What do you think?
Rate this book
Zeus's Pack #2
Avanti
Sheriff Jesse Dekalb has his work cut out for him when he discovers he has two mates with haunted pasts. Craig Hanes is running from a past he fears will leave him dead. Avanti, soldier to Zeus, isn't ready for a mate, let alone two. While trying to keep Craig alive from the threat that has tracked him down and a plot to overthrow Zeus, the three mates try to accept the fact that fate has brought them together. Can they help each other heal, or will their pasts destroy the chance for them to finally be happy?
Each book in Lynn Hagen's Zeus's Pack collection features a different romantic trio. Each title stands alone and can be read in any order. However, we recommend reading the series in sequential order.
Each book in Lynn Hagen's Zeus's Pack collection features a different romantic trio. Each title stands alone and can be read in any order. However, we recommend reading the series in sequential order.
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2011
20 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Hagen
551 books1,189 followersLynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 20, 2024
This was book 2 in the
"Zeus's Pack"
. Avanti, soldier to Zeus, isn't ready for a mate, let alone two him and the other soldiers have been through a lot at the hands of the old Alpha Jackson who made them due things or tortured them. Craig Hanes is running from a past he fears will leave him dead he is working as a deputy along with Sheriff Jesse Dekalb who has his work cut out for him. This was a pretty good read. Jesse knows that Craig is his mate he is too shy to tell him Craig is human and when he meets Avanti he realizes that he has two mates. This book was also funny Craig becomes another person when having sex. When they find out what Craig is running from turns out Craig is a part of an Italian mafia family and he witnessed a hit on two feds so now his family wants him dead. They are also dealing with rogues and the ex alpha has followers who want to take over. Avanti will do anything to keep his mates safe. This was a good read with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
March 14, 2012
typical lynn hagen serial romance. nothing fantastic, nothing so bad it can't be finished. what is typical lynn hagen? imagine a shorter harlequin romance but with no t&a (see, i was going to write no surprise pregnancies, but... yeah.).
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all books by :
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
scarlett hyacinth
carol lynne
gabrielle evans
unless otherwise noted. i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry. i figure it's about as much time as they put into their books. dammit! well, i made it all the way to the end being rather moderate in my assessment. that's a win.
May 23, 2013
2011 Review:
Okay, this one was a little better. Mostly because I actually liked one of the guys. It also helped that they mixed the usual sexual stereotypes up with this one, even if the main character stereotypes of this author were still in full swing. I am so sick of hyper, sex-crazed, small little bottoms. Even if they end up being switches, heh. I mean if the character is done well it’s cool but this author almost always has one as a protagonist in every single book and especially here they just blend together.
Well, we shall see.
Another good thing is that there wasn’t any hint or crap about who will be in the next book, although of course the title naturally gives one guy away and I have my eye on someone as a second. Even so, no unnecessary lead-ins! Even the “plot” was dealt with. Sure, there is a conspiracy going on, but all the overt evildoers have been dealt with for good now.
The theme for these books from number two onwards seems to be that these guys (the title ones) are suffering from their traumatic experiences under their previous leader and do not trust themselves. It’s not an awful theme, but we’ll have to see which variations we can get out of it.
Stupid enough that everyone suddenly is gay and everyone starts pairing up in threesomes, no matter that this is super rare. At least with the original series the pack was formed because people were gay. Here it just doesn’t make sense and simply rolls into the usual “everyone’s gay” syndrome.
Truthfully, the demon books suffered from that too but in their case it made more sense because, hey, demon realm and everything? Makes sense they would be open to anything. Until of course one of the books threw in that totally weird bit about one demon being kicked out by his father for being gay. That sort of destroyed it but I can ignore the slip. Still, they all should be bisexual rather than identify as gay right away.
Oh well. Logic is not something I should be concerned with in these cases.
2012 Re-read Project:
I went and did it. I re-read all the connected series by Lynn Hagen, this time in order of publication date, as recommended, which sadly does not ensure actual chronologicality. That’s twenty-nine books of moderate length, spanning three series (with more to spin off).
I’ll put my thoughts in spoiler tags since I plan to paste this into the end of each review covered here. There are no actual spoilers, so feel free to read this for a general idea of the series.
Okay, this one was a little better. Mostly because I actually liked one of the guys. It also helped that they mixed the usual sexual stereotypes up with this one, even if the main character stereotypes of this author were still in full swing. I am so sick of hyper, sex-crazed, small little bottoms. Even if they end up being switches, heh. I mean if the character is done well it’s cool but this author almost always has one as a protagonist in every single book and especially here they just blend together.
Well, we shall see.
Another good thing is that there wasn’t any hint or crap about who will be in the next book, although of course the title naturally gives one guy away and I have my eye on someone as a second. Even so, no unnecessary lead-ins! Even the “plot” was dealt with. Sure, there is a conspiracy going on, but all the overt evildoers have been dealt with for good now.
The theme for these books from number two onwards seems to be that these guys (the title ones) are suffering from their traumatic experiences under their previous leader and do not trust themselves. It’s not an awful theme, but we’ll have to see which variations we can get out of it.
Stupid enough that everyone suddenly is gay and everyone starts pairing up in threesomes, no matter that this is super rare. At least with the original series the pack was formed because people were gay. Here it just doesn’t make sense and simply rolls into the usual “everyone’s gay” syndrome.
Truthfully, the demon books suffered from that too but in their case it made more sense because, hey, demon realm and everything? Makes sense they would be open to anything. Until of course one of the books threw in that totally weird bit about one demon being kicked out by his father for being gay. That sort of destroyed it but I can ignore the slip. Still, they all should be bisexual rather than identify as gay right away.
Oh well. Logic is not something I should be concerned with in these cases.
2012 Re-read Project:
I went and did it. I re-read all the connected series by Lynn Hagen, this time in order of publication date, as recommended, which sadly does not ensure actual chronologicality. That’s twenty-nine books of moderate length, spanning three series (with more to spin off).
I’ll put my thoughts in spoiler tags since I plan to paste this into the end of each review covered here. There are no actual spoilers, so feel free to read this for a general idea of the series.
January 31, 2012
Craig is running from his mafioso uncle and decides being a sheriff's deputy is the way to go? Jesse, the sheriff, hires him without running a background check to show that Craig's identity is fake? Does he just hire him when he comes off the street? What?!?!?!?!?! Don't you need to at least show a resume, some qualifications or really, ANYTHING qualifying you to carry a gun when hired as a sheriff's deputy?
It's like the plots of 3 different books vomited into a blender to make this book.
It's way easier to believe in werewolves than in Craig's entire back story and plot!
It's like the plots of 3 different books vomited into a blender to make this book.
It's way easier to believe in werewolves than in Craig's entire back story and plot!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2011
I'm afraid I had some issues with this book, mostly because I couldn't get past the editing or lack of editing. Maybe it was the mood I was in but the repeating of almost whole sentences, the sloppy grammar and typos just made me skim more than read. Have to admit I never ended up feeling any connection to the characters and Craig drove me crazy, too, and the overload of sex made me roll my eyes and skim even faster.
September 6, 2015
A cute read. Avanti is damaged emotionally by his ex-alpha Jackson. Craig is hiding something. Jesse is unable to unfreeze to claim that which is his. So of course fate put the three together;) Avanti is so sweet wanting to love but afraid his past has made him a monster. In this book we start to really discover the soldiers of Zeus's pack. I look forward to seeing more from them.
April 1, 2012
Agg...sorry but hawt-mess! One character started as a strong, silent man and suddenly morphs into a brainless twink. This character change is just one example of lazing writing, IMO. It seemed the author couldn't figure out how to make three strong men have a romance so she just suddenly change one to be a mindless twink. This is insulting to the character and the readers. Pass.
July 25, 2011
Wow, some of the cheesiest lines I have ever read. "The dill pickle has struck". Really?
September 12, 2017
Well, I delved into the Bracverse a 2nd time and now there are 121 books - yikes! I loved this Universe the first time I read it several years ago and now I love it more, I really do, but I've only been able to read these series (and I have expanded to all the books that are currently out in each):
Brac Pack
Christian's Coven
Zeus's Pack
Demon Warriors
The Exiled
These are the series that start the Universe. Reading them in order is a must. Each book has it's own love story but there is an underlying story that plays out throughout them all. As you get towards the end of these series, other series come into play and I noticed that, since I did not read them, I missed some of the characters being mentioned (good and bad) but I was still able to follow because the main ones stay the same.
One day I WILL buy these and read them all!!! (For the correct order, just look on the Internet for Lynn Hagen Reading Order):
Brac Village
Shadow Tribe
BPNG (Brac Pack Next Generation - Brac Pack kids)
The Remus Brothers
Wolves of Desire
Brac Pack
Christian's Coven
Zeus's Pack
Demon Warriors
The Exiled
These are the series that start the Universe. Reading them in order is a must. Each book has it's own love story but there is an underlying story that plays out throughout them all. As you get towards the end of these series, other series come into play and I noticed that, since I did not read them, I missed some of the characters being mentioned (good and bad) but I was still able to follow because the main ones stay the same.
One day I WILL buy these and read them all!!! (For the correct order, just look on the Internet for Lynn Hagen Reading Order):
Brac Village
Shadow Tribe
BPNG (Brac Pack Next Generation - Brac Pack kids)
The Remus Brothers
Wolves of Desire
January 12, 2018
Craig is almost as bad as Chris was in the previous book.
June 9, 2019
Pobre Avanti. Quién diría que él era algo tímido.
February 12, 2023
Craig está un poco loco pero el trío se complementa bien.
October 5, 2024
Este me tomo un tiempo larguísimo terminarlo no fue mi favorito pero no está mal.
August 26, 2018
This is the summary off the back of the book.
Sheriff Jesse Dekalb has his work cut out for him when he discovers he has two mates with haunted pasts. Craig Hanes is running from a past he fears will leave him dead. Avanti, soldier to Zeus, isn't ready for a mate, let alone two. While trying to keep Craig alive from the threat that has tracked him down and a plot to overthrow Zeus, the three mates try to accept the fact that fate has brought them together. Can they help each other heal, or will their pasts destroy the chance for them to finally be happy?
This is what I think of the book.
I enjoyed this instalment and like the building tension and sub plot of the pack take over, this gives these books a whole different feel. I did have a very big 'as if' moment in the last section of the story and it did make me wonder if the writer really thought that bit through with whole FBI thing. It stand to reason they would be involved but the showdown scene was off. This alone spoiled it a little for me but it wont stop me reading the others in this series.
Sheriff Jesse Dekalb has his work cut out for him when he discovers he has two mates with haunted pasts. Craig Hanes is running from a past he fears will leave him dead. Avanti, soldier to Zeus, isn't ready for a mate, let alone two. While trying to keep Craig alive from the threat that has tracked him down and a plot to overthrow Zeus, the three mates try to accept the fact that fate has brought them together. Can they help each other heal, or will their pasts destroy the chance for them to finally be happy?
This is what I think of the book.
I enjoyed this instalment and like the building tension and sub plot of the pack take over, this gives these books a whole different feel. I did have a very big 'as if' moment in the last section of the story and it did make me wonder if the writer really thought that bit through with whole FBI thing. It stand to reason they would be involved but the showdown scene was off. This alone spoiled it a little for me but it wont stop me reading the others in this series.
July 24, 2011
A fun second book in the series. I was happy that there was a little more information about the members of Zeus's pack who might appear in future books. There was also the beginning of a bigger story which might carry the series across more than a few volumes.
All three mates in this menage have something hiding in their past that makes them afraid to trust and love the others. Jesse, even though he is a wolf shifter and the sheriff, is shy and withdrawn when it comes to love. Avanti, the big bad warrior, has done things he isn't proud of and is afraid his mates won't accept him if they find out. Craig starts out as Jesse's deputy, but it turns out his uncle is trying to kill him.
If you like shifter stories, hot m/m/m ménages and a light read with a villain who is a professional criminal, you will probably like this book.
All three mates in this menage have something hiding in their past that makes them afraid to trust and love the others. Jesse, even though he is a wolf shifter and the sheriff, is shy and withdrawn when it comes to love. Avanti, the big bad warrior, has done things he isn't proud of and is afraid his mates won't accept him if they find out. Craig starts out as Jesse's deputy, but it turns out his uncle is trying to kill him.
If you like shifter stories, hot m/m/m ménages and a light read with a villain who is a professional criminal, you will probably like this book.
January 8, 2017
okay, what?
Craig went from confused he was attracted to two men, and trying to not be noticed, to humping their legs in 1 second. They didn't even tell him they were attracted to HIM first...let alone they are mates. That was really odd.
The end was left unfinished. I guess to carry over to the next book, but it wasn't a satisfying end.
I went in, expecting a vegetable book, which I give a lot of leeway to in rating, since I feel like they are meant to be fun without much substance...but this was lacking even for a vegetable book.
I want to like these. I love shifters, and mates...and occasionally a fun vegi book is great when you're on the run.
I did like all the ridiculous things that came out of Craig's mouth during sex. WOOT WOOT!
Craig went from confused he was attracted to two men, and trying to not be noticed, to humping their legs in 1 second. They didn't even tell him they were attracted to HIM first...let alone they are mates. That was really odd.
The end was left unfinished. I guess to carry over to the next book, but it wasn't a satisfying end.
I went in, expecting a vegetable book, which I give a lot of leeway to in rating, since I feel like they are meant to be fun without much substance...but this was lacking even for a vegetable book.
I want to like these. I love shifters, and mates...and occasionally a fun vegi book is great when you're on the run.
I did like all the ridiculous things that came out of Craig's mouth during sex. WOOT WOOT!
July 30, 2018
Brac Universe #22
Shifter ménage tale.
Avanti, Jesse and Craig have some problems. Mainly Craig's mafia uncle Dirk. They manage to come together after bumpy starts. Then they come back together after being separated by problems. I think the best part of the story is Zeus deciding to destroy the house and build new. We have learned a bit of the horrible things that happened to the warriors before Zeus took over. I have a feeling any more we learn is going to be just as bad if not worse.
I wonder which warrior will find his mate next? Maybe two?
Shifter ménage tale.
Avanti, Jesse and Craig have some problems. Mainly Craig's mafia uncle Dirk. They manage to come together after bumpy starts. Then they come back together after being separated by problems. I think the best part of the story is Zeus deciding to destroy the house and build new. We have learned a bit of the horrible things that happened to the warriors before Zeus took over. I have a feeling any more we learn is going to be just as bad if not worse.
I wonder which warrior will find his mate next? Maybe two?
July 24, 2011
I really liked this series. The characters in these books are different from your average shifter books that you read. Avanti, Jesse, and Craig complement each other so well. I found myself laughing out loud to a lot of the antics that Craig pulled. I am looking forward to more. I have a feeling Craig will be the trouble maker out of the mates....lol.
September 4, 2011
nice story.
July 25, 2011
2,5 stars
April 25, 2015
Really enjoyed it and ADORED Craig! He just made me laugh out loud!
4/2015 reread of entire Brac Pack, Zeus's Pack, Demon Warriors series. Up thru BP19, ZP22, DW 1
4/2015 reread of entire Brac Pack, Zeus's Pack, Demon Warriors series. Up thru BP19, ZP22, DW 1
October 20, 2011
love the Zeus's Pack series. I will continue
November 15, 2011
"GET NAKED!!!"
October 12, 2020
Zues pack book 2
Bracverse 22
Bracverse 22
August 14, 2013
Originally read in 2012
December 27, 2025
Tercera lectura: 12/2025
Segunda lectura: 10/2017
Primera lectura: 05/2017
Segunda lectura: 10/2017
Primera lectura: 05/2017
October 4, 2024
Being on the mate cops.
Still liking this one on the second go.
Still liking this one on the second go.
August 12, 2011
The First one was better.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews