Hot Wolf in the City

Monster Mate Mayhem #1

by Honey Phillips

Working 9-to-5 has never been this wild!

Desperate for a fresh start, Julie jumps at a chance to work for the boss of TalkToMe, the country’s fastest growing social network. The job's location, the enigmatic Monster Island, only adds to its appeal - she won’t be tempted to make another foolish mistake.

She didn’t expect her new boss to be the hottest, most tantalizing man she’s ever met - even if he does growl his orders and has an oddly arousing habit of sniffing her.

Derek might be a werewolf residing in the heart of Monster Island, but he sees himself as a businessman rather than a monster. Until his new assistant arrives, awakening all of his most primitive instincts.

He knows she’s human. He knows she’ll never stay. But the need to claim her is growing stronger every day…

Can Julie resist the primal allure of her werewolf boss, or can a beauty really love a beast?

Monster Mate Mayhem is a series of seven standalone monster romances, each featuring a different monster and their journey to find love amidst the chaos of their lives.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Monsters, Fantasy, Monster Romance

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2024

Reviews

[aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Despite the insane amount of questionable sentences, "wtf am I even reading" situations, and the fact that the hero’s vocabulary consisted mainly of "little" and "pretty", I still basically ate it up in one sitting and even, surprisingly enjoyed it.

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

werewolf🐺 x human👩🏼‍💻
boss💰x assistant 👩🏼‍💼
knotting 🪢
celibate hero😋
no owd/omd 🔪
no third act😌

pleaseeee😭 miss girl changed her job and city because her relationship with her previous boss ended badly. so guess what she does next? yup, you guessed it right. kisses her new boss after working for him one week🤪

this was insta love/lust even though they didn’t act on it immediately(waited like 4 chapters😋) then it was domestic moments between them, lots of sex, dominance, alpha behavior. and then some pack business, petty woman drama aaaand mating bite 🤭💋🥰

i enjoyed this new style by honey phillips, can’t wait to read more of this series!

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read felt a little fresher than some of Honey Phillips's other books I've read recently. I think I'm still just a little burned out on her style unfortunately, but I definitely think this fun and cute read will work well for others! This is a paranormal romance between a human assistant to her werewolf boss (ignore the part where the h moved to this new city because she'd gotten involved with her last boss and it went downhill). Insta-attraction and an easiness to the relationship makes this low angst, though they don't jump right in right away, which I liked. The H feels a lot of possessiveness and he's very growly while the h is submissive and sweet. Things really get going for them when the H needs to go back to the pack he left and decides to bring the h along as his significant other as a buffer. Some scent marking happens and that's when the spice takes off. A bit of pack drama, some claiming, and a cute HEA ending.

Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and neither are virgins (H had been celibate for a couple years, I don't recall any history for the h).

[Mel 🐞 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you took a shot everytime growling and the word female was used in noun format, you wouldnt have been able to read this book. Because you would have be dead.

THIS WAS INSANE! I actually really liked Julie, but Derek 💀 I think maybe one or 2 times he had something to say that wasn't about her body. CHAPTER 2 was his sort of POV (This book is in 3rd person) and he was already talking about his shaft and her lips. Derek gotta have a spring in the shaft because that thing was always popping up. Gonna take somebody eye out. And the Knotting. Oh God the knotting. I don't wanna, thanks.

The amount of times I screamed "NO, PLEASE STOP, NO!" You would have thought I was being attacked. This was absolutely CRAZY. I read it on kindle unlimited, so you can see some of the stuff I hilighted if you dare. Read at your own risk.

Even though this was nothing but hornyness, it actually did keep me entertained. So if you want to read it, switch off your brain. You won't be needing it were you're going.

Irene slayed. Loved her and her wooden spoon.

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars. Fun, quick read. It was equally cute and spicy ;) i think I may have a soft spot for growly, possessive alphas....

[ReneeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little werewolf romp.

[Shelby Cornejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was right up my alley; it caught my attention from the very beginning and had werewolf human crossover which is one of my favorite sub genres. Quick read, good spice, and a light tone. 5/5 🌟

[Jannie Cv · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delectable romance!
I adore Julie! Quite sassy, she is, in her quiet, submissive way, but only with Derek. And when she tacks ‘Sir.’ onto the ended sentence…
When verbally attacked, however, Julie gives as good as she gets. Derek’s step-mother is a piece of work! I love seeing Derek’s reactions to Julie. I think Derek is fooling himself in regard to their developing relationship. It’s a delightful tale, with some interesting secondary characters who add flavor to the story. Yes, a hot wolf, with no place for a relationship in his life. Read and see how that works out for him!

[Jesse Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much! The Alpha energy in this book kept the steam coming, and made this a one session read. I was so into the main characters that I didn't even plan on the story building, but it did! The back story and world building snuck up on me and added the perfect amount of plot. This is a must read 😍 Really hoping that Honey builds off of these characters into her own series too.

[riley ☠︎︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up)✨ so cute and fun! Very enjoyable read. Although I was kinda surprised when she got kidnapped for like 5 minutes by what’s her face (lmao). I want more books on Derek’s brother and the other possible couple😩🙏🏼

[Romane | Bookylicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75- 4
I had a lot of fun

[Chrissy Santillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Nothin to write home about but I liked it well enough.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, it was hot, some parts were written well but most of it read as fan fiction. Took me about an hour and a half but it’s good for spice!!!

[Noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Niemoralnaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5/5

[Kseniia ✨️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like a poorly written fanfiction...

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Peach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall fine. How many times can you use the word “minx”? Should we even be using it once? Aged.

Would’ve been three stars but they let the evil step mother live after she threatened to cut up the heroines pussy. Now why are we healing her. Let that bitch die!! Enough with letting the villain limp off into the night!!

Pregnant after being together three months, that always goes well.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
O instalove me pega, não consigo curtir mesmo sendo o esperado pela sinopse

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The 'yes/no, sir' and 'good girl/little human' got old fast.

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Ew. I couldn’t finish this. From the start the ‘hero’ reminded me of the ultimate sleazy lawyer: Dan Fielding. All he can think about is sex and her body and her smell. His first real question is about how she dresses. It’s creepy. Yes, he’s a wolf. Buy he’s also an employer and a professional. And his internal voice is just repulsive. DNF.

[Helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just found this one SO BORING. Derek is a hotshot businessman and head of a social media agency and Julie is a girl in need of a fresh start and ends up working for him.

Let me just say Derek was a let down, the guy acts so creepy towards Julie, he's her boss and basically all of the lines about him are him thinking about her "smelling good" and "being small" and basically creeping on her. Oh and he's hot so it's cool. Really? That's it? Then you have Julie, she's so dull and has almost no personality. The smut of pretty good tho!

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars

[Gleeful Goblin Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleeful Goblin Review: I'm absolutely loving this new series so far and the world building that's taking place. I think the author did a phenomenal job of setting up this human/monster blended world and therefore a zesty forced proximity office romance between our MC's. FMC is MMC's personal assistant at a major social media company. There's a lot of sublimated attraction between our MC's and because this story is told dual POV we can see that happening in real time from both ends: “Derek—Mr. Moonstone—isn’t like that. He’s demanding, but he just seems to assume that I’ll do a good job. Like I said, different.” “But it’s a good different?” “Oh, yes.” She took another sip of her drink, and did her best to sound casual. “I don’t actually know much about him. I looked up the company online before I accepted the job, but it didn’t even have his picture. He owns a social media company and doesn’t have any social media accounts except the generic ones I handle for him.” “I’m not sure that anyone knows much about him.” Betty leaned closer, lowering her voice. “His father was Gerald Moonstone, Alpha of the biggest pack on the island. Derek was supposed to be his heir. Instead, he left the pack and the island as soon as he turned eighteen.” “Why?” “I’ve never heard anyone give a reason. Maybe the pack knows, but they don’t talk to outsiders. I do know everyone is wondering why he’s been meeting with his brother.” A dreamy smile crossed Betty’s face. “You probably haven’t seen him because they’ve been meeting down on the tenth floor, but I was in the lobby when he came in one day and he is gorgeous.” “More gorgeous than Derek?” she asked, then winced. “Don’t you mean Mr. Moonstone?” Her friend gave her a teasing look, then shook her head. “I always thought he was a little scary to be honest.” Scary? Commanding maybe, even overwhelming, but the way her pulse sped up when he was around was definitely not from fear. “But you’re right—he’s a good boss,” Betty added quickly. “And even though he made a lot of money off-island, he still came back here to build the company headquarters. He didn’t have to do that, especially since he can pass for human.” Julie winced again. She knew that a lot of humans were less than friendly towards the occupants of the island, especially the species that were clearly not human."

Both our MCs are nursing secret hurts but our MMC is definitely the one who needs way more convincing to let his walls fully down and accept being loved. There's some very tame D/s dynamics in play that work well for both characters even if it's not my cup of tea to read Sir every few lines of dialogue but as long as that doesn't bug you it should be fine. Our silly, stubborn babes get their happily ever after and I can't wait to read more in this world. 5/5 Stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsters! So many monsters! Monster Island is chock full of them and Julie's just relocated there and is ready to shine in her new job. The fact her very distracting boss is a werewolf doesn't bother her, but her attraction to him is a little distracting.

On Derek's end, he's a businessman at heart, but he's still part wolf. And both sides of him like his tempting new assistant. Although they (and by "they" I mean Derek and Julie) both try to fight it, it doesn't take long before they're having long one-on-ones and sizzling looks. To be fair, the one-on-ones are actual meetings, not sexy-time meetings, but they do make excuses to be around one another before things take off.

An offer to join Derek on a visit to his former pack moves things forward and soon these two are tearing up the sheets something fierce. Throw in some family dynamics, some twisted pack dynamics, new potential friendships, and a wolf who knows what he wants and this visit puts a lot of things in perspective for everyone.

Monster Island. I LIKE IT.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Kimberley Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Many. Stars…..

Just finished reading this book and while I liked other books by this author, I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. Mostly because I tend to favor shorter stories and this one was about twice as many pages. But the summary interested me so I decided to give it a go. Now I’m wondering how many amazing stories I’ve passed over simply due to the length. The basic premise is a regular woman, Julie, wanting a fresh start in a place where people were different, takes a job on Monster Island (not the one with Godzilla and Rodan- a second island with other monster’s. Right? Who knew there’d be more than one?) Anyway, her new boss, Derek, is a werewolf with family issues- I have family I consider monsters so totally relatable. Then the fun begins so expect to hit the highs- humor, attraction, anticipation and an underlying sexual tension- to the stomach dropping tension, danger, PG physical altercations and …okay that’s it. There’s just enough drama to keep your peepers from blinking. It’s a winner.

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie (h) comes to Monster Island to be the personal assistant for company CEO Derek (H), a werewolf shifter. The two are instantly attracted to one another but each resist for their own reasons, and its not long before Julie’s scent is sending Derek’s wolf over the edge. Derek is in negotiations with his brother, Adrian, the Alpha of the Moonstone werewolf pack, a role Derek left behind years before to set out on his own, and when he needs to visit his old pack, Derek convinces Julie to come with him as his fake mate. Ultra-hot and steamy werewolf shifter, curvy girl romance with plenty of action, adventure, and drama as Derek and Julie move from a fake relationship to a very real one with biting, knotting, primal play, and more. Loved the growing connection between Derek and Julie that he couldn’t resist. So many great supporting characters too who added so much to the richness of the story, especially Irene and Mrs. Tidiwell.

[Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this grumpy /sunny, story. Uplifting, exciting and cute. The storyline was fun. Everything for a wonderful story is included. Steam to the romance, a fake girlfriend offer , kidnapping, and an excellent HEA. The twists and surprises were in just the right places. The world building was excellent. I could picture the monster city. I could feel what Julie and Derek were going through , trying to figure out what they were to each other. Their doubts and eventual happiness.
I loved the dominance Derek used on Julie. But she could always say no .
Julie wanted a fresh start. She just wasn't expecting her boss to be part of it.
I loved the ways he tried to convince her and himself that she was indeed his mate. I also loved his nicknames for her.
I can't wait to see who will be next to find their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Givens · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed story

I enjoyed the plot and characters in this story immensely, but unless the author continues stories around the Moonstone pack characters it becomes “less” to me. You are left wondering about the other major characters that contributed to the story such as Adrian (MMC’s brother), pack members John, Elise and Irene. They all had something going on in their lives, especially Adrian saying he was not likely to become mated even though he’s Alpha, why??? I really enjoy this authors work as it is alway interesting and written well. I just wish these multi-author mini series didn’t have you invest in characters you never see or hear of again unless the individual authors decide to create a “world” for them later. I might be the odd person out, but I prefer a sense of community as in other series written by this author.

[Fay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie is a truly lovely character. You feel that she could be anyone that you might pass on the street. She is quiet but she has a backbone and will stand up for herself if backed into a corner. Like many, that inner sass needs a little nudge to make itself known. Derek is not exactly running away but definitely trying to ignore fate. Seems though that he is not going to get out of it so easily, most especially when presented with what he didn't even know he needed to survive. His retiring assistant Irene feels that Julie might be just what he needs and she was right. This is fast-paced with wonderful characters, even the mean ones! Read it all in one go, how could I not it is a Honey Phillips creation!