Fate doesn’t exist. But try telling that to the growling wolf shifter who thinks I’m his mate…
This is not my week. Or month. Or year.
My now-ex-boyfriend cheating on me with my best friend? I’d get over it eventually. Pretentious chefs who looked down on me because I never went to culinary school while I was raising my little sister? Screw ‘em. Finding out my sister has Lycan wolf DNA and I have hours to get her out of the city before she’s locked away in a government research facility? I definitely didn’t see that one coming.
To save my sister’s life, we take off in the middle of the night following cryptic instructions from our late father to what was supposed to be the toxic wastelands.
Imagine my surprise when we stumble into a fairy tale civilization of wolf shifters where magic is real and a frustrating, but ruggedly handsome pack enforcer has serious plans for me.
The big, bad, and hungry wolf thinks I’m his fated mate and he’s not taking no for an answer.
That’s just the icing on the metaphorical cake. But this isn’t some magical bedtime story.
Real danger exists in the Cerberus pack. There’s a poison in the ranks. Shifters are leaving. My sister isn’t safe.
And a blood-thirsty Alpha murders anyone that challenges him. Which I may--or may not--have accidentally done… Did I mention today is not my day?
Each book in the Fated Destinies series is a full length novel told in dual POV where the main hero and heroine get their HEA. This steamy series offers spice without sacrificing the plot. Warning: These books do end on a slight cliffhanger once the individual plots are resolved. Scroll up now and start reading to find out how these fated destinies are interwoven into the overall series.
Tropes:
Humor Grumpy/Sunshine Growling Alpha Males Touch her and die Spicy M/F HEA Fated mates Slow burn
Heather K. Carson is the mother of two feral little boys by day and published author by night. When she isn't working on a new book or refereeing a wrestling match, she's covered in mud from playing in the garden or dancing around the kitchen and whipping up enough food to feed the monsters she created.
In her paranormal romance books, you'll find world building twists, lovable side characters, beastly males, and strong female leads who like to shake things up.
Heather currently resides in the Pacific Northwest and spends whatever free time she gets by running away to the mountains with her equally exhausted husband and the best chocolate lab in the whole world.
Find out more and sign up for her mailing list to get some bonus content @ www.heatherkcarson.com
This book is my favourite genre however the world build was practically skipped over. I do not like the heroine, her own sister is a werewolf but she's always two seconds away of calling them animals. If she's so devoted to her sibling you would think she would take extra time to learn everything she can do they can adjust. She's practically turning her nose at everything as if they have somewhere to go back to, a lab perhaps.
The whole my mate is so strong is absolutely ridiculous, what exactly did she do to prove that? Tell her sister to run from predators, to where exactly? TSTL
It has a lot of really good potential with the storyline and it was really well written.
My personal preference was that I did not like the way the werewolves were written. I didn’t like that the wolf was an entirely different being that communicated with the shifter. I got sick of reading the constant conversations between maddock and his wolf.
But otherwise it would have been really good. And if you’re into the wolf in a shifter book being a separate person entirely you’d probably enjoy this. Like I said, it just wasn’t my thing.
Although I really liked the dystopian setting the story ended up being mediocre for me. I wasn't really feeling the romance. And after everything we didn't even get the claiming scene in the end 😞
This book was fine, but I’m super disappointed that the author decided to make the next two FMCs be the barely legal (18yo) sister of the heroine and then book 3 is the new “alpha” of the pack, an also 18yo girl. Sorry, but I’m not into reading about teen virgins having sex. Don’t bait with an older heroine just to do switch to teens.
This was a great book and I really enjoyed the mash-up of genres. The paranormal/fantasy angle but set in a dystopian world was awesome.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It stuck with me right away and I didn't want to stop reading. Getting up and adulting in the middle of reading this book was hard because I was so glued to the pages. The story really sinks its hooks into you and keeps you begging for more. The world-building was very nicely done. The plot was worked out nicely though I admit that I had some personal reservations about how things went down in the story. That's all about personal preferences though. In the end, the author made the story flow nicely.
The characters were really fleshed out and had a lot of depth. I love how distinct all of the characters were. I wouldn't say that I loved everything about the characters though because there were some things that I didn't like about them in some aspects. Again, that is more about personal preference and not a character design flaw.
There were parts of the romance that I liked and some that I didn't care for. I really loved how devoted Maddock was to Sage. I also like that he admired her for her good qualities and that the mate bond wasn't solely responsible for his crazed devotion.
Overall, this was a compelling story that I enjoyed even though there were some elements to the story that I didn't prefer. I read a lot of wolf shifter books and I guess I just have a type when it comes to pack hierarchy, alphas, mate bonds, and how the characters in these types of stories conduct themselves. This is a great book and it is definitely worth the read. I am definitely interested in reading the next book in this series.
This was a dystopian shifter romance, and while I usually don't like dystopian I didn't mind this. Continuing on with the series, though it was a toss-up if I would or not. I would have been satisfied with stopping here, but my goal is to actually finish series instead of letting them linger in my "up next" list.
THE WITCH'S WOLF was a unique read and I liked some of the different ways it handled the shifter lore but I also felt a bit like nothing happened. I don't really know how to explain it but I didn't feel bored and yet at the end of the book I felt like hardly anything occurred. Maybe it was just me?
The writing was easy to read and the story jumps pretty quickly into the plot and the pace stays strong throughout even for such a long book. Both Sage and Maddock were likable characters and they have a slow burn of a romance as it takes time for Sage to trust Maddock and even though he knows they're mates he doesn't want to rush her. I also liked Maddock's inner wolf and his funny commentary, especially the rabbit thing.
The side characters, especially Sage's sister and Maddock's niece were fun and I appreciated the fact that Coral wasn't the stereotypical whiny younger sister that you often see in this genre. One big plot hole that was never really addressed is that it's set up clearly that the Cerberus pack is dying due to bad leadership and they've become almost completely isolated from the other packs and yet they still have all these food ingredients for Sage to cook with and it's never explained where they come from. Do they have farmland? Is it magic? Are they trading with other packs? I just don't know.
Overall, an interesting read and even though it didn't quite leave a lasting impression on me I think a lot of readers would enjoy this one.
Content Warning: neglectful and abusive parent; patricide
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Favorite Quotes:
“Being paired with me must not be that great of a bargain for you since you don’t get the perks of mating with a wolf.” The hungry growl that came from his chest sent vibrations down my spine. “There is no bargain. There is no doubt. Nothing could ever compare to you and you were made to be mine.”
I will give points for this being a different type of story, but honestly it killed me. This story actually had a very loose storyline. For Maddox and sage being in their 30s, this was written more like a YA novel with a little bit of sex thrown in.
I think Maddox was the only character I liked. However, even he ticked me off. All of these characters, except the 17 year olds, had no backbone. They let the kids do whatever they wanted and there were no consequences for their actions. It was just, okay, let's have a few words and sing kumbaya.
Not only that, but the whole Alpha issue with Apollo? Oh, don't get me started. Talk about no one taking action. This was just thrown into the story to make someone be the "bad guy" and maybe push the story along.
Yeah... This story frustrated me (if that wasn't clear).
Ughhh, Heather! You’ve done it again, this was such a fun read and it was the perfect length. So much happened and I loved meeting the characters and this awesome world you created. This book was fantastic and read so easily.
That ending makes me want to read the next one so badly, so kudos on that.
I loved Sage, Kera, Coral, Maddock, and the rest of the pack, and I can’t wait to see what happens with everyone in the next book.
Been awhile since a wolf/pnr book has really made me happy to read. As in. Carnage Island ago. 🤣 This isn’t an RH or anything like that story tho but it still hooked me like that book did. If that makes sense??
First off, it is well written and the dystopian world is fully integrated into the storyline. I loved it. I could picture the world but there was this great balance of inner dialogue, outer dialogue and world building that hit me right. ♥️♥️
Please know it is slow burn (but it works for this story so let it happen) and there are a few times when the fmc is completely obtuse. Like I wanted to slap her a few times. 🤣🤷🏻♀️
She was skirting close to the edge mid way thru of being placed into my TSTL box. 😝 Not at the beginning tho but once they get to the new town. At the start she never came off as TSTL. Hope this makes sense. I think the situation she got placed into pulled out those moments. But. It was a part of her character development and the author was using those moments to help in her arc. It was clear after two of those TSTL moments that was where the author was taking her fmc.
Unlike other authors where the fmc is so stubborn that she makes tstl choices the entire book and has zero growth.
The fmc here just had her moments but the author guided away from those quickly and helped us to see it was a part of the fmc’s journey.
I do wish there had been more smexy times w her man, day to day life type stuff and missed as a reader having their big bite moment, we just got a small flashback. 😓 As much of a build up as the entire mating thing was, I hate we didn’t get it.
I am looking forward to Coral’s book. The cliffy in this book is NOT ABOUT THE BOOK COUPLE. They end as a HFN. The cliffy is on her sister. I appreciate this ending style bc it leaves us satisfied with the book couple and also gives us something to look forward to in the next book.
This is my first book by this author and tbh she is on my favorite list with just one book. She writes so well and her creativity blew me away! Give us a novella w some pups for Maddock and Sage PLEASE🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don’t know what to think about this book. It was not the best book to ever exist that’s for sure. I think that the thing that annoyed me the most was that everything was about the sister and how to keep her safe . So much details and pages that could have been used for something better ! Like her story or something! It was always, I need to keep her safe, where is she, don’t do that or this, I need to go back to my sister , I need to tell my sister that she can stop cleaning! Like who cares about the cleaning ? It was a group project. The sister had abandoned everything for her sister and the least she could do was that. The girl had major concentration problem and she didn’t stay still for two seconds. Everything went so wast and there wasn’t something very important to say.🥵There was no intrigue or anything. Plus the girl’s mate ? What can I say. He is a weird guy who only wants his mate for sex. That’s what it felt like at least. He didn’t develop or say more than that he was horny and he needed to get away before he lost it . I don’t recommend this book. I had really hoped that I would like it but it annoyed me to much.
I absolutely loved this fated mates book by Heather. This is a but different from her usual writing and I loved every single word of this voice. Sage is such a strong force to contend with. Not only did she need to keep herself and her own secret safe in a place that wouldn't understand, she then had to get her sister out of danger. Protecting and loving her sister came first and it was beautiful. Maddock was such a brute. But in a good way. He leaned against his wolf's natural instincts to lay claim on his mate and gave her the time and space she needed to acclimate to a new way of life before overwhelming her with his fated desire. It was a great mix of a protective male who believed in consent. HERE. FOR. IT. Kera and Coral growing into their own while lending on each other? Loved it. They're both so pure and strong.
but what Heather didn't stay away from? An ending leaving you hanging for more.
Um... What did I just read. Half sisters living in a dystopian society discover that their perfect city is a prison and the toxic wasteland they believed was outside their city walls is not toxic at all. The younger half sister has Lycan blood and the two set off to escape the fate of being a scientific experiment inside the city walls, not knowing what they'll find but willing to brave the elements for a better life and each other... Very intriguing...then absolutely nothing happens except for another fated mates Alphahole storyline and it falls apart. I would say there are plot holes, but to do so would have to mean there was a plot. The random witch magic / Alpha wolf / split pack drama was ick. This synopsis had so much potential and never got there, it's a no for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I wasn’t really sure about what to expect from this book, I just knew I love wolves, witches and magic, also I’m a huge fantasy and dystopian fan, so when I realized it was I combination of everything, I was so into it.
If you like cliffhangers, well Heather loves ending all of her books with an amazing one, and this one was not an exception.
At first I had a hard time understanding the wolf-person relationship, but later on, I really loved it. As always I find Heather’s writing mesmerizing, and my brain really likes how she describes everything, I do find myself daydreaming about the scenarios and people she describes. So of course, while I was reading this book I found myself wishing there was a place just like that in real life, and of course wishing for a Maddock kind of guy for myself.
I’m so invested on the characters and did found myself realizing I have lots of things in common with Sage, which made this extra interesting for me.
I’m only giving this book 4 stars cause I wish it was longer, I soooo want to read book 2, and I want to learn more about what happens next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I had so many giddy feelings during this. I loved this wolf shifter/witch romance. You get fated mates, found family, pack politics, and learning your power. I loved her writing, I loved how the shifter talked to their internal wolf so much.
When I tell you this book is fantastic. Book starts off with the Sage getting some bad news about her little sister Coral and they have to uproot their lives and go to a destination that was in an envelope left by their father in the middle of the night. Did I mention they live in a dystopian world and they were told that the air outside of their walls were toxic? And that they are apart of a purist city which thinks anything but human is terrible and they take those people who have "other" things in their blood to some kind of facility where bad things happen. Once they get to this place they realize things they were told was a lie and everything isn't how it seems. And Sage has a run in with a wolf named Maddock and things just tumble from there. This book had me laughing, crying and being annoyed and pissed as hell. Oh and it has some steam...like some delicious steam. Plus I love the dual point of views and the unique detail Heather put in for Maddock's wolf. This is a book you absolutely need in your life.
Heather is a master at dystopian/post apocalyptic stories and I have devoured everything she read. So when Heather announced she was doing a Shifter Romance... I was intrigued for sure.
First things first, I was so excited when I started this book and quickly realised it was set in a dystopian/utopian world that Heather writes so well.
Then I was introduced to fierce strong Sage who has had to hide who she really is. But one thing is for sure, she will do anything to protect her sister Coral... even risk radiation poisoning....
Maddox, Kera and the pack were in a rocky place when Sage and Coral arrive and everyone seems to realise nothing will ever be the same from that point on.
Now I'm not a fan of instalove so I was really glad with the way this Fated Mates story played out.
As always, Heather has such a way of making you fall in love with characters... I genuinely think I cry at most of her books... and in typical Heather fashion... that ending!
Heather Carson is an auto-buy, read in 1-2 sittings type of author. Her characters are always multidimensional relatable, and interesting. This story hooks the reader from the beginning and never lets go. It’s a wolf shifter romance set in a dystopian world. Some of the tropes include found family, survival, fated mates, and discovery of repressed power.
Her writing is flawless and engaging. The only issue for me is that I read her books when they release and then get impatient for the next book. This particular book could potentially be a stand alone but not really. You fall in love with the characters and their narratives….. they become your friends…. Definitely didn’t want to finish this book and cannot wait for the next!
DNF. Hideously annoyingly performed audiobook (not that they weren't skilled and doing the characters but especially the male performer doing little girl voice etc, unavoidable with some audiobooks and it made it more on my face how much I hate the book, characters) and tragically 1-D. FMC made me reallt unhappy-- immature and babied her sister, we as readers were supposed to care about any of that?! Idk how the GR average is 4 but hey, everyone's different. Read as YA when it did not have spice, if that makes sense.
This was an interesting world. They considered witches and wolf's to be mutants. And the city was cut off from everything. I would have liked more world building. Also would have been nice to see her grow with her witch powers. I felt like all the sudden her powers just clicked for her and we didnt get to see how she figured it all out. Just felt vague in that regard.
Drags a bit. A little predictable. However good job with the villain. He has layers and isn’t a one dimensional fiend. Lovely family and found family. Lovely couple. All around pretty good world building too.
One unanswered question. Who the hell was Sage’s mom and why don’t they ever discuss how one man found two “impure” women to breed with!?!
DNF - i just can’t. She’s in an unknown town full of wolf shifters and yet she thinks she can protect her and her sister. She’s actually offended that dude offered his protection. Their exchanges are cringe worthy. I feel so sorry for her not knowing how to talk to a guy….. but i don’t think her characters is actually supposed to be an idiot when it comes to guys. I just want a FMC that isn’t stubborn Miss Independent who has to do everything herself with no help from anyone.