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Dark Wolf #1
First Bite
A reluctant hero.
An unwilling heroine.
And a new pack of Changelings in a darker paranormal tale that brushes the edges of horror...
Geneva “Neva” Ross doesn’t want to die. But now that she’s been turned into a werewolf against her will, she’ll do anything to protect her family and friends even if that means taking her own life.
Too bad Travis Williamson saw her jump. A lone Changeling with a dark past, he feels compelled to use his powers to save her. The last thing he expects is to feel a connection to the strong-willed woman. And when Neva is hospitalized, Travis risks everything to kidnap her, knowing the approaching full moon will put everyone in jeopardy.
Bickering constantly to hide their growing attraction, Travis and Neva run from the authorities and from Neva’s sinister sire, Meredith de la Ronde. Meredith is determined that Neva will join her murderous wolf pack. Or die.
An unwilling heroine.
And a new pack of Changelings in a darker paranormal tale that brushes the edges of horror...
Geneva “Neva” Ross doesn’t want to die. But now that she’s been turned into a werewolf against her will, she’ll do anything to protect her family and friends even if that means taking her own life.
Too bad Travis Williamson saw her jump. A lone Changeling with a dark past, he feels compelled to use his powers to save her. The last thing he expects is to feel a connection to the strong-willed woman. And when Neva is hospitalized, Travis risks everything to kidnap her, knowing the approaching full moon will put everyone in jeopardy.
Bickering constantly to hide their growing attraction, Travis and Neva run from the authorities and from Neva’s sinister sire, Meredith de la Ronde. Meredith is determined that Neva will join her murderous wolf pack. Or die.
Audio CD
First published October 15, 2013
About the author
Dani Harper
17 books791 followersLEGEND. LORE. LOVE. MAGIC.
These are the hallmarks of Dani Harper’s award-winning tales of faeries, shapeshifters, ghosts, and more, for a mature audience.
A former newspaper editor, Dani’s passion for all things supernatural led her to a second career writing fiction. There isn't anything she likes better than exploring myths and legends from many cultures, which serve to inspire her sizzling and suspenseful stories.
A longtime resident of the Canadian north and southeastern Alaska, she now lives in rural Washington with her retired mountain-man husband. Together they do battle with runaway garden gnomes, rampant fruit trees, and a roving herd of predatory chickens.
Dani Harper is the author of Storm Crossed, Storm Warned, Storm Bound, Storm Warrior (the Grim Series), as well as First Bite (Dark Wolf), for Montlake Romance. She is also the author of a Yuletide ghost story, The Holiday Spirit (Haunted Holiday Series), plus a popular shapeshifter series, which includes Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream, and Changeling Dawn.
For more, visit her website at http://www.daniharper.com.
See all Dani Harper's books on Amazon at http://amazon.com/author/daniharper
These are the hallmarks of Dani Harper’s award-winning tales of faeries, shapeshifters, ghosts, and more, for a mature audience.
A former newspaper editor, Dani’s passion for all things supernatural led her to a second career writing fiction. There isn't anything she likes better than exploring myths and legends from many cultures, which serve to inspire her sizzling and suspenseful stories.
A longtime resident of the Canadian north and southeastern Alaska, she now lives in rural Washington with her retired mountain-man husband. Together they do battle with runaway garden gnomes, rampant fruit trees, and a roving herd of predatory chickens.
Dani Harper is the author of Storm Crossed, Storm Warned, Storm Bound, Storm Warrior (the Grim Series), as well as First Bite (Dark Wolf), for Montlake Romance. She is also the author of a Yuletide ghost story, The Holiday Spirit (Haunted Holiday Series), plus a popular shapeshifter series, which includes Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream, and Changeling Dawn.
For more, visit her website at http://www.daniharper.com.
See all Dani Harper's books on Amazon at http://amazon.com/author/daniharper
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
January 16, 2014
Rating: 3 out of 5.
This story starts off in an intriguing place. Neva Ross jumps of a cliff in an attempt to kill herself. However, being a newly turned Changeling, Neva does not realise that the jump will not kill her. Deep in the woods, Travis Williamson sees this jump and upon closer inspection, realises what she is. Soon this two is involved in a run, escaping from the authorities and villainous characters.
This book was a good solid read, but the plot, the writing and the characters were not, in my opinion, anything spectacular.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to paranormal romance readers.
ARC Courtesy of NetGalley and Montlake Romance, Amazon Publishing
This story starts off in an intriguing place. Neva Ross jumps of a cliff in an attempt to kill herself. However, being a newly turned Changeling, Neva does not realise that the jump will not kill her. Deep in the woods, Travis Williamson sees this jump and upon closer inspection, realises what she is. Soon this two is involved in a run, escaping from the authorities and villainous characters.
This book was a good solid read, but the plot, the writing and the characters were not, in my opinion, anything spectacular.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to paranormal romance readers.
ARC Courtesy of NetGalley and Montlake Romance, Amazon Publishing
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March 17, 2013I feel this is my best story yet! I can't wait to introduce this hero and heroine to my readers on October 15th! Keep an eye on my website at www.daniharper.com for events, giveaways, blog tours, etc.
October 26, 2013
Neva is a werewolf who had the werewolf virus forced on her. Hunted by the pack she finds herself standing on the edge of a cliff intending to end her life before she is forced to kill.
When Travis sees Neva jumping off the cliff he steps in and saves her life. But with the pack closing in they need to put some space between them and the female alpha who wants Neva for a fate much worse than death.
I really like the idea of this book. The synopsis hooked me. The first few chapters were kind of cool. Not sure what happened but the book ultimately didn't meet up with its promise. It was entertaining, but failed to capture my imagination.
When Travis sees Neva jumping off the cliff he steps in and saves her life. But with the pack closing in they need to put some space between them and the female alpha who wants Neva for a fate much worse than death.
I really like the idea of this book. The synopsis hooked me. The first few chapters were kind of cool. Not sure what happened but the book ultimately didn't meet up with its promise. It was entertaining, but failed to capture my imagination.
September 17, 2013
7 January 2016: $1.99 on Kindle
This is my first experience with Dani Harper's work, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Typically books that are marketed as 'humorous' don't work for me, but I keep trying them hoping that one of them is going to hit the nail on the head. Lucky for me, the humour in First Bite was perfectly balanced and despite a few rough patches, and first-book-syndrome issues, I had a great time reading this book!
RNeva, our heroine, is a strong-willed character, she's compassionate and has a strong sense of right and wrong - sometimes to the point of being stubborn. I immensely liked her, simply put. She didn't have any qualms about doing what needed to be done, and went about them smartly, with planning. Also, she didn't just lose all will when Travis showed up; didn't suddenly become helpless and rely on him for everything. I loved that.
Travis, despite his small bit of tortured-backstory, is probably one of the more well-rounded male leads in paranormal these days. That backstory does come back to beat him over the heart more than a few times in the book, but it's not a constant barrage of abuse he heaps on himself. Perhaps he's trying to atone for that history, but he's incredibly kind and simply dogged (pun not intended). Often, when Neva didn't want to trust him, he'd simply follow her until she was too exhausted to do anything but let him help. I liked how he was low-key about solving things, rarely pushy or demanding, but smart and patient.
There's a lot going on in this world. Though Changelings seem to be the only supernatural creature, magic does exist and it plays a large role. It seems nearly anything can be done with magic, and our villain does each one of those things. Meredith is a bit over-the-top, to the point of madly cackling with glee over our heroes misfortune and mistakes. I do think she's meant to be portrayed this way so it didn't bother me too much, but she could have as easily fallen into caricature.
I have to talk about the humour. I said earlier that it doesn't normally work for me in novels - it feels too forced or something. I hate the humor in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I was bored and rolling my eyes at the humor in Molly Harper's books about being naked with werewolves. Here, however, was refreshingly different. It felt more subtle, more natural to the characters, less imposed on them. There wasn't a laugh every page, but I found myself grinning, chuckling and even re-reading certain things that made me laugh. It was what kept me reading during the slower beginning.
The pacing issues are my main issue I had while going through this book. It seemed like there were too many wayward plot threads, too much going on. There were some threads that didn't really seem to come together until about two-thirds of the way into the book - and then I was invested in all of them and could not put it down! But until then, I was a little bored with some of the side threads and a lot of the story seemed to have pacing issues. Of course this could be simply because I wanted more Neva and Travis, whom I really enjoyed.
I believe that the next book, Ties That Bind (due July 2014), is going to continue telling Neva and Travis' story so I think the multiple storylines now makes more sense. And with some of the decisions made at the end, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in the series.
Buddy read with Sarah
This is my first experience with Dani Harper's work, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Typically books that are marketed as 'humorous' don't work for me, but I keep trying them hoping that one of them is going to hit the nail on the head. Lucky for me, the humour in First Bite was perfectly balanced and despite a few rough patches, and first-book-syndrome issues, I had a great time reading this book!
RNeva, our heroine, is a strong-willed character, she's compassionate and has a strong sense of right and wrong - sometimes to the point of being stubborn. I immensely liked her, simply put. She didn't have any qualms about doing what needed to be done, and went about them smartly, with planning. Also, she didn't just lose all will when Travis showed up; didn't suddenly become helpless and rely on him for everything. I loved that.
Travis, despite his small bit of tortured-backstory, is probably one of the more well-rounded male leads in paranormal these days. That backstory does come back to beat him over the heart more than a few times in the book, but it's not a constant barrage of abuse he heaps on himself. Perhaps he's trying to atone for that history, but he's incredibly kind and simply dogged (pun not intended). Often, when Neva didn't want to trust him, he'd simply follow her until she was too exhausted to do anything but let him help. I liked how he was low-key about solving things, rarely pushy or demanding, but smart and patient.
There's a lot going on in this world. Though Changelings seem to be the only supernatural creature, magic does exist and it plays a large role. It seems nearly anything can be done with magic, and our villain does each one of those things. Meredith is a bit over-the-top, to the point of madly cackling with glee over our heroes misfortune and mistakes. I do think she's meant to be portrayed this way so it didn't bother me too much, but she could have as easily fallen into caricature.
I have to talk about the humour. I said earlier that it doesn't normally work for me in novels - it feels too forced or something. I hate the humor in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I was bored and rolling my eyes at the humor in Molly Harper's books about being naked with werewolves. Here, however, was refreshingly different. It felt more subtle, more natural to the characters, less imposed on them. There wasn't a laugh every page, but I found myself grinning, chuckling and even re-reading certain things that made me laugh. It was what kept me reading during the slower beginning.
The pacing issues are my main issue I had while going through this book. It seemed like there were too many wayward plot threads, too much going on. There were some threads that didn't really seem to come together until about two-thirds of the way into the book - and then I was invested in all of them and could not put it down! But until then, I was a little bored with some of the side threads and a lot of the story seemed to have pacing issues. Of course this could be simply because I wanted more Neva and Travis, whom I really enjoyed.
I believe that the next book, Ties That Bind (due July 2014), is going to continue telling Neva and Travis' story so I think the multiple storylines now makes more sense. And with some of the decisions made at the end, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in the series.
Buddy read with Sarah
September 27, 2013
Dani Harper's New Book FIRST BITE Leaves Room for Growth
Advanced Review Copy provided by author for review. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions stated herein are my own except as otherwise noted.
Original Review: http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspo...
I always enjoy Dani’s books and First Bite was no exception, but it is not my favorite of Dani's books. The story is filled with twists and turns -- unexpected happenings. This Werecreature world is similar to that of Dani's Changeling series and the werewolf-types in FIRST BITE also call themselves Changelings.
Dani introduces magic and power to the world of this new series. Anger, envy, and a downright evil personality make up themes carried by the magic and power. Family, friendly and not so friendly, is the backdrop against which the drama plays out.
An additional theme of love conquering evil is explored with the "mates for life" concept often seen in the Changeling Wolf/Werewolf construct.
While I enjoyed Dani's book, I thought some parts of the novel could have been tighter; more developed. There was a bit of repetition about how magic is acquired. And, some of the devices used were a bit simple. Others, like a bond between mates and familial attachment; particularly that of siblings; are more complex with contrasts shown between the bonds of different siblings.
Loyalty between friends is also an issue. I think Dani is exploring the difference between chosen bonds and family bonds. Family doesn't always get along or agree about life choices, but if they needed a kidney... All of these concepts leave room for additional books in the series.
The main characters are, as the description says, attracted to each other, but I didn't feel it. That was one of the devices that felt too simple to me. Of course, the attraction has less to do with the human side of the characters and more to do with their wolf-sides, but it just didn't feel organic. Several of the support characters, a doctor who works for the baddie, and two friends loyal to each other, did not work for me either, although they were intriguing and are open for development. Villains are often shallow. Meredith was definitely based in evil and greed, two characteristics that stunt emotional growth. She reminded me of Ming the Merciless or maybe Cruella Deville; I could see Meredith wearing a cloak made of puppy skins.
I do not feel the story was as strong as Dani's recently released STORM WARRIOR which I really loved. This is a tough review because I really like Dani and feel she has a lot of talent. Sometimes things click for a reader, sometimes not so much. I will give the series a chance though. Dani's Changeling series got stronger from one book to the next so perhaps this series will too.
Advanced Review Copy provided by author for review. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions stated herein are my own except as otherwise noted.
Original Review: http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspo...
I always enjoy Dani’s books and First Bite was no exception, but it is not my favorite of Dani's books. The story is filled with twists and turns -- unexpected happenings. This Werecreature world is similar to that of Dani's Changeling series and the werewolf-types in FIRST BITE also call themselves Changelings.
Dani introduces magic and power to the world of this new series. Anger, envy, and a downright evil personality make up themes carried by the magic and power. Family, friendly and not so friendly, is the backdrop against which the drama plays out.
An additional theme of love conquering evil is explored with the "mates for life" concept often seen in the Changeling Wolf/Werewolf construct.
While I enjoyed Dani's book, I thought some parts of the novel could have been tighter; more developed. There was a bit of repetition about how magic is acquired. And, some of the devices used were a bit simple. Others, like a bond between mates and familial attachment; particularly that of siblings; are more complex with contrasts shown between the bonds of different siblings.
Loyalty between friends is also an issue. I think Dani is exploring the difference between chosen bonds and family bonds. Family doesn't always get along or agree about life choices, but if they needed a kidney... All of these concepts leave room for additional books in the series.
The main characters are, as the description says, attracted to each other, but I didn't feel it. That was one of the devices that felt too simple to me. Of course, the attraction has less to do with the human side of the characters and more to do with their wolf-sides, but it just didn't feel organic. Several of the support characters, a doctor who works for the baddie, and two friends loyal to each other, did not work for me either, although they were intriguing and are open for development. Villains are often shallow. Meredith was definitely based in evil and greed, two characteristics that stunt emotional growth. She reminded me of Ming the Merciless or maybe Cruella Deville; I could see Meredith wearing a cloak made of puppy skins.
I do not feel the story was as strong as Dani's recently released STORM WARRIOR which I really loved. This is a tough review because I really like Dani and feel she has a lot of talent. Sometimes things click for a reader, sometimes not so much. I will give the series a chance though. Dani's Changeling series got stronger from one book to the next so perhaps this series will too.
October 13, 2013
I always love werewolves… But I love them way more when they are written in a story this awesome!! It’s very quickly become on of my favorites and I can already tell you this series will be added to my must buy group! It’s just way too good not to. There’s definitely paranormal romance, but it’s also full of mystery, even with some mysteries left a little open for the next book, without a cliffhanger. It’s the perfect fight of good versus evil and you won’t believe when those plot twists happen, it’s so quick and wickedly smart your jaw will get stuck open!
Geneva aka Neva, starts on the literal first sentence as trying to kill herself to keep everyone around her safe. She knows after being forced to become a werewolf, and by the person who bites her, it’s all so shocking. Neva is very stubborn, she is downright crazy, and yet I love her. She’s loyal, even when it’s not called for, she’s sweet to those who don’t give her any reason to be, she’s strong when every single person tries to break her down. I almost didn’t like her… Lol when it started that she was gunna kill herself, I thought she had a good reason but I thought she’d be whiny- UM NO! She’s freaking crazy, and though she started out suicidal, she definitely fights tooth, nail, claw, hair, and paw to survive. She fights to make the good outweigh the bad that had become a way of life for some. I’m so very happy with her and her ending!
Travis is your ultimate broken beautiful bad boy! You know, if I were him, after like the tenth time Neva was ugly, or the second or third time she tried to run away, I would have let her LOL!! When Neva finally listens to him, Travis starts to open up, and though he has flaws, he’s an excellent match for Neva. They balance out each other. He frowns and broods, she pouts and challenges him in every way. Their conversations made me giggle.
I am hoping to learn more. More about the villain, more about her “army” more about Riley and Baker, more about them all! I can’t wait for more of this story. I loved the writing. I loved the story. This is the perfect paranormal romance especially with enough action that I was glued to it! I can’t wait for book two!! I also now need to read more by this author! :) 5 BLOSSOMING BEAUTIFUL WOLFY PAWS!!
Geneva aka Neva, starts on the literal first sentence as trying to kill herself to keep everyone around her safe. She knows after being forced to become a werewolf, and by the person who bites her, it’s all so shocking. Neva is very stubborn, she is downright crazy, and yet I love her. She’s loyal, even when it’s not called for, she’s sweet to those who don’t give her any reason to be, she’s strong when every single person tries to break her down. I almost didn’t like her… Lol when it started that she was gunna kill herself, I thought she had a good reason but I thought she’d be whiny- UM NO! She’s freaking crazy, and though she started out suicidal, she definitely fights tooth, nail, claw, hair, and paw to survive. She fights to make the good outweigh the bad that had become a way of life for some. I’m so very happy with her and her ending!
Travis is your ultimate broken beautiful bad boy! You know, if I were him, after like the tenth time Neva was ugly, or the second or third time she tried to run away, I would have let her LOL!! When Neva finally listens to him, Travis starts to open up, and though he has flaws, he’s an excellent match for Neva. They balance out each other. He frowns and broods, she pouts and challenges him in every way. Their conversations made me giggle.
I am hoping to learn more. More about the villain, more about her “army” more about Riley and Baker, more about them all! I can’t wait for more of this story. I loved the writing. I loved the story. This is the perfect paranormal romance especially with enough action that I was glued to it! I can’t wait for book two!! I also now need to read more by this author! :) 5 BLOSSOMING BEAUTIFUL WOLFY PAWS!!
July 2, 2013
Dani has an awesome start to a new romance series and I believe this is her best book yet. I loved all of the characters, heck even the villain is awesome at being a true villain. This is a true example of keeping the right balance of romance, story and sex. Dani didn’t go overboard on either one.
Neva is having nothing to do with being a werewolf so she sets out to do something about it by killing herself. Neva has a very good reason to do this and to be whining about the whole ordeal, heck even I would have been crying the blues if I was her shoes. It's not everyday someone close to you want's you dead or controlling you and when I mean controlling I mean you would have to kill others under their command. Look at it this way, someone has just change your life forever and changed it into something that is a killing machine, wouldn't you cry about it for a bit before you suddenly take control because you see it's the only hope you have? I know I would, but I guess not everyone is like me. They think life is grand and they embrace everything bad that comes there way, with no whining. Whatever. As a paranormal romance reviewer I myself love the emotional roller-coaster the author took us on with Nava. I loved reading her denial and her embarrassing her fate, so she could go save her hero.
Neva takes her time to warm up to the Changeling ways but she has some excellent help with hot Travis by her side,that is when she’s not ditching him.LOL. Once she finds out what she really wants in life she'll stop at nothing to get Travis back, even if it means coming face to face with the danger she so much wanted to kill herself to keep away form. Travis isn’t a week hero he will risk his life to keep Neva safe from the evil that is after her, but he also knows when to back off and let someone else take lead. Together they both find love and danger in every corner.
There are a few secondary characters introduced and I hope to read about them in the future. If you love paranormal romance this is one book not to be missed.
Neva is having nothing to do with being a werewolf so she sets out to do something about it by killing herself. Neva has a very good reason to do this and to be whining about the whole ordeal, heck even I would have been crying the blues if I was her shoes. It's not everyday someone close to you want's you dead or controlling you and when I mean controlling I mean you would have to kill others under their command. Look at it this way, someone has just change your life forever and changed it into something that is a killing machine, wouldn't you cry about it for a bit before you suddenly take control because you see it's the only hope you have? I know I would, but I guess not everyone is like me. They think life is grand and they embrace everything bad that comes there way, with no whining. Whatever. As a paranormal romance reviewer I myself love the emotional roller-coaster the author took us on with Nava. I loved reading her denial and her embarrassing her fate, so she could go save her hero.
Neva takes her time to warm up to the Changeling ways but she has some excellent help with hot Travis by her side,that is when she’s not ditching him.LOL. Once she finds out what she really wants in life she'll stop at nothing to get Travis back, even if it means coming face to face with the danger she so much wanted to kill herself to keep away form. Travis isn’t a week hero he will risk his life to keep Neva safe from the evil that is after her, but he also knows when to back off and let someone else take lead. Together they both find love and danger in every corner.
There are a few secondary characters introduced and I hope to read about them in the future. If you love paranormal romance this is one book not to be missed.
September 20, 2013
*Genre* Paranormal Romance Adult
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Geneva "Neva" Ross truly believes that she will turn into a monster and end up harming those that she loves as well as other innocent humans just like her sadistic maker Meredith de la Ronde and the rest of her forcibly changed pack that continually breaks Changeling rules without a care. She believes that the only way to prevent that from happening and from becoming a monster, is to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.
Travis Williamson is a loner Changeling who just happens to be in the neighborhood when Neva takes her leap of fate and someone manages to save her and teach her that she can overcome challenges and not be like her demented sire. Travis also has a stormy path that has lead him to be an loner for many years and is absolutely stunned to learn that his wolf may have a connection to this lost soul.
Meredith de la Ronde is probably one of the more power hungry female antagonists that has come around recently. She really doesn't have a care in the world who she uses, abuses, kills, and turns into a changeling without thinking about the consequences of her actions. The worse part of her entire being is that she's also Neva's sister who forcibly changes her against her will and believes that Neva is key to her overall advances with dark magic.
First Bite is the first novel in a new series (Dark Wolf) by Dani Harper who is a new author to me and I was happy to request and be approved for this title via NetGalley. It is an interesting story that combines black magic and what it means to be a Changeling and not a werewolf which we've all pretty much come to consider when thinking about someone changed from human to a wolf.
After an interesting beginning and a rough middle, I've actually come to like both characters and wouldn't necessarily change anything although I would perhaps like to understand more about Meredith and her reasons behind forcibly changing people into changelings. Neva quickly learns the ropes of what it means to be a changeling thanks to Travis who ends up being more than a little protective in keeping her alive and away from doing anything drastic. Travis is also a character that you will love for the way he actually seems to care for Neva in a way he hasn't cared for anyone in a very long time.
There are other characters like Baker, Riley, Nathan, Sonje, and Dr. Zarita who play different roles throughout the story and it will be interesting whether or not, in the end, they really matter, or if this will continue to center around Neva and Travis's new found romance, and hot sex, and whether or not they have the ability to stop Meredith in her tracks. We shall see.
09/20/2013 Recvd via NetGalley - Expected publication: October 15th 2013 by Montlake Romance
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Geneva "Neva" Ross truly believes that she will turn into a monster and end up harming those that she loves as well as other innocent humans just like her sadistic maker Meredith de la Ronde and the rest of her forcibly changed pack that continually breaks Changeling rules without a care. She believes that the only way to prevent that from happening and from becoming a monster, is to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.
Travis Williamson is a loner Changeling who just happens to be in the neighborhood when Neva takes her leap of fate and someone manages to save her and teach her that she can overcome challenges and not be like her demented sire. Travis also has a stormy path that has lead him to be an loner for many years and is absolutely stunned to learn that his wolf may have a connection to this lost soul.
Meredith de la Ronde is probably one of the more power hungry female antagonists that has come around recently. She really doesn't have a care in the world who she uses, abuses, kills, and turns into a changeling without thinking about the consequences of her actions. The worse part of her entire being is that she's also Neva's sister who forcibly changes her against her will and believes that Neva is key to her overall advances with dark magic.
First Bite is the first novel in a new series (Dark Wolf) by Dani Harper who is a new author to me and I was happy to request and be approved for this title via NetGalley. It is an interesting story that combines black magic and what it means to be a Changeling and not a werewolf which we've all pretty much come to consider when thinking about someone changed from human to a wolf.
After an interesting beginning and a rough middle, I've actually come to like both characters and wouldn't necessarily change anything although I would perhaps like to understand more about Meredith and her reasons behind forcibly changing people into changelings. Neva quickly learns the ropes of what it means to be a changeling thanks to Travis who ends up being more than a little protective in keeping her alive and away from doing anything drastic. Travis is also a character that you will love for the way he actually seems to care for Neva in a way he hasn't cared for anyone in a very long time.
There are other characters like Baker, Riley, Nathan, Sonje, and Dr. Zarita who play different roles throughout the story and it will be interesting whether or not, in the end, they really matter, or if this will continue to center around Neva and Travis's new found romance, and hot sex, and whether or not they have the ability to stop Meredith in her tracks. We shall see.
09/20/2013 Recvd via NetGalley - Expected publication: October 15th 2013 by Montlake Romance
October 22, 2013
First Bite is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance told through four distinct points of view. The first two POVs belong to the main characters: Neva, a stubborn woman willing to do whatever it takes to get away from her evil sire, Meredith, even going so far as to destroy herself, and Travis, a lone wolf who happens to stumble upon Neva at just the right time and becomes determined to help her for reasons he doesn't want to look too closely at. The other two POVs belong to the big bad herself, Meredith, and Baker, another of her innocent victims.
In the First Bite universe, werewolves (called Changelings here) can come into existence two ways: Born into a pack (like Travis) or made through a bite (Meredith, Neva, and Baker). Changeling must never kill a human and never turn someone unwilling – Meredith does both because she’s (according to the snappy Baker) the bitch queen.
Meredith is absolutely a love-to-hate type of villain. She’s so over-the-top evil it's almost funny, but she carries it off with style. From the tips of her stilettos to the ends of her manicured nails (she ends up killing her manicurist, by the way) she is Grade A, unrepentant, no redeeming qualities EVIL. She kills without prejudice or reason, she uses the blood and ashes of her victims to perform dark magic spells, and she’s an absolute control freak (literally - she uses mind control on all the werewolves she sires to make them do exactly what she wants).
I really enjoyed this book. The author put her own unique spin on werewolves, made some really interesting characters (*cough*Meredith*cough*), and sprinkled in just enough spicy love scenes. I found the multiple points of view helped to create a more complete picture of what was happening. The story ends on a cliffhanger and I will absolutely be on the lookout for the next book in the series to see what happens to Meredith.
And Neva, Travis, and the other characters too of course.
*I received a free ARC of this book for review
In the First Bite universe, werewolves (called Changelings here) can come into existence two ways: Born into a pack (like Travis) or made through a bite (Meredith, Neva, and Baker). Changeling must never kill a human and never turn someone unwilling – Meredith does both because she’s (according to the snappy Baker) the bitch queen.
Meredith is absolutely a love-to-hate type of villain. She’s so over-the-top evil it's almost funny, but she carries it off with style. From the tips of her stilettos to the ends of her manicured nails (she ends up killing her manicurist, by the way) she is Grade A, unrepentant, no redeeming qualities EVIL. She kills without prejudice or reason, she uses the blood and ashes of her victims to perform dark magic spells, and she’s an absolute control freak (literally - she uses mind control on all the werewolves she sires to make them do exactly what she wants).
I really enjoyed this book. The author put her own unique spin on werewolves, made some really interesting characters (*cough*Meredith*cough*), and sprinkled in just enough spicy love scenes. I found the multiple points of view helped to create a more complete picture of what was happening. The story ends on a cliffhanger and I will absolutely be on the lookout for the next book in the series to see what happens to Meredith.
And Neva, Travis, and the other characters too of course.
*I received a free ARC of this book for review
October 14, 2013
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Neva has been turned into a werewolf against her will. And now Neva is afraid that when she turns into a werewolf or a monster that she will go around hurting and killing the people she loves as well innocent ones that she does not know. Instead of going a killing spree Neva decides that the best thing for her to do is to kill herself. If she is dead then she can't hurt anyone. Neva doesn't want to be a monster and doesn't know that she can be a werewolf and not hurt anyone. The person that turned her into a werewolf is a very controlling person and will kill whenever it suits her to do so. Neva doesn't want to be like her and doesn't know that she doesn't have to be. She can be a werewolf and not hurt anybody.
Neva meets a lone werewolf who prefers to be called a Changeling. Travis has been a loner for a very long time. Something happened in his past that caused him to run away from his own pack. He prefers to be by himself but when he runs into Neva he can't let her die so he saves her life. Neva is very upset with him because he won't let her die. But she finally accepts her fate and learns that she doesn't have to be a monster. Travis tries to teach her all the things she needs to know to be a werewolf or Changeling as her prefers to be called that is.
First Bite has a lot of twist and turns that will keep you up way past your bedtime. It will take a hold of you from the very beginning and it will not dare let you go until you have read the last word. All of the characters are just wonderful. They pull you in and you feel as if you are right there with them. You get lost in their world and you don't even know that yours even exist anymore. Neva and Travis pull you into all of their arguing one minute and then the next they are staring in one another's eyes falling in love with each other. First Bite is a great start to a wonderful new series. I can't wait for the next book.
Neva has been turned into a werewolf against her will. And now Neva is afraid that when she turns into a werewolf or a monster that she will go around hurting and killing the people she loves as well innocent ones that she does not know. Instead of going a killing spree Neva decides that the best thing for her to do is to kill herself. If she is dead then she can't hurt anyone. Neva doesn't want to be a monster and doesn't know that she can be a werewolf and not hurt anyone. The person that turned her into a werewolf is a very controlling person and will kill whenever it suits her to do so. Neva doesn't want to be like her and doesn't know that she doesn't have to be. She can be a werewolf and not hurt anybody.
Neva meets a lone werewolf who prefers to be called a Changeling. Travis has been a loner for a very long time. Something happened in his past that caused him to run away from his own pack. He prefers to be by himself but when he runs into Neva he can't let her die so he saves her life. Neva is very upset with him because he won't let her die. But she finally accepts her fate and learns that she doesn't have to be a monster. Travis tries to teach her all the things she needs to know to be a werewolf or Changeling as her prefers to be called that is.
First Bite has a lot of twist and turns that will keep you up way past your bedtime. It will take a hold of you from the very beginning and it will not dare let you go until you have read the last word. All of the characters are just wonderful. They pull you in and you feel as if you are right there with them. You get lost in their world and you don't even know that yours even exist anymore. Neva and Travis pull you into all of their arguing one minute and then the next they are staring in one another's eyes falling in love with each other. First Bite is a great start to a wonderful new series. I can't wait for the next book.
October 3, 2013
This is an exciting new series. I really didn’t know what to expect from this new werewolf/wolf shifter book but what I got was a wonderfully rich world filled with magic and an epic battle of good and evil with a little romance mixed in for good measure. This feels like it has great possibilities and I look forward to the adventure.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.
September 2, 2024
This was surprisingly good! A little cheesy at times, but I still enjoyed it. Disappointed that the author didn't continue with the series.
October 1, 2013
4*s
review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
She had been bitten, she could feel the pull of the full moon and her first change that would come with it & determined not to become the monster that they made her into…. She steps off the ledge….
Only she doesn’t die because some other pesky wolf saves her, not just any wolf either…. He’s one of them! A monster, a werewolf and as soon as she’s able, she will run from him too.
Travis Williamson is a changeling, born into the life but events from his past mean that he now a lone wolf. He survives day to day, never settling… until one day, his wolf takes over and determinedly takes him to a mountain ledge where he sees her fall. Having glimpsed the changeling green sheen in her eyes, he knows she won’t die but she needs help and for some reason, he feels compelled to help her. But by befriending Geneva – Neva- Ross in her hour of need, Travis is pulled into a deadly game of cat & mouse and uncovers a power hungry sire who demands that you join her pack or die! Can Neva & Travis stay clear of Meridith’s clutches or will their fate be the same as so many before them? And with Neva’s view on werewolves, will she ever see Travis as anything other than a monster?
I thought First Bite was a great introduction to the Dark Wolf series by Dani Harper. I liked the whole premise and the ‘changelings’ had a more magical feel than the usual werewolves we read about. I immediately connected with Neva’s character because from the get go she is in emotional turmoil, trying to commit suicide and obviously there was good reason so the empathy came straight away, it’s not often you read of a supernatural doing that or feeling like there was no alternative to the lifestyle but saying that, when you find out why she thinks that way, it does come across as logical. Obviously she survives and that brings Travis into her life and he brings some sparks - literally& figuratively – as they clash in a battle of wills. Travis is there to help, he knows what she’s about to go through and feels like he needs to help guide her but Neva uses Travis as a scapegoat for her anger over being turned against her will & let’s not forget, she views all werewolves as monsters. She knows it’s unreasonable but she needs to vent somehow and Travis is an easy target but as she realises that he isn’t like the others, she starts to warm to him, he starts to appreciate her and we get a nice bit of sizzle added to the story which was great! And I loved that there wolves voiced their approvals too.
The story gave a slightly different take on werewolves, focusing on a magical change rather than a physical process. I liked the set-up of a power hungry wolf seeking to build an army of ‘weres’ to do her bidding, I’m not going to say a lot about her because it’s part of the story but if you were caught & turned by her, you’d be in a no win situation and the fact that Neva is the only one to ever escape her clutches will tell you just how devious she is. I also liked having a female villain in this, they are quite underused and I liked what she was about, what she did and how she achieved that – her story is begging to be told and I really appreciated the insight into her, through her POV. I always like a good run & chase scenario and it provided some good scenes throughout the book, you could really feel the urgency as Neva& Travis tried to evade capture & I have to say - the dump truck scene would be awesome in a movie! I loved the way the ‘weres ‘seemed more magical and how magic was brought into the plot, I feel we only get a sneaky peak at how it could be used especially through Meridith and look forward to seeing how that will evolve as the books go on & I like how the ‘baddie’ wasn’t the only one with secrets. Another thing I liked about this is that a few of the Changelings & there wolves seemed to be separate inside the same person, they cause some inner turmoil between both selves, sometimes trying to dominate each other, it gives another added ‘something different’ to the usual were story and I loved which way it came across in the relationship between Neva& Travis.
All in all though, this book was great, it was gritty & exciting & it was hot! A really good start to a new series brimming with potential & I can’t wait to see what happens next.
review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
She had been bitten, she could feel the pull of the full moon and her first change that would come with it & determined not to become the monster that they made her into…. She steps off the ledge….
Only she doesn’t die because some other pesky wolf saves her, not just any wolf either…. He’s one of them! A monster, a werewolf and as soon as she’s able, she will run from him too.
Travis Williamson is a changeling, born into the life but events from his past mean that he now a lone wolf. He survives day to day, never settling… until one day, his wolf takes over and determinedly takes him to a mountain ledge where he sees her fall. Having glimpsed the changeling green sheen in her eyes, he knows she won’t die but she needs help and for some reason, he feels compelled to help her. But by befriending Geneva – Neva- Ross in her hour of need, Travis is pulled into a deadly game of cat & mouse and uncovers a power hungry sire who demands that you join her pack or die! Can Neva & Travis stay clear of Meridith’s clutches or will their fate be the same as so many before them? And with Neva’s view on werewolves, will she ever see Travis as anything other than a monster?
I thought First Bite was a great introduction to the Dark Wolf series by Dani Harper. I liked the whole premise and the ‘changelings’ had a more magical feel than the usual werewolves we read about. I immediately connected with Neva’s character because from the get go she is in emotional turmoil, trying to commit suicide and obviously there was good reason so the empathy came straight away, it’s not often you read of a supernatural doing that or feeling like there was no alternative to the lifestyle but saying that, when you find out why she thinks that way, it does come across as logical. Obviously she survives and that brings Travis into her life and he brings some sparks - literally& figuratively – as they clash in a battle of wills. Travis is there to help, he knows what she’s about to go through and feels like he needs to help guide her but Neva uses Travis as a scapegoat for her anger over being turned against her will & let’s not forget, she views all werewolves as monsters. She knows it’s unreasonable but she needs to vent somehow and Travis is an easy target but as she realises that he isn’t like the others, she starts to warm to him, he starts to appreciate her and we get a nice bit of sizzle added to the story which was great! And I loved that there wolves voiced their approvals too.
The story gave a slightly different take on werewolves, focusing on a magical change rather than a physical process. I liked the set-up of a power hungry wolf seeking to build an army of ‘weres’ to do her bidding, I’m not going to say a lot about her because it’s part of the story but if you were caught & turned by her, you’d be in a no win situation and the fact that Neva is the only one to ever escape her clutches will tell you just how devious she is. I also liked having a female villain in this, they are quite underused and I liked what she was about, what she did and how she achieved that – her story is begging to be told and I really appreciated the insight into her, through her POV. I always like a good run & chase scenario and it provided some good scenes throughout the book, you could really feel the urgency as Neva& Travis tried to evade capture & I have to say - the dump truck scene would be awesome in a movie! I loved the way the ‘weres ‘seemed more magical and how magic was brought into the plot, I feel we only get a sneaky peak at how it could be used especially through Meridith and look forward to seeing how that will evolve as the books go on & I like how the ‘baddie’ wasn’t the only one with secrets. Another thing I liked about this is that a few of the Changelings & there wolves seemed to be separate inside the same person, they cause some inner turmoil between both selves, sometimes trying to dominate each other, it gives another added ‘something different’ to the usual were story and I loved which way it came across in the relationship between Neva& Travis.
All in all though, this book was great, it was gritty & exciting & it was hot! A really good start to a new series brimming with potential & I can’t wait to see what happens next.
August 22, 2013
Buddy Read with Ange
Neva was turned into a werewolf against her will and is terrified of turning into a viscous monster like her maker Meredith and the rest of her pack. She managed to escape and is determined to take her own life before the next full moon forces her to make her first change but she is saved by Travis, a natural born changeling. Travis wants to show her that not all changelings are evil and to help her embrace her new life but with Meredith hot on their trail they're going to have a fight on their hands just to survive.
First Bite is the first book I've read by Dani Harper but I loved the humour it contained and am definitely planning on checking out her Changeling series as soon as I get a chance. I think I picked up this book at the perfect time, I was looking for something fun that would be a quick and easy read and that is exactly what I got, the banter between Neva and Travis was fantastic and I really enjoyed spending time with them both. There was plenty of action and drama, particularly in the second half of the book, which made this a real page turner and it didn't take me long to devour the whole book.
I really liked Neva's character and I appreciated the fact that she had such horrified reaction to having been turned into a werewolf. All of her experiences of other werewolves have shown her how monstrous people become after the change and she wants no part of it. She clings to her hatred of her inner wolf to the point of being a little too stubborn about it but I could understand why she felt that way and her reaction was believable to me. With Travis's help she slowly realises that it doesn't have to be that way and starts to come to terms with her new abilities but it takes a long time for her to fully trust him which makes a nice change compared to a lot of paranormal romances.
Travis is a lone wolf who has spent years away from his pack but he is a caring guy who can't walk away from Neva when she needs his help. Changelings have a strong code of honour and Travis is horrified when he learns of the way Meredith has been breaking so many rules by turning people against their will and by killing humans to work her dark magic spells. He is protective of Neva and tries to show her the truth about changelings and how good her life can be if she accepts her inner wolf but he never pressurises her to do anything she doesn't want to. When Neva refuses to go with him he just quietly follows her and watches her back until she accepts that she needs his help. My heart broke for Travis when we learned about his past and discovered why he had exiled himself from his family and I'm really looking forward to (hopefully!) seeing him reconnect with his pack in the next book.
I did have a few minor issues with the story but they weren't enough to stop me enjoying it. I still have some confusion about how Neva was initially changed because she gave two different accounts throughout the book and there were times when I felt Meredith was almost too evil, her actions were so horrific she almost became a comic book villain and it was hard to take her seriously. I prefer my bad guys to have a few shades of grey in them and I found it very hard to relate to her desire for nothing but power. In spite of these problems I really enjoyed First Bite and am looking forward to continuing with the series. Although this is a paranormal romance series the ending suggests that Neva and Travis will continue to be the main characters in the next book and that is something I'm really pleased about, there is so much more to learn about Travis's background and I want to spend more time with them as a couple.
Neva was turned into a werewolf against her will and is terrified of turning into a viscous monster like her maker Meredith and the rest of her pack. She managed to escape and is determined to take her own life before the next full moon forces her to make her first change but she is saved by Travis, a natural born changeling. Travis wants to show her that not all changelings are evil and to help her embrace her new life but with Meredith hot on their trail they're going to have a fight on their hands just to survive.
First Bite is the first book I've read by Dani Harper but I loved the humour it contained and am definitely planning on checking out her Changeling series as soon as I get a chance. I think I picked up this book at the perfect time, I was looking for something fun that would be a quick and easy read and that is exactly what I got, the banter between Neva and Travis was fantastic and I really enjoyed spending time with them both. There was plenty of action and drama, particularly in the second half of the book, which made this a real page turner and it didn't take me long to devour the whole book.
I really liked Neva's character and I appreciated the fact that she had such horrified reaction to having been turned into a werewolf. All of her experiences of other werewolves have shown her how monstrous people become after the change and she wants no part of it. She clings to her hatred of her inner wolf to the point of being a little too stubborn about it but I could understand why she felt that way and her reaction was believable to me. With Travis's help she slowly realises that it doesn't have to be that way and starts to come to terms with her new abilities but it takes a long time for her to fully trust him which makes a nice change compared to a lot of paranormal romances.
Travis is a lone wolf who has spent years away from his pack but he is a caring guy who can't walk away from Neva when she needs his help. Changelings have a strong code of honour and Travis is horrified when he learns of the way Meredith has been breaking so many rules by turning people against their will and by killing humans to work her dark magic spells. He is protective of Neva and tries to show her the truth about changelings and how good her life can be if she accepts her inner wolf but he never pressurises her to do anything she doesn't want to. When Neva refuses to go with him he just quietly follows her and watches her back until she accepts that she needs his help. My heart broke for Travis when we learned about his past and discovered why he had exiled himself from his family and I'm really looking forward to (hopefully!) seeing him reconnect with his pack in the next book.
I did have a few minor issues with the story but they weren't enough to stop me enjoying it. I still have some confusion about how Neva was initially changed because she gave two different accounts throughout the book and there were times when I felt Meredith was almost too evil, her actions were so horrific she almost became a comic book villain and it was hard to take her seriously. I prefer my bad guys to have a few shades of grey in them and I found it very hard to relate to her desire for nothing but power. In spite of these problems I really enjoyed First Bite and am looking forward to continuing with the series. Although this is a paranormal romance series the ending suggests that Neva and Travis will continue to be the main characters in the next book and that is something I'm really pleased about, there is so much more to learn about Travis's background and I want to spend more time with them as a couple.
March 28, 2013
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
After only a few chapters I found myself transfixed by Dani Harper’s new Dark Wolf series. The opening chapters are intense with Neva preparing to throw herself off a cliff rather than face becoming a werewolf at the next full moon. It was impossible to not be moved by her determination to sacrifice her life in order to save countless others. Aside from an incredibly brave heroine, First Bite also brings plenty of action, romance and wolfy goodness to the table. Harper’s Changelings are back for another round and if this first installment is anything to go by, you’re not going to want to miss take 2!
I love that Harper’s Changelings spend an equal amount of time in both of their forms; not all series shelved as “werewolf” deserve to be classified as such but this book most certainly does. The author wastes no time in enlightening readers on the rules of her world and I particularly enjoyed the distinctions between Changelings and werewolves. The two aren’t synonyms in this universe; in fact, the latter is actually kind of derogatory which I found interesting. The mystery of what happens to their clothes when they shift continues to entertain and watching the newly turned try to figure out the trick is always good for a laugh.
The story unfolds in such a way that it felt like a werewolves for dummies course in that Travis must instruct Neva on Changeling ways only for her to have to do the same later on for Baker. The second part was more a case of the blind leading the blind but that just made it all the more comical. The plot is nicely balanced which makes the budding romance feel as important as the looming battle against Neva’s evil twin. There’s also just the right amount of sex to help ensure that all of your senses are equally satisfied. I enjoyed the ticking-time-bomb-like suspense although I was disappointed by the anti-climatic final battle. Geneva’s attack strategy was also somewhat questionable.
Travis wasted no time in worming his way into my heart; it’s hard not to love a tortured hero with a soft spot for damsels in distress. His patience and willingness to teach Neva how to cope with her new reality also helped to earn him bonus points. The tables end up turning not too long after their first meeting though and I liked that Geneva was given the chance to return the favour and to prove her loyalty. I wish the mate aspect had taken a little longer to kick-in but once set in motion it was easy to get caught up in the two main characters’ strong emotional bond. The book ends on a high note with a good old fashioned romp that’s sure to make your toes curl with its heat.
First Bite is a must read for all werewolf addicts and the best book yet from Dani Harper.
After only a few chapters I found myself transfixed by Dani Harper’s new Dark Wolf series. The opening chapters are intense with Neva preparing to throw herself off a cliff rather than face becoming a werewolf at the next full moon. It was impossible to not be moved by her determination to sacrifice her life in order to save countless others. Aside from an incredibly brave heroine, First Bite also brings plenty of action, romance and wolfy goodness to the table. Harper’s Changelings are back for another round and if this first installment is anything to go by, you’re not going to want to miss take 2!
I love that Harper’s Changelings spend an equal amount of time in both of their forms; not all series shelved as “werewolf” deserve to be classified as such but this book most certainly does. The author wastes no time in enlightening readers on the rules of her world and I particularly enjoyed the distinctions between Changelings and werewolves. The two aren’t synonyms in this universe; in fact, the latter is actually kind of derogatory which I found interesting. The mystery of what happens to their clothes when they shift continues to entertain and watching the newly turned try to figure out the trick is always good for a laugh.
The story unfolds in such a way that it felt like a werewolves for dummies course in that Travis must instruct Neva on Changeling ways only for her to have to do the same later on for Baker. The second part was more a case of the blind leading the blind but that just made it all the more comical. The plot is nicely balanced which makes the budding romance feel as important as the looming battle against Neva’s evil twin. There’s also just the right amount of sex to help ensure that all of your senses are equally satisfied. I enjoyed the ticking-time-bomb-like suspense although I was disappointed by the anti-climatic final battle. Geneva’s attack strategy was also somewhat questionable.
Travis wasted no time in worming his way into my heart; it’s hard not to love a tortured hero with a soft spot for damsels in distress. His patience and willingness to teach Neva how to cope with her new reality also helped to earn him bonus points. The tables end up turning not too long after their first meeting though and I liked that Geneva was given the chance to return the favour and to prove her loyalty. I wish the mate aspect had taken a little longer to kick-in but once set in motion it was easy to get caught up in the two main characters’ strong emotional bond. The book ends on a high note with a good old fashioned romp that’s sure to make your toes curl with its heat.
First Bite is a must read for all werewolf addicts and the best book yet from Dani Harper.
July 5, 2013
Travis Williamson prefers to keep to himself but after he rescues Geneva Ross from a suicide attempt, his wolf won't let him walk away. Neva never wanted to be a Changeling and believes the only way to protect her family from the monster she has become is to end her own life. That's if Travis would mind his own business. Now both are on the run from her maker and if she catches them, she'll use her dark magic to complete a spell with dire consequences.
My favorite character was not Neva, Travis or any of the "good guys". It's Meredith de la Ronde, Neva's sire and woman who is well deserving of her villainous crown. Once a human, she's gathered knowledge about magic and used her beauty to attract a wealthy Changeling suitor who turned her, making her more powerful. Now she's creating a wolf pack controlled by magic and has an end game in mind, involving Neva, that will make her unstoppable. Not once do I see a glimmer of good in her wicked soul and as odd as it sounds, that totally worked for me. She never strays from who she is at her evil little core and I really appreciated that. Meredith is a well-conceived antagonist that I loved to hate and I'm curious to see what trouble she brews up next.
Just because I...appreciate...Meredith for all her badness doesn't mean I didn't like Neva or Travis. Both have qualities I found enjoyable. They have family problems, are stubborn, funny when they're fighting with their furry sides, and are genuinely good people. What I didn't care for was the sudden change in their relationship. They bicker almost constantly from the start and there are a few "how he/she is sexy" or "she/he isn't so horrible after all" comments woven in but then BAM, they're having sex. If felt like I missed a couple chapters and I even flipped back to make sure I didn't. It felt out of character and something I wasn't able to look past.
The pace of events wasn't as consistent as I would have liked. It starts off with Neva on a cliff so I had no problem getting into the book but then it slows down when Travis gets her out of the hospital and explains things to her or he tries to convince himself it's better that they go their separate ways. Then it builds back up with Meredith and her scheming but then slacks as Neva learns to be a Changeling. Even when things are exciting, like seeing through the eyes of another one of Meredith's victims or Travis and Neva trying to escape near capture in a dump truck, the unevenness of it all took away some of the umph from those scenes.
First Bite was a pretty good start to Dani Harper's new series. There are some kinks and character wrinkles that need to be worked out but I like the way events were heading at the end so I'll be back to find out what happens next.
- Stephanie
My favorite character was not Neva, Travis or any of the "good guys". It's Meredith de la Ronde, Neva's sire and woman who is well deserving of her villainous crown. Once a human, she's gathered knowledge about magic and used her beauty to attract a wealthy Changeling suitor who turned her, making her more powerful. Now she's creating a wolf pack controlled by magic and has an end game in mind, involving Neva, that will make her unstoppable. Not once do I see a glimmer of good in her wicked soul and as odd as it sounds, that totally worked for me. She never strays from who she is at her evil little core and I really appreciated that. Meredith is a well-conceived antagonist that I loved to hate and I'm curious to see what trouble she brews up next.
Just because I...appreciate...Meredith for all her badness doesn't mean I didn't like Neva or Travis. Both have qualities I found enjoyable. They have family problems, are stubborn, funny when they're fighting with their furry sides, and are genuinely good people. What I didn't care for was the sudden change in their relationship. They bicker almost constantly from the start and there are a few "how he/she is sexy" or "she/he isn't so horrible after all" comments woven in but then BAM, they're having sex. If felt like I missed a couple chapters and I even flipped back to make sure I didn't. It felt out of character and something I wasn't able to look past.
The pace of events wasn't as consistent as I would have liked. It starts off with Neva on a cliff so I had no problem getting into the book but then it slows down when Travis gets her out of the hospital and explains things to her or he tries to convince himself it's better that they go their separate ways. Then it builds back up with Meredith and her scheming but then slacks as Neva learns to be a Changeling. Even when things are exciting, like seeing through the eyes of another one of Meredith's victims or Travis and Neva trying to escape near capture in a dump truck, the unevenness of it all took away some of the umph from those scenes.
First Bite was a pretty good start to Dani Harper's new series. There are some kinks and character wrinkles that need to be worked out but I like the way events were heading at the end so I'll be back to find out what happens next.
- Stephanie
November 15, 2013
Originally posted on the blog: What the Cat Read
As my first introduction to Harper’s writing, I must admit that I rather enjoyed this book. Fans of Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy will definitely want to check this out for themselves. =^.^=
I liked Geneva “Neva” the moment I met her. She’s determined, strong-willed, sarcastic at times, and just plain fun. It was interesting seeing her grow throughout the book and learn to accept her wolf half. Yes, there were moments where her initial desire to keep her wolf at bay got on my nerves, but thinking about it, I’d probably react the same way if I were in her situation. Though if I had Travis as my teacher, I’d probably complain a bit less and focus on him a bit more. And speaking of Travis, there’s no question that he’s an enjoyable character. Not only does he have that bad boy persona figured out, but he’s also sweet, protective, humorous, and the type of guy you are just automatically drawn to (at least I was anyways). As a pair, these two are perfect for each other. I loved the scene in the beginning where Neva undergoes her first shift and Travis baits her to keep her from dwelling on her dislike of the entire situation. The chemistry between them even at this early part of the book is more than obvious and when they finally do give in, it’s seriously HOT. As for Meredith, well let me simply say she’s definitely not someone I’d ever want to meet in real life. She’s the perfect blend of power-hungry desire and insanity. Is it wrong to admit that I actually liked her and enjoyed many of the scenes she was in? Okay, I’ll say it, I found her twisted personality entertaining. There are very few antagonists that I like, but she’s definitely one of them.
Plot wise I found the synopsis, the idea of werewolves as changelings, to be an interesting one. Add magic into the mix and it’s safe to say that it certainly kept me reading long past the time when I should have called it quits for the night. I liked the fact that the story twisted down paths I didn’t anticipate it going and thought it was great that Harper chose not to write a traditional paranormal werewolf novel. In other words, I felt that the plot was unique. I’ve read a lot of paranormal werewolf books over the years and this one stood out for me. There’s enough action, mystery, romance, and suspense to keep the story flowing smoothly. And since this is the first of a brand new series, I’m curious to see what happens in future novels. It definitely shows a lot of promise.
So when all’s said and done, I’ve got to give a tail wave of approval to Harper for a job well done. I think the time has come for me to check out her Changeling series. =^.^=
As my first introduction to Harper’s writing, I must admit that I rather enjoyed this book. Fans of Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy will definitely want to check this out for themselves. =^.^=
I liked Geneva “Neva” the moment I met her. She’s determined, strong-willed, sarcastic at times, and just plain fun. It was interesting seeing her grow throughout the book and learn to accept her wolf half. Yes, there were moments where her initial desire to keep her wolf at bay got on my nerves, but thinking about it, I’d probably react the same way if I were in her situation. Though if I had Travis as my teacher, I’d probably complain a bit less and focus on him a bit more. And speaking of Travis, there’s no question that he’s an enjoyable character. Not only does he have that bad boy persona figured out, but he’s also sweet, protective, humorous, and the type of guy you are just automatically drawn to (at least I was anyways). As a pair, these two are perfect for each other. I loved the scene in the beginning where Neva undergoes her first shift and Travis baits her to keep her from dwelling on her dislike of the entire situation. The chemistry between them even at this early part of the book is more than obvious and when they finally do give in, it’s seriously HOT. As for Meredith, well let me simply say she’s definitely not someone I’d ever want to meet in real life. She’s the perfect blend of power-hungry desire and insanity. Is it wrong to admit that I actually liked her and enjoyed many of the scenes she was in? Okay, I’ll say it, I found her twisted personality entertaining. There are very few antagonists that I like, but she’s definitely one of them.
Plot wise I found the synopsis, the idea of werewolves as changelings, to be an interesting one. Add magic into the mix and it’s safe to say that it certainly kept me reading long past the time when I should have called it quits for the night. I liked the fact that the story twisted down paths I didn’t anticipate it going and thought it was great that Harper chose not to write a traditional paranormal werewolf novel. In other words, I felt that the plot was unique. I’ve read a lot of paranormal werewolf books over the years and this one stood out for me. There’s enough action, mystery, romance, and suspense to keep the story flowing smoothly. And since this is the first of a brand new series, I’m curious to see what happens in future novels. It definitely shows a lot of promise.
So when all’s said and done, I’ve got to give a tail wave of approval to Harper for a job well done. I think the time has come for me to check out her Changeling series. =^.^=
April 24, 2013
First Bite is the first is Dani Harper's new paranormal romance series. I've often wanted to start her Changeling series, but so many books, so little time and all that. So, when the opportunity came along for me to participate in the blog tour for the first in a new series, which also focuses on Changelings, I jumped at it! I must say, I'm not at all disappointed.
Harper's Changelings are basically shifters who change into wolves. These Changelings do make a full shift from man (or woman) to wolf, but its a brief transition that incorporates magic rather than a gruesome, bone crunching change. Our main characters are lone wolf and bad boy with a past, Travis, and newly changed-against-her-will Neva. Even though I liked Travis and understood his dark history, I didn't feel like he was really the bad boy he was portrayed to be. He was actually a pretty nice guy in the way that he dealt with Neva. He saved her life and then helped her escape from those hunting her, all with very few temper-filled, Alpha moments. He was a very likable leading man, although I do tend to prefer my heroes a little more dark and naughty.
I enjoyed the many flashes to the story's villain, Meredith, and seeing her in all her power-hungry glory. She is also a Changeling, but she possesses magical skills as well. She is a truly evil character, really just bent on being in control above all else. It helped to understand what exactly Neva was running from and also gave the reader some insight on why Neva was so terrified to be a wolf, since her experience with Meredith was her only contact with Changelings prior to meeting Travis.
Something else worth mentioning is that at the halfway point in this book I suddenly realized, hey, no one is having sex yet! I enjoyed the slower progression of Travis and Meredith's relationship and it took a while for Travis to even comment to himself about her nipples (if you read a lot of PNR, you know that its more common for someone's nipples to be discussed before page 10). For me it was a breath of fresh air, but it also didn't follow typical PNR tropes so keep that in mind if you are a big romance reader who expects things to get down and dirty by chapter 3.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read and a strong start to a new series. I will definitely check out future Dark Wolf releases and maybe now I can take a peek at Harper's other series as well!
Recommended for fans of: shifters, PNR light on the erotic romance, and good villains.
This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the author.
Harper's Changelings are basically shifters who change into wolves. These Changelings do make a full shift from man (or woman) to wolf, but its a brief transition that incorporates magic rather than a gruesome, bone crunching change. Our main characters are lone wolf and bad boy with a past, Travis, and newly changed-against-her-will Neva. Even though I liked Travis and understood his dark history, I didn't feel like he was really the bad boy he was portrayed to be. He was actually a pretty nice guy in the way that he dealt with Neva. He saved her life and then helped her escape from those hunting her, all with very few temper-filled, Alpha moments. He was a very likable leading man, although I do tend to prefer my heroes a little more dark and naughty.
I enjoyed the many flashes to the story's villain, Meredith, and seeing her in all her power-hungry glory. She is also a Changeling, but she possesses magical skills as well. She is a truly evil character, really just bent on being in control above all else. It helped to understand what exactly Neva was running from and also gave the reader some insight on why Neva was so terrified to be a wolf, since her experience with Meredith was her only contact with Changelings prior to meeting Travis.
Something else worth mentioning is that at the halfway point in this book I suddenly realized, hey, no one is having sex yet! I enjoyed the slower progression of Travis and Meredith's relationship and it took a while for Travis to even comment to himself about her nipples (if you read a lot of PNR, you know that its more common for someone's nipples to be discussed before page 10). For me it was a breath of fresh air, but it also didn't follow typical PNR tropes so keep that in mind if you are a big romance reader who expects things to get down and dirty by chapter 3.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read and a strong start to a new series. I will definitely check out future Dark Wolf releases and maybe now I can take a peek at Harper's other series as well!
Recommended for fans of: shifters, PNR light on the erotic romance, and good villains.
This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the author.
July 20, 2013
Full Blog Post @Book-Marks the Spot
Neva Ross’s world has been turned upside down. She thought she could trust this one person in her life and now she is running for her life because of this person. She didn’t leave unscathed and what happened to her nearly destroys her. She doesn’t want to believe there are creatures in the night, but now she does because she’ll be one on the next full moon.
Travis is a lone changeling by his own doing. He has a secret and he doesn’t want Neva to know because he knows she will leave when she finds out. He does know that he is the only thing keeping Neva sane and once she is back on her feet he is leaving. Or so he thought. It seems he can’t get the strong willed woman out of his mind.
In order to survive they will have to come to terms with who they are/what they are and learn to trust again.
I’ve never read anything by Dani Harper before so the Changeling thing was new to me. A changeling is basically a werewolf, as Neva would say. They can change to a wolf at will and with practice can bring their clothes back with them, which is pretty sweet. I liked all the characters in the book and I think a lot of people will either relate or like them as well. Now for the different POVs now that’s another thing. I found it difficult to distinguish who was talking when. I always got Neva, Travis, and Baker mixed up. Maybe it was just me or maybe it was just because it was it third person. I’m not sure but I had to go back and read certain parts again because I thought I was reading about another character. Other than that I really loved the idea of this book. The villain in this book was most wicked and I enjoyed an actual bad guy that has some grit. I wanted to hit her myself and I don’t say something like that lightly. It was the ultimate betrayal. I think fans of Dani Harper’s books will love this as well as werewolf lovers. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Overall: This book was sizzling with heat and action. A fantastic read by Dani Harper!!!
3.5 STARS!!
Neva Ross’s world has been turned upside down. She thought she could trust this one person in her life and now she is running for her life because of this person. She didn’t leave unscathed and what happened to her nearly destroys her. She doesn’t want to believe there are creatures in the night, but now she does because she’ll be one on the next full moon.
Travis is a lone changeling by his own doing. He has a secret and he doesn’t want Neva to know because he knows she will leave when she finds out. He does know that he is the only thing keeping Neva sane and once she is back on her feet he is leaving. Or so he thought. It seems he can’t get the strong willed woman out of his mind.
In order to survive they will have to come to terms with who they are/what they are and learn to trust again.
I’ve never read anything by Dani Harper before so the Changeling thing was new to me. A changeling is basically a werewolf, as Neva would say. They can change to a wolf at will and with practice can bring their clothes back with them, which is pretty sweet. I liked all the characters in the book and I think a lot of people will either relate or like them as well. Now for the different POVs now that’s another thing. I found it difficult to distinguish who was talking when. I always got Neva, Travis, and Baker mixed up. Maybe it was just me or maybe it was just because it was it third person. I’m not sure but I had to go back and read certain parts again because I thought I was reading about another character. Other than that I really loved the idea of this book. The villain in this book was most wicked and I enjoyed an actual bad guy that has some grit. I wanted to hit her myself and I don’t say something like that lightly. It was the ultimate betrayal. I think fans of Dani Harper’s books will love this as well as werewolf lovers. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Overall: This book was sizzling with heat and action. A fantastic read by Dani Harper!!!
3.5 STARS!!
October 21, 2013
I found this to be an exciting novel filled with the good, the bad, and the extremely sexy!
Not so different from the usual hero/heroine relationship, Neva and Travis seem to butt heads in the beginning and are both content on guarding their secrets and their hearts. That’s about as far as the “usual” goes, however. These two have an amazing gift in common which draws them closer throughout the novel. He’s a sexy loner that rides in on a Triumph Thunderbird, which bumps the naughty gage up a few notches for me, and she’s a sassy little vixen that’s terrified beyond all means. His fortitude and genuinely kind heart not only makes him a glutton for punishment, but a stellar hero. Neva takes a little longer to warm up to, but as the story unfolds, she scratches her way into the heroine role. It was entertaining, and at times comical, to watch the two battle their alter egos and each other for control.
The other battles weren’t laughable but just as fun. Along with a good supporting cast of characters, Neva and Travis fight an unusual bad girl. I appreciated the fact that Meredith, the villain, was immoral without an excuse. There was no abuse or neglect to cause this woman to go astray, she’s just plain evil. Although I’d like to see a little more background on her behalf, this malevolent creature was the perfect bitch!
I found out that I’m basically an amateur when it comes to werewolves, as I was thrilled by the idea of the “inner wolf” being a separate entity and having its own personality. I like the Dr. Banner/Hulk version of the were-world. I say werewolves but in this novel, our characters are “Changelings”, which is completely different. I’m still in my Dani Harper prerequisite class, so as this series progresses, so will my knowledge of her creatures. The erotic scenes were quick but steamy, and the character background was enough to keep the reader informed. Although the ending left several doors open for the sequel, I was satisfied and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this extraordinary cast of characters!
Not so different from the usual hero/heroine relationship, Neva and Travis seem to butt heads in the beginning and are both content on guarding their secrets and their hearts. That’s about as far as the “usual” goes, however. These two have an amazing gift in common which draws them closer throughout the novel. He’s a sexy loner that rides in on a Triumph Thunderbird, which bumps the naughty gage up a few notches for me, and she’s a sassy little vixen that’s terrified beyond all means. His fortitude and genuinely kind heart not only makes him a glutton for punishment, but a stellar hero. Neva takes a little longer to warm up to, but as the story unfolds, she scratches her way into the heroine role. It was entertaining, and at times comical, to watch the two battle their alter egos and each other for control.
The other battles weren’t laughable but just as fun. Along with a good supporting cast of characters, Neva and Travis fight an unusual bad girl. I appreciated the fact that Meredith, the villain, was immoral without an excuse. There was no abuse or neglect to cause this woman to go astray, she’s just plain evil. Although I’d like to see a little more background on her behalf, this malevolent creature was the perfect bitch!
I found out that I’m basically an amateur when it comes to werewolves, as I was thrilled by the idea of the “inner wolf” being a separate entity and having its own personality. I like the Dr. Banner/Hulk version of the were-world. I say werewolves but in this novel, our characters are “Changelings”, which is completely different. I’m still in my Dani Harper prerequisite class, so as this series progresses, so will my knowledge of her creatures. The erotic scenes were quick but steamy, and the character background was enough to keep the reader informed. Although the ending left several doors open for the sequel, I was satisfied and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this extraordinary cast of characters!
July 16, 2013
3.5 stars - The hook in the set up for Harper's newest shape shifter romance was pretty good - leading lady Neva has been bitten and is trying to kill herself before her first turn so she won't become a ravening werewolf and Travis is a lone wolf Changeling who shows up in the nick of time to save her and sticks around to show her the ropes of her new occasionally furry existence and tries to help Neva remain free of her sire who is a magic user trying to amass power by using the darkest of magics.
I haven't read Harper's Changeling series (but I think that this new PNR series starter might be a spinoff or at least set in the same world,) but this is the second series starter her for her that I've read this month - and this one is definitely the best of the two.
I am exceedingly character-centric and I liked both of the leads, and I absolutely loved leading man Travis from the start - he does flag a bit when he gets all angsty in the middle of the story but that initial love carried me through. Neva was also a great character and I liked her clever if suicidal plan for getting Travis free when he falls into the clutches of her evil sire.
And one thing that I liked about First Bite that is missing from a lot of shape shifter stories is that the pair actual spend time shifted - it easier to cover distances in the woods on four feet - so they *had* to be shifters for the story to work, no generic fill in the blank with your favorite paranormal entity kind of story here.
So, I liked First Bite. Not sure where Harper is going next for this series - it has all of the hallmarks of a PNR series but the way things ended it almost sounds like Travis and Neva may continue in the lead in the next book, but this tasty First Bite has left me hungry for more of Harper's Changelings.
received via the Amazon Vine release date 10/25/2013
I haven't read Harper's Changeling series (but I think that this new PNR series starter might be a spinoff or at least set in the same world,) but this is the second series starter her for her that I've read this month - and this one is definitely the best of the two.
I am exceedingly character-centric and I liked both of the leads, and I absolutely loved leading man Travis from the start - he does flag a bit when he gets all angsty in the middle of the story but that initial love carried me through. Neva was also a great character and I liked her clever if suicidal plan for getting Travis free when he falls into the clutches of her evil sire.
And one thing that I liked about First Bite that is missing from a lot of shape shifter stories is that the pair actual spend time shifted - it easier to cover distances in the woods on four feet - so they *had* to be shifters for the story to work, no generic fill in the blank with your favorite paranormal entity kind of story here.
So, I liked First Bite. Not sure where Harper is going next for this series - it has all of the hallmarks of a PNR series but the way things ended it almost sounds like Travis and Neva may continue in the lead in the next book, but this tasty First Bite has left me hungry for more of Harper's Changelings.
received via the Amazon Vine release date 10/25/2013
September 18, 2013
This is not a typical werewolf book with alphas and betas and pack dynamics. However, there are packs, and there are rules, they just don't seem to mean the same thing to our heroine's creator as they mean to others. Neva is afraid of becoming a killer. She doesn't want to die, but feels it is the only way to keep from becoming a monster. Travis is a loner who finds himself saving Neva without really understanding why. neither really wants to be with the other, but Travis does have some good reasons for helping Neva control her change.
As might be expected, their relationship turns romantic fairly quickly. While it isn't really insta-love, there is a certain lack of control. However, neither party wants to get involved, and both consciously fight the attraction. Too bad for them it isn't all in their hands.
The twists related to Neva's sire are interesting. They make sense, but seemed like they belonged to a different book somehow. Meredith is pretty awful and there is a horror component to her aspects of the story that contrasts with Neva's and Travis's experiences and feels less realistic somehow.
I did like how each Neva and Travis had to come to terms with aspects of themselves in order to be successful. However, at the end Neva finds one new talent surprisingly easy to come by, and that drew me out of the story.
Overall, this was a quick read and pleasurable to read. The author has a comfortable style that keeps things moving along while still letting us get to know some of the characters. The one place I was confused was in the locations and how far they were traveling. It seemed they had traveled really far, but then another character had traveled a much shorter period of time and ended up in the same place.
I received this book free through the GR First Reads program.
As might be expected, their relationship turns romantic fairly quickly. While it isn't really insta-love, there is a certain lack of control. However, neither party wants to get involved, and both consciously fight the attraction. Too bad for them it isn't all in their hands.
The twists related to Neva's sire are interesting. They make sense, but seemed like they belonged to a different book somehow. Meredith is pretty awful and there is a horror component to her aspects of the story that contrasts with Neva's and Travis's experiences and feels less realistic somehow.
I did like how each Neva and Travis had to come to terms with aspects of themselves in order to be successful. However, at the end Neva finds one new talent surprisingly easy to come by, and that drew me out of the story.
Overall, this was a quick read and pleasurable to read. The author has a comfortable style that keeps things moving along while still letting us get to know some of the characters. The one place I was confused was in the locations and how far they were traveling. It seemed they had traveled really far, but then another character had traveled a much shorter period of time and ended up in the same place.
I received this book free through the GR First Reads program.
October 8, 2013
This is a good start to a new series. I loved The Changeling series and this one has the potential to be just as good.
What I liked about this one is the fact that Neva has to take time to adjust to and accept being a Changeling. That probably has a lot to do with how she was changed. She doesn’t understand what she is and is terrified, for good reason. The person who changed Neva wanted to have her under complete control. The fact that both Neva and Travis had some issues to face in order to move forward was well done.
I did liked Travis. At first he did take a while to understand what his wolf was trying to tell him and it made it feel as if his wolf had its own thoughts and opinions. It was a nice addition to the werewolf mythology.
Neva and Travis are fairly quickly attracted to each other, resist that attraction and still end up bonded. Not that they are complaining. I really enjoyed that last hot and steamy scene at the end.
It did take me a bit to get into this one, it wasn’t until about the 4th chapter I got to the point I didn’t want to put it down. I was a bit confused with the party scene in the beginning. It felt like it came out of nowhere. It wasn’t until after I was through reading it that I realized it was a flash back.
Overall this is a well written story that has action, mystery, magic and shifters. Would I recommend this to my friends and people I know like PNR? Yes. This does not end with a cliffhanger it’s a HFN and it sounds as if Travis and Neva’s story will continue in the next book.
(I received a copy from publisher for an honest review.)
What I liked about this one is the fact that Neva has to take time to adjust to and accept being a Changeling. That probably has a lot to do with how she was changed. She doesn’t understand what she is and is terrified, for good reason. The person who changed Neva wanted to have her under complete control. The fact that both Neva and Travis had some issues to face in order to move forward was well done.
I did liked Travis. At first he did take a while to understand what his wolf was trying to tell him and it made it feel as if his wolf had its own thoughts and opinions. It was a nice addition to the werewolf mythology.
Neva and Travis are fairly quickly attracted to each other, resist that attraction and still end up bonded. Not that they are complaining. I really enjoyed that last hot and steamy scene at the end.
It did take me a bit to get into this one, it wasn’t until about the 4th chapter I got to the point I didn’t want to put it down. I was a bit confused with the party scene in the beginning. It felt like it came out of nowhere. It wasn’t until after I was through reading it that I realized it was a flash back.
Overall this is a well written story that has action, mystery, magic and shifters. Would I recommend this to my friends and people I know like PNR? Yes. This does not end with a cliffhanger it’s a HFN and it sounds as if Travis and Neva’s story will continue in the next book.
(I received a copy from publisher for an honest review.)
January 26, 2014
I really enjoyed First Bite, having never read anything from Dani in the past, it was a pleasant surprise to find an author who can write a good story and compelling characters without falling headfirst into too many clichéd tropes.
Neva is a strong character, although I did get a bit tired of her suicidal tendencies that take up a lot of the book. I could kind of see why she’d think like that, but when Travis shows up and is so obviously different to Meredith (the evil wolf queen) then you’d think she’d but two and two together and work out that life as a changeling is worth a pop – especially since Travis seems gorgeous, and a decent six pack is always worth living for!
From a writer’s perspective, the notion of ‘Changling’ was a bit misused, as this traditionally is a Fae term. And it didn’t exactly add much to the overall story, other than to feel a little confusing at times. I think if the story had just stuck to ‘Werewolf’ or even ‘Shifters’ then it would have flowed much better
I loved the antagonist, Meredith, such a great villain – and it was refreshing to find one in a paranormal romance book which wasn’t a diluted shadow of a character lurking in the background.
The front cover is beautiful, but perhaps would have been more accurate to have Travis on there too – as the book is third person and concentrates on him as well as Neva, it would only be fair to have him represented. I guess, in that vein, also Meredith too.
Overall I’d give First Bite 4 out 5 stars – well written, paranormal romance at its very best.
Neva is a strong character, although I did get a bit tired of her suicidal tendencies that take up a lot of the book. I could kind of see why she’d think like that, but when Travis shows up and is so obviously different to Meredith (the evil wolf queen) then you’d think she’d but two and two together and work out that life as a changeling is worth a pop – especially since Travis seems gorgeous, and a decent six pack is always worth living for!
From a writer’s perspective, the notion of ‘Changling’ was a bit misused, as this traditionally is a Fae term. And it didn’t exactly add much to the overall story, other than to feel a little confusing at times. I think if the story had just stuck to ‘Werewolf’ or even ‘Shifters’ then it would have flowed much better
I loved the antagonist, Meredith, such a great villain – and it was refreshing to find one in a paranormal romance book which wasn’t a diluted shadow of a character lurking in the background.
The front cover is beautiful, but perhaps would have been more accurate to have Travis on there too – as the book is third person and concentrates on him as well as Neva, it would only be fair to have him represented. I guess, in that vein, also Meredith too.
Overall I’d give First Bite 4 out 5 stars – well written, paranormal romance at its very best.
September 17, 2013
First Bite is actually the first book that I have read by Harper, and it made me wonder why I waited so long to read one of Harper's books. First Bite proved to be an amazing read full of action, intrigue, romance, and suspense. I really enjoyed how Harper created her Changeling world which was different from most of the typical werewolf books by adding her own spin to it. By combining shifting and magic, Harper did a great job at building a suspenseful tale and adding a twist to it with the addition of magic and creating a real super villain. Both Neva and Travis are well developed not just as a couple but as individual characters as well. Both characters have ghosts from their pasts that they need to overcome in order to defeat their current threat. They also proved to be a great couple to root for not just for First Bite but for future books as well. I liked how Harper left it open for their next adventure because I hated to say goodbye to these two great characters. I also liked the secondary characters of Baker and Riley and felt that they only added to the book. Harper also did a great job at creating a really creepy villain that served as a formidable opponent to Neva and Travis. Overall First Bite was an amazing read that I would most definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a great paranormal romance. I am looking forward to Neva and Travis's next adventure as well.
Received a copy of First Bite through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received a copy of First Bite through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2013
The dramatic introduction to Geneva and her subsequent saving by the oh so delicious Travis, was enough to lure this reader into First Bite with no reservations. The high action, surprising plot twists, and Her Supreme Badness, a.k.a. Meridith de la Ronde were just a few of the things about this book that kept me turning it's pages.
First Bite, was this reviewer's first taste of Dani Harper, and I dare say it is not to be my last.
Dani is a reader's writer, crafting her stories with just the right balance of character diversity, plot, and setting to allow readers to experience, identify with and enjoy her tale without getting sidetracked by overdone explanations or detail minutia.
Another plus for this read is the fact that the good vs. evil aspects are made really clear to the reader very early on. This gives one time to pick a side and truly invest in all it has to offer as the story progresses.
The only true detraction from this great read, comes from the relationship that between Geneva and Travis.
The fighting between them starts to wear on the nerves. (This is the part of the book where I close it and take a few deep cleansing breaths.)
That being said, First Bite is a great start to a wonderful series and a wonderful escape from the everyday. - See more at: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2013/...
First Bite, was this reviewer's first taste of Dani Harper, and I dare say it is not to be my last.
Dani is a reader's writer, crafting her stories with just the right balance of character diversity, plot, and setting to allow readers to experience, identify with and enjoy her tale without getting sidetracked by overdone explanations or detail minutia.
Another plus for this read is the fact that the good vs. evil aspects are made really clear to the reader very early on. This gives one time to pick a side and truly invest in all it has to offer as the story progresses.
The only true detraction from this great read, comes from the relationship that between Geneva and Travis.
The fighting between them starts to wear on the nerves. (This is the part of the book where I close it and take a few deep cleansing breaths.)
That being said, First Bite is a great start to a wonderful series and a wonderful escape from the everyday. - See more at: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2013/...
July 12, 2013
Neva thinks the only way out of the world she was forced into is to commit suicide. She doesn’t want to be a werewolf that kills humans. But when a big wolf thwarts her plans, she is forced to see her new life in a new way. Travis has been a lone wolf for a long time. He keeps helping Neva and can’t seem to leave her on her own. The two of them, together, discover a new way to live.
This book started out very exciting but somewhere along the middle of the book it lost its momentum and pull for me. The whys of the evil twin and her nefarious plans dragged out too long. And at the end, the rescue mission also seemed oddly timed to me. I’m not sure if I had loved ones who I feared for their lives, I would stop at a salon for a hairdo, shop, eat, and then stay the night in a hotel. It just didn’t jive.
I also had some confusion as to what a party scene Neva thinks about where she encounters a wolf. I’m not sure what that was all about.
This is the first in a series and even though things could have been tied up in the end, they weren't. I am assuming some of the characters that were introduced in this book will get a bigger role in the next books. I am interested in reading more in the future… but I hope the next books are a wee bit tidier in their plot.
Cherise Everhard, July 2013
Book provided by and reviewed for the Amazon Vine Program
This book started out very exciting but somewhere along the middle of the book it lost its momentum and pull for me. The whys of the evil twin and her nefarious plans dragged out too long. And at the end, the rescue mission also seemed oddly timed to me. I’m not sure if I had loved ones who I feared for their lives, I would stop at a salon for a hairdo, shop, eat, and then stay the night in a hotel. It just didn’t jive.
I also had some confusion as to what a party scene Neva thinks about where she encounters a wolf. I’m not sure what that was all about.
This is the first in a series and even though things could have been tied up in the end, they weren't. I am assuming some of the characters that were introduced in this book will get a bigger role in the next books. I am interested in reading more in the future… but I hope the next books are a wee bit tidier in their plot.
Cherise Everhard, July 2013
Book provided by and reviewed for the Amazon Vine Program
September 26, 2013
This book is a new series but it follows the world in her other Changeling series. You don't have to read the other series to get into this one. However, I do recommend the other series just because I enjoyed them so much.
In this story we get to slowly know both Neva and Travis. Both on the run from their family but for different reasons. Neva is a just turned Changeling so doesn't know what is going on. Travis happens upon her and decides he cannot just leave her to her fate. He takes her under his wing and helps her deal with her new situation. One she isn't happy with at all.
As the adventure goes on we get to know Neva and Travis as well as the secrets they hide. We also get to know some secondary characters which I can't wait to know more of as the series goes on. However, I think that the best "secondary" characters are the wolves themselves. They seem to know more about what is going on than their humans and I love how they "tolerated" their human halves.
One warning... the book ends with a cliffie. It isn't an abrupt ending (only kind of cliffie I hate more) but things aren't totally settled but their romance is fully realized. The adventure will continue and I must know where it is heading. MUST KNOW! :) I give this book 4 stars. This is a fun shifter PNR book and I recommend it to those that love PNR. I think you'll have fun with it.
In this story we get to slowly know both Neva and Travis. Both on the run from their family but for different reasons. Neva is a just turned Changeling so doesn't know what is going on. Travis happens upon her and decides he cannot just leave her to her fate. He takes her under his wing and helps her deal with her new situation. One she isn't happy with at all.
As the adventure goes on we get to know Neva and Travis as well as the secrets they hide. We also get to know some secondary characters which I can't wait to know more of as the series goes on. However, I think that the best "secondary" characters are the wolves themselves. They seem to know more about what is going on than their humans and I love how they "tolerated" their human halves.
One warning... the book ends with a cliffie. It isn't an abrupt ending (only kind of cliffie I hate more) but things aren't totally settled but their romance is fully realized. The adventure will continue and I must know where it is heading. MUST KNOW! :) I give this book 4 stars. This is a fun shifter PNR book and I recommend it to those that love PNR. I think you'll have fun with it.
October 6, 2013
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in place of an honest review.
Geneva Ross who goes by Neva is changed into a Changeling. She went to a party at Meredith de la Ronde's house having a good time and the next thing she knows she is surrounded by wolves and a silver wolf comes up to her. She knows she doesn't want to turn into a monster like these other wolves so she decides to kill herself. Well because of what she is to become she can't kill herself and she is saved by a man named Travis Williamson.
Travis has lived on his own for years because of an accident that happened to his brother. There is just something about this woman that his wolf won't let him leave her. When he finds out that Neva has an evil Changeling after her he knows that he can't leave her to her evil clutches.
This is a great beginning to an awesome series. I can't wait to read the next one. The author did a great job writing this book. I was left in suspense just trying to figure out who Meredith is and I was really surprised about what I discovered. I hope that we will get more into what is going on in the other books. I just can't wait to see what is going to go down.
I have enjoyed reading this book and I will be getting more books by this author.
Geneva Ross who goes by Neva is changed into a Changeling. She went to a party at Meredith de la Ronde's house having a good time and the next thing she knows she is surrounded by wolves and a silver wolf comes up to her. She knows she doesn't want to turn into a monster like these other wolves so she decides to kill herself. Well because of what she is to become she can't kill herself and she is saved by a man named Travis Williamson.
Travis has lived on his own for years because of an accident that happened to his brother. There is just something about this woman that his wolf won't let him leave her. When he finds out that Neva has an evil Changeling after her he knows that he can't leave her to her evil clutches.
This is a great beginning to an awesome series. I can't wait to read the next one. The author did a great job writing this book. I was left in suspense just trying to figure out who Meredith is and I was really surprised about what I discovered. I hope that we will get more into what is going on in the other books. I just can't wait to see what is going to go down.
I have enjoyed reading this book and I will be getting more books by this author.
October 16, 2013
About a 3.5
Extremely quick, entertaining read.
What I liked: For a first in a series, First Bite was a solid beginning. The Changeling world is bit different from other were-books. The explanations provided by Ms Harper concerning Changelings was well plotted and thought out. The story stays on track and doesn't jump all over the place. I felt connected with the main character, "Neva" and could identify with her problems. I loved to hate the bad guy, Meredith. She was just so amorally written. The story in First Bite had an ending but leads to a good opening in the next book.
What I didn't like: I had a hard time connecting with the hero, Travis. I actually liked some of the secondary characters more. Not sure what the author could have changed to make him more appealing to me. She checked all the typical hero boxes but he just didn't engage me.
As I said, overall, a good beginning to a new series. I've never read anything by Ms Harper before and now might go back and try some of her other books.
The cost could be a factor for some. The paper back is priced at $7.77 and the Kindle version at $3.99. At 287 pages, the price seems a bit high.
Recommend
Extremely quick, entertaining read.
What I liked: For a first in a series, First Bite was a solid beginning. The Changeling world is bit different from other were-books. The explanations provided by Ms Harper concerning Changelings was well plotted and thought out. The story stays on track and doesn't jump all over the place. I felt connected with the main character, "Neva" and could identify with her problems. I loved to hate the bad guy, Meredith. She was just so amorally written. The story in First Bite had an ending but leads to a good opening in the next book.
What I didn't like: I had a hard time connecting with the hero, Travis. I actually liked some of the secondary characters more. Not sure what the author could have changed to make him more appealing to me. She checked all the typical hero boxes but he just didn't engage me.
As I said, overall, a good beginning to a new series. I've never read anything by Ms Harper before and now might go back and try some of her other books.
The cost could be a factor for some. The paper back is priced at $7.77 and the Kindle version at $3.99. At 287 pages, the price seems a bit high.
Recommend
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