Luna Rising

by Lily Wildhart

Being a Lycan, tradition means everything, including discovering my fated mate on my 21st birthday. But my heart has always longed to explore the world beyond my pack, and with each day that passes, I feel that dream slipping away.

Choked by the confines of my own existence, shackled to a mate I have no say in choosing, a stifling sensation grips me, urging me to abandon everything I thought I knew.

Everything I thought I wanted.

In a world where destiny weaves the intricate threads of love and fate, I find myself entwined in a forbidden dance as an ancient darkness threatens to shatter our world.

Torn between desire and duty, we must decide whether to embrace the bond forged by the Fates or defy the very threads that bind us together.

Genres: Audiobook

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2023

About the author

Lily is a writer, dreamer and crime documentary addict.

She loves to write dark, reverse harem romance and characters who will shatter your heart. Characters who enjoy stomping on the pieces and then laugh before putting you back together again. And she definitely doesn't enjoy readers tears. Nope. Not even a little.

If you want to keep up to date with all things Lily, including where her next book is out, please join her mailing list. You can sign up on her website. www.lilywildhart.com

Reviews

[Zoe-Amelia Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot begin to describe how much LOVE I have for Luna. And Nova, and Maddox, and pretty much all the characters in this book 😍😂

Luna is the alpha daughter of Theron who was Roman's right hand man back in the Shadow Walkers Saga, and I can tell you now I didn't realise how much I needed this book until I read it!

Luna is strong, independent, sarcastic and sassy! She's a young wolf who's trying to find her place in a world very much run by alpha men (literally!) But I loved how she could hold her own, even through the gut wrenching scenes (seriously Lily just carve my heart out 😭) she manages to pick herself up and carry on 🥰

And of course with the help of her best friends Maddox (who is so fucking precious) and Nova (who is every girl's perfect bestie)

The twists and turns, the highs and lows, the general feel of this book is INTENSE! It had me hooked on the edge of my seat biting my nails never knowing what was going to happen next.

And I suppose I should talk about her mate too.. now this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion BUT I'm rooting for this guy! Yes he needs to get his head out of his ass, but I'm a sucker for the moody broody mysterious tragic type, and that's exactly what he portrays!

The slow burn is written to perfection here, which just proves what an amazing writer Lily is. The world and character building is EVERYTHING! 🖤

[Barbie Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

How broken can a heart be?

Who is ready for the roller coaster of a Lily Wildhart series?!?!  Absolutely great start to this series keeping you hooked all the way though.

This is a very slow burn story where we follow the life of Luna.  Luna is Theron and Leandra's daughter and Roman's sudo niece (yes.... Remy's Roman... the Alpha of Alphas.  We are in the same universe - eeek!!!).

Luna is next in line to become Alpha of her pack, but is struggling with wanting the responsibility of it all.  With the help of her friends Maddox (Remy + Roman's Son), and Nova, and a little chaos, she learns to find the things she likes in leading.

On her 21st birthday she, along with many other packs, have their first opportunity to find their mates - only hers rejects her on sight!

A broken Luna decides to take some time for herself and explores for a few weeks alone.  In the end, Maddox comes to find her because of threats against her, just in time for them to be captured by the person you least expect.

Lily is the QUEEN OF CLIFFIES so now we get to wait until the next book to find out what happens with Luna, Maddox, and of course the rejected mate.

[Tammy Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew….I have never had one of Lily’s books make me cry like this one did. My heart broke, I mean completely broke from the moment that Luna was rejected by her fated mate. I had already figured out who it was by the time that we get to that point so I already knew why it was going to happen. But that sure as hell didn’t make it any easier to read. And then the angst that continues through the rest of the book while she is dealing with the pain of the rejection along with still seeing him around…oof. To say that I was not prepared for the amount of emotions I felt while reading this book would be a complete understatement.

And that ending? WTF was that? That ending came out of nowhere! Seriously, even though I’m accustomed to Lily’s brand of cliffhangers by now, I was totally unprepared for this ending. I’m freaking out over here and I have so many questions. I need the next book, like yesterday!

[The_Book_Brat · Rating 4 out of 5]

*MF
*paranormal
*FMC pov
*wolf shifters
*rejected mates
*self-discovery
*alpha female
*no 🌶️
*1/?
This was quite slow paced to get into for me, there’s a lot of world building and setting up of the storyline in the first half of this book! We don’t find out how the rejected mate is until after 50% of the way through…although you do get an inkling of who it might be!
There is plenty of action in the fighting against the rogues, and mystery surrounding how they’re coming back now, and what do they actually want?! There’s no ‘saucy’ action in this book with it being a rejected mates, but who knows maybe in future books 😀
I do like how Luna takes the opportunity to find herself though, will be interesting to she what does does!
Wasn’t expecting that ending just adds more to the mystery of why the decision was made in the first place 😯 will definitely read next books to find out what’s going on!

[ROMEOISNOTFUNNY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, with the return of characters from the Shadow Walker series. You don't need to read them, but it helps to have read them. I know I feel like I've missed something that sounds like it should be familiar in this book. And I've only read 3 of the SW series.

FYI, they may be under the name Sloane Murphy instead of Lily wildhart. This is the same book on Goodread Luna Rising by Sloane Murphy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

This was a book filled with a lot of potential romances for Luna and leaves you wondering... well, was hoping it could be a why choose type. By the end of the book, I'm getting more of a battle of the heart type romance. Too bad...

No smut, smex, just some steam in book 1. Lots of action, battles, and coming of age...well alpha moments.

3.7 stars

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy for an honest review.

I really liked this glimpse of Remy's kids/extended family. I love a good second generation! This one is a bit of a slow roll, and it has left me with lots of questions! I have such high hopes for Luna and the rest of the crew. And let's touch on the other trope this trilogy will touch.....Rejected Mates! Part of me for once wants her to work it out, but the other part is like screw them and give in to your BFF!!! I will say that I miss the steam that I am used to from Lily, but I understand why it's not there. But while she is slow rolling us, she does tease us with some action here and there. I can't wait for the next in this trilogy, because one word.....Cliffy!!!?

[Bre Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. So. WTF? I saw that ending coming but at the same time it still shocked me. I’m not sure how that even makes sense but 🤷🏻‍♀️. This book was so good and I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next book. I usually prefer RH especially when there is a possibility of different love interests because it stresses me out to not know who the main character ends up with. Anyways, as of now (and forever) I am team Maddox. I love all of these characters and Luna is almost as much of a bad*ss as Remy and I am here for it. The next book cannot come soon enough.

🐺M/F
🐺Fated Mates
🐺Rejected Mates
🐺Angst
🐺Bad*ss FMC
🐺Werewolves
🐺Slow Burn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[Marianne Tuakoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adore Luna! She’s young and beautiful with just the right amount of sass and stubborn to be considered bad a$$ instead of b!itchy - I want to be her when I grow up. Maddox is a dream and Nova is the bestest best friend ever. All of the new characters we meet are amazing and of course if you’ve read the Shadow Walkers series you will love love love the Bennet family even more.

The trope is rejected mates so obviously we know that is a theme but I actually felt that rejection along with Luna. I cried with her my heart felt the pain and my stomach had all the icky butterfly feelings every time Jackson was around. And the ending … Jackson what are you doing???? Whhhhyyy?

[Lake B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luna is coming of age and struggles with what that means for her and her role in the pack. She does not want to have to settle down with a mate and wants to be free to roam, but things do not always turn out the way you want them. When she begins to accept her role, a wrench is thrown in her plans. Her best friends are the best, and they only want to support her, even Maddox; he will always be there for her no matter the cost. I love that we got to see past characters, and I hope that we get to continue to see them. This book was full of angst, and my heart broke for Luna. I have no clue where the story is going to go with that cliffhanger, but I cannot wait for it.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this hit me in the feels is an understatement! I totally forgot how much rejected mates trope really hurts to read, and god I kept sobbing!

Luna did not deserve that to happen, and a certainly someone needs to just not exist anymore.

The ending had me do a mini rage, because I had this inkling throughout, and was like no that wouldn’t happen, it couldn’t possibly get worse… but of course it did!

Can’t wait for the next book because damn that cliffy has left me hanging and emotionally reeling!

I just received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Traci Bookstagram · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Rejected Mates, Urban Fantasy, Werewolves, MF
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 🌶️
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 💜💜💜
𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁: 💧💧
𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 🖊️🖊️🖊️
𝗣𝗢𝗩: FMC
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Ebook

I absolutely love Luna, she is such a strong character but still shows her young age, it made her very relatable. She also has an amazing relationship with her two closest friends.

After this ending I need to know what is going to happen yet, but I get the feeling there is a bit more going on then meets the eye.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Wildhart is on a role with her paranormal story telling!! Luna is the daughter to the alpha of the Crescent pack. She's next in line . . . and she's not having it! She has her mind made up about what she wants her life to be, but when she turns 21 everything changes. Remy and her guys make an appearance or two in this story, so it was great to see them. The ending is one serious cliffhanger! I could not put this book down and devoured it! I can't wait to see what happens to Luna next!!

[Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everything that this author writes is a masterpiece! Luna wasn't the exception. I absolutely loved her character, she was strong and determinate yet being a "prisoner" of her Lycan world and how the dynamics work. We didn't had lots of spice but the story was much more than just that. I had me on the edge but also my heart a little broken. Absolutely amazing!!"

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm ik weet niet helemaal wag ik ervan vond. Het begint leuk. Daarna wordt het eigenlijk gewoon sad en dan slaat het over naar saai. Ik vond de hoofdpersoon cool maar snapte niet alle keuzes goed. Anderzijds is de schrijfstijl en de wereld prima te volgen. Ik zat niet mega in het verhaal maar het einde verraste me! Daarom wel benieuwd naar deel 2...

[She Runs With Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives you all the classic werewolf vibes—Luna, her childhood best friend Maddox, and the big question: are they mates? Just when you think you know where things are headed, Jaxon walks in and stirs everything up. And then… a rejected mate bond?!
The drama, the tension—it had me hooked. But that cliffhanger?! Ugh! Now I have no choice but to dive into book 2. I need answers!

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

This book had me hooked right away. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. I absolutely loved all the twists and turns and all the emotions that this book had me feeling. I adore Luna and can not wait to see how her story continues!

[Gemma Tyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart was not prepared for this book! It’s such a great look into the Lycan world and the alpha dynamics. I loved all of Lunas different friendships and relationships. But this book broke me and I need the next one to come and patch me back together!!!

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good it hooked me right away! I love fated/ rejected mates trope so this was perfect for me , All the twists and turns oh and that ending!!! Eek I’m excited to read the next book in this series…

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book was action-packed! Luna is trying to navigate being a wolf, potentially taking over for her father and finding her mate. I felt like I was feeling every emotion Luna went through in this book and am really excited to dive into the rest of the series.

[Zuzihut · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 71%.

Whilst I didn’t hate it, I felt indifferent towards the main female character. There was absolutely no building as to why he rejected her.

Also no spice. And that’s a big Nono for me.

Sweet story though.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an emotional and at times heartbreaking addition to the series. It is quite the rollercoaster. Luna has a heck of a journey, it is angsty and packed with action. She is a strong, sassy and easy to relate to character. The ending of this book has me reeling and shocked.

[Angels_46 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story per se is interesting but the book was quite slowly paced, the rejection was expected but makes no sense to me that he is there in the first place and the ending was expected but surprised me who was behind it.

Maddox and Nova are great.
Luna is a bit childish at times
Jackson…meh…

[Karissa Francis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt soooo long and nothing happened. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I don’t want to keep reading even though I want to know how it ends.

I can’t say anything without spoilers. The story is repetitive and the FMC cannot make up her mind about what she wants or what she feels.

[Penelope Baptie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good and left you wanting more

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in a total reading slump when i picked up Luna Rising, I read this book over 24 hours it was that good.

This series is in the same world as the shadow walkers saga, although set after that series is finished.....so if you don't want any spoilers (nothing major) then I wouldn't read it until after. Saying that, if you haven't read the shadow walkers saga then you can still read Luna rising as things are explained as you go along.

I really enjoyed the characters in this, they worked well together and the story line was an easy read with twists and turns along the way.

We left on a cliffy, which had me on the edge of my seat, i can't wait for book 2.