Darrell is a weapons geek. Guns, knives, nunchakus, throwing stars, he’s deadly with all of them. While all seems set for him to pass his upcoming boot camp armory exam, life quickly becomes complicated when curvy, outspoken Julia invades his personal space. If she doesn’t pass the weapons test, she’ll be sent home and forced into an arranged mating. That will happen over his dead body. He has three days to teach her, but she can’t hit the side of a barn in broad daylight with a laser guided missile. To make matters worse, her intended mate makes an unannounced visit. He’s rich and suave. Everything Darrell isn’t. Pity Darrell is determined to get in the way of his plans.
Annie Nicholas hibernates in the rural, green mountains of Vermont where she dreams of different worlds, heroes, and heroines. When spring arrives the stories pour from her, in hopes to share them with the masses one day.
Mother, daughter, wife are some of the hats she happily wears while trudging after her cubs through the hills and dales. The four seasons an inspiration and muse.
Purch Amazon Jan. 24, 2017 A Taste of Shifter Geekdom by Annie Nicholas An Adult Paranormal Romance Liked it. But there were some areas that tended to lag. A fun and entertaining read. There is suspense and romance and some tense moments. The characters are a lot of fun. Very interesting.
After reading the blurb, I was excited to read this book. I don't care for short stories because there is almost never enough development in character or plot to make it worth the time spent. Per Amazon, the page count was just over 200 pages which is my limit. This book felt much shorter. There was no meat to the story and everything happened without any build up or tension. Without the proper development, I just didn't care. Additionally, there were grammar issues which were blatant enough to pull me out of what little story there was. I still gave this a 2.5 because there seems to be a large audience for short, shallow stories that can be read quickly.
I received an ARC of 'A Taste of Shifter Geekdom' from Annie Nicholas, in exchange for an honest review.
There was just something about the description for this book/series that drew me in, it could have been 1 of many things... Vampires, shifters, the millitary aspect?? maybe all of them. So I jumped at the chance to read this, even though I hadn't read the first book in the series, I hope to change that soon. 'A Taste of Shifter Geekdom' is book 2 in Annie's "Vanguard Elite" series, although you can read this book as a stand-alone, I highly suggest you read this series in order.
Darrell is a weapons geek who comes a very poor pack, he's using his time at the bootcamp to broaden his chances of changing his & his packs lives for the better. Julia ran to the bootcamp, escaping her pack, father & alpha. Excelling in everything at the bootcamp except target practice Julia finds herself asking Darrell for help...
LOVED this so bad, life at the bootcamp for misfits isn't easy as you quickly learn, but somehow the shifters within find themselves in the type of family, pack they don't have in their own. I enjoyed the action, tension, kinship, steamy scenes... everything just came together, especially when Pallus was on the scene. I can't wait to read the next books in the series.
I've never read of a vampire training camp for shifters, this was just epic. I think the Sheriff has the host for Pallas and he would love a taste of her.
Darrell, a wolf shifter from a poor pack has joined the Vanguard Elite Bootcamp to learn skills to help him protect his pack. He is part of a small pack of misfit wolves taking the course in learning fighting skills made up of misfits from packs all over the country. They face hard physical training and weapons training, plus learning to work together to depend on each other for the good of the pack. This is a tough bootcamp run by a vampire, Pallus. They also need to pass weapons tests and physical endurance tests to stay in the camp.
The last thing he expected was to meet his fated mate, Julia from a large and rich pack; Julia has a problem hitting targets with guns and the upcoming rifle range test will be a challenge for her. She helped him and he had helped her in the 'Fit to Win' endurance test in A Taste of Shifter Geekdom in the strange training school in the New York mountains.
Another great series that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat, but brings the heat as well as the suspense to new levels. Ms. Nicholas has done an awesome job with the series so far. I am looking forward to reading the next one, as we learn what will happen to the "pack of misfits" as Pallas continues to take the participants of the training to new and exciting levels. Even though "frolicking" is forbidden, will it be enough to keep the fated pair of Darrell and Julia from each other? Or will Fate have a stronger arm than Pallas where love is involved. I am looking forward to finding out who we will meet next. Yet another great read!
A Taste Of Shifter Geekdom is my first book by Annie Nicholas. This is a fairly quick read, a great choice for paranormal fans with limited reading time. Ms. Nicholas has delivered a book that is entertaining and includes a great cast of characters. Julia ran away from her pack to go to a shifter boot camp to learn how to defend herself. Darrell is a boot camp to become a warrior so he can defend his pack. Julia and Darrell's story is full of action, drama and sizzle. A Taste Of Shifter Geekdom is book 2 of the Vanguard Elite Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
The misfit wolves at the Boot camp are pairing off
And unfortunately, that's about all that is happening with this series so far. These are short reads, which hurts the character development as well as the romance. Adult reads due to language and sexual scenes.
I do like the characters, but I keep waiting for the overall plotline (such as it is thus far) to actually get somewhere. There is frequently awkward sentence structure and dialogue, which tends to jar me out of the story. I thought that it was basically an OK read, and I may consider continuing the series just to see if it goes anywhere.
BETTER TO BE A WARRIOR ELITE BECAUSE WHO THEN REALLY CONTROLS TRUE WARRIORS!
4 STARS to Annie Nicholas for Book 2 of the well written series of a Vampire from an Ancient Clan of Vampires who is in charge of a Bootcamp for Werewolves! A very exciting series that is a pleasure to read and the ones that are the main ones in Book 2 were mentioned in Book 1. If you love reading about the paranormal, vampires and werewolves ( and to be clear I don't mean Interview With A Vampire, seriousness) then you can't go wrong with this book or book 1. WARNING: 18&Up SEXUAL CONTENT Yes
We continue our story with this ragtag group of shifters. Clare and Ian are in charge of the pack but training is strict and in the hands of the Master Vampire.
Shifters begin to leave camp as they fail the training tasks.
Darrell is concerned with helping Julia pass the marksmanship test.
This is another fun and sassy instalment of the vanguard elite. A lighthearted but still very good paranormal romance.
Really good story. It was quick and I felt for the characters, even the secondary ones. I can't wait to read the next book.
That said, this book could use a good editing. There's copious amounts of mistakes like with the first book in the series. It's laughable how stupid it is and someone should have caught them. Take pride in your work. If it's your "baby", then treat it as such. That's the only reason I didn't rate a 5... because really, I loved this book.
I thought it ws a fun read and had a lot of interesting characters that blended very well together. Pallas on the other hand is a totally different kettle of something. And I have a feeling he has a whole lot of secrets that we might find out in later books. I loved this book and that Julie finally got her shot right. The author certainly makes this book well worth reading the plot was unique and novel with just the right tough of humor and steam.
I've enjoyed a number of Annie Nicholas' books. Normally I give her *****. I like the characters and the plots in this book, but I got disgusted having leap over pages to get past the explicit sex scenes. Don't authors realize that it can be MUCH more tantalizing WITHOUT the details.
Other the sex scenes I did enjoy the book, but because of them no book in this series is going to get than a *** from me.
Not as good as book one, I think I would have liked it better if the author had stuck with the Alphas and the reason they are in the boot camp .. The reason got lost in this book. I also felt like there was no growing the pack bonds. everyone felt separated this time around. I still enjoy the series I love the concept of the misfits becoming a pack and learning how to defend themselves.
But these two underdogs really grab your heart. Julia and Darrell's story is hopeful and thought provoking as they try to better their lives and learn that a pack is so much better together than as individuals. This short tale is a sweet summer read.
This is the second book in the series that I have read. The characters are a little young in age for me, but they are older in spirit which makes it not so “young”. This book has a strong hero and a heroine with lots of character learning how tough she actually is.
Can gun werewolf expert teach his mate to shoot straight?
Werewolf Darrell is an expert marksman when it comes to guns. Julia is a pack princess that can do anything with a gun except hit the target. Can Darrell teach her to hit the target and choose him as her mate?
Book II deals with believing in yourself and not over think a situation.
He's a gun expert from a small poor pack, she's hiding from a rich, super controlling pack.
She came to the school wanting her freedom, he came to learn how to protect his pack better. She can't hit the broad side of a barn, he's a sharpshooter, but together they are both greater than alone.
This novella was an enjoyable and quick read. The characters are an interesting mix of misfits attempting to finish the elite training program from hell. Intrigue and romance ensues to a satisfying conclusion. This is the first novel I've read by this author and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Annie Nicholas as have not disappointed me with this series
I have a feeling that Darrell may become Ian Beta. Julie has a secret that she finest want anyone to know. The closer she gets to Darrell the more she wants to tell him. But she may wait to long. Read the book
This was another excellent book in the series, I love the fully developed characters and the strong females fighting for what they want. You get some action, romance and a bit of sexy time. An excellent short read !
Fated Mates? Or Mating for status? A great addition to the series. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next and whether or not the sheriff softens to Pallas.
I’m apparently on an Annie Nicholas bender right now. Loving ever moment. Going to be a sad, sad day when I finish her books.
Only thing to add is that this book ended too soon. I would have really liked to see how Darrell and Julia blend their very different upbringings together.
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!