Forbidden Hope

Werewolf Wars #0.5

by Bethany Shaw

Emily McKinley has been a prisoner in her own home since she began her first heat cycle. As a rare female wolf, and the alpha’s daughter, she has led a sheltered life. When Marcus Jackson comes to the pack, Emily is instantly drawn to him. As the daughter of an alpha, she is required to find a proper mate—another alpha. Marcus is everything she could possibly want in a mate and more, but he isn’t an alpha, and her father will never approve. Unable to deny their mutual attraction, Marcus and Emily find themselves falling for each other. But Emily’s world comes crashing down when her father orders her to become a breeder for a misogynistic pack. She tries to protest her father’s decision, but the more Emily fights, the more dire the situation becomes. Emily must make a choice, stay and lead a life as a submissive female, or run and put everyone she loves in danger.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, New Adult, Werewolves, Romantic, Novella, Paranormal Romance

50 pages, ebook

First published September 10, 2014

About the author

I am happily married to my husband of almost nine years and have two wonderful children.

I have always loved reading and writing and am thrilled to have published my first novel.

Paranormal romance is my go to genre and the genre I prefer to write in. I love the unique feel of creating an entirely different world and implementing it into the human verse.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/7/2019)! 🎁

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Love Story

I loved reading how Emily and Marcus met and finally got away from her very evil and conniving father...All she had to endure before their escape and what was planned for her future...she was to be a breeding vessel for many men...

Emily, Marcus, Vincent and Devon are now free. but face many trials and tribulations.

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I have read all the Werewolf Wars and know the characters already, I just did not know how Emily and Marcus had met and it was a pleasure to read their story.

If you've read all the other books, then you need to read this one for

Thank you for this great series Bethany!

[Eva Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily McKinley is a rare female werewolf and as the alpha’s daughter she has been kept a prisoner in her own home but that’s nothing compared to when her father orders her to become a breeder for a misogynistic pack in this riveting prequel to the Werewolf Wars series.

This fast paced and smooth flowing plot captivates readers with suspense, drama and romance. The well written scenes and details bring the story to life and the strong compelling characters draw the reader into the story ensuring that they want to know more.

Emily has lead a very sheltered life but she knows that the attraction she feels for Marcus is something special and she also knows that her father will never let her have him all for the good of the pack. But as their friendship grows, their relationship grows as well. The reader can’t help but get caught up in their story as they continue to hope for the best and live through the escalating attacks on their pack.

I read the first one first and I must say that I am glad the author decided to write this prequel, so while it doesn’t matter if you read this one before you read the first one, I certainly recommend it because it adds depth and insight into the characters and how they arrived at where they are in the war between the packs.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Out of the Shadows' has been sitting on my kindle for a couple of months now and while I liked the description somehow I've never really been tempted to read it, that has all changed with 'Forbidden Hope' I read this almost straight away and really enjoyed it.
In this book females are rare, so rare that once her first heat cycle began Emily has been confined to her home and land, she never goes out, has no friends and no life to speak of.
After an attack on his pack Marcus Jackson finds himself injured and in bed being tended by Emily, and while Marcus and Emily are drawn to each other nothing can come from it since Emily's father and alpha Emmett will expect her to mate an alpha, most likely whichever one suits him best regardless of how she feels.
Emmett has always been hard and unyielding but his decision to send Emily, his only daughter away to become a breeder for another packs is the final straw.
This novella is interesting and seems longer than its 85 pages, I fell in love with not only Emily and Marcus but also Devon so I'm really glad I already have his book on my kindle waiting to read.

[Sweets Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I always wanted to know Marcus & Emily's story. She always seemed so outgoing but quite, but being able to see how she dealt with not being allowed much of anything. I'm not sure most young girls would survive being held prisoner in their own home by their dad.

Marcus, I always liked him in the other books. But now I have more of a understanding of how much he risked to be with Emily. He could of left years ago and never looked back. Instead he choose to stay with the pack just to be close to her.

In the end it's a short read but I loved getting to see the beginning before Devon's story. How everything came about, and why they ended were they ended up. I recommend the whole series!

Till next time - Sweets Books

[Donna Hokanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome prequel and love story
I really enjoyed reading this love story about Marcus and Emily. Also this story helps you to learn what the Werewolf wars are truly all about. Well written and extremely entertaining to read. Even though this is a prequel story it’s also a self-contained story. It can be read in any order of the series but I think its best at the beginning before the others. There are some love’s that will make you risk it all to be together. I was given a free copy for an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is a prequel and the events leading up to book one Out of the Shadows. Emily has been a prisoner in her own home for awhile now and one fateful night Marcus comes into her life. But there is trouble brewing when a neighboring pack wants to make a deal with her Alpha father for her. With tensions rising and Emily and Marcus wanting to find their happily ever after they need to find away to escape. Can the make it? You have to read to find out!

[Kathleen Engelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness Gracious, I loved this book! It clearly explained Marcus and Emily's story. I laughed, I cried, I got angry....what an emotional story! Very fast paced, and really gives a in-depth look into characters from Bethany Shaw's first books in this series. A wonderful addition to an amazing series. I cannot wait for the next book! Another phenomenal read from a fabulous author! I received this book as an ARC from author.

[Jennifer Holzapfel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily finds her true mate in one of the survivors of another pack that was attacked and burned to the ground. Marcus feels the same way, but Emily is going to be given to a New Mexico pack and be passed from male to male until she is with cub. Emily tries to refuse her father,Emmett, who nearly beats her to death. She is his Alpha daughter and is going to use her to make their pack stronger and safer by alliance to the New Mexico pack. If she tries anything, he will murder Marcus in front of her. Marcus is heartbroken when she refuses to see him and he finds out the truth about the pack from New Mexico by calling one of the survivors from his pack that is now in Louisiana. His old pack mate tells him the New Mexico pack is the one who destroyed their pack and all the other packs that no longer exist. It is all to get females for mating and even after an accord is reached, he sends his rogues in to destroy the packs. With the help of Emily's brothers, Can they all escape and start a new pack somewhere else, where he and Emily can be proper mates?

[Chrisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella I got free for signing up for the authors newsletter. Emily, the alpha's daughter, loves Marcus but is promised to another alpha for his grandsons. Emily is determined to have her soul-mate. This novella will tug at the reader's heartstrings as Emily is denied her lover. It's fast paced novella with a happy ending.

[Donna Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay

So happy you wrote Emily and Markus's story. I loved it and see their father for who he was. Evil!! And not their all complete with the exception of who they all lost. I just these shifter stories and wish they were real lol

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book is about Emily McKinley she has been a prisoner in her home ever since she was born she is a rare werewolf and is the daughter of 'the fake alpha' she has had a sheltered life when she meets her mate Marcus Jackson who joins her pack after his pack was destroyed by the man Emily must join to mate with one of his Grandsons which is his fathers wishes she is drawn to him she knows she can never claim him has hers can she fight against her father and win to be with her mate or will she follow her fathers wishes and forever be sheltered and live a miserable life or will she run away with the ones she loves and they will forever be in danger if you what to know what happens then please do read this book you will not regret it.

Spoiler review: (Please do not read if you are planning to read the series you will be spoiled.)

I did love the book and I did wish this novella was a bit longer it's an amazing way to introduce the characters and the plot of the story my favourite characters so far are Emily, Marcus, Vincent and Devon I love Vincent always has a Brightside and funny side of thing even when they are going though the hardest moments of there lives he is also amazing fighter has a werewolf and will protect his family with his life.

I love the romance between Marcus and Emily they have really good chemistry and they are prefect for each other which why they are mates it broke my heart when I found out why Emily's dad wouldn't let them be together also I'm glad they ran off to Harris ranch Pack to be together I hope Rick destroys Emily's father and his pack.

I did feel bad for Devon losing his father at a young age only having Vincent and Emily being his only family members to treat him with love and care and his the reason why Emily's father is called 'the fake alpha' because Devon's dad was alpha and was killed by him and Emily's father has always hated Devon because he is a memory of his father and is a true alpha of the pack and is threatened he will be beaten by him and Devon will become Alpha Devon did challenge him before but he cheated and got others to help him so he could stay alpha but could never kill him because its the only way he can force Claire to be with him but i was glad he got Emily, Marcus, Vincent and Devon

I love how it is a actioned pack book and has a lot of comedy I do like seeing Emily's character development and how she tries to fight for what she believes in and how she run away to be with the person she loves the most it will be very interesting to see who's point of views I will be reading from next and see what happens to all of the characters.

I hope you enjoyed my review pls let me know in the comments if you have read the series and your opinions about it.

Happy Reading,

Lola

[Robin Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as in real life for humans, when a young girl has her first period, the father suddenly becomes more and more overly protective of his daughter; giving her increasing restrictions as what she can/cannot do, especially when it happens to involve boys; this is what happens to Emily McKinley.

The thing is, Emily McKinley is a shapeshifting female werewolf, which is a rarity. So when she gets her first heat cycle, her already sheltered life becomes almost like a jail, especially since her father happens to be the Alpha male of their pack. And like any girl who gets a new hunk of a boy moving next door, she’s immediately captivated by the one who has just joined her pack.

Unfortunately the new member, Marcus Jackson, is off limits to Emily since he’s not an Alpha male like her father. But, then, as you already know, there can only be one Alpha male in any group of animals.

This creates a situation where a suitable match for Emily would have to come outside of her pack, and a situation where her orders her to mate with a male from a women hating pack of wolves. But what woman wants to be forced into mating with a total stranger simply because her father has ordered it.

Due to their shared attraction while Emily is helping to tend to Marcus’ injuries, Emily and Marcus are falling in love with each other. And because of this and the increasing conflict between her father’s wishes and her own sexual desires, Emily must decide whether she should follow her pack’s best interests and obey her father or just go with her heart and the heck with everyone else even though they’re constantly being attacked by other packs.

This book is act ually the prequel to the Werewolf Wars series of books by this author and should serve as a wonderful introduction to the series. You’ll fall in love with the depth of Ms. Shaw’s writing for her characters through the dialogue and the surrounding narratives; for which I’ve decided to give 5 STARS.

I received a mobi.file copy of this book for having subscribed to this author’s newsletter and the above has been my honest opinion.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received Forbidden Hope, prequel to the Werewolf Wars series, as a free copy from the author. The gifting did not determine the review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion. This 96 page novella is a tell-rather-than-show, error-ridden story with no substantial character development. In some cases, artistic license assumed grammar and punctuation were suggestions, not rules. The abrupt ending made this more of a prologue than a prequel. I never had an opportunity to identify or sympathize with the protagonists. The plot had a lot of unrealized promise, but it felt too rushed and lacked complexity.

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series...We finally see how it began..
A love story between Emily, an alpha female and Marcus. One of the survivors of a werewolf pack attack...Whom her father feels is not good enough for her. Because he is not an alpha male
Her father, Emmet is trying to broker a deal with another pack for protection.. In this deal he must send his daughter Emily to be a breeder with as many males as it takes for her to concieve..Because females werewolves are becoming very scarce.. And little does Emmet know the pack who he is dealing with is the one who has been attacking the other packs.Emmet believes he can eventually take over this new pack..
With the help of her brothers Vincent and Devon they make their escape...And so begins the Pack wars.
Recieved this free book in exchange for an honest review..

[Susie Fitzwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bethany Shaw has done a wonderful job on this book. I have so much enjoyed reading this series and look forward to the next book. I really enjoyed reading this story of Emily and Marcus. It made you fully understand the rest of the books and come to love them even more. In this book you see what drove them to where they are in the book. You see Emily and Marcus's story and learn more about Juarez. They truly had a one of a kind love that develops even more through the story. I love the settings and the way that she helps you to picture them. You can truly see what she wants you to see while reading. Once I started reading this novella I had a really hard time putting it down. I recommend this novel to anyone that loves a good romance book and who loves wolves. You will not want to miss out on this.

[Reba Rhynland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read, this prequel to the Werewolf Wars series, gives us the background of why they began. A power hungry alpha and his pack start killing off less powerful packs over the lack of available fertile females, and the rest of the packs in the country begin to run scared.
Emily, an overprotected female, whose pack rescues the last remaining wolves from a nearby raid, finds herself attracted to Marcus, the severely injured male of the group. An impossible match – she must mate with an alpha – as she is the alpha’s daughter.
When the question of losing her soul mate vs losing her pack and her family becomes more than a simple choice, the fireworks begin, and her father’s real monster reveals itself.
Will love conquer all? You’ll just have to read it to find out! I know you’ll love it as much as I did!

[Cilicia White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is prequel to the Werewolf Wars and it tells why the war was started, but of course there is a love story involved. This is the story Emily, the Alpha's daughter and Marcus a fellow werewolf who was saved when his pack was attacked and left for dead. This story unfolds through a few years that comes to a head when Emily's father sells her to another pack to be a breeder. This story is fast paced and tells you about other characters in the series.

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Sue Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book for an honest review: I started this book about 3PM Sat. till on and read through 5:30Am Sunday. I couldn't put it down, Emily and Marcus story is wonderful. You never know what is going to come up next, good or bad but with the help of her brothers (some of them,anyway)they keep trying to beat the odds to get to be together.I don't want to turn this into a spoiler, so I will say this is a must read and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have. I hope the stories continue.

[Jennifer Treviño · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT COMPANION NOVELLA!
I've enjoyed this series from the start, & this is a great companion novella! Getting a closer look into the characters & their pasts is always nice. Although I have a new found appreciation of Devon, & the extra glimpse into Em & Marcus' relationship was extremely enlightening. I am also 100% positive that my hatred of a few key alphas was/is completely justified. YEP! You just can't love all of the characters. ;-)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Novella really provided some clearer background on how the Werewolf Wars started. It is about a love that was looked down on by some, and approved by others. A story about love and in all its crazy ups and downs. The best part about this novella is that it can be read ANYTIME within the series. No spoilers. Just blends right in with the series. A very very sweet read for any romance reader.

[Ani's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and I will be reading the rest. I just think that when it comes to stories like this one there should be more to it. I know this is the beginning but I was expecting a better ending. Besides that everything was good and I will be reading all of the others soon.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good

[Anne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant story of love,with loads of trouble . Great start to a series