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Pine Hollow Wolves #1
Almost Paradise
This edition is no longer available.
Travis has done everything to keep his daughter safe. He's fought a long, hard battle in the courts to gain full custody and has finally found some breathing room. But that security comes at a heavy price. Staying in a motel and living off his quickly dwindling savings is no way to raise a toddler, so when Liam steps into his life and offers him hundreds of dollars just to watch his dogs for a weekend, it almost seems too good to be true. But when he finds out there is more to Liam than he ever thought, he has a hard decision to make. Can he and his daughter stay and be safe or will he need to leave?
Travis has done everything to keep his daughter safe. He's fought a long, hard battle in the courts to gain full custody and has finally found some breathing room. But that security comes at a heavy price. Staying in a motel and living off his quickly dwindling savings is no way to raise a toddler, so when Liam steps into his life and offers him hundreds of dollars just to watch his dogs for a weekend, it almost seems too good to be true. But when he finds out there is more to Liam than he ever thought, he has a hard decision to make. Can he and his daughter stay and be safe or will he need to leave?
79 pages, ebook
First published June 16, 2012
About the author
Caitlin Ricci
294 books178 followersCaitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn't writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiance and their dog. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
June 18, 2012
Why Don't I Ever Listen?
I was looking forward to the story and hoping so, so hard that it would knock my socks off. People were telling me not to get my hopes up and I was defending this story because shifters AND babies should be a recipe for greatness. I was the champion of the baby/shifter book.
This book though....this book did not work for me at all.
Travis is a guy who's won custody of his 2 year old daughter but lost everything else in the process. Liam is a shifter who works for his alpha, has money and two big puppies. You now know everything about these two men that I know. How is that, you ask? Because in 79 pages there isn't much of anything that's explained and it drove me CRAZY!!
Nothing is really explained about the shifters. Nothing is really explained about the little girl's ability to know they are shifters. Travis' back story is disjointed and hazy at best. The confrontation with the little girl's mother is a total WTF moment and the end of the story just made me go "That's it??!".
This story was just...not..good. I was actually frowning when it ended because not only had my hopes had been dashed, but they were stepped on and then set on fire.
I was looking forward to the story and hoping so, so hard that it would knock my socks off. People were telling me not to get my hopes up and I was defending this story because shifters AND babies should be a recipe for greatness. I was the champion of the baby/shifter book.
This book though....this book did not work for me at all.
Travis is a guy who's won custody of his 2 year old daughter but lost everything else in the process. Liam is a shifter who works for his alpha, has money and two big puppies. You now know everything about these two men that I know. How is that, you ask? Because in 79 pages there isn't much of anything that's explained and it drove me CRAZY!!
Nothing is really explained about the shifters. Nothing is really explained about the little girl's ability to know they are shifters. Travis' back story is disjointed and hazy at best. The confrontation with the little girl's mother is a total WTF moment and the end of the story just made me go "That's it??!".
This story was just...not..good. I was actually frowning when it ended because not only had my hopes had been dashed, but they were stepped on and then set on fire.
June 24, 2012
Unfortunately this story just didn't work for me. It had a lot of potential, but with the length of the book, everything seemed rushed, characters just thrown in, no background, nothing to make you connect in any way with them or the story.
January 8, 2013
At the end of the story, I knew nothing more about the MCs than I did in the beginning. Not good.
March 3, 2013
This was a big let down, the story was thin, and the character development nil. I found myself skimming ahead hoping for some sort of excitement, yeah there was none to be found.
This is a Cinderfella story of meh proportions, it was a big let down.
This is a Cinderfella story of meh proportions, it was a big let down.
July 1, 2012
There was a lot of potential in this book, none of which was realized.
June 17, 2012
The cover was simply adorable so I bought it mainly for that. The story not so much. There was so much missing in this. It felt like more of an outline instead of a complete story. It didn't seem flushed out completely. It left me with more questions than anything else. Maybe some of these will be answered in the sequel. The characters didn't feel complete either. Will I read the sequel? Sure, because I want to know if my questions will be answered. Will I go past book 2? We'll have to see on that. The sequel needs to be way more complete than this was.
This gets 3 stars mainly because of the cover.
This gets 3 stars mainly because of the cover.
January 20, 2013
Actually 2.5 stars. It certainly was not as good as I expected. So much details are missing and I was left with so much questions. Liam's character was stiff and stilted and Alexandrea the ex contradicts herself. Is she just nuts? Obsessed with Travis? Wasupwith that? It looks like a promising series though so I will definitely buy the next book for some clarity.
June 16, 2012
2.5 stars (rounded up cause it's the author's first book).
The writing style was a bit awkward and the ending felt rather rushed (HFN for those who don't like that, btw) but I'll definitely give her next book a try.
The writing style was a bit awkward and the ending felt rather rushed (HFN for those who don't like that, btw) but I'll definitely give her next book a try.
July 2, 2019
It was a sweet little story and I decided to read the next book. $3 for 57 pages. No, not going to happen. I don’t mind paying for a book, but I don’t want to get ripped off.
June 18, 2012
This is one of those stories that is a great mix between sweet and paranormal, involving werewolves no less. Oh, and the underlying humor was great as well. I mean, a werewolf doing the personal shopping for his Alpha’s sister, and owns two dogs – really? Yes, I did a bit of a double take as well, but as I read this short book I found that I quite liked this variation on the more ‘serious’ werewolf stories. It’s not an easy mix to maintain, but this author does it quite well.
Liam is the ‘unusual’ werewolf in question. He’s a great guy, even if I thought he was a little too ‘obedient’ in terms of fulfilling his Alpha’s every whim without even thinking about it. But he is very protective of Travis and his daughter, and he is honorable enough to stand by the man’s side whether he becomes his lover or not. That was a refreshing change.
Travis, the human dad who is trying to raise his daughter, is in real trouble before he runs into Liam. I admired him for not taking Liam as his ‘ticket out of trouble’, and for making sure Liam doesn’t get to ‘buy’ him. Even if he was a bit too independent, I can totally understand where he is coming from. His daughter comes first, and Liam respects that as much as I do.
Don’t start reading this book expecting the usual’ shifter story; you will be disappointed. If, however, you’re looking for an unusual shifter book (i.e., one without much shifting), if a developing relationship is more important to you than the two main characters jumping into bed together, and if you like stories that involve a little mystery, you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Silver Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Liam is the ‘unusual’ werewolf in question. He’s a great guy, even if I thought he was a little too ‘obedient’ in terms of fulfilling his Alpha’s every whim without even thinking about it. But he is very protective of Travis and his daughter, and he is honorable enough to stand by the man’s side whether he becomes his lover or not. That was a refreshing change.
Travis, the human dad who is trying to raise his daughter, is in real trouble before he runs into Liam. I admired him for not taking Liam as his ‘ticket out of trouble’, and for making sure Liam doesn’t get to ‘buy’ him. Even if he was a bit too independent, I can totally understand where he is coming from. His daughter comes first, and Liam respects that as much as I do.
Don’t start reading this book expecting the usual’ shifter story; you will be disappointed. If, however, you’re looking for an unusual shifter book (i.e., one without much shifting), if a developing relationship is more important to you than the two main characters jumping into bed together, and if you like stories that involve a little mystery, you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Silver Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 21, 2013
I am sorry, but this didn't work for me. The reasons being, well, let me count the ways:
Overall, not really feeling it. I am not sure if I will read the 2nd, but I really liked Hannah so possibly.
Overall, not really feeling it. I am not sure if I will read the 2nd, but I really liked Hannah so possibly.
June 15, 2012
The book made me feel like I got dropped in the middle of a series.. It would have been so much better if a little more thought was put into it. I wish the author would rewrite, this time giving us a better take on Travis and what happend leading up to meeting Liam, and also a more fleshed out description of Liam and his pack. Why can Hannah see the shifters when no other human can. DETAILS, I NEED DETAILS.....
June 18, 2012
This is a very sweet story. There are a lot of loose ends so I'm expecting good things from the next story. It was way too short, we were just getting to know the characters and the story was over. It felt a bit rushed as the whole story takes place over 4 days and already the two MC are happily living together, even though Liam was away for 2 of the four days.
I found it charming and Hannah was the over all saving point in this story. She more than either of the MC's made this story.
I found it charming and Hannah was the over all saving point in this story. She more than either of the MC's made this story.
December 16, 2018
As shifter paranormal romances go this looks like a series I might actually enjoy. This is not a genre that I've really ever been into, but this series could make a convert of me. Travis has just come out or a messy custody battle for his daughter Hanna when a chance encounter while he's looking for a job lands him dog sitting Liam's two dogs for the weekend. Hannah has the unique ability to see through Liam to the wolf within him and this could be a problem but Liam sees a mate in Travis. What to do.
June 14, 2012
Portia De Moncur's review and click on the link to see my interview with Caitlin Ricci
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Liam is running an errand for his Alpha when the scent of a man gets his attention. Even without his shifter senses, he can tell the other man is down on his luck. But, being a shifter he is keenly aware that the other man is just as attracted, if not a tad leery of Liam. But attraction isn’t enough to make Travis accept Liam’s invitation to lunch. Fortunately, Travis’s daughter, Hannah, has no reservation about getting to know Liam better.
I’m not sure how Almost Paradise is going to be received. I personally loved it. There was enough of a break from the same ole same ole paranormal shifter stories that flow through my inbox that I was hooked from the beginning. There’s enough back-story to hook me, but enough left unsaid for me to look forward to the next book. And as I know that Book 2 is about the Alpha, who came off like Don Corleone, I can’t wait to see how he redeems himself. Not to mention the Alpha’s sister, who is a rather scary woman.
Anyway, back to this book. We are introduced to Liam first and I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like him. I got that his position was similar to a traditional pack’s beta, but because of the dynamics, he came off as more of a mob errand boy. But, as he interacted with Travis and Hannah, he shifted, in my mind, from paid lacky to more like Tony Soprano. And not just his character, but all the shifters. They have a clannish elitism that just reminded me of New York mafia family. Which might not mean anything to you, but I’ve always found authoritative men with an air of mystery uber hot. The fact that he’s all about the pack and family only made him that much sexier.
And as much as I loved Liam, I loved Travis more. He’s been through hell, trying to retain custody of his daughter. Now that everything is pretty much settled, he’s broke and unemployed, yet trying to maintain some level of normalcy for his child. Sue me, but I’m a sucker for real daddies. And, as much as he wants Liam, he is no pushover. He makes Liam work for their mating bond, like a first-rate trial attorney.
I really applaud Ms. Ricci for creating a shifter world that is both interesting and different. I look forward to reading Samson’s story and getting to know Liam, Travis and Hannah more in the future. I’m recommending this title to readers who believe that men can handle a bit of courtship, patient shifters and far-sighted little girls.
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Liam is running an errand for his Alpha when the scent of a man gets his attention. Even without his shifter senses, he can tell the other man is down on his luck. But, being a shifter he is keenly aware that the other man is just as attracted, if not a tad leery of Liam. But attraction isn’t enough to make Travis accept Liam’s invitation to lunch. Fortunately, Travis’s daughter, Hannah, has no reservation about getting to know Liam better.
I’m not sure how Almost Paradise is going to be received. I personally loved it. There was enough of a break from the same ole same ole paranormal shifter stories that flow through my inbox that I was hooked from the beginning. There’s enough back-story to hook me, but enough left unsaid for me to look forward to the next book. And as I know that Book 2 is about the Alpha, who came off like Don Corleone, I can’t wait to see how he redeems himself. Not to mention the Alpha’s sister, who is a rather scary woman.
Anyway, back to this book. We are introduced to Liam first and I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like him. I got that his position was similar to a traditional pack’s beta, but because of the dynamics, he came off as more of a mob errand boy. But, as he interacted with Travis and Hannah, he shifted, in my mind, from paid lacky to more like Tony Soprano. And not just his character, but all the shifters. They have a clannish elitism that just reminded me of New York mafia family. Which might not mean anything to you, but I’ve always found authoritative men with an air of mystery uber hot. The fact that he’s all about the pack and family only made him that much sexier.
And as much as I loved Liam, I loved Travis more. He’s been through hell, trying to retain custody of his daughter. Now that everything is pretty much settled, he’s broke and unemployed, yet trying to maintain some level of normalcy for his child. Sue me, but I’m a sucker for real daddies. And, as much as he wants Liam, he is no pushover. He makes Liam work for their mating bond, like a first-rate trial attorney.
I really applaud Ms. Ricci for creating a shifter world that is both interesting and different. I look forward to reading Samson’s story and getting to know Liam, Travis and Hannah more in the future. I’m recommending this title to readers who believe that men can handle a bit of courtship, patient shifters and far-sighted little girls.
June 13, 2012
This review was originally written for Hearts on Fire Reviews and can also be found there.
Almost Paradise drew me in with its interesting cover and intriguing blurb. Most of us, when we see the main character is a parent, jump right into the story, and lately we just hope for the best. This one also has shifters and financial trouble that in my experience tends to make things interesting, so I pretty much had to read it.
As the blurb says, Travis has been through a lot as he fought for the custody of his daughter, and after two years, with no money to his name and no place to stay, he still has his daughter in his arms. When looking for a job he meets Liam, a Shifter who sees something appealing in the desperate father and offers him a chance he needed.
This is a sweet and short story with one of the cutest kids I’ve read about. Hannah is just adorable and fit into the book much better than the two main characters. Liam came off as cold and bossy for the bigger part of the story. His pushy attitude and the lack of any background made it hard for me to know him let alone like him. But Travis seemed a rather nice man in the beginning. Dedicated father who only wanted what was best for his daughter and who needed some loving. He disappointed me toward the end, where this story sort of lost any romantic tone it had for me and turned into a business arrangement.
I could have swallowed the lack of sex, something I do look forward to in m/m romance, if the actual relationship between the two characters ended up being strong enough to keep me interested. How that didn’t happen and the ending seemed more like a beginning of something greater, I’m left to wonder if the sequel will continue this story or move on to the other men in Pine Hollow. After all, they are Pine Hollow Wolves.
I liked the charming side of this book I don’t stumble upon often enough and while the characterization and the plot needed some work I do hold high hopes for this author’s future work.
Almost Paradise drew me in with its interesting cover and intriguing blurb. Most of us, when we see the main character is a parent, jump right into the story, and lately we just hope for the best. This one also has shifters and financial trouble that in my experience tends to make things interesting, so I pretty much had to read it.
As the blurb says, Travis has been through a lot as he fought for the custody of his daughter, and after two years, with no money to his name and no place to stay, he still has his daughter in his arms. When looking for a job he meets Liam, a Shifter who sees something appealing in the desperate father and offers him a chance he needed.
This is a sweet and short story with one of the cutest kids I’ve read about. Hannah is just adorable and fit into the book much better than the two main characters. Liam came off as cold and bossy for the bigger part of the story. His pushy attitude and the lack of any background made it hard for me to know him let alone like him. But Travis seemed a rather nice man in the beginning. Dedicated father who only wanted what was best for his daughter and who needed some loving. He disappointed me toward the end, where this story sort of lost any romantic tone it had for me and turned into a business arrangement.
I could have swallowed the lack of sex, something I do look forward to in m/m romance, if the actual relationship between the two characters ended up being strong enough to keep me interested. How that didn’t happen and the ending seemed more like a beginning of something greater, I’m left to wonder if the sequel will continue this story or move on to the other men in Pine Hollow. After all, they are Pine Hollow Wolves.
I liked the charming side of this book I don’t stumble upon often enough and while the characterization and the plot needed some work I do hold high hopes for this author’s future work.
June 16, 2012
The writing didn't convince me completely. Maybe 'cause it's Caitlin Ricci's first published novella. From start to finish I missed a more detailed story. What happened leading up to Travis meeting Liam? What's the pack like, especially Samson? He's mentioned only 2 or 3 times as Liam's boss and that's it. What's Liam's role/position/function in the pack? Why can Hannah see wolves? Do the humans know about the shifters? It's not very apparent as sometimes I got the feeling they do whereas at other times I thought they don't. If they do, how do they deal with them? Are they a treat to the shifters? Hopefully the next books in the series will be better as I see a lot of potential here. I also wonder if the sequel will continue this story or if each book will solely focus on the main characters. From the already appearing characters I assume that it will be a mixed m/m and m/f series rather than just m/m.
Will I read the sequel? Absolutely, though the expectations are high :-)
Will I read the sequel? Absolutely, though the expectations are high :-)
August 29, 2014
That was one insta family...
That could have been a good story but I had few problems with it.
It was too short to really develope almost everything. In result we don't know much about characters and their motivations.
I had a problem with Travis. He was hesitating over everything. But that wouldn't be that bad, annoying still but not bad, if not another flaw of this character. Or more like, of the whole background of the character. I mean, Travis is a father of a little kid. He got full custody even though he has no home, no money and no job. What judge gave him the child to rise? I'm not saying the kid should stay with crazy mother (also underdeveloped character) but what court would actually let someone rise a child if that person didn't have means to even keep himself afloat, let alone a little baby girl.
That could have been a good story but I had few problems with it.
It was too short to really develope almost everything. In result we don't know much about characters and their motivations.
I had a problem with Travis. He was hesitating over everything. But that wouldn't be that bad, annoying still but not bad, if not another flaw of this character. Or more like, of the whole background of the character. I mean, Travis is a father of a little kid. He got full custody even though he has no home, no money and no job. What judge gave him the child to rise? I'm not saying the kid should stay with crazy mother (also underdeveloped character) but what court would actually let someone rise a child if that person didn't have means to even keep himself afloat, let alone a little baby girl.
June 16, 2012
I really enjoyed this story and the beginning of a new series. I hope the series will continue to explore the characters in this book as well as introducing others. I liked the sense that there is much more to Liam than meets the eye and soft hints of darkness and mystery about his character and his relationship with his boss. I am looking forward to reading more from this author and from this series.
April 19, 2023
I think that this is a part of a single book that the author separated into three "books". This first part is the introductory chapters of a book. It leaves the reader wanting, wanting character building and a completed PLOT. I'm not even slightly tempted to read the next chapters, advertised as Books 2 and 3. Why three stars? Only because I give two stars to books that are amateurishly written.
January 29, 2017
I did not like anything about this book: it was incredibly disjointed-the conflict between Travis and the child's mother made no sense nor did any other plot line in this book; the characters were very shallow- not a single character had any depth nor did I care about what happened to any of them. I have no incentive to find out what happens next. Skip this book even if it's free.
May 11, 2022
2022 Re-Read:
This book is getting a big star boost from the fact that I don't reduce the star rating on a book on re-reads. I don't know what I liked so much about it last time, but I didn't see it this time around.
This book is getting a big star boost from the fact that I don't reduce the star rating on a book on re-reads. I don't know what I liked so much about it last time, but I didn't see it this time around.
July 27, 2012
Enjoyed the start to this series. Hopefully in the next book we get more and my favorite person had to be Hannah she was adorable:-)
not-yet
October 5, 2012Waiting for some friends reviews before committing. But am interested based on the cuteness of the cover alone!
July 13, 2012
3.5 Stars Really good setup for both MCs. I would have liked to know more about the world they live in. I look forward to the next in the series.
April 11, 2020
3,5*
PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!
To my ratings:
A 3,5* is clicked with a 4* but in review marked as 3,5*:
5* - very very good and rare (it would be a Blow-Away-book like ‘Jesse's Smile’ or ‘Joey’ from Angelique Jurd, ‘Save the the kids’ series
from EM Leya, ‘Love’s Tethered Heart’ from C.L. Etta or ‘Liberty’ from Seth King),
it's like an A+
4* - very good and will be often reread and is a WOW-book with interesting plot and surprises (like most of Andrew Grey books and Davidson Kings 'Haven Hart'-series)
it's like an A
3,5* - a really good book, which will be reread a few times (most romances where you can enjoy for relaxing and during waiting times in
hospitals). I can recommend them definitively!
It's like an B+
3* - it could be more then a one-time-reader (2-3 times a year),
it's like a B
2* - it was ok to read, but it's more a one-time-reader (I wouldn't recommend it heartily, but it was ok)
It's like a C-, D
1* - sorry, but that isn't really a book for me (too many mistakes, not nice plot, illogical, so an absolute NO-GO). It's like failure in the
whole line, dismissed, repeat the class
PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!
To my ratings:
A 3,5* is clicked with a 4* but in review marked as 3,5*:
5* - very very good and rare (it would be a Blow-Away-book like ‘Jesse's Smile’ or ‘Joey’ from Angelique Jurd, ‘Save the the kids’ series
from EM Leya, ‘Love’s Tethered Heart’ from C.L. Etta or ‘Liberty’ from Seth King),
it's like an A+
4* - very good and will be often reread and is a WOW-book with interesting plot and surprises (like most of Andrew Grey books and Davidson Kings 'Haven Hart'-series)
it's like an A
3,5* - a really good book, which will be reread a few times (most romances where you can enjoy for relaxing and during waiting times in
hospitals). I can recommend them definitively!
It's like an B+
3* - it could be more then a one-time-reader (2-3 times a year),
it's like a B
2* - it was ok to read, but it's more a one-time-reader (I wouldn't recommend it heartily, but it was ok)
It's like a C-, D
1* - sorry, but that isn't really a book for me (too many mistakes, not nice plot, illogical, so an absolute NO-GO). It's like failure in the
whole line, dismissed, repeat the class
November 15, 2017
Sorry but no, didn't work for me.
February 22, 2018
This was a cute, almost innocent story. I liked the shifter concept and I really liked that there was a "mate calling" to this world (at least so far).
April 17, 2019
Where is the rest of the book? Nothing whatsoever was resolved!
May 31, 2019
1.5 stars. Didn't hate it but it is lacking a lot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews