I loved this instalment in the shifters series about Graham the grouch and Misty the human. The development in the fae/shifter war was interesting, as was the introduction of another species to help in the battle. Best character award goes to Matt and Kyle, the 3 year old twin wolves Graham was forced to look after. Those two had me in stitches laughing at their antics.

This is POPCORN for my brain. Vibeyyy

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: B

Graham, the leader of his pack is still trying to find common ground with Eric Warden and his pack since their forced merger into one large Shiftertown. Eric is the leader but Graham still has to prove dominance over his own wolves to keep control and to keep his nephew, who needs constant support and reassurance, safe. He’s also being forced to pick a mate. But his eye is set on a human, Misty. He hasn’t mate-claimed her, but the more he’s around her and especially when her life is in jeopardy, he can’t hold himself back and their romance hits fast and hard as the mate-claim comes for Graham and can’t be stopped. But Misty doesn’t accept right away and it puts Graham’s life on the line when he’s caught in a Fae’s spell that will impact all shifters through their collars.

Misty doesn’t have an easy go of it right from page one. She’s attacked in her flower shop by a man her brother came across in prison. Her brother’s out now and this man wants him. They trash Misty’s store and take her, wanting a meeting with her brother. Misty, who keeps her head during the most extreme situations, fools them by calling Graham instead of her brother, and Graham comes to help her. During the rescue process, Graham is injured and when Misty tries to find help, she runs into a stranger, a very dangerous stranger, who wants her to drink his water (never drink the water!) and with Graham badly injured, Misty gives him the water too, but it’s too late and the stranger, a dangerous Fae, traps Graham under his spell. The spell’s main purpose is detailed out as the story progresses but a segment of the Fae plan to use the shifters through their collars to start a war that will put them fully in power.

I found myself really caught up in Misty and Graham’s relationship. There’s something intriguing about it – she’s a human in this world where shifters aren’t completely welcome, they still have to live separated from humans in their own Shiftertown’s. And they’re still dealing with the collars (collars that activate at any sign of aggression from the shifters, although the humans don’t know that they’re starting to find ways around the painful effects of the collar). Misty isn’t prejudice against the shifters and has in fact been dating Graham for a few months. Graham has refused up to this point to start a sexual relationship with Misty because she’s full human and he’s expected to mate with another shifter, have shifter babies and secure his family’s legacy with his alpha status. But, he can’t keep denying the urge he has to be with Misty and knowing deep down that she is his mate, regardless of the fact that she’s human. I liked seeing a softer side to Graham. We hadn’t gotten that in previous books, he was just the alpha of a Shiftertown that was forced into being merged with Eric’s town and they butted heads a lot. But here we see Graham’s feelings for Misty, how much he cares and how much he cares about his nephew and his people in general.

Misty was a very likable character. For as much stuff that gets thrown at her, she takes it all pretty much in stride and deals with things the best she can, which is saying something considering she doesn’t know a lot about shifters and their instincts which comes up a lot regarding Graham and his actions toward her. I liked how their romance played out on page and I’m kind of a sucker for a shifter who just can’t deny his feelings for the woman who’s meant to be his mate. It’s fun to see him try, but we all know how that will always play out.

The Fae storyline provides the main conflict in this story as they’re trying to get the shifters under their spell so they can control them through the collars. It brings in many past characters as this has the potential to impact every one of them. I felt like this Fae vs. the shifters was interesting, the fight scenes were engaging but I guess I’m kind of getting tired of the collar aspect. I know it’s a huge part of this series and what makes it stand out from other paranormal books out there, but there’s always constant talk about the collars and how the shifters are close to either just getting them off or wearing fake collars, but nothing major gets resolved with that yet again.

This series overall has been hit or miss for me lately, but Wild Wolf was a hit. I was caught up in Misty and Graham’s lives, their romance and their roles in the Fae’s plan to take control of the shifters. It’s a solid read that brought back me back into the series with renewed interest.

A solid entry in the series as we learn about the shifter town leader without a town come to terms with his heart. And how his decision has deadly consequences.

Reviewed for RT Book Reviews April 2014 issue: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/wild-wolf-0

The Shifters Unbound series keeps getting better with each installment. I’ve been a fan of Graham the moment he came on the scene. In the beginning, he’s not the most likable character. I wasn’t sure if he could be trusted because he’s all about doing what’s best for his Shifters and to hell with everyone else. But Graham has proven that he’ll come through when the need arises. But he’s still grouchy and arrogant as hell.

Graham has to think about the stability of his pack and in order to provide that stability, he needs to have a mate. Unfortunately, the woman he has the hots for is human, Misty, and he knows that there’s no way his pack will agree with a human as Graham’s mate. As Graham tries to make sure that his pack doesn’t fall apart, a new enemy is making its presence known and has its sight set on Graham.

I read Wild Wolf in one sitting. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I’ve liked Graham from the beginning and was so excited when he got his own, full length novel. Graham and Misty compliment each other so well. Misty is human but she can hold her own against Graham and his wild pack. Misty is a strong, likable character. Misty did not back down and had a lot of hurdles to jump over. She took it all in stride. I was into their romance from the beginning and knew that Misty would be a formidable mate for Graham.

I feel like the overall plot arc is finally, FINALLY! making some progress and moving forward. The Shifters have found a way to remove the collars and now they know what is linked to the collars and what the Fae magic has to do with it. For the last couple of books, it felt like that aspect of the series was at a stand still. I’m hoping that the plot continues to move along. I can’t wait to see what happens next! I’m ready for the Shifters to kick some human ass!

Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-wild-wolf-jennifer-ashley/

Wild Wolf, the sixth book in the Shifters Unbound series, tells the story of Graham and his human girlfriend Misty. Graham was introduced in Mate Claimed and wasn’t the most likable character. Having been forced to move his pack from their original Shiftertown to blend with the Las Vegas shifters and become a co-leader with Eric Warden hasn’t been easy on anyone. Least of all a dominant wolf. He’s in a tough spot. While Graham’s trying to make peace with his place in the Vegas pack, he knows that if he doesn’t mate with another wolf his leadership will be questioned and challenged. Therefore his relationship with a human can only go so far, so he’s been trying to keep it light. No sex and no chance to develop a mate claim.

That is until he gets an emergency call from Misty one day. Misty gets into trouble when someone her brother pissed off in prison comes to visit determined to find the man and make him pay. Misty’s flower shop gets destroyed, she gets kidnapped and it’s Graham who she calls to help. This begins a chain reaction that sets up a battle between the Fae and the shifters and ultimately brings the relationship between Graham and Misty to a head.

The Shifters Unbound series just gets better and better with every new installment. The story arc of the shifter’s need to remove the collars that bind them has been ongoing in the last several books and it develops even further in Wild Wolf. And I am happy for that. As the cast of characters grow and this world expands to include different shiftertowns and members of the Fae world, the plotlines are getting more complex and the conflicts harder to resolve. Don’t get me wrong, the romances are still as hot as ever, but I as a reader am more invested now in the resolution of the main story arc. With every new development I find myself on the edge of my seat anxious to find out how it will all play out.

Graham and Misty are an unlikely couple, a big bad wolf and a human woman. They already have an established relationship at the beginning of this book, having been seeing each other for a while before Misty calls for Graham’s help. Even though he is determined to keep it all on the lighter side. Misty is a feisty character, not afraid of shifters, not afraid of Graham AT ALL, but frustrated beyond belief at the mixed signals she keeps getting from her wolf. He doesn’t want to get in deep with her? Okay. Then why does he seem upset when someone else pays her any attention? He needs to eventually breed with another wolf? Sure. Then why does he seem to be unable to leave her alone? I liked that their relationship is allowed time to develop a little slower than some of the previous couples in this series. It takes some time for Graham to accept his emotions where Misty is concerned and move forward all the way into a physical relationship with her. There are many conflicts this couple must overcome to get their HEA, pack politics and racism to name a couple, but in the end their mating is a beautiful thing.

As always, with any book in this series (with any Jennifer Ashley/ Allyson James book period) there are plenty of sexy times, non-stop action, well-developed secondary characters and engaging dialogue all rolled into an excellently crafted plot. I absolutely love where Ms. Ashley appears to be taking his series. This is an author who I will gladly follow into any genre and always longingly look forward to every new release. I love her voice and no matter what I read, what genre she writes in, whether it’s historical, paranormal, urban fantasy or mystery, she always keeps me engaged wholeheartedly. While I do think Wild Wolf can be read as a stand-a-lone, I don’t recommend it. I really believe this series must be read from the beginning to get the most out of it. This is a fabulous series that has evolved into a must read for paranormal romance fans. Final Grade- B+

Favorite Quote:

But Graham knew, watching as Misty walked around to the back of the car, her skirt swishing around her tanned legs, that he’d never, ever be able to send her away. She was rapidly filling every empty space inside Graham’s heart, and cutting her out of it would kill him.

Graham sat down on his haunches, wanting to point his nose to the sky and howl as miserably as Dougal had. He was so, so screwed.

This was a good installment to the overall series. I liked that the hero, Graham, was SO alpha. The heroine did an excellent job of not getting on my nerves too. And then there were the twin wolf pups! They were such cute little boys! And we found out that they are a special breed of wolf called Guards (not to be confused with Guardian wolves) that was thought long extinct. I can't wait to see them all grown up!