A Heart for the Taking

Bright Lake Chronicles #1

by Mell R. Bright

In the North American town of Bright Lake, witches and wolf shifters have been at odds for centuries. But now a new threat forces the two factions to work together. A shadow is roaming the streets at night, ripping hearts out of its victims.

Ellis Tolmach is the powerful (and explosive) warlock back in town. He has a taste for action and justice. And also, apparently, for the alpha of the MacRath clan.

Iagan MacRath is the primary police investigator in Bright Lake and the alpha wolf of the MacRath clan. He has no time on his hands to deal with hot and dangerous warlocks. And yet, he finds himself spending more time than necessary with Ellis Tolmach.

A HEART FOR THE TAKING is a gay paranormal romance sprinkled with blood, murder mysteries, ghost stories, demons, and erotica. It's the first book in a new series by Mell. R. Bright.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Romance, Witches, Magic

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2023

About the author

Mell R. Bright is a book fiend who lives in the French countryside, where life is all about bees and old castles. She spends her days writing science fiction and fantasy books, and her nights writing queer romances.

Follow her on Instagram at @mellrbright to know the latest book news or check out her Patreon page.

Reviews

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5**** stars

“His heart is not for the taking!”

Man, Mell’s stories and writing really just do it for me!


🐺 an alpha werewolf and a powerful witch
🐺 enemies based on their pack’s and coven’s history of war
🐺 reluctantly working together
🐺 he saved his life
🐺 shared powers
🐺 bonding & soulmates


A fast paced, captivating story with a murderous threat that haunts the town of Bright Lake.

I follow him discreetly until I see him reach his townhouse and close the door behind him. I go home, reassured that his heart is safe tonight. From the demon and from me.
I can’t say the same about mine.

A tentative love story that moves not as quickly as you would expect—

“Can I have your heart?” I ask without shame.
He raises an eyebrow. “Pardon me?”
“Your heart,” I repeat. “Is it for the taking? Because I want it.”

—but burns as hot as Ellis’ flames.

Pure surprise and joy burst into my chest, and we catch fire. While flames explode around us as the bond goes taut.

And side characters that have you eager to get their story immediately.
I’m already diving into the next one.

**************
Bright Lake Chronicles

Book 1 - A Heart for the Taking - 4.5 stars
Book 2 - A Mind full of Voices - 4.5 stars
Book 3 - A Soul Rotten to the Core - 4.25 stars

[Ben Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

People are meeting a brutal end in the town of Bright Lake. With chests ripped open and hearts removed, a serial killer is on the loose.

Bright Lake is home to one of the largest covens in North America as well as a prominent werewolf pack. Witches and Wolves have a bloody history that bleeds into present day tensions. But the horrific killings take precedence. So Iagan, the alpha wolf and Ellis, a powerful warlock have to team up and put an end to the killings.

__

I really enjoyed A Heart for the Taking. Ellis and Iagan had a great enemies to lovers romance. And the side characters were interesting too. The plot was fast and action-packed. It packs a lot in and has me eager to get to the next book; I'm really excited about the couple that it follows!

[Paige]

DNF at 14% because one of the MCs calls his FWB and goes to hook up with her, wakes up in her bed the next morning. This book is too short to add in something so unnecessary like this. And that’s what it was unnecessary. It didn’t add any value to the book at all. All it did was piss me off lol.

[Audi♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your heart.” “Is it for the taking? Because I want it."
 
The witches and wolves team up to hunt down a serial killer that's been literally ripping through their little town. 
Who's the heart eater? 
Why hearts?
Can they stop it?
This was a fun start to the series! I love the cover and the spooky vibes.
Their banter made me giggle.. the way Lagan and Ellis were bickering over how many times they rescued each other...in front of dudes creepy captor.. still tied up! 🤭 They had great chemistry. The tension was killing me..JUST KISTH! I LOVE how special their white-fire bonding was, but damn, they sucked at communicating. We never got to see them talk it all out either..
I'm excited about the next books. Luke, with his witchy ghost abilities and grumpy Callum with his crazy seizers. 

 
Not cheating, but... For my friends that hate when the MCs get with other people... Lagan hooks up with his fwbs, Melanie, in the beginning. It's not detailed, but he wakes up in her bed. (Before bonding)
Ellis gets drunk and wants to hook up with the guy he's dancing with. He doesn't. (After bonding, but still not together)
 

[Dris Stoica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read from Mell R. Bright and she is now becoming one of my favs MM authors.
This book has been adictive since page 1 and I couldn't stop reading until I finished it.
The 'haters to lovers' history of Ellis and Iagan has been so sweet and spicy at the same time. I really loved the tug-of-war between Ellis and Iagan until they finally accept their bond.
I really loved everything of this book: all the characters, the love story, the plot... A 'must to read' if you are a lover of witches and shifters stories.
I can't wait to start the next book of this trilogy to see what's happens next!

[Tare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating - 4.5 Stars

This hit just the spot for me. It was giving off all the spooky season vibes and I ate that shit up. It had the perfect mix of slightly creepy and cozy autumnal vibes.

Iagan is the alpha of the wolf shifter pack and he ends up working together with the witch coven’s top warrier (Ellis) to solve the mystery of who is killing tourists in their quaint spooky town. They dislike each other on principle of the history of witches and wolves but reluctantly start liking each other.

The added element of soulmate magic was awesome and it led to them deciding to give in and sleep with each other which led to them getting the feels 🥰

I loved the side characters - especially Luke! I am immediately jumping into his story. His powers are SO cool and he was the sweetest. Protect at all costs.

And the plot?! Loved it. That demon was low-key hilarious. As was our snarky little witch Ellis. That part with the beans?! I died laughing - IYKYK. And the inclusion of the ghosts?! Perfection honestly.

I wish we had a touch more of the romance but overall this kept me intrigued, had me smiling, and gave me the exact vibes I want in October 👌

[Leigh Gaskill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Start!

This was a good spooky read. Someone is killing tourists and stealing their hearts (gross!). The shifters and witches (who don’t get along) need to work together to figure it out, and quickly.

There’s a little soulmate magic thrown in here, but not in the usual way, which was pretty cool. Iagan and Ellis are both stubborn and make mistakes and honestly that just makes it more believable to me (Leigh…you’re reading about shifters and witches….I know okay!)

There’s two more in this series and this was a quick read, so I’m eager to finish the next two for spooky month!

[Rozarka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I almost DNF-ed this one. The first third was clunky, too much forced exposition, too much telling and not showing. I didn't care about the characters much (yet). But I hoped it would get better (it's the author of Monstrous Whims after all), and it did. The plot picked up, the characters showed their personalities (who would have thought the big bad wolf is such a softie), and I finally believed their chemistry. In the end, I quite enjoyed the ride.

[|Stephanie| · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Can I have your heart?” I ask without shame. He raises an eyebrow. “Pardon me?” “Your heart,” I repeat. “Is it for the taking? Because I want it. In a non-life-threatening way."

A HEART FOR THE TAKING was a solid start to the Bright Lake Chronicles series. The town of Bright Lake is home to all short of paranormal beings; witches, wolves and ghosts just to name a few. Its a charming place to call home and I adored it right from the start.

The romance between head Alpha Iagan and Warlock Ellis left me feeling underwhelmed unfortunately and that was all because of Ellis. He was in a word, a brat. I just didn't care for him even though I loved Iagan, who carried the book for me. But Bright Lake and its side characters intrigued me enough that I'm definitely diving into book two after the little glimpses we got about a certain recluse and bookshop owner. 3.5 Stars!

[lady moon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is so fucking boring 💀 and it's awfully written, how can you write so unemotive

[Alex (HEABookNerd)]

DNF

The writing was really stilted with short choppy sentences and it just wasn't very pleasant to read. There was also a couple of strange word choices that made the writing even more awkward.

[Catarina Águas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Iagan is the alpha of the pack and attracted to witch Ellis. The witches and shifters do not get along and these two tried to push each other away since day one, no matter how attracted they were to each other. It starts because of the bonding but then reall feelings join too and they can't deny it any longer. I hated when Ellis pushed Iagan away and then blamed him. Thank God his friend brought some sense into his head. I loved them together and the demon part was really good too

[Lioba · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice read about a romance between a wolf-shifter and a witch, while they are trying to figure out who is killing people and taking their hearts. The investigation does not take up much of the story, so it is a direct case here.
The relationship is nice but at some points i could not help but roll my eyes because of the usual "not talking with each other" behaviour. But all in all it is a nice read and I do want to know what is up with Callum, what he is suffering under, and if Luke will get a partner. So I will try to get the second book "A mind full of voices" too.

[anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

rtc

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. A quick easy palate cleanser werewolf romance! I am really excited to read Luke’s book though! That sounds much more my vibe of a book.

[Asa Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, quick read for lovers of romance and paranormal! I've been working through my backlist of books I have checked out from KU but haven't read yet, and I hate that I waited so long to read this one. It was super fun, with endearing banter between the MCs and interesting worldbuilding that didn't drone on for pages at a time like some supernatural pieces suffer from. It was hilarious to see Ellis, allegedly the coven's most powerful witch, continuously get his ass handed to him. Poor baby was like, Claire from Outlander levels of constantly getting into trouble. The "my witch/my wolf" lines were also adorable.

I'm excited to read the rest of the series, since there wasn't a single side character in this story who I wouldn't love to see have their own book. Especially Callum (who's an MC in the next one!) and Finley, the mer shifter. Some stories get muddied by having too many characters, especially with so little page time to go around, but it was done beautifully in this one and the vivid supporting cast made the story feel wonderfully organic.

There is spice but the scenes aren't very long, nor are they especially graphic, so this would be a great read for those who favor plot and fun character interactions over a lot of the word count being dedicated to sex scenes. Personally, I'm a smut lover all the way but that didn't keep me from loving this. I've yet to meet a Mell R. Bright book I haven't enjoyed!

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️ I was well and truely hooked with this book.
A great start to the book as Ellis had his nights fill of partying but he had to work. Being a warlock sure had its advantages with hangovers. This book was an original storyline that I hadnt read before which I loved.
Ellis 26 yrs owns a bakery in the Bright lake township. Another murder spoils the morning as he sees police surrounding an area.
Iagan 32 yrs was the alpha🐺 and detective was on a hunt for a possible serial killer.
A great story with Ellis and his twin sister, Nellie and Luke set to find a murderer. Yeah they clash with Iagan and not in a good way at first, but there was s plan to work together. Ancestral truce between the shifters and the witches but they come together to fight.
I loved the hot fire rocking between them as they bicker and sass each other. Nellie and Luke have their own special powers differently to Ellis’s fire power. Scenes play out and at times I had to laugh at their silliness.
Dangers happen and they all have a roll to play, this has a gorgeous ending for Ellis and Iagan’s romance. A fast paced story written beautifully with both povs included.
Luke’s book is next which I’m really wanting to read.

[Myllady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really work for me :(

Sadly this story didn't work for me, the chemistry between the MCs wasn't convincing, I believed the attraction but the deepening of the bond felt forced, the important ''im in'' conversation happened off page, and the I love you's felt very premature and unbelievable 🤷

The world building and storyline had potential but I'm not sure yet if I'll read book 2.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! This is the second series I've read by a new favorite PNR and monster MM romance writer, Mell R. Bright. It took me a minute to adjust my expectations of this world compared to her other series. The other series is a post-apocalyptic monster romance. This book is just as exceptional but possesses a very different tempo and energy.

Welcome to Bright Lake: a historic and magic-filled little town that thrives from spooky-obsessed tourism and magic-filled pastries. It may be called quaint... if an evil someone or something wasn't murdering tourists and ripping their hearts out. Eep!

Enter stage left: Iagan, the alpha of the wolf clan in the area and police investigator. He's a typical hot, moody, and utterly f*ckable know-it-all.

Cue our honey, baby, sweetie pie Ellis. Ellis is an exceptionally powerful with, whose power presents itself in the form of flames. Burn baby burn!

Despite a long-standing curse/feud between the witches and wolves, they agree to work together to save the day.

What was lovely about this book was the warmth the writer creates between the relationships. I could feel the love between Ellis and his sister and the genuine care that Luke has for his ghosts. My only minor pointer would be that at times the pacing felt a bit off. The final fight scene was getting realllllllllyyyyy good and then kind of; poof "magically" (hee hee) was resolved.

My biggest "complaint" is that I still have no idea how to pronounce Iagan. I've been calling him Iggy in my head this whole time. I did appreciate how fluid sexuality was in this book. It was completely normative for anyone to be interested in people/creatures/etc of any gender! Excited to read the next installation in this series for some ghostly-perfect love.

[the1mmbookspot_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A sudden desire to protect him overwhelms me.”
•
So I read this series out of order but I can’t consider it a crime when both books were incredible!
•
A Heart For The Taking by is a paranormal, steamy, enemies to lovers. There’s humor, spice, sass, magic, shifters, and a nasty shadow figure. Ellis is a warlock that specializes with fire (makes sense because his attitude is 🔥🔥🔥). And Iagan is the alpha of his Wolfpack clan (also makes sense because the dude is 🔥🔥🔥). Random murders bring them together to work as a team to get to the bottom of them and it’s a rollercoaster from start to finish. Not to mention the spicy scenes are ✨chefs kiss✨, like the perfect amount.
•
Mell, again, works magic (pun always intended) bringing the characters to life. Not to mention the plot is so organized as in nothing feels rushed and you just drown in what’s happening. You never want it to end and you want all the adventures with Ellis and Iagan.
•
I read book 2 first and obviously would recommend reading them in order (don’t come for me, I already apologized 😂). But so far both books are at the top of my rec list!
•
Rate: 5/5

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be going through the rest of them, definitely. This one wasn't quite as refined as I'd come to expect with their later work but this was a lovely foray into witchy wolfy utopian existence.

I do love the connection and the bond situation that comes up and how it's a bit like folktale red string.

Overall my favorite part was the world the story exists in. It really was a small town "nice place to live" vibe. Everyone doing their part to live in harmony. The commentary that murders are ruining the economy truly got me... Like yes that is what a small town would also see and it wasn't just "ohhhhh nooooo."

[Lily Laverick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A murderous shadow? Witches and covens? Shifters and clans? Sign me up!
I started this book at 4 am when my horrible cold got me up for a coughing fit. While my throat felt like it was being ripped out, at least it wasn’t my heart like in this killer of a book! I’m obsessed with it! I had to add it to my Favourites collection as soon as I turned the last page! It’s dark and mysterious, and I’m totally in love with Ellis, one of the main characters and a witch/warlock!
If you’re a fan of Mystery, MM Romance, Paranormal, and Urban Fantasy, you’ll love this book as much as I do!

[Lena Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

It’s thrilling and romantic, sexy and funny. The sex scenes are hot but the focus is on the story and the demon hunt. I do feel that it could benefit from some more proofreading, sometimes it was hard to know the meaning of a sentence because it said, for example, “but” instead of “bit”. But it kept me captivated and I laughed quite a lot.

[maqita:3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

hasta el 70% estuvo maravilloso, pero después hasta el 90% estuvo muy difícil de leer ya no los soportaba 😭 está bien que a veces exista la mala comunicación pero hay un punto en donde los tercos deben dejar de ser tercos y hablar

[Allison Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, adventure filled story

Nice build up and introduction of character that lead to a fun, engaging story. I enjoyed the world building and the crumbs for future books. The spice was spicing and the relationship felt earned.

[David B. Pattillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, engaging roller coaster

Needs just a little bit more editing, but don't let that scare you off. The protagonists are engaging, the world is very well thought out, and the storytelling is superb.

[XYour_MaidX · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much the balance between romance smut stuff and the story was perfect

[Nikki Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Mell. R Bright and once again the goods have been well and truly delivered!! Fantastic world building once again. A great quick read that hits the spot!

[Debra Johnson]

Prch Amz June 8, 2024

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 ⭐️