Wolves Always Bite

Willow Lake Supernaturals #2

by Lori Ames, Kirt Graves (narrator)

Listening Length: 8 hours and 5 minutes

Jeremy has always wanted to befriend mythical creatures, play with forbidden magic, and meet his fated mate. Okay, okay. He knows the difference between fiction and real life; he is an author after all . . . Or he would be if he ever got to "The End" on one of his stories. So he realizes his desire to live inside a fantasy romance novel is a touch unrealistic, but where is the joy in living a life that is boring and predictable and overwhelmingly blah?

At least that's what he thinks until a hot AF werewolf saves him from his freaky boss and turns his whole life upside down. Now Jeremy is determined to know everything about the supernatural world, and Adrian, his swoon-worthy werewolf hero, is willing to answer all his questions, even when they make the big guy blush.

But when his former goblin boss kidnaps his cat to convince Jeremy to return the items she thinks he stole, things get serious fast. Now in between plotting his next MM romance and seducing the beautiful werewolf (and not just for research purposes), he needs to stage a cat rescue. Life is definitely not boring now.

Contains mature themes.

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

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

When Lori was in elementary school, she wrote a very compelling story about a girl with a prickly personality who turned into a rose. (Sounds amazing, right?) Then she discovered romances in her teens and, well, she knew she wanted to write romances. It took her a little longer to find MM romances, but once she did, she was addicted. She lives in a small town in Alberta with her husband and an elderly black cat who might be a familiar.

Lori Ames writes MM romance with touch of magic!

Reviews

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Safety info, content warnings and tropes down below.

Audiobook review with updated safety information:

I read a digital ARC of this book a while back and enjoyed it a lot, so I applied for the audio ARC asap when I saw it. I think Kirt Graves took these characters and really elevated the story. He nailed Jeremy’s inquisitive and funny personality, and made me enjoy the book more this time around. Jeremy is definitely an over the top kinda character, so eyeball reading doesn’t always translate as well. I had forgotten how much I enjoy these easy, unique supernatural books.

Thankfully a second read also meant I could finally get a proper list of content warnings too, since I lost most of that info after my initial read. Original review below.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.
___________________________________

Okay, this is next level frustrating. I wrote a review for this, detailed with all of my usual content warnings and book safety information. I somehow forgot to actually post the damn thing, and deleted my review when I started writing my next one. So here we are, very few thoughts left, and none of the usual info. Sorry.

What I do remember is that this book, just like book 1, was highly entertaining. I didn’t love it *as* much, simply because I didn’t dig the MCs as much, but it was still really good. I very much enjoy the magical world Lori has created, and I’m looking forward to the third book. I adore shifter books, and even though the shifter MC in this was just a ‘regular’ wolf shifter, the rest of the world it’s set in is very unique, and I can’t imagine confusing this series with any other paranormal series. It’s delightfully original somehow.

Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Paranormal romance
Wolf shifter x human
Fated mates
Found family
Small town
Rescue mission
Past trauma
Cat dad
Golden retriever MC
Size difference
Knotting

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Violence
Car accident (on page)
Minor injuries to MCs
Gun violence
Alcohol consumption
Financial issues
Supernatural being held captive
Mention of past loss of parents
Parent suicide (past, graphic details)
Explicit sexual content
Knotting
Themes of human trafficking
Medical emergency

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Shifter romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 100+ and not specified
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 265
Happy ending: Yes


This was real… and werewolves were real too. But who in the world named their werewolf son Adrian?

"And is your werewolf jizz magical?" The truck jerked as Adrian jolted and rocked the steering wheel. The werewolf sputtered. "What did you just say?"

Jeremy blinked, seeming to come back to himself, and turned to me. "Are you growling right now?" I coughed and pretended to clear my throat. On the other side of the motorhome, Teague and Nelson exchanged cash.

“You’re sure he didn’t hurt you?” the wolf—Adrian—asked as he bounded over to me and licked my hand. “I’m sure.” I wanted to scratch behind his ears like I would a dog. Was that demeaning?



You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a cute addition to this series!!
these books always start right in the middle of something important and it leaves me a bit confused for a while, however it’s very easy to catch up.

these just always hit when i need something sweet and fluffy. i can’t wait for the next one!!

i read an arc and this is my honest opinion

[Megan [At The Cottage] · Rating 4 out of 5]

MM Romance
Fated Mates
4 Stars ⭐️

🎵Narrated by Kirt Graves🎵 One of my favorite narrators and he slayed this. 💗

This is an ALC, advanced listening copy, that I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, first of all, it’s clear that I should have started with book one in the series because even though I could follow along and understood everything, it was obvious I was supposed to know Jeremy’s best friend Ash & his fated mate Dillion from the previous book. I have a feeling reading it now will be hilarious though because it was also obvious that Ash had been hiding supernaturals from Jeremy since they were kids and due to Jeremy’s inquisitive nature, I can only imagine the lies Ash had to come up with to keep Jeremy in the dark. That said, even without reading book one first I had a great time with this and am smitten with these characters. This book felt like a warm hug and made me laugh out loud several times. I also think it’s funny I keep stumbling upon Anubis shifters and each time Kirt Graves is the narrator.

So this is about human Jeremy and his Anubis shifter, fated mate Adrian and the wild adventure they go on when they fatefully meet. Adrian works with other supes who are hired to search for magic artifacts that are stolen or misplaced and this leads him to a flea market where he meets Jeremy. Jeremy has no idea supes exist but as a wannabe MM author specializing in paranormal romance, he is ecstatic to learn that they are real. The questions he asked Adrian and his team made me cackle especially their reactions to them. Magical jizz? Say what? 🤣 His reaction at learning knotting was a real thing was fantastic and hot 🥵 Jeremy reminded me of Simon from Jaclyn Osborn’s Galen and since I loved that character it makes sense I adored Jeremy.

I cannot wait for the rest of this series to drop on audio because I really enjoyed this but I definitely will go back to the beginning and start with Ash and Dillion’s story. A fire mage and a hell hound? Yes please!

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

La portada me ha parecido horrible, tenía que decirlo.

“I wanted to befriend mythical creatures, play with forbidden magic and meet my fated mate. Yes, okay, I knew my desire to live a fantasy romance novel was a little unrealistic…”

Me ha gustado, la verdad por delante. Sobre todo, me declaro fan de Jeremy. Me he reído todo lo posible porque su carácter me recuerda mucho al mío, sobretodo cuando empieza a hablar de sus tipos de lecturas.

“What kind of books are you reading? Adrian sounded horrified.”

La historia sí que está mejor estructurada que sus dos entregas anteriores, se nota que la autora va mejorando, aunque siento que va a alargar demasiado la saga para mi gusto.

Por el momento voy a seguir, que estoy encantada con el mundo que ha creado.

[Audi♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was even better than the first book! The drama/plot is good. We still haven't found out why the goblin stole the artificials or why the wolves were involved.
That warehouse part made my heart race.

Jeremy was my favorite person ever.
Yall know, I love mpreg. SO DOES HE. He asks Adrian when they first met if he has a magical jizz to make babies 💀 I giggled so hard.
(He doesn't have magical jizz in case you're wondering.)

"I supposed that was for the best. I really wasn’t meant to be a mommy daddy"

The bonding/mating scenes in this series are intimate and romantic.
The tattoos 🥹
Adrian doesn't recognize Jeremy as his mate right away, so there's little push/pull.

-He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. “My mate.” “Your mate,” I agreed. “Or barnacle. That probably works, too, because I’m not letting you go.”

The only thing that was a wee bit wild to me was the 7th son business.... random? He was pretty badass, tho.

I want stories for everyone in Adrian's group. Esp Nelson. Oouuu and Gage!!! The next one is him and the Orcal. It's gonna be juicy!!!
I read the blurbs to the other books in the series... I'm bummed there isn't a book for Hayden (yet?).
Poor dude.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I did not love Book 2 as much as the start of the series but that’s partly because Jeremy was my least favorite side character and that didn’t change too much with this book. I found him equally annoying and charming, though, and this whole universe is like one cozy, magical hug by a warm fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, so I’d probably keep going in the series. I do wish there would be different pairings other than massive, growly, overprotective bear with the kind of princessy, neurotic twink though because the couples are starting to sound the same. Dillon and Adrian were almost copies of each other in some ways.

Jeremy writes gay paranormal romance that he never finishes, and he’s a fanboy who wishes for adventure and that magic was real. His best friend is Ash, the fire mage who got paired with the hellhound in the first book. I did like how he was charmingly nerdy and asked a zillion questions; where he started getting annoying was hearing his entire inner monologue in his POV chapters. I am very similar to Jeremy’s personality and even I find my brain annoying, LOL.

It turns out Jeremy is working for a goblin in disguise selling what he thinks is antiques but that turn out to be stolen magical artefacts. Adrian is a werewolf investigator on the trail of stolen magical artefacts and the wolf man and the little human have an instant sexual attraction. Jeremy thought he was doomed to forever be alone because his personality can certainly be over the top, until he meets an actual werewolf who can’t stay away from him.

I liked Jeremy overall as a character; I thought he had depth and interest, but I found Adrian pretty one-dimensional and I swear he growled about 100 times. I wanted to learn more about him and I really didn’t see what he saw in the human before fated mates came into play. I thought Jeremy, too, just saw him as the object of his fantasies come to life.

I did like the mystery and side plots in this and the cast of characters as usual was what sold this book. I just wasn’t as enchanted by this romance as I’d hoped. It felt forced or awkward in parts and not just because Jeremy was so awkward. Their miscommunications the couple times they almost broke up were also very transparent and easily resolved. It felt like trying to force some tension into the story when what would have made this shine more is simply more character development.

Who am I kidding, I’ll probably read the next book just because I have to see what happens to the side characters and I am still charmed by this cozy, low-stakes, low-angst universe.

Thank you to Booksprout for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This second installment is better than the first, which isn't saying much.

This author can't write a climax/action scene to save her life. Here we have one measly goblin overpower and outmaneuver a bunch of powerful supes, including a hellhound and an ancient demon.

The human saves the day! Lol

Like in the first book, character and relationship development were MIA, and the ending doesn't "end" anything.

I'm not sure how many books the author is planning in this series, but she's zealously digging a plot hole a mile wide and deep.

I'm done here and do not recommend.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series and can be read as a standalone, although it is probably more fun if you had read the first one before as we meet all the characters from the first book.

That said, I was very curious about Jeremy's story. When we meet him here, he is on his way with his new boss and meets some very shady characters.
Adrian is a welcome addition, and I do understand why Jeremy fell in love with him.

The storyline is very interesting, and I loved that part as well as meeting Adrian's crew. Especially his boss 😉

Also, the relationship was very well done. I am normally quite hard on such a quick timeline, but here it was really well done.

So, why only 3,5 stars? I am afraid that one is totally on me
I am very sorry to confess, but Jeremy was a bit too much for me. Normally I like nerdy characters, but somehow Jeremy and I just should not be.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this one and I am really looking forward to the next book

[Cindaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy was adorable. I'm not really a fan of insta-love/fated mates, but one of the characters did theorize that there are several potential fated mates, which I am more down with. The declarations of love at the end seem very quick, and would've had this book at a 3 if Jeremy weren't so delightful. The story is interesting too. I'm just not that into long declarations of love; I don't even like when people propose and they're all, "since I first met you blah blah blah." But anyway, great book overall and I'm very invested in the other characters and the overarching story.

[Second Life Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

This author is new to the MM world and I can honestly say I’m thoroughly impressed. I’m a prolific reader who reads about 5-6 books a week and only have a small handful of authors I will read without seeing reviews on a book first. Lori Ames is definitely becoming one of them. This book was really interested and I felt like it was truly well fleshed out. The storyline was intriguing and kept me interested the entire way through. I’m particularly picky with paranormal romance books because I feel like they are either great or not. Jeremy was such a lovable character and I really liked Adrian for him. They were a believable fit. My only critique with them is that I would have liked them to have some more conversations between them to feel like they got to know each other just a little better before the “I lobe you” was exchanged. I loved the side characters too and I’m glad gage will be the next book as I was truly pulled in and interested to know his story and where it will go next.

Half a star knocked off because I feel the underlying plot could have had just a little more oomph. Without giving away any spoilers I would have liked just a little more follow up on that at the end of the book. Maybe one more talk with Jeremy’s boss or just an update. Though it’s probably hard to do that without making it more of a cliffhanger. I’m sure we will learn more in the next book though. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be reading the next one.

✨An ARC was exchanged for this review but all opinions are my own✨

[Aziza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't feeling Jeremy and Adrian's connection. Mainly I just didn't like Jeremy. I understand being curious and having questions. But him asking so many with no consideration to their appropriateness or if he was being offensive got annoying. I also expected his personality to be quirky and funny but he came off as extra just to be extra.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

Wolves Always Bite is the second installment in Lori Ames’ engaging Willow Lake Supernaturals series. This story features a new couple in Jeremy and Adrian, but the larger series arc follows the events of Hellhounds Never Lie and this story has some spoilers for events of that book. You could start the series here, but if you want to read them all, they are best read in order.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Brey (lil Sebastian)]

DNF at 51%. I tried to re-read the book again but the character who is in a shifter, I can’t even remember his name, it’s just all over the place and his chapters are a lot of inner monologue and I’m just not into it.

[Courtney Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!

This series is a delight! Book one was great and book two was even funnier with all of Jeremy’s insatiable questions. I’m excited to see the series continue!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeremy & Adrian
Rating: 4 ⭐

- Paranormal
- Werewolf/Human
- Magic
- Found Family
- Fated Mates
- MM Romance

This is the second book in the series and is another sweet and cozy read, although it is longer than the first. This story has more action in it now that we’re really getting into the overall storyline. Each book has a new main couple and this one has Ash’s best friend, Jeremy, in it. I loved Jeremy in the first book and was so ready to read his part of the series where his mind was sure to be blown. Jeremy’s brain and questions are all over the place all the time but I loved it in the first book and it was just as good in this one. He is a wannabe writer who is obsessed with fantasy and paranormal everything but doesn’t know that any of it is real, especially since his mage of a best friend didn’t tell him anything. So, Jeremy is working for and around paranormals daily and is completely oblivious. Jeremy and Adrian are such loveable characters and I felt they were a good match to put together. The storyline keeps you interested throughout and the side characters continue to be great additions.

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

HEA: More HFN since there's unfinished business; Different couples for each book though

[SFBookReviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves Always Bite is the second book in this series. It is a very sweet, cozy paranormal romance that is an easy read and full of steam. Adrian and Jeremy make an adorable couple and the overall story is well written. I liked that the book contained all kinds of paranormals and loved the hellhounds and overall world-building.

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

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Book Review

✨ "Wolves Always Bite" by Lori Ames
✨ Series: Willow Lake Supernaturals, Book 2

✨ Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

✨ Wow, there was so much going on! A fast paced sequel to "Hellhounds Never Lie", we are thrust into the supernatural world with Jeremy - a human who just wanted a job - and Aiden - a werewolf who thinks Jeremy is adorable.

✨ I loved all the questions Jeremy had about supernaturals! It's a fun way for the author to get a lot of information across, and they definitely made me laugh. The 80s song references were excellent.

✨ Book 1, #HellhoundsNeverLie is out now on KU, and #WolvesAlwaysBite is coming out on November 1, 2023!

🎉 Preorder link to Amz: https://a.co/d/6E6KPD3

✨ Pick up if you love: a whole diverse cast of supes, a human who is just ridiculously excited they exist, a lot of questions about super dicks, a Maine Coon with an attitude, best friends, #fatedmates, #werewolves who just want to be loved, and a hilarious book full of #foundfamily and #love

✨ I got this ARC from GRR and I'm so happy to be able to continue to review for them! I genuinely enjoy my experience with their process, so please feel free to check out their program!

#wolvesalwaysbite #loriames #willowlakesupernaturals #supernatural #books #pnr #paranormalromance #gayromance #whatareyoureading #gayromance #series #gayromancereads #gayromancereviews #bookreview #arc #arcreader #arcreview

[Susi June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Seriously, I loved it so much. When I read the blurb, I just KNEW I would love it and that was confirmed within the first few pages.

Jeremy is ah-maz-ing. I love him, he immediately got booted into one of my favorite characters ever. He was just delightful. Adrian was great too, really lovely. Together they made the perfect couple.
Don't even get me started on the side characters. I want to read all their stories!

It's the second book in a series and most of the time I'm like, meh it's fine, I don't have to read the first book, I know enough about these characters. Here though, I want to read all the books.

It was a lot for internal monologue, but let's be honest, Jeremy's inner thoughts were very entertaining.
I hated that we didn't get an epilogue (whyyyyyyyy), but at least, we get to see them again in the next books.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprising Sequel

This installment starts in the same vein as book 1 and works along a similar story arc until it bends that reality and throws a completely different spin to the narrative. Reasonable character development, for the most part, but a rather rapid shift into this new reality after passing the halfway point. This books has a positive ending, but the overall story is not yet resolved.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good night!! I was so excited for this book that I preordered it and of course I forgot. THEN I got the ARC as soon as it was available. Love love love Jeremy with his loveable, easy personality and how Adrian fits right to him. This book was absolutely as a 2nd in the series. You see returning characters, evolving characters and the ever pressing need to have Jeremy’s werewolf Viking story come to life.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

...

Narrator: Kirt Graves

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story so much it was a m/m werewolf romance but there are so many supernatural creatures that make an appearance it was fun and twisty and romantic and spicy it was well narrated as well

[Danis ❤️ MM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snarky human with a fascination with all things supernatural, finds out paranormal creatures are real with a hunky wolf shifter saves his life. Shenanigans and sex quickly ensue.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another super cute addition to the series. I loved Jeremy. He was such an upbeat person, didn't have a lot of baggage, loved his family and his siblings, had a great imagination and was out there trying his best. Of course when his weird boss is revealed to be a green ape thing and the hot guy buying the box of junk turns out to be a werewolf, everything changes, but Jeremy jumps in head first. Who wouldn't want to have all their questions answered about the paranormal world (does he have magical jizz?) and maybe have sex with a hot guy?

There is still the over-arching story which is getting bigger than just a few stolen artefacts and you meet most of Adrian's team so things will settle with the new characters, but it was tons fun and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ 3🌶

While I have read several books with LGBTQIAP+ side characters, this was my first M/M romance novel 🏳️‍🌈

This story was great, and I loved the audiobook 🎧
Human x Werewolf? Yes, please! 🐺
Dual POV? Love it! 👬
Cat loving character? Absolutely! 🐈
Fated Mates?!? One of my all-time time favorite tropes! ✨️

If you're looking for a great fated mate romance with spice, magic, and LGBTQIAP+ aspects , this is the book for you!

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the Audiobook.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

series just got better, love Jeremy

Rating: 4.5🌈

Lori Ames has a definite hit with her Willow Lake Supernaturals, a series that just got better with the release of the second novel, Wolves Always Bite.

Most of the winsome nature and endearing qualities of this story are embedded in the character of human Jeremy. BFF to fire mage Ash of Hellhounds Never Lie, Jeremy isn’t aware of the paranormal world or his bestie’s real identity. Instead, he’s a wannabe writer trying to finish his first M/M book, keep a job, and try not to feel like a failure. He’s adorable and the person who draws the reader immediately into the storyline and his perspective on the events as they happen.

Currently, he’s an assistant to a grumbling ill-tempered owner of an antiques/odds and ends shop that mostly sells at open markets. That new job is where we find him at the start of the book. An oblivious human surrounded by supernatural beings, including his shady goblin boss.

Jeremy’s Etch a Sketch sort of mind is a wonderful place to be. Curious, self deprecating, full of book plots he’s jotting notes for, every moment the reader spends with him just makes connect to him even more fully.

While Jeremy’s life is becoming more complicated, Ames introduces a new group of beings that includes the other main character. It’s a traveling supernatural police force that’s got a hot werewolf, Adrian, on the trail of lost artifacts.

This is why reading the books in a series in the order that they are written is so important. Because we know or have an inkling where these artifacts came from because of that introductory book that laid out the foundation for the series.

Now Ames starts her expansions of the series arc and mysteries as well as cast of characters. All roads continue to lead back into Willow Lake, that multi paranormal species town that oozes magical powers.

Jeremy is outright hilarious in his own introductory series of scenes with Adrian and his Supernatural Council law enforcement team of mixed beings that include a demon boss. Wannabe writer needs to know things if he’s going to write MM PNR romances !

Ames does a great job of weaving poignancy along with the humor into her narrative. So there’s Adrian’s traumatic family history to go along with the effervescent questioning and acceptance by Jeremy.

Wolves Always Bite has other wonderful elements. Fated mates, magical mysteries, high suspense, and a author who does a terrific job of continuing the overall arc themes and storytelling from one book to the next, weaving the plots together without necessarily lessening one for the other.

If there’s a quibble, it’s in the “bargain” aspect between Adrian and his boss, demon Gage. While there’s a built in consent clause to the contract, it’s not as valid I find when the person finds a mate. That means to some extent that the initial agreement or its parameters have been altered. At least to my mind.

That’s not addressed in the plot. Maybe it will in the future storylines as Jeremy and Adrian are fully mated with a new path ahead, but uncertain as to what that will be.

The mystery is still evolving, the new group of characters is a great addition, and Willow Lake is looking better than ever.

On to Oracles Always Win in the start of next year. Can’t wait. I’m highly recommending this book and series. It’s exciting, hilarious, and quirky. A definite winner.

Willow Lake Supernaturals:
- [x] Hellhounds Never Lie #1
- [x] Wolves Always Bite #2
- [ ] Oracles Always Win #3 - Feb 15,2024

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two of the Willow Lake Supernaturals series and the main character is Jeremy Crane, a human who is fascinated by the supernatural and has tried writing lots of his own books on the topic, but never quiet finishing any. Not finishing is something that carries over to his further education and impacts his job history as well. Currently he is working part time for his new grumpy boss Babette Smith, who drives him to different markets and fairs, to help sell her products. He has his cat Clawie McClawson and his best friend Ash, who now lives over in Willow Lake and has a new partner Dillon, in his life. He needs the job to pay his rent and not end up back with his parents which would be embarrassing. The latest trip takes a side excursion to a dodgy looking rundown place in the woods, where Babette tells him to stay in the van, whilst she gets some men to load some boxes into the back. When they get to the market, she pushes the boxes under their table and leaves him to put out all the other item. Adrian is a wolf shifter who works for a team of supes working for the Supernatural Council, under their boss Gage, a demon, along with death mage Teague, centaur Isaac, shadow jumper Nelson, and Davie (Davina) who was on a job elsewhere. They had been hired to find some stolen magical goods, with dark magic traces, and Adrian was the one sent to check out the market. His nose leads him to Jeremy’s stall, where he can sense dark magic and asks about any other goods for sale. Since Babette still hadn’t returned, Jeremy sells the two boxes to Adrian, who asks him to help carry them to his truck. He doesn’t want to leave Jeremy in the hands of his boss, when she realises the goods are gone, especially since she is a goblin!

Jeremy and Adrian had been flirting with each other and when Babette changes to her goblin self as she chases them and attacks Adrian, he can now see the supernatural through their glamours. His imagination has now become a reality and he is right in the middle of it all. Adrian acts jealous whenever anyone else comes near him. Lots of fun as Jeremy doesn’t stop asking questions and trying to figure out what is really true about supernaturals and what is wrong from all the books he loves to read about them! They are so well suited for each other and it soon gets nice and steamy. But Jeremy is in danger, as well as Gage’s team, as they have to track Babette and her cronies and find out how much more shocking things she is actually up to. A lot of shocking discoveries, attacks by her cronies trying get the goods back, but also some amazing discoveries about Jeremy himself, which get triggered by what he experiences. A few more surprises about his BFF Ash and the people they come into contact with. Not just a romance, but a supernatural awakening with him in the middle of a fight for good vs evil, with the fate of his poor cat Clawie at risk in the hands of his goblin boss! A few misunderstandings give the usual angst from both sides, before they come to their senses as danger gets overwhelming. Definitely a fun read, with a wide variety different supernaturals to meet, even hellhounds! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Dragonfriend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so I immediately identified with and bonded with Jeremy’s character because he and I have so much in common. Many of the descriptions the author gave of him in the beginning of the book could be descriptions of me 😂. We’re both forever students who want to learn about everything. We’re both writers who are much better at starting our stories than we are at finishing them. We both have cats. We both love to read and always have a stack of library books nearby. We’re both broke 😅. We both worked for a very grumpy old woman who sold second hand goods. We both have had weird experiences picking up boxes of said goods from their original owners. We both have sat, bored, at a market stand waiting for customers to approach. We both have a thing for werewolves… Honestly, I was starting to feel like the author might secretly be someone I know and Jeremy WAS me 🤔. I have not, however, bonded to any hot werewolves and discovered my place in the supernatural community, unfortunately.

His poor cat though 🙁. First, his person suddenly disappears on him (and at first forgets he exists), then he gets man-handled by a scary cat-napper, then he’s stuck in a cat carrier from before lunch time all the way to midnight before finally being let out at the motel where there is a dog-scented stranger now to contend with, then he gets locked in a strange bathroom. I was annoyed with Jeremy for being so easily distracted from his cat duties. Maybe it was just because I knew there would be a cat-napping (the description blurb said so) but I was mad at him for not being more cat-focused, lol. So he loses points for that.

Otherwise... I liked the stolen magic goods thing, that was interesting and I could tell it was a pretty well-paced development of the series' subplot, connecting the books together (I'm jumping in in th middle of a series here, I know, but that part of the plot seemed good to me). I feel like I would've liked a little more time in the book. What I mean is, the whole thing takes place in just a few days and it's kind of like- they meet, exciting crime stuff happens on the same day, then they're in the town staying at the motel for a couple of days and we're told that it's all just sexy-times while they're there, and then they're on a cat rescue mission that lasts one day, and then they've discovered that they're fated mates bonded forever. So, it's all happening in a short amount of time. I feel like I would've preferred if the plot had lasted a little longer, like a week at least, so they had more bonding time. That's a common issue with the genre though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The 'fated mate' genre tends to irritate me in this way because 'fated mates'/ 'soul mates' sounds like it should be romantic but it usually just means that we're going to skip all of the 'getting to know you' and 'falling for you' steps. Which is the romance... So it's really just become a way to write a romance book without including the romance. 🙄

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars ⭐️

This was another "new to me" audio ARC that was apparently already a part of a series. I do not think I missed much, since this was only the second book - but there were several times that I realized that things were being discussed that had occurred in a prior book.

The word that comes to mind with this book was "quirky" - and honestly, that isn't really the word I'm looking for but my brain can't seem to provide the word I want. This story did have a couple of magical moments.

The MMC Jeremy is a human who is an aspiring author. He tries to write in the M/M paranormal romance genre (PNR) but can never seem to find endings for his stories. So, he just considers himself a "writer" and not an "author" since he has never yet published anything. He wishes with all of his heart that supernaturals and fated mates were actually "a thing". The thing about Jeremy is that his character is what makes this book. As I mentioned before- there are shining moments....hilarious moments - all moments with Jeremy. The things that come out of his mouth....I actually laughed out loud several times.

But, unfortunately, that is really the one bright spot in the book. The writing is choppy, the pacing inconsistent and the plot - well, let's just say that this felt like one of the stories that Jeremy seemed to struggle with. Where he created these great characters, started off with a plan, then everything went off the rails and he decided to just wing it....but then couldn't figure out where to go from there.

The storyline unfolds when Jeremy finds himself in the middle of a supernatural "situation" and discovers that YEP werewolves, and goblins and everything else he has ever read about is really real. Not to mention the sexy werewolf that seems to be drawn to him as they are thrown into some dangerous drama. And the fated mate thing.....that is real too :)

Is there some massive insta-love? Yep. Is it realistic? Not really. Is the storyline just a bit OTT? Yep. With all of that said, it is still a fun story if you go into it with the expectation of reading or listening to a quick and easy story that doesn't require too much mental concentration and has moments of hilarity. If you have a free afternoon and have a couple of hours to fill, it might just be the thing for you.

Since this was an audio ARC- I need to mention that this was narrated by Kirk Graves. He is a constant narrator in this genre and he is consistently good - at least in my opinion. This book was no different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC. This book will be out for publication on May 27, 2025.

[Sharon L · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My book bag is my weapon of choice. Apparently book nerds can be superheroes too.”

OMG! I didn't think this series or book could get any better but I was wrong. Bringing in Kirt Graves to narrate this fun story made my second time around even more enjoyable. I love Kirt's voice and he brought these characters to life. I loved everything about this... now I need to go back and get book 1, in audio, so I can fall in love with Ash and Dillon all over again as well. I can't wait to listen to all these books. Lori Ames is amazing and I can't wait for the new spin-off series, Willow Lake Pack.

This is my original review dated 11/1/23 from when I read the book via an ARC:
This series just keeps getting better and better. With each book I think it can't get any better but somehow it does. I'm so glad that I found this series via an ARC opportunity on Booksprout. Lori Ames is a new to me author that I'll definitely be keeping an eye on.

What's not to love about Jeremy. He's quirky, he's Ash's "Bestest BFF 4ever", he has 6 older brothers, he's scrappy, he's a writer, and if he can ever finish/publish one of his 56 stories he can become an author. Then we have sweet Adrian. The protector, the hot sexy wolf shifter who can shift while wearing clothes, much to Jeremy's dismay 😉.

The mystery of the stolen magical artifacts continues. We meet "Adrian's merry band of magical peeps" who are hunting down the stolen artifacts. There's a lot of bad guys doing really bad things and everyone gets involved.

I can't wait for the next book, I hate to wait... the next book isn't due out till February 😥. Lori did mention, at the end of this book, a Jeremy/Adrian short story that will be released to her newsletter subscribers. I guess that will just have to tide me over.

I think it's important to read these stories in order to understand and enjoy this magical world Lori has created. I started with book 0, Ravens Never Fall, a prequel that takes place 12 years in the past. This too is a freebie to newsletter subscribers. It just makes sense to read everything the author writes in a series to enjoy that series to the fullest.