I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
Overall, I enjoyed this serial for it's original elements and for the depth given to Lucas' past. The premise was good, and but for a few elements it was a good story. The steamy moments were nice and steamy too. I like that it wasn't cookie cutter that one can expect from many shifter stories. Now for the not so great. For some reason, I was not sold on Mia's personality. I never felt as though her actions and personality held up to the story being told. Also, the antagonist's actions didn't make sense until late to midway through the story.
I definitely think that the boxed set is worth reading. If you stick with it, you become more invested in the characters and what happens to them.
First impressions per volume (NO SPOILERS):
Vol 1: Claimed 3 stars
Steamy lead-check. Quirky bff-check. Awkward and a bit clueless but sexyish heroine with a secret - double check. But my first impressions were shifter story with a dash of 50 shades of grey storyline, minus the pseudo-bdsm. Mia is a bit less awkward/annoying/ innocent than Anastasia, and Lucas is much more heroic and principled than Christian Grey. But he's also a millionaire with a darkish past. Past the 50 shades similarities, there is definitely a story there. But then I was never sold on the reasons the Red pack went after her, nor was I sold on why they just kept coming. This continues on through the series.
Vol 2: Guarded 2 stars
A lot more explanation here, a bit of an info dump to be honest. Also, there is another supernatural element introduced without much backstory.
Vol 3: Hunted 3 stars
We get more info on the wolves and shifter abilities, which is great. More of a story here between the two mains, and more of a reason for them to even like each other. I like that there is more character building and relationship building here. Also, we finally hear from (for the first and last time) from Mia's mom, who is allegedly her reason for working so hard and whose life she wants to improve. Also, it's hard to believe that her mom doesn't know she's a shifter, when she's been shifting her entire life. Also, the idea of her father, who apparently granted her shifter heritage, is a massive missed opportunity for depth to her story. Also, in this volume she has a brief mishap that is a bit of a throw away as well.
Vol 4: Captured 4 stars
we finally see a reason for some things. Honestly, I enjoyed this volume more than the others. There is a bit of danger, more backstory, and more depth introduced into the other side. Mia finally seems to gain more personality, but it almost seems out of character when compared to the other volumes. If this was the person I saw from the beginning, I would have liked her much more.
Vol 5: Sacrificed 3.5/4 stars
Several "huh?" moments. Some things were introduced that definitely came from nowhere, and they would've been welcome earlier on. I definitely want to learn more about several characters that popped out of nowhere in this volume. In fact, the characters introduced here sound like the more interesting group. The injuries dealt to the "hero" group were not understandable at all. I thought they were the stronger group but they're washed up in this one. Mia's inability to leave *Evil Red* is a confused jumble that I needed to read a couple of times to understand what was happening
Vol 6: Claimed 2 stars
And that's all she wrote. A bit anti-climactic but overall a good story.