she is told that she is to marry an Alpha, Kane, of a Northern pack to make an alliance & keep the peace. She never met him before & it is happening in less than 24 hours. The major problem is she is in love with Bryan.
Elise has no choice but to go along with it & hope for the best. She is nervous about the bonding considering it is her 1st sexual experience & now it will be with a stranger. The deed is done & she off to live with Kane & the Northern pack, leaving everyone & everything she knew behind.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Elise & Kane are trying to make the relationship between them work as best they can given the circumstances. Once at the Northern pack Kane is called away to attend other matters & is unable to spend time with Elise. Elise questions if they will ever get to know one another to form at least a friendship & have more than a physical realationship between them.
The pack has some major problems steming from Marla, who wants Kane & is trying to break them up. And from Ryn who is Kane's half brother. Their land is in termoil over an oil spill in part of their land & an oil company wants to purchase or rent another parcel to drill on. The oil spill will take lots of money to clean up & the oil company won't give up on trying to push them off there land.
In the end it is a happy ending with some twists & turns. Some you see coming & others you do not. I am starting the 2nd book of the series "The Keeping" now.
May 25, 2010
I came across this as a freebie on Barnes and Noble.com. I was pleasantly surprised. In my experience, a freebie is a freebie for a reason. But the description sounded like something I would like, so I took a chance. I'm pretty glad I did. I won't say it was my favorite book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The one thing that bothered me most was the fact that it was written in third person, but still limited to mostly to Elise's POV. If the author was going to limit like that, I think it would have been better served in first person. In my opinion, you develope a closer bond with the character that way. But, since it was written in thrid person, I think it lost something by not including Kane's thoughts as well. He was an intriguing character, but he seemed to fall a little flat and the story lost dimension.
Elise was a little on the TSTL side for my tastes, but I was able to attribute most of that to her age. Things that would be common sense to anyone with half a brian sometimes whizzed right on by her. I found myself just wanting to slap her sensless a few times.
But, those few things aside, I loved the way the relationship between Elise and Kane was able to build. They started as strangers and had to work up to a believable romance. The love scenes were faily sizzlin'. And I found myself interested in the secondary characters. If I were to see a sequel followin Ryne's story, I would definately pick it up!
The one thing that bothered me most was the fact that it was written in third person, but still limited to mostly to Elise's POV. If the author was going to limit like that, I think it would have been better served in first person. In my opinion, you develope a closer bond with the character that way. But, since it was written in thrid person, I think it lost something by not including Kane's thoughts as well. He was an intriguing character, but he seemed to fall a little flat and the story lost dimension.
Elise was a little on the TSTL side for my tastes, but I was able to attribute most of that to her age. Things that would be common sense to anyone with half a brian sometimes whizzed right on by her. I found myself just wanting to slap her sensless a few times.
But, those few things aside, I loved the way the relationship between Elise and Kane was able to build. They started as strangers and had to work up to a believable romance. The love scenes were faily sizzlin'. And I found myself interested in the secondary characters. If I were to see a sequel followin Ryne's story, I would definately pick it up!
August 8, 2013
I was amazed at the high ratings for this book. Kane sounded like a real alpha - tough, loves his pack, disciplines when needed, etc.
But Elise for an alpha's mate??? She was young, helpless, weak, and most of all DUMB. You are a freaking werewolf AND the daughter of a pack alpha and you didn't bother to learn werewolf physiology? Or history? Or basically anything else? She's 19 and couldn't even get a job as a waitress without her mate stepping in to ask a favor of the owner. She's the alpha female, but can't bother to get involved in anything - how about learning to cook with the former alpha female? How about learning to garden? How about becoming involved in pack politics? ANYTHING except sit around a whine.
It felt like the werewolf angle was there just to sell books. There were no pack hunts. No description of the shifting process. Elise was too dumb to figure out (despite being a werewolf her entire life) that she probably shouldn't kiss/hug/hang out with an unattached male or her mate might become furious.
I don't know how I finished this book, but I won't read another.
But Elise for an alpha's mate??? She was young, helpless, weak, and most of all DUMB. You are a freaking werewolf AND the daughter of a pack alpha and you didn't bother to learn werewolf physiology? Or history? Or basically anything else? She's 19 and couldn't even get a job as a waitress without her mate stepping in to ask a favor of the owner. She's the alpha female, but can't bother to get involved in anything - how about learning to cook with the former alpha female? How about learning to garden? How about becoming involved in pack politics? ANYTHING except sit around a whine.
It felt like the werewolf angle was there just to sell books. There were no pack hunts. No description of the shifting process. Elise was too dumb to figure out (despite being a werewolf her entire life) that she probably shouldn't kiss/hug/hang out with an unattached male or her mate might become furious.
I don't know how I finished this book, but I won't read another.
January 13, 2019
My first book by this author and it was my first Lycan/ Werewolf book also. AND I am not exactly happy with the outcomes.
The hero was polite, understanding and an honorable man, but his stupid blind belief in the evil women was very irritating. I find the heroine was equally stupid, she is good for nothing. She is a Lycan pack member or more precisely she is an Alpha's daughter also but doesn't know anything about the Lycans Physiology and its Business/Politics. Then after marrying another pack's alpha, she shows no interest in the pack's activities also. Shortly, she can't bother to get involved in anything.
About the other issues of the book -
* I didn't like the fact when they all blamed a women's Heat Cycle for a man's Sexual/ Questionable Behavior.
** There were no details of the Lycans shifting or the details of the Lycans pack.
*** The heroine called herself a modern woman but where was your modern thinking girl?
**** Its a suspense book or the author was trying to make it, then why everything was crystal clear to me?
Side Notes:
* Marla- the evil women, she was an excellent villain.
** Because of the questionable safety issues, I will not continue with the series.
The hero was polite, understanding and an honorable man, but his stupid blind belief in the evil women was very irritating. I find the heroine was equally stupid, she is good for nothing. She is a Lycan pack member or more precisely she is an Alpha's daughter also but doesn't know anything about the Lycans Physiology and its Business/Politics. Then after marrying another pack's alpha, she shows no interest in the pack's activities also. Shortly, she can't bother to get involved in anything.
About the other issues of the book -
* I didn't like the fact when they all blamed a women's Heat Cycle for a man's Sexual/ Questionable Behavior.
** There were no details of the Lycans shifting or the details of the Lycans pack.
*** The heroine called herself a modern woman but where was your modern thinking girl?
**** Its a suspense book or the author was trying to make it, then why everything was crystal clear to me?
Side Notes:
* Marla- the evil women, she was an excellent villain.
** Because of the questionable safety issues, I will not continue with the series.
November 5, 2013
Wow!!! What an awesome find! This book was fantastic. I was endless looking for a book similar to the Phoenix pack and North wolf. Sexy alpha shifters, and some very steamy love scenes, but especially I love to read about the pack politics and dynamics.
All i have to say is keep writing books like this!
May 2, 2010
This is an excellent story and very hard to put down. It centres on a naive young girl who is abruptly wrenched from her home (and the boy she loves) and dropped into a new pack where she is mated to the Alpha – a man she has never met.
Unlike many present day heroines who are almost caricatures (kick-ass, smart mouthed, unbelievable clever etc – honestly, how many 18 year old are REALLY that put together???) Ms. Charles has chosen to keep Elise (the young girl) more down to earth. She’s sweet and shy but has an inner strength that helps her rise above difficult circumstances and put the good of the community ahead of her own wants.
The new pack all ready has well-established roles and she spends part of the story trying to find her place and fit into her new status as Alpha female. As the story progresses, her character grows and gains confidence until at the end her true colours are shown.
The romance is also well developed. It isn’t an instant love nor an instant hate but rather two people who slowly grow to respect and eventually love each other.
There is also a light mystery or a bit of suspense involved. While the reader will have strong suspicions as to who the villain is, it isn’t until the very end that the ‘why’ is revealed with a surprising twist.
Nicky Charles builds her stories slowly, sometimes leading the reader into a sense of complacency. Yet, the string of subtle hints and clues that are sprinkled throughout what seems to be the daily humdrum life of a werewolf pack should keep the reader on alert.
Unlike many author’s who depict the more animalistic side of werewolves, Charles has chosen to make them more human, having ‘real’ jobs and engaging in ordinary daily activities. She provides good details and insight into the working of the pack and werewolf life as she sees it in her ‘world.’
This was a very enjoyable book from a relatively new author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Unlike many present day heroines who are almost caricatures (kick-ass, smart mouthed, unbelievable clever etc – honestly, how many 18 year old are REALLY that put together???) Ms. Charles has chosen to keep Elise (the young girl) more down to earth. She’s sweet and shy but has an inner strength that helps her rise above difficult circumstances and put the good of the community ahead of her own wants.
The new pack all ready has well-established roles and she spends part of the story trying to find her place and fit into her new status as Alpha female. As the story progresses, her character grows and gains confidence until at the end her true colours are shown.
The romance is also well developed. It isn’t an instant love nor an instant hate but rather two people who slowly grow to respect and eventually love each other.
There is also a light mystery or a bit of suspense involved. While the reader will have strong suspicions as to who the villain is, it isn’t until the very end that the ‘why’ is revealed with a surprising twist.
Nicky Charles builds her stories slowly, sometimes leading the reader into a sense of complacency. Yet, the string of subtle hints and clues that are sprinkled throughout what seems to be the daily humdrum life of a werewolf pack should keep the reader on alert.
Unlike many author’s who depict the more animalistic side of werewolves, Charles has chosen to make them more human, having ‘real’ jobs and engaging in ordinary daily activities. She provides good details and insight into the working of the pack and werewolf life as she sees it in her ‘world.’
This was a very enjoyable book from a relatively new author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
April 24, 2013
Despite reading a friend's review of this book, I decided to forge ahead and read it myself.
This book is definitely YA with sex in it. There is absolutely NO suspense (I'm fairly sensitive and I try to give authors the benefit of the doubt, so for me to say that there is nothing mysterious or suspenseful is sad). My biggest disappointment about this book was that everything was so clearly spelled out and yet the 'heroine' of the book was so slow and oblivious.
As for positives, I do like that the main character, Elise, admitted that she had previous skated through life and got away with being completely ignorant of many things. She was easily manipulated, for the most part, but did have some moments strength (rare and not that significant in the overall story, though). On the pro side, Elise is still a teenager, so that could explain some of the stupidity.
The story moves fairly quickly - which is good because as the reader you've already figured everything out as it happens. The one 'twist' at the end wasn't much of a surprise.
This book is definitely YA with sex in it. There is absolutely NO suspense (I'm fairly sensitive and I try to give authors the benefit of the doubt, so for me to say that there is nothing mysterious or suspenseful is sad). My biggest disappointment about this book was that everything was so clearly spelled out and yet the 'heroine' of the book was so slow and oblivious.
As for positives, I do like that the main character, Elise, admitted that she had previous skated through life and got away with being completely ignorant of many things. She was easily manipulated, for the most part, but did have some moments strength (rare and not that significant in the overall story, though). On the pro side, Elise is still a teenager, so that could explain some of the stupidity.
The story moves fairly quickly - which is good because as the reader you've already figured everything out as it happens. The one 'twist' at the end wasn't much of a surprise.
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