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Chronicles of the Shifter Directive #1
Werewolf's Way
[Siren Epic Romance, Erotic Alternative Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, M/M, werewolves, public exhibition, HEA] Hundreds of years ago, werewolves and vampires started a war that nearly wiped out all of humankind. They lost, and to pay for their crimes, they became the slaves of the draechen, trapped by the provisions of the new Shifter Directive. Now, Alpha Graham Powers still maintains hope that he will be able to free his people. When he is captured by a draechen patrol, he finds someone who might be more important to him than freedom itself. His mate, Caelyn Sutharlainn. Caelyn is a sprite, belonging to a species that tried to cooperate with the nearly omnipotent draechen. But when Caelyn meets Graham, he knows he cannot allow the strong, proud Alpha to be crushed by the draechen’s ruthlessness. Together, the two attempt to flee the draechen forces. But does their love have a chance of holding its own against an empire? Can the werewolf and the sprite find their way in a world that refuses to accept them? NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest imprint, the Siren Epic Romance collection. This is Book 1 of 7 in the Chronicles of the Shifter Directive series. The series shares an overall story arc with many crossover characters playing major roles in each book. These books are not stand-alone and should be read in their numbered order. ** A Siren Erotic Romance
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2013
2 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Scarlet Hyacinth
94 books386 followersScarlet Hyacinth was born in 1986, in a Romania still struggling under the weight of the communist regime. As a young girl, she started studying the English language and fell in love with books.
After a childhood spent devouring hundreds of pages of fantasy literature, Scarlet found her calling. While at uni, she discovered with the help of a dear friend that she had a knack for writing. The rest, as they say, is history, or rather, lots of hard work and sleepless nights. Today, she can only say with a smile that nothing is impossible and that no matter what others say, you can achieve your dreams if you work hard enough.
After a childhood spent devouring hundreds of pages of fantasy literature, Scarlet found her calling. While at uni, she discovered with the help of a dear friend that she had a knack for writing. The rest, as they say, is history, or rather, lots of hard work and sleepless nights. Today, she can only say with a smile that nothing is impossible and that no matter what others say, you can achieve your dreams if you work hard enough.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 5, 2013
Well hell, this is a pleasant surprise.
I won't mince words: Scarlet Hyacinth has been on my lousy list for a while now, ever since I read several of the Mate or Meal books. They had awful writing, and the characters behaved like five-year-olds trapped in the body of an adult male with a penis they don't know what to do about.
Imagine my surprise with this book then. The writing has improved A LOT, and by a lot, I mean way, way, way above the average Siren prunes they churn out. The world is built well, the characters are lovable (and most importantly, act like people), the writing of reasonable quality, and it doesn't dismiss the rise and fall of empires within three sentences.
Don't get me wrong. It's by no means excellent - I'm not ready to stretch my compliments that far just yet - but so far it has all the makings of a really good series. If there's one thing I'll nitpick on, it's that the book drags on a bit too long, but even that is just the grouch in me.
Overall? Extremely readable and a great book to add to a fantasy-starved MM bookshelf.
I won't mince words: Scarlet Hyacinth has been on my lousy list for a while now, ever since I read several of the Mate or Meal books. They had awful writing, and the characters behaved like five-year-olds trapped in the body of an adult male with a penis they don't know what to do about.
Imagine my surprise with this book then. The writing has improved A LOT, and by a lot, I mean way, way, way above the average Siren prunes they churn out. The world is built well, the characters are lovable (and most importantly, act like people), the writing of reasonable quality, and it doesn't dismiss the rise and fall of empires within three sentences.
Don't get me wrong. It's by no means excellent - I'm not ready to stretch my compliments that far just yet - but so far it has all the makings of a really good series. If there's one thing I'll nitpick on, it's that the book drags on a bit too long, but even that is just the grouch in me.
Overall? Extremely readable and a great book to add to a fantasy-starved MM bookshelf.
October 1, 2014
I had this all typed out and upon hitting save my internet went down and review went bye bye... Lets see if I remember what I was saying..
Good start to a new series. This story was just a kicker to introduce you to the world. The MC's needed a lot of help to get through. On the journey though we are introduced to Karein (dreachen meaning dragon) who at first seems like the ultimate evil foe. We learn though that this is just a facade.. He sees why the directive began and also now sees where it is(has) headed south. The reasons for its inception no longer apply except to further the gains of the dreachen Emperor. I actually found his charterer to be the most interesting and he isn't truly a main character... yet.
As I've already seen the blurb for the next book, as I was hoping, we will get to see a more in depth look into this more complex character and should prove to be entertaining.
Good start to a new series. This story was just a kicker to introduce you to the world. The MC's needed a lot of help to get through. On the journey though we are introduced to Karein (dreachen meaning dragon) who at first seems like the ultimate evil foe. We learn though that this is just a facade.. He sees why the directive began and also now sees where it is(has) headed south. The reasons for its inception no longer apply except to further the gains of the dreachen Emperor. I actually found his charterer to be the most interesting and he isn't truly a main character... yet.
As I've already seen the blurb for the next book, as I was hoping, we will get to see a more in depth look into this more complex character and should prove to be entertaining.
December 4, 2013
4.5**** Loved it... Hated it... Loved it once again. Was on the edged if my seat... Wanted to throw my Kindle. Put said Kindle down... Picked it back up. Laughed, gave the Kindle the '' Are you freakin kidding Me'' look, cheered, sighed, got to the end with a smile and said.... '' Well Played Ms. Scarlet''.... Cause now I'm DYIN to read the next installment!! If you read not only the blurb but the free Companion guide to this series, you'll get an excellent idea of this fascinating new world Scarlet brings to her readers. There's no way I can do it justice... So if you are having any doubts, check out the companion guide. Hey, it's Free! And I'm sure you'll be hooked and invested in this series just like I am. Glad I didn't throw my Kindle... Cause then I wouldn't have been able to not only cheer for the M/C's... But I would have missed the awesome cliffhanger at the end. (And y'all know I hate cliffhangers! But Dayum! It. Was. AWESOME!
April 9, 2015
This couple didn't gel with me at all... very "meh" as a couple. The next seems more interesting so I'll give the next a go and then decide on the rest of the series.
May 6, 2014
4.0 Stars
I really enjoyed this. Granted, some things irked me but overall it was a very entertaining read that got me hooked on the series.
What did I like?
I really enjoyed this. Granted, some things irked me but overall it was a very entertaining read that got me hooked on the series.
What did I like?
- The world buildingWhat didn't I like?
- The characters*
- The world building (it was good enough to mention twice!)
- Surprise . That kinda blew. I don't miiiind , per se. I'm not exactly a fan but I can sorta deal. But to just throw it out there with no explanation? Um, that's a tough sell. And it was especially so in this book because of the second thing I didn't quite like ...Bottom line: Close call with a potential buzz kill but, ultimately, this was a wonderful start to an intriguing series. I can't wait to read book 2!
- The characters. Okay, I'm not losing it ... much. I realize that I listed the characters in my "Like" column. And I did like them (especially Karien *slurps up drool*) but Caelyn was pushing the envelope and came damn close to chick-with-a-dick territory. It's a testament to how much I was enjoying myself with this story because chick-with-a-dick is almost always a total buzz kill for me. But I was rolling along all happy and shit ... until the surprise. That just sent me into a tailspin because it further exacerbated Caelyn's CWAD problem. Granted, I recovered like a champ and this book was a win in the end but still ...
December 1, 2013
So much better than I thought it would be! I'm happily surprised and jumping on the next book immediately. :D
May 25, 2015
**Grammar**
In a world were a hundreds of years ago,a war btw werewolves and vampires almost wiped out the entire world population, one race decided to take matters in its own hands. The Draechen won the war and controll now all the other species, now their slaves. There are 9 classes and to the lowest they put werewolves and vampires, each day they get hunted and suffer a terrible fate, for years Alpha Graham and his pack, were able to hide, till one night they get ambushed by the Draechen's princes, Karein and his brother. To help his brother and pack run,Graham lets the princes capture him, in his mind there is only one thought, he will escape and come back to them.
Caelyn is a sprite, a noble and part of one of the higher classes and his parents want him to mate one of the Draechen's princes, Karein, to receive a better rank. Caelyn dreamed all his life to find that one person destined to him, but sure as hell that person will never be the Dog-Catcher(nickname of the prince, that hunts werewolves).
When he arrives at the emperor's residence, he doesnt expect himself to feel almost happy to be there. Only later, at the feast in his family's honour he understands why he was so on edge. From the door enter the prisoners the princes bought today from their hunt, and among them there is a man that Caelyn feels is his true mate. He found him, in the worst possible way, and he cant help him. Caelyn is shocked and almost runs to the wolf, and only a voice in his mind stops him, he cant possibly feel the wolf's voice yet, bcs they are not bonded and shouldnt be able to communicate like this, but their bond is stronger than he imagined and the wolf too recognized him at first sight. He cant help him now, but later he will do all he can to make his mate escape, he is so angry that for a moment his powers get out of controll and with his telekinesis he shakes the room. Karein that is near him, takes him away and in that precise moment, Graham understands the nature of their relationship, that man touches his mate as his lover, and the jealousy is killing him.
The prince is smart and he knows something happened during the feast, but to Caelyn surprise the prince doesnt asks any question about the incident, he only asks the younger man if he wants to be his fiancé, and Caelyn knows he cant say no, also if he doesnt want to mate with him, he opens his mouth to reply, when the prince cellphone rings and he is summoned by his father the emperor. Karein excuses himself telling Caelyn that they will talk when he will be back.
In the following days, Caelyn comes up with a plan to free his true mate from the prison,however he understands that alone he doesnt have any chance to be successful, so he calls his best friend Sari, a fae's prince.
Is finally the day when he will free his mate, but the luck wants is the same day when Karein returns. The prince doesnt trust Caelyn he knows he is up to something and he is sure, the fault is of that wolf,Graham.
Is the day of their engagement's feast and they are dancing, when Karein tells Caelyn he doesnt trust him. The sprite is shocked and thinks that is plan will be a failure, but in that same moment an explosion distracts all the guests and the blackout that follows, makes him able to escape. Sari's men help him get out of the residence and tell him to not stop, bcs another group is helping Graham escape and they must go.
Graham hears the explosion and doesnt understand what's going on, days before Caelyn had come to him, masking his true identity with a spell, but he knew was him the same.Caelyn had cleaned his wounds and feed him, and when parting had whispered him that he would save him. Graham cant belive that this day has finally arrived.
He is running, followed by his saviors, when Karein stops them. The 2 start to fight, but Graham knows he is no match for the prince, this doesnt mean that he will stop fighting, the things that surprises him, is that he actually is able to hit the prince at all. Karein pushes him back with his magic, and Graham knows that he will get killed, he tells the prince that no one will ever love him, and his harsh words seem to be a worst hit to the prince than his blows. He has the time to get up, and while Phil one of his saviors and best friend, shoots the Prince's shoulder he is also able to run away. He turns back one time, and he meets the prince's eyes, he knows that if the man wanted he could get up and kill them all, but he is letting them go and he cant understand why.(Phil is also one of Graham past lovers, but this didnt annoy me since the author doesnt explain anything about their past relationship so we can think what we want, she tells us only that they had stopped their relationship knowing they werent mates and that they are best friends since many years)
Finally Graham his reunited with his mate, their passion is palpable, but at the same time this isnt the time to explore their bodies, they are not alone on the plane. Caelyn is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen and he is angry at the thought of what the prince has done to him, the younger man feels his sadness and anger and to Graham's surprise confesses him that he is still a virgin. The wolf thinks that this is to good to be true, but he can feel that his mate is not lying, he feels his innocence, and he knows he is really lucky.
With the help of Raul, one of the fae working for Sari, they receive new identities and start their search for a place to live. Along the way, they succumb to passion. Caelyn seduces Graham with his inexperienced and eager touches,and to avoid getting themselves killed while driving, they stop to a motel. There, they make love for the first time and become mates. This scene was beautiful, Graham is gentle and protective, he wants all the best for Caelyn and he is able to restrict his desires to make this the best first time ever for his mate, his angel how he calls the sprite. Caelyn that started as a shy character, is evolving, and we already saw he is smart and brave, but here we see also he is not a fragile and scared being, he asks to his beloved(the nickname he gave to the wolf) for more and lets him understand that this is all he wanted, that this is his choice and he would never change it.
Their bond is now effective and they are now able to communicate with their minds.
They leave the motel, and Graham decides to take Caelyn to meet his family, but things dont go as he expected, only his brother Stuart is happy for him, the others see Caelyn as an enemy and someone that will make them all get killed with Karein's revenge. They need to leave and Graham leaves his pack to his brother. Caelyn is sad bcs for him the wolf is leaving his family, but Graham tells him that the sprite did the same thing for him, and he would never make a different choice, bcs for him Caelyn will always come first.
A few hours later,Luck wants that their car breaks down. A woman helps them and takes them to the nearest town. There they are able to fix the car, but they make also some friends. Caelyn and Graham decide that maybe they can stay for some time in this town.
A month passes and now Caelyn is working at the cafe,propriety of that woman's ucle, while Graham is working for the mechanic that helped them with the car weeks ago. They are happy and today is also their anniversary, one month since their first time, the time when they become mates. To celebrate Graham's organizes a picnic for them. In these scenes we see how much they love each other, all the time they make love is sexy, but is so much more than only that. The author describes their feelings really well and moves the reader.
When Graham asks Caelyn to marry him, his so damn sweet and all of u will wish to have a love like theirs, trust me.
A few weeks later they marry and they invite to the cerimony all their new human friends. They cant invite their paranormal friends since the possibility of being found by Karein is still high and they are still hiding.
The cerimony is over and Graham takes his husband to their room, there he pushes his angel on the bed and starts to kiss him. Caelyn tells him to dont destroy his dress since he wants their son to use it when he will marry. Graham is shocked and for a few minutes he doesnt speak. He asks how is possible, and Caelyn humors him, telling that he should know how this is possible. The wolf is so happy and this scene was awesome. I was so happy for them, i almost cried.
Graham doesnt want to hurt the baby, so he asks if they can still make love and Caelyn smiles and tells him that yes, he must do it or he will do it alone XD
Graham was always gentle with Caelyn, but now he is really careful and every little gasp makes him slow down, till Caelyn loses his patience and takes matters in his own hands, and i really liked him here ROLF.
Sadly the morning after shits hits the fan. When Graham wakes up he finds out that Kerein is sitting on a chair and watching them. Caelyn wakes up feeling Graham's fear through their mate bond.
Graham feels Caelyn despair, and he knows he must do all he can to save his mate and their child. He tells Caelyn to run, while he and Karein are fighting, but when the prince hits the wolf, Caelyn runs to his mate and tells him he cant leave him. Caelyn asks the prince to spare their lives and the other man tells them that they shouldnt fear him but his father. Caelyn knows that he has one last weapon he can use, his beauty. Also if it kills him to think of being intimate with another man and most of all infront of his mate, he would do all he can to save them. He says to Graham that he is sorry and the wolf's pain at the thought of what he is gonna do, almost kills him (and me omfg was painful). Luckly the prince stops him, before anything happens, telling him to dont humiliate himself or him, faking to have an interest in him.
The prince then tells Caelyn that something is different in him, and using his powers he tries to understand what this is. When he understands that he is with child he tells them they are 2 stupid to bring a child in this, to save this child the prince tells them that he will help them trick his father, but they'll need to follow all that he will say.
Karein is actually a good man, he is only following his orders, and he feels lonely. He never wanted to mate with a man he doesnt even know, he had proposed to Caelyn only bcs his family had said him to. He doesnt want the child to suffer, he doesnt want the lower classes to suffer like this, but he knows that alone he cant do anything. He is only sure of one thing, if his father finds out that Sari the fae helped Graham and Caelyn there will be a war.
Karein's plan is simple they need to fake their deads, but before that they need to make a show for his parents, as the emperor commands them too. Graham has to fight 2 Draechen, and if he loses the other 2 men will take his mate infront of all the audience. Caelyn thinks that Graham will die and with their minds communication he asks Graham to let him be with the Draechen, but Graham tells him, he would never let them touch him. He needs to win.
With the help of Caelyn's powers, in the end, he is able to win, but the emperor asks them to do one more thing. To have sex infront of all the others there.
I didnt like how this scene started, and i feared that Caelyn would be raped. The good thing is that Graham will be the one to have sex with Caelyn, since he won the match.
Thank the gods for this, bcs i would have hated something else, sure as hell is not nice to make love to your mate where all can see, but in the end they love each other.
Their love making is not like the Draechen's emperor and most of his ppl had expected, he thought it would be rushed and without care for the sprite, but we see that at the end a lot of them feel like voyeur to have watched something so gentle and full of love, that should have been private. The emperor knows that his order didnt have the effect the had hoped for and asks Karein to kill the 2 lovers. Karein already knew that he would receive this order and as part of his plan,is in this precise moment that Caelyn must use his spell to fake their deads.
To all the rest they seem dead and now is the time to take them out of the room. With his 2nd in command help, Karein takes the 2 lovers to Phil and leaves them there.
Graham wakes up days later, but when he searches for his mate,Phil tells him that Caelyn is still unconscious, and Graham fears for his mate and their child life. Once again is Sari help that will save them both. (I really love Sari and I'm happy his father the king and his moster the high priestess love him also if he is an illegitimate son, Sari riskes all for his friends and he is loyal, brave and i hope all will go well for him in the 2nd book, he deserves to be happy).
With Sari's healing abilities, finally Caelyn wakes up, and soon after they start another journey with Sari taking them to Eternelle. The place where hundreds of years ago all had started, and that now is a sacre place guarded by the fae.
We are now at the end of the book. We see Caelyn and Graham living together in Eternelle and being happy. All still think that they were killed, also their human friends, that in reality knew about their true identities and now want to revenge their deads.
Sari comes to visit them time to time and to ask how the pregnancy is going, and in one of these visit he tells them, that he is being summoned by his father, if we read the start of the 2nd book we all know for which reason.
Time to read book 2!!! I liked this one i will give a 4.5 stars.
In a world were a hundreds of years ago,a war btw werewolves and vampires almost wiped out the entire world population, one race decided to take matters in its own hands. The Draechen won the war and controll now all the other species, now their slaves. There are 9 classes and to the lowest they put werewolves and vampires, each day they get hunted and suffer a terrible fate, for years Alpha Graham and his pack, were able to hide, till one night they get ambushed by the Draechen's princes, Karein and his brother. To help his brother and pack run,Graham lets the princes capture him, in his mind there is only one thought, he will escape and come back to them.
Caelyn is a sprite, a noble and part of one of the higher classes and his parents want him to mate one of the Draechen's princes, Karein, to receive a better rank. Caelyn dreamed all his life to find that one person destined to him, but sure as hell that person will never be the Dog-Catcher(nickname of the prince, that hunts werewolves).
When he arrives at the emperor's residence, he doesnt expect himself to feel almost happy to be there. Only later, at the feast in his family's honour he understands why he was so on edge. From the door enter the prisoners the princes bought today from their hunt, and among them there is a man that Caelyn feels is his true mate. He found him, in the worst possible way, and he cant help him. Caelyn is shocked and almost runs to the wolf, and only a voice in his mind stops him, he cant possibly feel the wolf's voice yet, bcs they are not bonded and shouldnt be able to communicate like this, but their bond is stronger than he imagined and the wolf too recognized him at first sight. He cant help him now, but later he will do all he can to make his mate escape, he is so angry that for a moment his powers get out of controll and with his telekinesis he shakes the room. Karein that is near him, takes him away and in that precise moment, Graham understands the nature of their relationship, that man touches his mate as his lover, and the jealousy is killing him.
The prince is smart and he knows something happened during the feast, but to Caelyn surprise the prince doesnt asks any question about the incident, he only asks the younger man if he wants to be his fiancé, and Caelyn knows he cant say no, also if he doesnt want to mate with him, he opens his mouth to reply, when the prince cellphone rings and he is summoned by his father the emperor. Karein excuses himself telling Caelyn that they will talk when he will be back.
In the following days, Caelyn comes up with a plan to free his true mate from the prison,however he understands that alone he doesnt have any chance to be successful, so he calls his best friend Sari, a fae's prince.
Is finally the day when he will free his mate, but the luck wants is the same day when Karein returns. The prince doesnt trust Caelyn he knows he is up to something and he is sure, the fault is of that wolf,Graham.
Is the day of their engagement's feast and they are dancing, when Karein tells Caelyn he doesnt trust him. The sprite is shocked and thinks that is plan will be a failure, but in that same moment an explosion distracts all the guests and the blackout that follows, makes him able to escape. Sari's men help him get out of the residence and tell him to not stop, bcs another group is helping Graham escape and they must go.
Graham hears the explosion and doesnt understand what's going on, days before Caelyn had come to him, masking his true identity with a spell, but he knew was him the same.Caelyn had cleaned his wounds and feed him, and when parting had whispered him that he would save him. Graham cant belive that this day has finally arrived.
He is running, followed by his saviors, when Karein stops them. The 2 start to fight, but Graham knows he is no match for the prince, this doesnt mean that he will stop fighting, the things that surprises him, is that he actually is able to hit the prince at all. Karein pushes him back with his magic, and Graham knows that he will get killed, he tells the prince that no one will ever love him, and his harsh words seem to be a worst hit to the prince than his blows. He has the time to get up, and while Phil one of his saviors and best friend, shoots the Prince's shoulder he is also able to run away. He turns back one time, and he meets the prince's eyes, he knows that if the man wanted he could get up and kill them all, but he is letting them go and he cant understand why.(Phil is also one of Graham past lovers, but this didnt annoy me since the author doesnt explain anything about their past relationship so we can think what we want, she tells us only that they had stopped their relationship knowing they werent mates and that they are best friends since many years)
Finally Graham his reunited with his mate, their passion is palpable, but at the same time this isnt the time to explore their bodies, they are not alone on the plane. Caelyn is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen and he is angry at the thought of what the prince has done to him, the younger man feels his sadness and anger and to Graham's surprise confesses him that he is still a virgin. The wolf thinks that this is to good to be true, but he can feel that his mate is not lying, he feels his innocence, and he knows he is really lucky.
With the help of Raul, one of the fae working for Sari, they receive new identities and start their search for a place to live. Along the way, they succumb to passion. Caelyn seduces Graham with his inexperienced and eager touches,and to avoid getting themselves killed while driving, they stop to a motel. There, they make love for the first time and become mates. This scene was beautiful, Graham is gentle and protective, he wants all the best for Caelyn and he is able to restrict his desires to make this the best first time ever for his mate, his angel how he calls the sprite. Caelyn that started as a shy character, is evolving, and we already saw he is smart and brave, but here we see also he is not a fragile and scared being, he asks to his beloved(the nickname he gave to the wolf) for more and lets him understand that this is all he wanted, that this is his choice and he would never change it.
Their bond is now effective and they are now able to communicate with their minds.
They leave the motel, and Graham decides to take Caelyn to meet his family, but things dont go as he expected, only his brother Stuart is happy for him, the others see Caelyn as an enemy and someone that will make them all get killed with Karein's revenge. They need to leave and Graham leaves his pack to his brother. Caelyn is sad bcs for him the wolf is leaving his family, but Graham tells him that the sprite did the same thing for him, and he would never make a different choice, bcs for him Caelyn will always come first.
A few hours later,Luck wants that their car breaks down. A woman helps them and takes them to the nearest town. There they are able to fix the car, but they make also some friends. Caelyn and Graham decide that maybe they can stay for some time in this town.
A month passes and now Caelyn is working at the cafe,propriety of that woman's ucle, while Graham is working for the mechanic that helped them with the car weeks ago. They are happy and today is also their anniversary, one month since their first time, the time when they become mates. To celebrate Graham's organizes a picnic for them. In these scenes we see how much they love each other, all the time they make love is sexy, but is so much more than only that. The author describes their feelings really well and moves the reader.
When Graham asks Caelyn to marry him, his so damn sweet and all of u will wish to have a love like theirs, trust me.
A few weeks later they marry and they invite to the cerimony all their new human friends. They cant invite their paranormal friends since the possibility of being found by Karein is still high and they are still hiding.
The cerimony is over and Graham takes his husband to their room, there he pushes his angel on the bed and starts to kiss him. Caelyn tells him to dont destroy his dress since he wants their son to use it when he will marry. Graham is shocked and for a few minutes he doesnt speak. He asks how is possible, and Caelyn humors him, telling that he should know how this is possible. The wolf is so happy and this scene was awesome. I was so happy for them, i almost cried.
Graham doesnt want to hurt the baby, so he asks if they can still make love and Caelyn smiles and tells him that yes, he must do it or he will do it alone XD
Graham was always gentle with Caelyn, but now he is really careful and every little gasp makes him slow down, till Caelyn loses his patience and takes matters in his own hands, and i really liked him here ROLF.
Sadly the morning after shits hits the fan. When Graham wakes up he finds out that Kerein is sitting on a chair and watching them. Caelyn wakes up feeling Graham's fear through their mate bond.
Graham feels Caelyn despair, and he knows he must do all he can to save his mate and their child. He tells Caelyn to run, while he and Karein are fighting, but when the prince hits the wolf, Caelyn runs to his mate and tells him he cant leave him. Caelyn asks the prince to spare their lives and the other man tells them that they shouldnt fear him but his father. Caelyn knows that he has one last weapon he can use, his beauty. Also if it kills him to think of being intimate with another man and most of all infront of his mate, he would do all he can to save them. He says to Graham that he is sorry and the wolf's pain at the thought of what he is gonna do, almost kills him (and me omfg was painful). Luckly the prince stops him, before anything happens, telling him to dont humiliate himself or him, faking to have an interest in him.
The prince then tells Caelyn that something is different in him, and using his powers he tries to understand what this is. When he understands that he is with child he tells them they are 2 stupid to bring a child in this, to save this child the prince tells them that he will help them trick his father, but they'll need to follow all that he will say.
Karein is actually a good man, he is only following his orders, and he feels lonely. He never wanted to mate with a man he doesnt even know, he had proposed to Caelyn only bcs his family had said him to. He doesnt want the child to suffer, he doesnt want the lower classes to suffer like this, but he knows that alone he cant do anything. He is only sure of one thing, if his father finds out that Sari the fae helped Graham and Caelyn there will be a war.
Karein's plan is simple they need to fake their deads, but before that they need to make a show for his parents, as the emperor commands them too. Graham has to fight 2 Draechen, and if he loses the other 2 men will take his mate infront of all the audience. Caelyn thinks that Graham will die and with their minds communication he asks Graham to let him be with the Draechen, but Graham tells him, he would never let them touch him. He needs to win.
With the help of Caelyn's powers, in the end, he is able to win, but the emperor asks them to do one more thing. To have sex infront of all the others there.
I didnt like how this scene started, and i feared that Caelyn would be raped. The good thing is that Graham will be the one to have sex with Caelyn, since he won the match.
Thank the gods for this, bcs i would have hated something else, sure as hell is not nice to make love to your mate where all can see, but in the end they love each other.
Their love making is not like the Draechen's emperor and most of his ppl had expected, he thought it would be rushed and without care for the sprite, but we see that at the end a lot of them feel like voyeur to have watched something so gentle and full of love, that should have been private. The emperor knows that his order didnt have the effect the had hoped for and asks Karein to kill the 2 lovers. Karein already knew that he would receive this order and as part of his plan,is in this precise moment that Caelyn must use his spell to fake their deads.
To all the rest they seem dead and now is the time to take them out of the room. With his 2nd in command help, Karein takes the 2 lovers to Phil and leaves them there.
Graham wakes up days later, but when he searches for his mate,Phil tells him that Caelyn is still unconscious, and Graham fears for his mate and their child life. Once again is Sari help that will save them both. (I really love Sari and I'm happy his father the king and his moster the high priestess love him also if he is an illegitimate son, Sari riskes all for his friends and he is loyal, brave and i hope all will go well for him in the 2nd book, he deserves to be happy).
With Sari's healing abilities, finally Caelyn wakes up, and soon after they start another journey with Sari taking them to Eternelle. The place where hundreds of years ago all had started, and that now is a sacre place guarded by the fae.
We are now at the end of the book. We see Caelyn and Graham living together in Eternelle and being happy. All still think that they were killed, also their human friends, that in reality knew about their true identities and now want to revenge their deads.
Sari comes to visit them time to time and to ask how the pregnancy is going, and in one of these visit he tells them, that he is being summoned by his father, if we read the start of the 2nd book we all know for which reason.
Time to read book 2!!! I liked this one i will give a 4.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
July 31, 2015DNF at 30%.
Werewolf's Way is a modern day fantasy involving supernatural species (shifters and magical beings) living in human secrecy. There is a caste system involving the shifters, with the dragon shifters holding authority as the most powerful.
The reason why I quit so early was because I couldn't really get into the author's writing style. It was reminiscent of Amber Kell, which didn't work for me. There was a lot of things "suddenly" happening, and I couldn't feel drawn into this modern day fantasy. I think this is a "me" problem as opposed to the author, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving this a try. Perhaps be cautious and read a sample before going ahead with the purchase.
Werewolf's Way is a modern day fantasy involving supernatural species (shifters and magical beings) living in human secrecy. There is a caste system involving the shifters, with the dragon shifters holding authority as the most powerful.
The reason why I quit so early was because I couldn't really get into the author's writing style. It was reminiscent of Amber Kell, which didn't work for me. There was a lot of things "suddenly" happening, and I couldn't feel drawn into this modern day fantasy. I think this is a "me" problem as opposed to the author, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving this a try. Perhaps be cautious and read a sample before going ahead with the purchase.
July 9, 2013
A very exciting start for a new series! I was totally hooked by the twists and turns, the action, and the sweet and sizzling scenes. I can't believe the MCs actually got out of the predicament they were in. Can't wait for more!
February 15, 2016
OMG... The book is interesting but every time I read "slick muscle penetrated his wet cavern" I get totally grossed out. Wet cavern?!? Really?? Btw, that means they're kissing. Wet cavern...
July 26, 2013
http://headouttheoven.blogspot.com/20...
Review: Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Series by Scarlet Hyacinth
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
I have just discovered a new fantasy series that has me in knots and driven me to bite my nails in anticipation for the events that are quickly unfolding. I decided to write one review for the three books not only to save time, but to guarantee that all should not miss out on this new Scarlet Hyacinth creation that has made me reassess her talent as a storyteller.
Once done reading Book 1, I immediately went into discussion mode with ~♥ Elle ♥~. We both concluded that this is our newest favorite series and cannot wait for the third installment.
When reading this series, just like any of the best fantasy fiction out there, it is best to read this in order of publication. There is no going around this for the stories flow into each other and continue where the previous book left off.
Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Companion Guide (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #0,5)Chronicles Of The Shifter Directive: Companion Guide
Free eBook Download
Published June 27th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc
Werewolf's Way (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #1)
Werewolf's Way
Published July 6th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
Purchase Link
[Siren Epic Romance ManLove: Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, werewolves, public exhibition, HEA]
Hundreds of years ago, werewolves and vampires started a war that nearly wiped out all of humankind. They lost, and to pay for their crimes, they became the slaves of the draechen, trapped by the provisions of the new Shifter Directive.
Now, Alpha Graham Powers still maintains hope that he will be able to free his people. When he is captured by a draechen patrol, he finds someone who might be more important to him than freedom itself. His mate, Caelyn Sutharlainn.
Caelyn is a sprite, belonging to a species that tried to cooperate with the nearly omnipotent draechen. But when Caelyn meets Graham, he knows he cannot allow the strong, proud Alpha to be crushed by the draechen’s ruthlessness.
Together, the two attempt to flee the draechen forces. But does their love have a chance of holding its own against an empire? Can the werewolf and the sprite find their way in a world that refuses to accept them?
Draechen's Mate (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #2)
Draechen's Mate
Published July 20th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
Purchase Link
[Siren Epic Romance, ManLove: Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, shape-shifters, HEA]
Black dragon Karein Tersain is the ultimate soldier. He has fought to contain the werewolves and vampires who once nearly destroyed the world, enforcing a Shifter Directive he doesn’t really believe in, all the while struggling with nightmares and plagued by restless guilt.
But as his two hundredth birthday approaches, his time is running out. Without a mate, he risks being killed by his own people. To top things off, his father, the draechen emperor, arranges his marriage with a fae, Sari Norrenddare.
A political match is the last thing Karein needs. Or so he thinks, until he meets Sari. The moment he sets his eyes on the beautiful fae, Karein realizes Sari is his true mate.
But even as the two men fall desperately in love with each other, Karein’s family aims to begin a war with the fae. Can the strength of one mate bond change the destinies of two peoples and save the paranormal world from chaos?
I love my dragons and I love my fantasy books, especially when it involves all things fantastical like magic, fae, dragons, and other paranormal beings of the physical and spiritual world. I usually grab these books and just inhale the stories but then get frustrated when the stories just don't make the cut for me.
This is a story about shifters and how their history affected a change that resulted to a Directive that placed the different species in order of Castes (with the resulting caste-related bigotry) and their world under the firm grip of the Draechen or Dragon shifters. As the centuries passed, the Directive became a choke collar that was hard to live with and even those who were in power started questioning its validity in the present world.
Deep in the heart of this arc are two men who sacrificed their love and lives for the good of all: fae prince Talrasar Myrthylar and his dragon mate Kaelezrin Tersain. Theirs is the Great Sacrifice that ensured the existence of the Directive and yet theirs is the same story that should guarantee the end of it.
Woven in are the many major characters. In Werewolf's Way, we have Alpha Graham Powers and Caelyn Sutharlainn. Their relationship spark off a scandal of such proportion that guarantee other shifters like Black Dragon Prince Shtama(karein)Tersain and his mate, Prince Sareltae (Sari) of Draechen's Mate, to question the Directive even harder as they realize they are true mates themselves. The lives of these four men, plus those of the minor characters, are ingeniously written to gurantee readers a fantastic read. At the back of the reader's minds is always the question of the two sacrificed princes.
There is romance, yes, but the readers are also guaranteed some bit of erotica between gorgeous men, a lot of magic and some shape-shifting action that if one were to expect this to be made into a movie, the budget itself would bankrupt a small third world country. This is a series that has a little bit of everything and yet readers are never left lacking. In fact, I have rated this 5 Stars and yet I want to rate it more. This is an amazing shift from what I usually give this author.
What added to my love of the series is that it made me reach out to another fan and discuss it privately. We were throwing out theories left and right, we were thinking of reincarnation and all, and then we found the Companion Guide. This was a perfect addition to the first two books published to date as now we know what is next to come and what to expect from the characters. Through this Guide, all readers will not only get a glimpse of the history, characters (both minor and major), and sub-plots, but the blurbs of the next installments. It is obvious from this Guide that Ms. Hyacinth has finished her series and we are just made to be teased into waiting anxiously on the sidelines.
The writing style of this series is very different from what I know and expect of Ms. Hyacinth. I must confess that in the past, I had placed her works under my "fluffy" reads. Nothing bad mind you, I just categorize my reads this way in my reading list so I know when I am reading something light and fluffy as differentiated from those which are longer and more emotionally or mentally gripping. I have a separate category, Favorites, and in this shelf I place in my obvious loves. This series has made me reassess my previous evaluation of the author and the series is now under the Favorites.
For those who love romance, magic, action, angst, erotica, and more romance which story smoothly flows without getting cross-eyed, it's time to discover this new series: Chronicles of the Shifter Directive.
Review: Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Series by Scarlet Hyacinth
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
I have just discovered a new fantasy series that has me in knots and driven me to bite my nails in anticipation for the events that are quickly unfolding. I decided to write one review for the three books not only to save time, but to guarantee that all should not miss out on this new Scarlet Hyacinth creation that has made me reassess her talent as a storyteller.
Once done reading Book 1, I immediately went into discussion mode with ~♥ Elle ♥~. We both concluded that this is our newest favorite series and cannot wait for the third installment.
When reading this series, just like any of the best fantasy fiction out there, it is best to read this in order of publication. There is no going around this for the stories flow into each other and continue where the previous book left off.
Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Companion Guide (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #0,5)Chronicles Of The Shifter Directive: Companion Guide
Free eBook Download
Published June 27th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc
Werewolf's Way (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #1)
Werewolf's Way
Published July 6th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
Purchase Link
[Siren Epic Romance ManLove: Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, werewolves, public exhibition, HEA]
Hundreds of years ago, werewolves and vampires started a war that nearly wiped out all of humankind. They lost, and to pay for their crimes, they became the slaves of the draechen, trapped by the provisions of the new Shifter Directive.
Now, Alpha Graham Powers still maintains hope that he will be able to free his people. When he is captured by a draechen patrol, he finds someone who might be more important to him than freedom itself. His mate, Caelyn Sutharlainn.
Caelyn is a sprite, belonging to a species that tried to cooperate with the nearly omnipotent draechen. But when Caelyn meets Graham, he knows he cannot allow the strong, proud Alpha to be crushed by the draechen’s ruthlessness.
Together, the two attempt to flee the draechen forces. But does their love have a chance of holding its own against an empire? Can the werewolf and the sprite find their way in a world that refuses to accept them?
Draechen's Mate (Chronicles of the Shifter Directive, #2)
Draechen's Mate
Published July 20th 2013 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
Purchase Link
[Siren Epic Romance, ManLove: Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, shape-shifters, HEA]
Black dragon Karein Tersain is the ultimate soldier. He has fought to contain the werewolves and vampires who once nearly destroyed the world, enforcing a Shifter Directive he doesn’t really believe in, all the while struggling with nightmares and plagued by restless guilt.
But as his two hundredth birthday approaches, his time is running out. Without a mate, he risks being killed by his own people. To top things off, his father, the draechen emperor, arranges his marriage with a fae, Sari Norrenddare.
A political match is the last thing Karein needs. Or so he thinks, until he meets Sari. The moment he sets his eyes on the beautiful fae, Karein realizes Sari is his true mate.
But even as the two men fall desperately in love with each other, Karein’s family aims to begin a war with the fae. Can the strength of one mate bond change the destinies of two peoples and save the paranormal world from chaos?
I love my dragons and I love my fantasy books, especially when it involves all things fantastical like magic, fae, dragons, and other paranormal beings of the physical and spiritual world. I usually grab these books and just inhale the stories but then get frustrated when the stories just don't make the cut for me.
This is a story about shifters and how their history affected a change that resulted to a Directive that placed the different species in order of Castes (with the resulting caste-related bigotry) and their world under the firm grip of the Draechen or Dragon shifters. As the centuries passed, the Directive became a choke collar that was hard to live with and even those who were in power started questioning its validity in the present world.
Deep in the heart of this arc are two men who sacrificed their love and lives for the good of all: fae prince Talrasar Myrthylar and his dragon mate Kaelezrin Tersain. Theirs is the Great Sacrifice that ensured the existence of the Directive and yet theirs is the same story that should guarantee the end of it.
Woven in are the many major characters. In Werewolf's Way, we have Alpha Graham Powers and Caelyn Sutharlainn. Their relationship spark off a scandal of such proportion that guarantee other shifters like Black Dragon Prince Shtama(karein)Tersain and his mate, Prince Sareltae (Sari) of Draechen's Mate, to question the Directive even harder as they realize they are true mates themselves. The lives of these four men, plus those of the minor characters, are ingeniously written to gurantee readers a fantastic read. At the back of the reader's minds is always the question of the two sacrificed princes.
There is romance, yes, but the readers are also guaranteed some bit of erotica between gorgeous men, a lot of magic and some shape-shifting action that if one were to expect this to be made into a movie, the budget itself would bankrupt a small third world country. This is a series that has a little bit of everything and yet readers are never left lacking. In fact, I have rated this 5 Stars and yet I want to rate it more. This is an amazing shift from what I usually give this author.
What added to my love of the series is that it made me reach out to another fan and discuss it privately. We were throwing out theories left and right, we were thinking of reincarnation and all, and then we found the Companion Guide. This was a perfect addition to the first two books published to date as now we know what is next to come and what to expect from the characters. Through this Guide, all readers will not only get a glimpse of the history, characters (both minor and major), and sub-plots, but the blurbs of the next installments. It is obvious from this Guide that Ms. Hyacinth has finished her series and we are just made to be teased into waiting anxiously on the sidelines.
The writing style of this series is very different from what I know and expect of Ms. Hyacinth. I must confess that in the past, I had placed her works under my "fluffy" reads. Nothing bad mind you, I just categorize my reads this way in my reading list so I know when I am reading something light and fluffy as differentiated from those which are longer and more emotionally or mentally gripping. I have a separate category, Favorites, and in this shelf I place in my obvious loves. This series has made me reassess my previous evaluation of the author and the series is now under the Favorites.
For those who love romance, magic, action, angst, erotica, and more romance which story smoothly flows without getting cross-eyed, it's time to discover this new series: Chronicles of the Shifter Directive.
October 8, 2017
Series review.
So this series has some really good moments and they kept me reading. A great compliment of characters and a story line that could be really engaging. And that there is the crunch point, could be.
Character wise, this book does achieve something I find lacking in many other series. The characters don’t just disappear in the last book or make a vague appearance to ‘link’ books into a ‘series’. This series really did well on focussing on a set of characters and then keeping them in the following books. In this respect I feel I should add a star.
The story as a whole is great, the world building is fairly well done, but there are a couple of points where the story seemed to be lost and then there were a couple of moments especially in the last couple of books, where the plot just wasn’t even lost it seemed to have never existed.
Having said that, the last book does seem to pull some together in it’s ending. Whilst mentioning the last book, the ending of book 6 is good, really good, but it doesn’t prepare you for the last book. I have to say, hang on and keep reading if you are at this point because book 7 is a good read but very confusing at the start and ties in very well with the end of book 6 eventually.
One final note, I found the formulaic sex scenes annoying. They were very generic and repetitive throughout the 7 books. Whilst I don’t tend to read romance/mm stories for the sex scenes they can be good if related to the storyline. I’m sorry but these seemed to almost be inserted into the story at set points for no reason and the actual descriptive writing was like reading a copy and past of the previous one. I ended up not even scanning them like I normally do for interesting character interaction. So yeah another distraction to what “could be”.
So would I recommend this series... Maybe, but I’m just going to preface that recommendation with don’t expect to much, appreciate the idea’s created.
So this series has some really good moments and they kept me reading. A great compliment of characters and a story line that could be really engaging. And that there is the crunch point, could be.
Character wise, this book does achieve something I find lacking in many other series. The characters don’t just disappear in the last book or make a vague appearance to ‘link’ books into a ‘series’. This series really did well on focussing on a set of characters and then keeping them in the following books. In this respect I feel I should add a star.
The story as a whole is great, the world building is fairly well done, but there are a couple of points where the story seemed to be lost and then there were a couple of moments especially in the last couple of books, where the plot just wasn’t even lost it seemed to have never existed.
Having said that, the last book does seem to pull some together in it’s ending. Whilst mentioning the last book, the ending of book 6 is good, really good, but it doesn’t prepare you for the last book. I have to say, hang on and keep reading if you are at this point because book 7 is a good read but very confusing at the start and ties in very well with the end of book 6 eventually.
One final note, I found the formulaic sex scenes annoying. They were very generic and repetitive throughout the 7 books. Whilst I don’t tend to read romance/mm stories for the sex scenes they can be good if related to the storyline. I’m sorry but these seemed to almost be inserted into the story at set points for no reason and the actual descriptive writing was like reading a copy and past of the previous one. I ended up not even scanning them like I normally do for interesting character interaction. So yeah another distraction to what “could be”.
So would I recommend this series... Maybe, but I’m just going to preface that recommendation with don’t expect to much, appreciate the idea’s created.
April 14, 2019
"History books say that sometimes, the worst things come from the best intentions, and in that regard, they are correct. But human history books ignore a lot of things. This is a chronicle of the truth, of the pain, the love, and the fighting that lies under the facade of the normal, human world."
I'm so very glad I have such incredible online friends who steer me towards amazing books. Now, most of you know…aw hell, all of you know, how much I love shifter stories. It's not a big surprise then, that I would jump at a book where werewolves and many other shifters, along with other paranormals, are at the bottom of the food chain, enslaved by the draechen. I couldn't wait to read Scarlet Hyacinth's first book 'Werewolf's Way' in her 'Chronicles of the Shifter Directive' series.
In the fourteen hundreds, the out of control aggression of the werewolves and vampires, threatened to expose every paranormal and magical creature on Earth. The most powerful of the shifters, the draechen, dragon shape shifters, and the fae, formed an alliance. With the sacrifice of a prince of each species, the werewolves and vampires were defeated. As the victors, the draechen imposed a very harsh and controlling regime to prevent these two species from getting out of control ever again. As the saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice and men…", as time went on, the draechen and their noble martyr sacrifices became a convenient and easy way to keep werewolves and vampires as slaves. More and more species became uncomfortable with the totality of the draechen's rule, but opposition was swiftly crushed. The Draechen Empire of Ornoz arose and they created a new international law, the Directive of the Shifter Castes which created an artificial hierarchy for shape shifters. Nine individual castes, social classes with specific rights and duties, were created with the draechen at the top and the werewolves and vampires at the bottom. History has shown, however, that there will always be those willing to rebel against those in power.
Graham is an alpha werewolf who has a small pack which hides from the draechen while working with other packs to rebel. On the night of one such meeting, Graham is captured by the emperor's son, no less, and taken back to the emperor's home. Caelyn is a sprite whose family is constantly trying to increase their power with their alliance to the draechen. Caelyn respects the draechen's power, but has no use for how they treat the lower castes. Caelyn's parents are hoping to find him a mate within the draechen species but Caelyn is holding out for his true mate. Imagine his shock when his family is invited to an event at the emperor's only to discover that a recent werewolf capture is Caelyn's true mate, his other half. Unfortunately, it would appear that Caelyn's parents have already set him to mate with the emperor's son, Prince Karein, Graham's most hated enemy. How can Caelyn woo the royal family while trying to figure out how to free his mate? Caelyn calls on his friend, Sari, a prince of the fae, for help, and within a few days Caelyn, Graham, and all of the other prisoners are freed and whisked away, with Prince Kaerin none too happy.
Caelyn and Graham make their way back to his pack, stopping along the way, of course, for claiming each other and securing the mate bond. Theirs is not going to be an easy life, though. Sprites are not in a caste level, but it is frowned upon for the magical beings to be involved with shifters. Well, shifters other than the draechen, that is. For Caelyn to have disappeared with Graham means that Caelyn has severed all ties with his family and with sprites in general. All shifters, even Graham's family and pack members, view Caelyn as the enemy, forcing Graham to leave his pack in the care of his brother, at least for a time. Graham and Caelyn make their way to a small, human populated town in Vermont as a place to hide out for a while.
Their idyll can't last forever, though. What will happen when Karein finds them? What about when Caelyn and Graham discover that by helping them, Sari has put the fate of the fae in jeopardy as the emperor will wage war against them for this slight? They are fated, true mates, trying only to love each other and the family they've created. They are surprised beyond measure, as is Karein, when he decides to help them against his father. Karein doesn't want war with the fae, in fact, there is much about him that people wouldn't believe. But for now, Karein has vowed to help Graham, Caelyn, and their family.
I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend and, because I needed a little brain candy to read. 'Werewolf's Way' is the farthest thing from brain candy that I can imagine. There were shifters and magical beings, there was smoking hot true mate sex, but there was intrigue and plotting far beyond what I expected. The detail in this plot line was phenomenal and surprised was the least of my emotions. This book was so much better than I possibly could've imagined. Now, I'm jumping straight into the next in the series because these are just too good to miss. Loved it!
I'm so very glad I have such incredible online friends who steer me towards amazing books. Now, most of you know…aw hell, all of you know, how much I love shifter stories. It's not a big surprise then, that I would jump at a book where werewolves and many other shifters, along with other paranormals, are at the bottom of the food chain, enslaved by the draechen. I couldn't wait to read Scarlet Hyacinth's first book 'Werewolf's Way' in her 'Chronicles of the Shifter Directive' series.
In the fourteen hundreds, the out of control aggression of the werewolves and vampires, threatened to expose every paranormal and magical creature on Earth. The most powerful of the shifters, the draechen, dragon shape shifters, and the fae, formed an alliance. With the sacrifice of a prince of each species, the werewolves and vampires were defeated. As the victors, the draechen imposed a very harsh and controlling regime to prevent these two species from getting out of control ever again. As the saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice and men…", as time went on, the draechen and their noble martyr sacrifices became a convenient and easy way to keep werewolves and vampires as slaves. More and more species became uncomfortable with the totality of the draechen's rule, but opposition was swiftly crushed. The Draechen Empire of Ornoz arose and they created a new international law, the Directive of the Shifter Castes which created an artificial hierarchy for shape shifters. Nine individual castes, social classes with specific rights and duties, were created with the draechen at the top and the werewolves and vampires at the bottom. History has shown, however, that there will always be those willing to rebel against those in power.
Graham is an alpha werewolf who has a small pack which hides from the draechen while working with other packs to rebel. On the night of one such meeting, Graham is captured by the emperor's son, no less, and taken back to the emperor's home. Caelyn is a sprite whose family is constantly trying to increase their power with their alliance to the draechen. Caelyn respects the draechen's power, but has no use for how they treat the lower castes. Caelyn's parents are hoping to find him a mate within the draechen species but Caelyn is holding out for his true mate. Imagine his shock when his family is invited to an event at the emperor's only to discover that a recent werewolf capture is Caelyn's true mate, his other half. Unfortunately, it would appear that Caelyn's parents have already set him to mate with the emperor's son, Prince Karein, Graham's most hated enemy. How can Caelyn woo the royal family while trying to figure out how to free his mate? Caelyn calls on his friend, Sari, a prince of the fae, for help, and within a few days Caelyn, Graham, and all of the other prisoners are freed and whisked away, with Prince Kaerin none too happy.
Caelyn and Graham make their way back to his pack, stopping along the way, of course, for claiming each other and securing the mate bond. Theirs is not going to be an easy life, though. Sprites are not in a caste level, but it is frowned upon for the magical beings to be involved with shifters. Well, shifters other than the draechen, that is. For Caelyn to have disappeared with Graham means that Caelyn has severed all ties with his family and with sprites in general. All shifters, even Graham's family and pack members, view Caelyn as the enemy, forcing Graham to leave his pack in the care of his brother, at least for a time. Graham and Caelyn make their way to a small, human populated town in Vermont as a place to hide out for a while.
Their idyll can't last forever, though. What will happen when Karein finds them? What about when Caelyn and Graham discover that by helping them, Sari has put the fate of the fae in jeopardy as the emperor will wage war against them for this slight? They are fated, true mates, trying only to love each other and the family they've created. They are surprised beyond measure, as is Karein, when he decides to help them against his father. Karein doesn't want war with the fae, in fact, there is much about him that people wouldn't believe. But for now, Karein has vowed to help Graham, Caelyn, and their family.
I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend and, because I needed a little brain candy to read. 'Werewolf's Way' is the farthest thing from brain candy that I can imagine. There were shifters and magical beings, there was smoking hot true mate sex, but there was intrigue and plotting far beyond what I expected. The detail in this plot line was phenomenal and surprised was the least of my emotions. This book was so much better than I possibly could've imagined. Now, I'm jumping straight into the next in the series because these are just too good to miss. Loved it!
January 17, 2015
Really good, unique in the often cliched world of shifters, complex, and it just got better the further into the book I got. And I cannot wait to find out who the prince's mate is going to be. That little bit at the end made it ambiguous after I thought I knew...
The characters developed well, and beyond just the two MC's--for it would have been more boring if it had focused completely on them rather than the imminent interspecies war and a select few other characters--I grew attached to all who had POV's in this book.
I loved the levels of this world and the horror (though not explicit, sadly it is PG where it could have been graphic in violence) of its history. This is a really solid and well-done first for a series. It laid out the foundation, was multi-faceted, and left many windows open for the future books linking with the over-arching plot and the romantic subplots. It will be fascinating to see where it goes.
Highly recommended.
The characters developed well, and beyond just the two MC's--for it would have been more boring if it had focused completely on them rather than the imminent interspecies war and a select few other characters--I grew attached to all who had POV's in this book.
I loved the levels of this world and the horror (though not explicit, sadly it is PG where it could have been graphic in violence) of its history. This is a really solid and well-done first for a series. It laid out the foundation, was multi-faceted, and left many windows open for the future books linking with the over-arching plot and the romantic subplots. It will be fascinating to see where it goes.
Highly recommended.
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December 5, 2013Review to be tidied.
This series is better than I expected from an author i usually consider one of the Serial Offenders, though she's never been at the top of that list (except for the Mate or Meal books, along with the other writers of that series). In any case, this series (so far) shows more depth than Ms Hyacinth generally gives to the characters, plot, and overall story arc.
It's nice to see an author actually try to become better, rather than simply remain complacent with previous adequate efforts but high sales.
Will mention this: With this series, Ms Hyacinth has added prompted me to add a new bookshelf: New Style By Author (may be tweaked to 'Change to Usual Writing/Style').
This series is better than I expected from an author i usually consider one of the Serial Offenders, though she's never been at the top of that list (except for the Mate or Meal books, along with the other writers of that series). In any case, this series (so far) shows more depth than Ms Hyacinth generally gives to the characters, plot, and overall story arc.
It's nice to see an author actually try to become better, rather than simply remain complacent with previous adequate efforts but high sales.
Will mention this: With this series, Ms Hyacinth has added prompted me to add a new bookshelf: New Style By Author (may be tweaked to 'Change to Usual Writing/Style').
July 23, 2013
All new released, shape-shifters, books are lately to allied. Their storylines are personally to similar, which makes them boring. And because of that fact, this story isn't truly good. Every action in this story is predictable and plain boring. Even the HEA at the end didn't feel good. So no, I'm not impressed with this book!
August 6, 2013
Whew!! That was a nail biter, and I can imagine the rest of the books will be the same. This was a great start to this series!!
July 21, 2015
4.5 stars. I'm not even going to attempt to tell you what the book is about, there's just too much going on in it. I enjoyed it though.
September 19, 2017
I did not finish this book but I was seriously annoyed and just did not want to
January 4, 2022
This is the best book from this author. I love it because the love between Caelin and Graham was so beautiful and powerful. I think this series is so much better than others.
October 5, 2015
I really liked this book! The two leads radiate such goodness and love that I found myself smiling often at their interactions. The author also, wisely, built enough darkness in the world they inhabit to keep them from being too saccharine.
I didn't mind the "insta-love" in this story. Sometimes it bugs me, but I think I didn't mind it in this case because the characters don't get a chance to talk or interact for a while after they discover each other.
I also liked shades of gray that the characters inhabit. I liked that villainous characters have motivations and feelings instead of being caricatures.
The supporting characters were also really endearing and, reading the blurb for the next book, I am excited to see the pairing I was hoping for taking center stage. I hadn't planned to read the next book until later in the week, but I can't resist. On to the next one right away!
I didn't mind the "insta-love" in this story. Sometimes it bugs me, but I think I didn't mind it in this case because the characters don't get a chance to talk or interact for a while after they discover each other.
I also liked shades of gray that the characters inhabit. I liked that villainous characters have motivations and feelings instead of being caricatures.
The supporting characters were also really endearing and, reading the blurb for the next book, I am excited to see the pairing I was hoping for taking center stage. I hadn't planned to read the next book until later in the week, but I can't resist. On to the next one right away!
September 2, 2014
Am I really supposed to think while reading shifter? I don't think so. This was political and so much drama within families. There are kids being used as tools. Wars being planned. There were amazing humans in a small town. There was a lot of hate for wolves and vamps.
My only question is how can one go against true mates? Even if the castes are there won't being a true mate trump anything else? What happens if you meet your true mate, but are forced to mate someone else?
I like Caelan and Graham.
The ending! HOLY SHEEP!!!!
My only question is how can one go against true mates? Even if the castes are there won't being a true mate trump anything else? What happens if you meet your true mate, but are forced to mate someone else?
I like Caelan and Graham.
The ending! HOLY SHEEP!!!!
November 30, 2015
I kinda liked this book and the series it is beginning. It is nice to have humans not being against paranormal for once.
The story was a nice romance and was interesting. It set some actions into motion that I am sure the results will be seen in later parts. I guess I am just getting interested some and am curious about the next book. My overall view of the series will probably be based on that because this one just doesn’t have me hooked yet.
The story was a nice romance and was interesting. It set some actions into motion that I am sure the results will be seen in later parts. I guess I am just getting interested some and am curious about the next book. My overall view of the series will probably be based on that because this one just doesn’t have me hooked yet.
July 14, 2015
I don't know how I missed this series from this author since I have read so many other things from her, but now I have them and WOW, it's starting out great! I love the world building and, like previous books I have read from her, there is nonstop action and it is fast paced. I feel like the writing in this is stronger that some of her previous series, and I think this is going to be a fun series!
July 14, 2015
First book in a new series. I liked it, but it was not great. It seemed like the problems were too easily solved. World building was great. I got a good impression about the different species and all the political problems.
July 22, 2013
Excellent, such a wonderful tale, I can't wait or the next one
July 16, 2013
3.5 Stars
July 17, 2013
I honestly did not want this book to end.
July 18, 2013
Writing stile is not for me or is rather boring.
August 24, 2013
So far a neat new series
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