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The Harbinger

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She’s a fighter in an underground fight ring. He’s been sent by his alpha to join the fight ring and find her.

Raechel has been on her own since she was sixteen. Fighting in an underground fight ring is the way she makes enough money to survive, but a new fighter in the ring upends the careful life plan she’s been trying to follow. Max is intimidating with a scar on his neck and muscles for days. He never smiles and seldom speaks. But he knows his way around a fight ring and quickly rises through the ranks. No surprise there. What is surprising is that he seems to be everywhere she is and won’t let her exist in her lonely world anymore. When her career in the fight ring is upended, his alpha gives her an offer she can’t refuse. Come to find out, she’s a harbinger; which explains the weird visions she’s been having. Her arrival in the pack heralds the coming war. That figures. She should have known she would be a curse; that seems to fit her life so well. Yet, in spite of the war that’s coming, she may have finally found a place to belong and someone to belong to if she can allow herself to accept it. The Wolves of the Northwoods have so much to lose in this war—new mates, babies both born and unborn. They’ve never faced a greater threat; but they will rise to the occasion and unite with other packs to finish this thing once and for all, no matter the cost.

**If you like paranormal romance with fated mates, protective males, and strong females, this series is for you. This is a closed-door romance series. Each book in the series is full-length (95,000+ words) and features a different couple. Each book can be read as a stand-alone but is best enjoyed as part of the series.

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2023

575 people are currently reading
189 people want to read

About the author

A.J. Manney

20 books131 followers
A. J. Manney lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and four kids. Some of her favorite things to do include reading, family days, being a pastor's wife, and watching football on Sunday afternoons with her family

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5 stars
1,801 (73%)
4 stars
519 (21%)
3 stars
123 (4%)
2 stars
17 (<1%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
1 review
February 24, 2024
Loved this series

Loved it wasn't overly graphic or gory and still gave that sexy edge to the characters. The characters were well rounded and significant roles that continued throughout the entire series.
Profile Image for Marsha.
3,053 reviews58 followers
November 20, 2024
Of all of books in the Wolves of the Northwoods series, "The Harbinger" is by far the best. Maybe the author had time to hone in her skills because there was a lot more action, intrigue and intensity in this read. The characters were more believable and the MC was the most mature of all of the others.

After receiving a vision, Emma, the finder sees a woman fighting in an underground fight club in Chicago. Emma is convinced that they need to get to her and bring her into their pack. Max decides that he will take Wyatt and a few men and go. When they arrive at the arena, they see a woman who uses the moniker, Dark Angel and she is magnificent. Dark Angel or Raechel is barely scrapping by. She is behind on her rent despite the fact that she fights almost every night. She steals snacks from the club to survive. After her fights she go home to her low rent broken down apartment.

Prior to leaving one night, Raechel hears that there is a new male fighter. His moniker is the Dark Knight, aka, Max. of course once Max sees Raechel he knows right away that she is his mate. He is going to do everything in his power to get close to her and make her his. What he doesn't realize is that Raechel is no shy wallflower of a woman. She is a seasoned fighter and doesn't have a domestic bone in her body. She does not want or need a man's protection because she is fiercely independent.

It seems that Raechel is a harbinger. A person who has the ability to see a warning of future events that could potentially have devastating consequences. What's also interesting about Raechel is that she knows about the paranormal world in which they live. She doesn't trust easily and she is about to give Max a run for his money.

It was so wonderful to finally have a MC who isn't a wimp. She is strong, fierce and definitely not easily intimidated. What she doesn't know is that as aware as she is she doesn't realize how much she is being used by her manager and the head boss. With Max's enlightenment she will become who is she destined to be. I really enjoyed this book. Raechel was just what this series needed to pull it all together. The author has indicated that this will be the last book in this series but she might write a spin-off series for the healers. That definitely has great potential. I highly recommend this installment in the series. You can read it as a standalone; but, it is always best to read the books in a series in order so sufficiently get a feel for the world building and previous character backgrounds.
25 reviews
January 18, 2025
I Tried To Like It

This was the worst heroine yet. Seriously she was awful to the point it was pretty impossible to care about her story. She was just a mess who took out all her issues on kind people and had a dismal view of other woman who were not like her. If you are going to have such a crappy character then you need to make her emotional journey make sense, she needs to evolve. But seriously this character was all fight and no brain. It made the whole story exhausting to get through. I mean the words “Im not like other girls” was used more than once to put down women who chose to be at home and have children, regardless of the fact that one of the woman was also an enforcer and two had jobs outside the home. It was insult without purpose. So too was the comment that a bunch of women didn’t look like fighters, they looked like moms. So mom bods are bad apparently. Im not convinced that this author even likes women because she cant manage to write an intelligent female character that isn’t willing to do the most unintelligent things just so she can stubbornly choose her own independence. A woman does not have to treat others like dirt and put herself in mortal danger just so she can say she made her own decisions. A woman can be intelligent, strong, compassionate, and independent all at the same time. Stop using a “broken childhood” as the excuse for why someone should be forgiven for treating other people badly over and over again, it’s childish.
I slogged through this series because I kept hoping for at least one redeeming story because I liked the world building and the writing quality is good, but none of it can make up for the lack of substance in the main female character. I don’t want to read another book where I feel sorry for the main male character for being stuck with such a selfish and brainless partner. It’s too much work and reading should be fun.
Profile Image for Mary A. Muchowicz.
189 reviews
March 10, 2025
The Harbinger who brings about the end and with it a new beginning

The Vampire attacks are increasing and are devastating. Alpha Garrett is gathering the wolf packs for a war to put an end to the evil. The fourth human gift to the Northwoods pack is the Harbinger. Max has been sent to Chicago to find her. Rachel has been on her own since she was 16. She has managed to survive by fighting n various fight clubs. Her brother taught her to fight before he joined the army thinking she was in a safe foster home. Rachel was invited to fight in The Ring a famous underground fight clubs that is vicious. Max joins as a fighter to try to get to know her. Rachel has survived by not trusting anyone. The Dark Angel has never lost a fight and she brings in a lot of money for the house until the night she loses her first fight and all shell breaks loose. Rachel finds a job with the Northwoods pack. She eventually begins to see them as a family and Max adores her and wants to protect her. The Wolf Creator appears to her in a vision to let her know that she s the key to helping the wolves win with being so vastly outnumbered, but that it could mean sacrificing herself to do so.
455 reviews2 followers
August 1, 2024
Better than the first two but not as good as the last one. I enjoyed it. For the most part Raechel was fine too. And I really liked Max. I like how he was himself but with you he opened up. Now raechel did need to let up on her “I’m a fighter” thing bc that was a bit annoying and so was her being pushy about the other girls learning to fight but it came from a good place and worked with the story so it was bearable. I’m surprised Wyatt’s not dead yet for everything he helped her do that she ended up getting seriously hurt doing. I’m curious about his book. Also I want Ava’s book so bad. She deserves to be taken care of. The beginning was long and it not my favorite but I really enjoyed it when they actually got together. I think it was a bit more gradual so somewhat realistic. Also for how much people were saying Max’s wolf was hard to control and unpredictable I think he did a great job in every situation
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
6 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2024
Great story

This would have been a 5-star review, but there are too many consistency errors in the book.
At one part it started with Ava, the author changed it to Rose to make Ava last for her own storyline, but the author forgot to change the name from Ava to Rose in a fee sentences.
That wasn’t the only consistency issue but by far the biggest, and I’m hoping the author goes back and rechecks the book, because the story is quite good.
Read the series, but note that there are small fact errors in much of the books, mostly medical knowledge ones that be believable for those who have no clue, but irritating to those who know better.
However compared to many werewolf and vampire stories, this series is by far some of the better ones.
Nice romance scenes without being pornographic, making this book more suitable for even young adults and not just adults that love werewolf books.

Looking forward to reading her other books, especially the ones about the Healers.
23 reviews
July 4, 2023
The whole series was really good.

It's vampires and werewolves, but with a new lore spin to it. But more importantly, the characters were the stars of these books. Especially the women, who have gone through rough times, and some very bad situations. The wolves may be the "heroes", but the woman don't just sit back and let them do everything. They stand on their own two feet, and grow their strength chapter by chapter.

The men of the pack also have their difficulties and hurdles to overcome, and together, they help each other overcome obstacles and problems.

I'll have to admit though, there were a couple of times I rolled my eyes.. when the man spews out a large paragraph of devotion, adoration, and promises. A wee bit too much, I've never heard a guy say so much all at once. Can't help thinking if I did, I'd think he was trying to hard, and being over the top. BUT... that's my only grief, I still highly recommend the books :)
210 reviews4 followers
September 14, 2025
Great Series

I know I have found an exceptional Writer when the people in their books are so real I am confident I would recognize them if our paths crossed. Each one is distinctively themself and I found myself truly caring for them all.

I much appreciate books with closed door intimacy. I appreciate being able to respect people's privacy in a fictional world, just as I do in real life.

I know I have found an exceptional writer when the story flows so well, I have no sense of time passing in the real world. I enjoyed the layered plot lines and the wolves willingness to fight true evil. It seems whatever process creates these vampires leaves them with no soul and no choices except to be destructive. Emma's determination to enjoy and value life to the max even in hard times is awesome and gutsy.

This is a series worth reading.
Profile Image for Kimberly Gordon-Bercich.
1,850 reviews5 followers
December 21, 2023
News Barer

Harbinger is often associated with a negative connotation. It just means messenger. Raechel is the gift of the Harbinger. She gets to deliver the message of what is to come. Max is lead enforcer. His job is to see what's coming, analyze and eliminate threats. Kind of perfect together. Doesn't hurt they are both basically gladiators in battles. Raechel was a star in the underground fighting rings. Max came in by storm dominating the most seasoned male fighter. Once Max got her away from that scene, Raechel became the leader and trainer to all the females in all the packs that collaborated in taking down vampires.
Profile Image for Jennifer Webb.
1,050 reviews7 followers
July 24, 2024
Beautifully written

Such a beautifully written book!! I cried and cheered them on. This couple Max and Rachel were made for each other!! They are my favorite and I was so taken that these two just simply got each other. To me they are more each other than the other couples. I can’t simply find the right words to describe the amount of love and steadfastness they have for protecting the pact and each other.

I really hate this series has come to an end. I want more of this pact. But I am happy that Samantha, Rose, and Ava are getting their books.

Well done all the stars on this couple!!
324 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2024
Awesome Series

This series, Wolves of the Northwoods, by A J Manner was absolutely awesome. Although the books had hundreds of pages, I found I couldn't stop turning them when I started reading and before I knew it I was through reading one and ready for the next. The "Gifts" the North woods wolves were given, Emma identifies those with gifts, Talya is the dreamer, Sage is the healer, and Rachel is the Harbinger. Each one human but gifted, they are mate to one of the wolves in the North woods pack and set the path to the North woods wolves future. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Jenette Ellis.
Author 1 book5 followers
July 6, 2025
It was a great story!

I’ve been enjoying A.J Manney’s books as of late! I love the consistent (if you touch her, I’ll kill you) tropes. I’ve been reading the series a little out of order, but it hasn’t impacted my love for the characters! Although it’s probably best to read them in order (and it’s SO FUN to see the couples together in the future), it’s not a necessity. I loved Raechel’s hard exterior in this book- and I enjoyed that this is what connected the two so well. Loved them both!
Profile Image for Catherine  Freed.
5 reviews
July 25, 2023
Genuine

I didn't expect to like this book, but I did. I usually go for romance books with the typical dreamy females and smooth-talking male characters, that cross paths unexpectedly and decide to take a chance on love. This book was different from the start. This woman is a fighter, in every sense of the word. She is a strong female heroine that isn't hopelessly searching for love around every corner but she is brave enough to receive it when it comes her way.
145 reviews
February 18, 2024
I had a really hard time relating to this character. Although I could relate totally to the poverty and the loss of family, the toughness of Raechel was a mystery. I was never strong. My older sister was,she kept me weak so she could control me. If I tried to be stronger, she knocked me down. At ten years my senior, I was easily suppressed. Passed to a man that took up the reins that did the same. No, I did not relate to this book. Maybe Ava is the book I can relate to.
106 reviews
April 15, 2024
Spectacular book 4 The Harbinger

This last book, tied all the others together in spectacular fashion. Each book had a new main character brought into the pack in a new way. I loved the book, my only small regret was that although the previous characters of the first 3 books are threaded through the story, i wanted more about each of them. Is there more to come? Perhaps !!! Please!!!.
You can tell i was addicted to the Authors stories.
Off to see what else she has written.
57 reviews
May 20, 2024
soooooo good

I couldn’t put it down. I mean it’s just all the things. This one has a lot more suspense than the other books but I think you need it to have it come to an end that was satisfying. I was hoping for a book about Max and I was not disappointed. I also love that Raechel was more than a match for any of the males she came against but not infalible. It was such a good mix. I loved all the books and now I may need to read them all again. Bring on the spin off series!
360 reviews1 follower
September 24, 2024
Enjoyable

I loved the last book in the Wolves of the Northwoods series. I loved that there were characters show up from book 1 all the way through book 4. Raechel and Max are a great couple who are fun, interesting and entertaining. I look forward to reading the 3 Healer’s story. Thank you A.J. Manner for writing this series and I look forward to reading more of your stories.
51 reviews
January 11, 2025
3 days

I’ve been stuck inside for the last couple of days so I was trying to find something to read and I stumbled across a auther I had never read. From the first page to the last of this series I read all 4. I laughed, I cried, and I sat on the edge of my seat. I don’t usually write reviews, but these books are great and if you like great books that are clean and well written these are it. Enjoy!
5 reviews
April 5, 2025
My favorite!

Oh my word! This book is my favorite! I've loved them all but Max and Raechel are my favorite! I laughed and cried with them with this book! I did not want it to be over! Great job A J! Now I have to read the 3rd book about Ava! Please introduce more characters and keep this series going! I never read a book as fast as I have these! Oh my gosh!
Again thank you for keeping it real but clean as well!
11 reviews
July 3, 2023
great stories

Loved, loved, loved, loved all four books. I love the characters the friendships and the storylines. My favorite book is Max and Raechel, through the first three books I really wanted to hear Max’s story and for him to find love. Thank you for writing these books they were great!
Profile Image for Mardi Sauve.
436 reviews8 followers
August 14, 2023
This series was great!

The story was well written. I love it when a story doesn't seem rushed and doesn't have senseless drama that would be so avoidable by most everyone with any sense. This series was filled with characters I loved. It was clean but edgy, and I went through it like a hot knife through butter. Great author. I'm looking forward to more.
Profile Image for Veronica.
19 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2023
Best of the series!

How can you not love Max? And that was probably the best mate pairing I’ve read about in a long, long time.

This series will definitely go on my to be read again list!

I will be sorely disappointed if she doesn’t do the spinoff. To be honest, she could run through the entire pack if the writing is this good .
18 reviews
December 12, 2023
Happy to melt for Max

I liked the continued storyline and updates on the main characters. Would have liked more of knowing about the additional pregnancy additions as difficult pregnancies and births was being worked bon. Seemed like a quick final chapter. Feel the prior books had better endings not as rushed
Profile Image for Tammy Rossitto.
181 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2024
Wolves of the Northwoods Pack Series

OMG! I loved this series. No spice, some kissing and a HEA ending. The thread of the series is wolves (shifters) versus vampires. Each features a human female and her wolf mate. This series should be read in order due to the underlying thread. I highly recommend all the books in this series. Much better than Twilight.
156 reviews
March 8, 2024
Wonderful!!

On my! This was so good! The pace was just right and th character development was perfect! The last battle scene had me on the edge of my seat. A great story from book 1 all the way to the end of book 4! But seriously there has to be more, the three healers, and Wyatt don't leave us or them hanging!!
Profile Image for Su.
191 reviews
March 23, 2024
Love, love, love

I absolutely loved this series! I'm not a real big fan of romance but this series has so much more. There are wolves and vampires and fights and war. There is so much action in every book. And the rest of the romance is left behind closed doors, just as it belongs. Great series and I think there are other characters in a spin off. So off I go to find them.
32 reviews
June 24, 2024
SOOO Good! I loved the whole series. If you like Jen Grey's stuff, you'll love this. There's lots and lots of plot, and engaging characters. I also liked that I didn't have to sift through pages of sex. Ms. Manning lets you know there will be intimacy but doesn't go into the gory details. It was a nice change. I will read all of her books because I like how she writes.
26 reviews
September 28, 2024
Wolves of the Northenwooecseries

This series was a wonderful series, all though it changed main character for each series, it was full of action and adventure. You fell into the characters easily. Each with there one challenges. Not stressing on sex as most of these books do. Glad to see that. Great read..
114 reviews
October 27, 2024
The Harbinger ( Wolves of the Northwoods Book 4)

What an incredible fourth book , the story gets more and more intense as the battle gets near and so many are in danger of not surviving, a very hard book to put down this whole series has been excellent….. heading r the Healer series by AJ Manney now
26 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2025
Exciting conclusion

This book redeemed the author from book 3. It was exciting, thoughtful and dramatic. The heroine was real, smart and strong with vulnerabilities that made her relatable and likable. She and Max were great together and allowed us to see more of Max’s character. I really enjoyed this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews

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