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Review

4.5 hot and hilarious paranormal stars

I love this series! An adult PNR based in the shifter world, these books are fast paced, exciting, sexy and romantic, and absolutely freaking hilarious! The character dynamics are fantastic, and the constant stream of insults, wise cracks, banter and teasing make these books such an enjoyable read, and I absolutely loved this one! It’s fourth book in the Phoenix Pack series and brings us the story of Marcus and Roni.

Roni is the younger sister of Mercury Alpha, Nick, and was introduced in the last book. Like the other heroines in the series, she is a tough, no-nonsense female. She has had a rough past, but she’s come through it and is now an Enforcer for her brother, and she and Marcus have been sharing broody stares and flirty banter for a while. Marcus is a Phoenix Pack Enforcer, a dominant shifter, a chronic flirt and a bit of a manwhore, and he’s decided that he wants Roni. Things start to get interesting when Roni and some of the other wolves in their packs are injured in an attack, and the two of them are teamed up to investigate the threat – putting them in almost constant contact with each other. And what follows are the wise-cracks, epic banter and dirty flirting that I love about this series

“I’m not your type,” she again insisted.
He didn’t deny it, since it would only insult her intelligence. “And yet, I want nothing more than to strip you naked and have my wicked way with you.” She said nothing. “You want me as much as I want you, Roni … Admit it. I dare you.”
…
“When she didn’t answer, Marcus persisted. “Roni?”
“Sorry, I was just imagining putting a moth in your mouth. I saw it in a movie once.”

Roni is a total smartass, and she wants Marcus just as much as he wants her, but she’s not a ‘relationship’ kind of person, and as hot as he gets her, she wants nothing to do with the slutty playboy. But Marcus isn’t to be deterred.

“Cocky asshole.”
“Not cocky … just determined to get what I want.”
“A fuck.”
“You,” he corrected. … “I’ve wanted you since the second I laid eyes on you, sweetheart, and that’s not going to change.”

The UST builds brilliantly, and explodes in a frenzied, lust-fuelled encounter full of dirty talk, aggression and possession, and OMG, it’s so freaking HOT!!! Suzanne Wright writes great smut, and this book had me frequently fanning myself!

But there is more to these two than just sex, and what I loved most about them together is that there is no back and forth, there’s no stupid, and there’s no angst. They hook up, they realise the connection that they share, and they move forward to explore that further. Things develop naturally, and they work through their issues together, and they are open with each other the whole time.

“Your brother’s going to tell you that I’m not good for you.”
Taken aback by the comment, she blinked him. He discreetly nodded toward Nick. If that scowl was anything to go by…“Yep.”
“He thinks I’m a slut.”
“Yep.”
“He’s going to confront me about it at some point, order me to stay away from you.”
“Yep.”
“But I won’t.” Marcus held her gaze, not wanting her to miss the determination in his eyes. “Just thought you should know.”

Marcus, in particular, isn’t shy about his intentions – he’s forward, possessive and protective, but he’s not a mindless, controlling alpha and he wants to start something special with Roni. He appreciates her strength and outspokenness and he treats her as an equal and is always incredibly respectful of her, and I loved that. Actually, I loved everything about Marcus, and really enjoyed getting to know him better. He’s happy to let people think that he’s just a player, but there’s so much more to him. His life hasn’t been perfect, and a prediction for his future by a seer has left him unenthusiastic about his future, but he doesn’t let that get to him. He lives life on his own terms and goes after what he wants, and is completely unapologetic about it, and I loved that about him!

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re mine. I marked you and I staked a claim on you, and I wouldn’t do either of those things lightly. If you do come across your mate and recognise him, you’d better hope to God for his sake that he’s stronger than me sweetheart, or he’s dead. I’ll kill him before I let him take you.” 

Roni is a complex character. She’s thought of as a quiet, awkward, anti-social tom-boy, and she’s content to let people think that of her while she happily flies under the radar, but, like Marcus, there is so much more to her. She has been through a lot, and she carries a lot of guilt for all that her family has gone through on her behalf, but she’s so incredibly strong. I love that, even with the way she is, she is open to exploring something with Marcus, and I love that she doesn’t let what she has been through dictate who she is and how she behaves. Plus, she has the most wicked sense of humour (her pranks with her brother, Eli, had me in hysterics!) and I loved her straight, no-nonsense nature.

She pointed at her pussy. “Well, it’s not going to lick itself.”

There’s a fair bit of action with the Phoenix and Mercury packs teaming up to track a rogue pack of jackals who are violently, disturbingly and publicly attacking and slaughtering both humans and shifters. The action is intense, violent and a wee bit gory and the big climax had me on the edge of my seat as it all unfolded.

I love the continuation we get for the other couples of the series. Trey and Tarryn, Dante and Jaime, and Nick and Shya all appear, with some great story progression for them. I particularly loved seeing Nick as the protective alpha mate and brother – and his ongoing arguing with Marcus is hilarious!

“You should have called me immediately.”
“No, she should have called me straight away. “I’m her Alpha, and her brother.”
Marcus glanced at Nick curiously. “You say that like you’re more important than me. I’m confused.”

Fast-moving, exciting and highly entertaining, I devoured this book. I listened to it as an audiobook, and like the previous books in the series, narrator Jill Redfield does a sensational job inhabiting the characters and bringing the story to life. I got swept up in the heat and passion between Marcus and Roni, my heart was pounding during the heavy action, and I laughed so hard all the way through at the antics of this fantastic group of characters. I couldn’t put it down.

I absolutely loved it – 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Phoenix Pack series

 

See our Phoenix Pack / Mercury Pack series page for more information
and to see how these two series fit together (including suggested reading order).