Rabid: Ihr Herz ist ungezähmt. Ihr Wille ungebrochen.

Kingdom of Wolves #6

by Ivy Asher, Fanny Bechert (Narrator), Raven Kennedy

»Die Nacht, in der ich zur Werwölfin wurde, änderte mein Schicksal. Er wurde mein Schicksal …«

Ein neuer Stand-Alone von SPIEGEL-Bestsellerautorin Raven Kennedy, zusammen mit Ivy Asher. Für alle Dark-Romance- und Werwolf-Fans.

Ich träume schon mein ganzes Leben davon, mich endlich in eine Wölfin zu verwandeln. Wie jedes Mitglied meines Rudels muss ich dazu ein Ritual vollziehen. Doch ein brutaler Angriff auf mich lässt dieses Ritual völlig aus dem Ruder Die Verbindung geht schief, und anstatt meine Wölfin zu kontrollieren, kontrolliert sie mich. Wir sind eins, und doch getrennt. Wild, ungezähmt, zornerfüllt. Statt mir zu helfen, verstoßen meine eigenen Leute mich. Sie setzen mich auf dem Land des Ruin-Falls-Rudels aus, das mehr Monster als Wolf oder Mensch sein soll. Und das größte Monster von ihnen ist ihr Tyran. Doch meine Wölfin scheint zu glauben, dass dieser Alpha genau der richtige für uns ist, egal wie grausam sein Ruf ist. Und es ist ihr vollkommen egal, dass ich anderer Meinung bin…

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Omegaverse, Werewolves

Audible Audio

First published April 9, 2021

About the author

Ivy Asher is addicted to chai, swearing, and laughing a lot (but not in a creepy, laughing alone kind of way). She loves the snow, books, and her family of two humans, and three fur-babies. She has worlds and characters just floating around in her head, and she's lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing people who support that kind of crazy.

Reviews

[EmmaSkies]

I don't know if I'm going to put a rating on this because I feel like maybe it's not the book's fault that I found the vibes of this absolutely rancid.

Or, rather, the book is being what it sets out to be and it's just not for me. Can someone please give me werewolf books without heaping helpings of gender essentialism and aggressively domineering men? No matter how much you try to couch it in paranormal language, the concept of "you're saying no but your body says yes" is gross every single goddamn time.

In no universe will you ever narratively convince me - even in any kind of romance - that a MAN is the answer to everything in your life going to shit including dead family, brutally attempted sexual assault, and kidnapping. "Maybe the answer is accepting this man who forced himself on me but in a different way than that other guy tried to force himself on me" NO GIRL, THAT IS NOT THE ANSWER. GO TO THERAPY OR SOMETHING.

Also another book that is, in and of itself, a great example of the necessity of content warnings being included in books. This one does not have any and they were sorely needed.

[Nerlie౨ৎ🎧📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
3.5⭐️
Listen, this wasn’t revolutionary. It didn’t rock my world, change my life, or make me rethink the meaning of love under a full moon , but it did scratch my little werewolf itch, and honestly that was the mission.

Plot? Practically nonexistent. Depth? We left that in the woods with the pack. But you know what we did get? Vibes. Fangs. Growling. Possessive nonsense. And sometimes, that’s all a girl needs. I wasn’t asking for Shakespeare with claws, just a little feral tension and maybe a howl or two.

Was the writing good? Debatable. Were the characters complex? Not really. Did I care? Also no. Because something about a growly man sniffing the air like he’s lost his mind and declaring someone his mate just makes my brain go quiet, peace at last.

Will I remember a single plot point in three days? Absolutely not. Would I read another just like it? Tragically, yes. Because I am, in fact, not immune to the allure of supernatural men with no self-control and unresolved trauma.

Anyway. Not amazing. Not awful. But I had fun, and that’s more than I can say about most things lately 🐺🫶

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
After Mate, I’ve been a little unhinged, so if this one flops… we might be officially doomed 😭

[bookbeedani 🐝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeper than expected, riveting, sexy, primal

4.75/5 ⭐️ HEA, stand-alone. See full ratings at the end of this review. 💛

Wow. Wow! This book is so much deeper than it looks and really well written. On the surface it’s a book about Wolf/shape shifters in modern day, a protagonist (Seneca) fighting with her new wolf form instincts all the while dealing with her life being flipped upside down. Then comes alpha hero (Tyran). They’re primally connected, and form from their instincts a deep wolf “bond” during the “claiming” that Seneca, on the surface, unknowingly, takes part in. It’s sexy, raw, and full of tension.

✨“...That Tyran is our match in every way. He’s the monster to my rabid, the anchor to my spiral.”✨

Where this book really stands out is the ability to connect with Seneca, connect with her as she battles her new Wolf part, and gets in her own way, all the while working through trauma. This book is set over only a few weeks, it reads quick but pulls you in.

I absolutely loved how she was NOT a damsel in distress for the “alpha” to come in and claim and save her (although being honest, I dont hate reading those either, they’re just not as deep of storylines, usually).

✨”I swear to you, Vicious. I’ll be the monster your savage side needs. The safe place all of you deserves. I’ll be the male that grounds you always. I will be worthy of your claim, and you can trust me implicitly....”✨

While as the reader, you get to enjoy the alpha/claiming/mating bond sexy spice this book has to offer (enjoy learning and reading about knotting, that was new to me 😌😳), you also get to experience Seneca SAVING HERSELF.

It’s not often a the hero can come in a book, be a sexy alpha while still allowing the protagonist to save herself, but this one pulled it off. I also loved how Tyran supported her, was not perfect and apologized to her when he was wrong, earned her trust, and proved this book wasn’t an “instant love” but also was not a “slow burn”.

The spice was off the charts, too. I’m not recently, nor have I ever been much of a paranormal reader outside of vampires, but this book SOLD me. If you’re even hesitating to read this, trust me when I say, do it. Now. You won’t regret it. 🥰🥵🙌🏻

✨“She makes him work for it. She makes his huge body put every single one of those muscles to good use, because she won’t be caught by anyone unworthy.”✨

P.S. if you’re an ACOTAR fan by Sarah J Maas.. Tyran reminds me a LOT of Rhys. Seneca of Feyre/Nesta mixed. Misunderstood world/community, escaping from her “trying to claim you” not-mate villain, “found family”, working through trauma together but supporting each other, not codependent. Not sexist. This is beautiful 🦋

✨ “You’re all I want, Seneca. My wolf and I have been waiting a long time for you.”✨


Plot: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Character Development: 4.5/5 ⭐️
World Building: 4.25/5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Interest: 5/5 ⭐️

[❀ Rose ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just want a good werewolf romance😭😩

🔹 Overall feelings:
〰 This was… not good. First of all, the heroine met the hero at the 30% mark, which is wayy too late imo. It also didn’t help that I kind of hated the hero for a big majority of the book. I think I started liking him at the 70% mark but before that, he literally acted like a huge man-child. The heroine was fine but honestly? I just wanted her to dump him for a bit or at least make him grovel more.

[Sometime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a rejected mate story, but it turns out that the heroine in this book mates with an Alpha but she isn't ready to bite him back yet. So I guess he's the one that's rejected? (although that's not really accurate, she just needs some time to figure herself out).

The h, who just lost her mother, is forced to accept her wolf and is almost raped by her creepy Alpha when she fights back and they drop her off in the territory of a pack that is rumored to be brutal and cruel. Turns out she finds her mate there.

I loved this h. She (and her wolf) were strong fighters and wouldn't accept bad treatment. It took me a little longer to like the H in the book. He mates with the h all night long in a cave, and when she wakes up he's gone back to his house and left her there alone. He was really an a$$ to her for their first few days together. They both make assumptions and have misunderstandings but he is supposed to be in his mid-thirties and instead of being mature, he acts all butt-hurt that she won't accept him right away. He never takes the time to get to know her better or find out her story. When everything comes out in the open, he finally pulls his head out of his a$$ and becomes the H we all wanted from the start. I wish the H would have suffered more, but he seemed remorseful for his behavior.

This was a great shifter story with MCs that I really grew to like and lots of great side characters.

Safety neither virgins. attempted rape of h but she fights back. OW drama--h can smell all the females that the H has had in the bed in his sex room *gross* and they are all the women from his pack. So, all the girls she will now associate with have had crazy monkey sex with her mate for years. The h gets over it pretty quick, but I didn't. I hate when the H sh!ts where he eats! Also, before the h has returned the mating bite, the H tries to make her jealous by having a OW sit on his lap and flirt. The h chews him out and gives him a few things to think about. He was such a jerk for doing that. Again, the tone of the book doesn't prolong the angst, but I hate when the H is a manwhore and rubs the hs face in it. The good news is that the H has his own bedroom upstairs where he has never taken another woman so at least the h has one piece of him that he hasn't shared with the whole pack. Ugh.

[Sarah Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.

Overall: 2.5-stars

[Edit 4 May 2021] The book still bugs me so I'm decreasing the 3-star rating to 2.5-stars.

Originally was going to be 4-stars, but because of the purposeful OW drama (see Safety Rating and my comment for details) and trauma minimization (see the spoiler in my Possible Triggers spoiler), it got pushed to 2-stars.

However, I pushed it up to 2.5-stars because once the Hero realizes how much he hurt the Heroine he did some serious grovelling. Also, there’s no woman-on-woman hate! The Heroine actually realizes it’s the *Hero* who is in the wrong, which is so rare.

I’m sure most people won’t find it offensive but I’m just really over this sexism being explained away as double standards or disrespect 🤷🏻‍♀️. I really enjoyed the book; it has excellent pacing, a great Heroine to root for (who is so awesomely badass) and intriguing world-building. But, at the end of the day, I had many issues with the book's sexism and trauma minimization. Therefore, my rating needed to reflect my concerns.

For those interested, I understood the Hero's approach to the claiming and his treatment of the Heroine sexist and here's why:
(1) the Hero throws the fact that the Heroine's wolf wanted to be claimed by him as proof the Heroine also "wanted it" (sounds familiar, no?). Heroine does point out that she never verbally consented to be claimed–she asked for sex, that's it. But, once again, the Hero says the fact that she joined the claiming hunt – despite her being tricked into it – is "evidence."

(2) throughout the novel, the Hero tells the Heroine his claim is the answer to all her problems and trauma! (Go read the 'Possible Triggers' tab... do you really think a guy who doesn't actually love her is the "solution" to any of her concerns?)

(3) the Hero's scheme to get the Heroine to claim him was to incite her jealousy with an OW (see Safety Rating and my response in the comments). You later find out that he asked the OW's permission–the OW then tells the Heroine that she was in on the scheme and the Hero (the pack's Alpha) would never treat anyone in his pack with such disrespect as to use a pack member (the OW) for such a scheme without their consent. This whole conversation went downhill fast for me. I was loving it because there was no woman-on-woman hate but the OW's above response about the Alpha never disrespecting someone was so off because her statement was directly contradicted by the scheme the Hero was asking her to partake in: pretending they were going to get it on, in the Heroine's face, to purposefully hurt, humiliate and antagonize her (without her permission). It had a very "he doesn't hurt me" vibe that everyone uses to defend men when they're accused of assault.

(4) Writing this review made me think how the Heroine's worth and value to the pack was directly tied to her mating with their Alpha. No one offered to protect her and/or invite her into the pack without that string attached. And, given that she appeared on the pack's borders drugged, starved, and naked and was shown no kindness by them (you can still be suspicious of her without treating her like she's inhuman)... I still don't understand how the Alpha (the Hero) could be pissed at the Heroine for jumping to conclusions. The Hero makes every hurt, trauma and disrespect the Heroine has experienced about him.

(5) the Hero ranting on and on about the stupidity of her plan to run away from the packs because she didn't want to be forced into a mating (and in her original pack that would've been accompanied by being continually r@ped). I mention in the spoiler in the 'Possible Triggers' spoiler, but the Hero looks at the situation from the perspective of someone who has never been a woman (in this world, even Alpha Females must submit to the Alpha Males) or someone who is not the apex predator. It doesn't click that running away and risking going rogue is better than the fate she faces if she stays in the pack.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions... could be Not Safe for some
• No cheating
— But, Hero purposefully flirts with OW *after* he mates the Heroine to hurt her.
• Does have OW drama
— See above. Hero does it in the hopes of triggering the Heroine’s wolf, who would then force the Heroine to officially claim the Hero and complete their mating. Yeah, not controlling at all.
• No OM drama
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing each other away
• No separation


Possible Triggers: Yes
• Murder
• Blood and gore
• Death of parents
• Attempted r@pe
• Starvation, abduction and confinement
• SO much sexism
• Minimization and gaslighting of Heroine's trauma by the Hero, including suicide ideations:
– Warning: the following includes quotations from a conversation between the Hero and Heroine at ~50% of the book. It includes a discussion of r@pe, suicidal ideation and minimization of trauma (see above trigger warning list too):

So, days before meeting the Hero, the Heroine is almost r@ped, forcefully joins with her wolf (and is physically violated in that process), almost killed, starved, confined, and thinks her mother's best friend is dead. Oh and her mom (her only family and only friend) died a week before the world ceremony! She's also trying to reconcile her wolf's instinct with her brain.

When the Heroine's trauma becomes too much (compounded by her new mate being an ass), she looks over a cliff and it's insinuated she might jump. The Hero finds her and (obviously) becomes wary. The Heroine starts ranting about the unfairness of her trauma and how hurt and broken she feels. And, the Hero? He then makes her hurt about him and her (mistaken) assumptions of him (even though he builds up that reputation because it makes other packs stay away, so I don't get why he's judging? Like, just explain yourself if you're so bothered!).

"Right. So you're throwing yourself a pity party> Going to throw yourself off this mountain because life didn't give you what you wanted?" ~ Our lovely Hero in response to the Heroine's trauma!

"News flash, everyone in Ruin Falls [her mate's pack] has shit that's happened to them. Maybe instead of listening to gossip and making assumptions, you should ask me."~ The Hero again!

Now, this comment of his infuriated me because (1) you CANNOT compare trauma or how people deal with it. It wouldn't matter if the Heroine had a year or the 4-days she had in this book: her response to trauma is not a freaking pity party!! LIKE WHAT THE HELL, and (2) the Heroine's in surivial-mode and if all I ever knew about the Ruin Falls pack was bad things (which says a lot given what the Heroine's original pack did to her), I would never stay around to figure out if it's true. Again, if the Hero was so bothered by her assumptions, just freaking tell her the truth.

"You want to stand there like you're so much better than Ruin Falls, even though you don't know shit? You want to walk around like the world should be apologizing to you?" He makes a face of disgust. "Maybe you should take a good look at yourself and stop behaving like you're ashamed of your shifter nature." ~ The HERO

– Interesting how the Hero thinks the Heroine is posturing as if she's better than Ruin Falls when really she's always been told they kill indiscriminately, so really she's showing her morals where indiscriminate murder is bad. 🙄
– LOVE *sarcasm* how he insinuates she should just get over her trauma and her feelings. Also, low-blow with the bit about her wolf – especially considering it's been 4 DAYS sharing her body with its spirit!

"I could barely stop my alpha from trying to rape me in the middle of my Flux [ceremony that gives her people their wolf spirit]. I couldn't stop him from drugging me and tossing me here to die. I couldn't stop him from murdering my mom or setting up my dad to be killed in the pack was," ~ Heroine telling the Hero about her trauma.

– Hero then goes on a rant about how she needs to accept her wolf (her past) and embrace who she is. He then goes on to insinuate that his claiming of her answers all her problems. WTF. Also, the Hero uses her participation in the claiming hunt as "evidence" to her true desire to be his mate BUT she was tricked into shifting by one of his pack members (again, why WOULDN'T she trust the pack??) and her wolf's instincts did the rest. So, NO there was no consent; the Heroine – the human – did not want him as her mate; she didn't want any mate.
– Hero actually says to her, "you want to pretend that you had no choice..." Um, see the above comments! The Heroine wouldn't have shifted if she had known.

Hero then makes fun and belittles her plan for survival (running away from the packs):

"You were going to just go out and be a lone shifter in some piece of shit town, with your wolf half-rabid and you without any kin or resources? You'd have gone crazy within a year trying to pass as human, and probably killed some innocent in the process. All because you'd rather run away than face things and be something better than this moping, spoiled little shit you're acting like." ~ Hero

– Notice how he never acknowledges how bad her life in either pack must be for her to risk this future coming to fruition. The risk of maybe going rogue is better than being r@ped for the rest of her life in a forced mating.
– These quotes are listed chronologically, so the Hero knows about her trauma and why she's acting the way she is... yet he calls her a "moping, spoiled little shit"? Apparently, she's not allowed to have negative emotions? She's only allowed to be so THANKFUL the alpha of Ruin Falls DEIGNED to choose her as his mate.
THE SEXISM, THE GASLIGHTING, THE MINIMIZATION.

The Hero once again states that his claim could be the answer to all her problems. 🙄

Now time for the worst statement by the Hero:

"My wolf and I saw something in your spirits last night. But we don't want this," he says, his arms gesturing to the cliff's edge we're both standing on [insinuating her suicidal ideation]. "We don't want the shame and the doubt. We don't want your insecure, pitying weakness."

– He goes onto say he likes her rabid... but that's also a euphemism for only liking his mate when she's STRONG: capable of murder and emotionally hardened. He REJECTS her when she shows doubt and hurt. So, he doesn't actually want her then because he doesn't want all of her.
– I found this out of the Hero's SO offensive (and honestly triggering because he's her love interest - they're going to end up together despite how, if a boyfriend said this to me IRL I would never speak to them ever again).
– So many people who get depressed, sad, and/or hurt turn away from their loved ones because they think they're less than and that they aren't worthy of their love... which is EXACTLY what the Hero is telling the Heroine! He's confirming every single fear of the Heroine's – that she's worth nothing if she's not strong and kicking ass all the time – and, if the Heroine was suicidal, I 100% believe she would've jumped after he said this to her.

"Decide what the fuck you want and who you want to be, and then come find me... or go run away with that tail tucked between your legs. I won't stop you." ~ Hero's parting comment.

– The Hero honestly attempt to have a trauma competition and because the Heroine's past wasn't the worst he heard, he told her to get over it. He insinuates to not accept him, she's a coward and a spoiled brat.

...And, worse of all, the Heroine chooses to interpret this whole conversation as a metaphorical kick in the pants – to get over herself. The next thing we know, she's felling a mountain goat and gifts it to her Alpha mate as a prize to win him back. And, they decide to become a couple!

"We can do this. We can be everything Tyran [the pack Alpha and Heroine's mate] said. Not bitter, not ashamed, but strong and proud of what we are. Capable of getting our retribution." ~ The Heroine deciding to "suck it up."

– Notice the Heroine's cherry-picking? She only focuses on "not bitter, not ashamed" which are two emotions everyone finds unhealthy. Yet, there's no acknowledgement of how he minimized her trauma.
– Also, the statement insinuates that to be strong and be worthy of her mate's pride, she needs to be capable of getting her revenge. What if she was unwilling to get revenge? Or, what if she honestly couldn't because of either PTSD or lack of physical ability? Is the survivor not strong?
–– There needed to be self-awareness and recognition that doing what she needed to do to survive is strong.

Despite there being recourse over the OW games the Hero plays (see Safety Rating and my explanation in the comments), there is NO discussion about how hurtful and messed up that whole conversation was on the mountain. He basically dared her to commit suicide.



Ending: HEA... I would’ve like an epilogue that focused more on the couple

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Together, we are not timid. We are not submissive.

...We are not omega. And we will not let him claim us.”

Ok, so I’m not a big shifter romance reader, so I don’t know how original or how much this story follows “da rules” but I enjoyed it. Thought it was a good read, and I overall enjoyed the heroine, her journey, and her mate. This one has some dark themes and triggers. Which I will detail out in my goodreads review!

I guess if you’re new to shifter romance and want something on the darker side, then I recommend Rabid!

[Shameless.bookslut · Rating 1 out of 5]

going back to wattpad for werewolves stories sighs

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the FMC. I would’ve liked it better if the MMC had actually behaved with wisdom and maturity befitting the title. He accuses her of jumping to conclusions but does the exact same thing with her by not actually listening to her and making assumptions. He should’ve had to grovel much, much more 🤷‍♀️

[Jac K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Good shifter romances are often hard to find on KU, and Rabid delivers… BUT… it’s not a rejected mate scenario. (not sure why I expected it to be 🤷‍♀️) The blurb does a nice job of setting this up. We open with Seneca burying her mother days before receiving her wolf spirit while dodging the evil alpha set on claiming her. Stuff happens and she finds herself at the Ruin Falls pack where she meets Alpha Tyran.

It's not a very emotional read, but I was pulled into the story and finished in one sitting. The relationship has some growing pains; Tyran has his jerkface moments, but he provides adequate grovel when he finally pulls his head out. Senaca is young but strong and mature. She doesn’t take shit from anyone.

Bottom Line- Enjoyable shifter read with a strong female. Romance, steam, and plenty of action. It’s a standalone and free to read with KU.

Safety- Rape off page. (not the h) No cheating and only a whiff of OW drama.

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I loved the emotions, the angst, the tension!

[Sheila Johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

This abuse porn is pretending to be a story of a she wolf coming into her power? The first 6 chapters are a farce of her lazy attempts to leave her rapey killer alpha. Every fight she's just inches away from winning then a comically convenient -for the bad guys-rescue comes to put her back down. If it was a few instances, fine, but every chapter? I was done. I couldn't imagine reading an entire book of it. I skipped ahead thinking it can't all be about a bunch of males beating this girl, but yes, there's more! This girl has nothing. No parents, no family, no friends, no support, no opportunities , no escape, nothing. Its over done.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one.
Seneca as lived in fear of her Alpha for years, but especially now, since her mother died under mysterious circumstances. There is no one willing to help her.
Just after receiving her wolf spirit, she is dragged off by the alpha to rape her. But her new wolf spirit turns out to be her best bet on getting away.
Things get ugly and the alpha is a coward. He decides to cut his losses and to get rid of her by dropping her off on the territory of their enemies.

Things get worse before they get better, until she ends up mated to Tyran, the alpha of the enemy. But are they the enemy? Wasn't her pack already her enemy?
Anyways, She and her wolf have been chased and abused since they first joined just a couple days ago.
Now her new alpha wants her to do what he says when he says it, and she's not having any of that!

I loved the rocky start to Tyran and Seneca's relationship. She says it like it is when he makes stupid assumptions. AND, he apologizes with utter sincerity and humility. I loved it! ( I like to reread just that part!)
He gets pretty riled about his claiming her but she didn't claim him back right away.
Anyways, once Tyran pulls his head out of his ass, he was quite devoted.
I also liked that Seneca had a nice side but it wasn't at the expense of her 'kick ass' side.

The story gets pretty violent in the second half Seneca gets stabbed and it's pretty graphic and awful. Fortunately Seneca has some of the healing powers inherited from her mother. (roll my eyes at the utter convenience). Then there's a big battle but that was less graphic than the stabbing (took one star off for that)

Safety is basically OK He's been with ladies from his pack, but we only meet one obnoxious chick named Presley. He tries to rile Seneca by having her go into the bedroom where he slept with the OWs. As Sometime's review points out; 'He shits where he eats' by only having sex with the females in his pack, so Seneca will get to hang out with his exes forever more. Fortunately he kept his bedroom off limits to the ladies. He also lets Presley sit in his lap to push Seneca into claiming him back. Cause playing the jealousy card always works in the H's favour (rolling my eyes again).
Seneca isn't a virgin, and she's had fun sexual relationships with human guys, but never with another shifter.


I almost didn't read this one, as i hated 2 other books I read in this series. So I'm glad I chose to take one more chance on this series. 3 stars because I wasn't into the battle stuff, and the world building was kinda flimsy. I skimmed a bit through the last third including the sex scenes. They were just gratuitous.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good… but not great.

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from rejected mate stories, shifter and werewolf tales aren't usually my go to. I have no idea where or how I even came across this story to download it in the first place, but I'm SO happy that I did. Hubby and I were on vacation out of town and I needed something to read on the plane both ways, and holy hell this story was amazing. This story sucked me in from the very beginning until the very end and left me with happy feels. I would actually love to see more of this author's works in this universe and find out what these awesome characters have in store for their future. This isn't a rejected mate story and there was actually very little angst in it but I loved it completely anyhow. I totally recommend this baby for anyone who enjoys these types of stories.

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.

I enjoy fated mates but sometimes I don't want them falling in love so fast just because you are fated to them. The heroine in this book didn't dive head first into the relationship. It didn't take long for it to occur though because this book takes place roughly in one month frame, but I liked the way she thought of what could happen if she mated someone that has no regards for her just because the "moon " said so.

[✧ FLINN ✧ (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read 20/09/23

Very great ! Love this duo as always!

[klinta · Rating 3 out of 5]

my werewolf itch has been SCRATCHED 🐺🪢 they did it in a cave on sight. they did it on a hammock upside down. need i say more.

will i forget i ever read this by next week? absolutely but it’s me and my trash werewolf romances against the world!

[Mysha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining and I really liked Seneca, she was very strong. It took until the 30% mark to meet the MMC which was kinda much imo. Overall, wasn’t anything special but it was a good time :)

[Grisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars

⏳ [Re-read project #8 of 2024, 1st proper review, rating maintained]

When I first read this back in 2021, I recall that the world building was amazingly done but that it was not the lightest of read. Many elements made me queasy.

Now, fast forward some years later, I still found some of the subject matter heavy (esp. the first quarter of the book) but as a more seasoned reader, I was able to wade through more valiantly. What really stunned me hard this time around was the quality of the writing. The writing duo got down to really mean business. Their writing was very sleek and vivid. It triggered the right atmosphere and emotion at each turn of Seneca's dizzying journey. It was magical to read how their prose elegantly shifted to evoke in turn oppressiveness, despair, danger, wariness, violence, primal lust as well as blooming attraction, empathy and pack togetherness. And their words were so beautiful, but also precise, in describing Seneca's angst and 'rabid' feelings - there were no wasted words in purple land or false sophisticated veneer.

That line drawn in the sand, everything he said, it all bursts from the pent-up emotions I’ve bottled. Like I’ve lit the end and thrown a Molotov cocktail, it explodes in a roar of anger from my mouth that echoes from the mountains and then floods from the tears finally broken free as I cry.

And cry.

And cry.

It’s not a quiet cry. These tears aren’t soft and slow. This is a rending of my soul to expel all the shit I’ve been harboring. I scream at the mountains, the sky, the rocks, my jagged edges, until my voice is lost and my throat is raw. I gnash and yank and pull as I purge myself of the wrongs, the taint, the loss. I spill my soul on the side of the mountain, desperately needing to get this all out so I can breathe again, so I can rise up and be able to look myself in the eye and be the wolf and the woman I can be.

For a genre that often has sloppy writing, I am very impressed.

Both the romance and the plot development were very solid. The chemistry between Seneca and Tyran was electric and palpable. I loved how he pushed her to move up and see things from a different angle. I loved how she pushed back when he was making the wrong assumptions. I loved how he was quick to humbly admit his mistake and apologise. I loved how she had the courage to let go and trust him and the pack. Both authors shined with the way they smartly developped the growth of the romance between Seneca and Tyran. And the sex... omg... so scorchingly sexy and steamy (and the dirty talk was 🥵🔥)!!

What was missing? Not much. The book was a smidge too long in my appreciation. I liked how the development of the story was paced with time to grow in an organic manner (even if all the high-octane events in fact occurred in less than a fortnight) but somehow with the charged writing style, it felt overlong and moodheavy at times. Also, while the villains were real evil, by the end, their motive and capability felt underwhelming. And, I wished there were a few chapters from Tyran's POV, esp. how he felt when he met Seneca and why he left her alone the next morning.

This book and its world has good potential in having its own series. The secondary characters were so well drawn that I would want to see more. I hope that IA/RK duo get to revisit Seneca's world in the future.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was hard for me to get into initially, because there’s a lot of set up and back story of the heroine, Seneca Rain’s, current corrupt pack. She doesn’t meet the hero till almost 30% in.

Admittedly even when the story picked up between Seneca and Tyran, I still wasn’t fully immersed in it. There were some steamy scenes for sure, but given that them meeting until the end of the book (minus the epilogue) was less than a week, it was hard for me to get invested in the relationship.

Seneca was a heroine with a rough backstory, and I felt for her. She lost her father to the corrupt alpha of her former pack. Her mother, the pack’s healer, was worked to death. She had no family or friends left. A man her mother had befriended after her father’s death was polite to her but they weren’t close, and he wasn’t able to offer her protection. It was so sad that she was completely alone and helpless for the first third of the book… and even more than that really because even after she met Tyran, she really didn’t know him and couldn’t trust him.

Her finding her place in his pack and learning how their custom’s differ from her former packs was interesting, especially the description of the new pack’s “Flux” - a ceremony where you get your wolf spirit for the first time.

This is like a 2.5 for me - somewhere between okay and good. There was some interesting plot and some spice, but not enough to make up for the lack of relationship building.

TW for attempted rape (heroine), rape (not heroine), violence, abuse

[Kate V · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Rabid is the sixth book in the Kingdom of Wolves series but can be read as a complete standalone. This is Seneca and Tyran's story and it was SO good. I was expecting a typical shifter story but what I got was so much more than that. It was a typical shifter story with delicious steam but it was also very emotional and sexy.

Seneca has lost her mother (the healer of her pack) and is on the cusp of her flux...the ritual where her wolf spirit comes to claim her. The alpha of her pack has had his eye on her for a very long time and now that her mother is out of the picture, he intends on making good on his threats of making her his. He is a brutal alpha that thrives on hurting others. On the night of her flux, her alpha takes what should have been a joyous and special occasion and turns it into a nightmare for her. Joining with her wolf incorrectly makes her 'rabid' and her whole pack shuns her and her alpha dumps her on another packs territory.

Seneca is thrown onto Ruin Falls territory and during a claiming and unbeknownst to her she ends up being claimed by their Alpha...Tyran. Tyran has a reputation for being worse than her previous alpha but not all is what it seems and as Seneca spends more time with the Ruin Falls pack and Tyran she realizes that they may be her salvation. Tyran may be the calm to her fury and she may be what Tyran's wolf has been looking for all his life - someone to stand beside him as an equal.
⁣
But it isn't long before Seneca's old pack and alpha come back for revenge and it sets Seneca and the rest of her new pack in danger. Can Seneca and Tyran stop the growing threat? Can Tyran convince Seneca that she isn't broken? Will Seneca learn to accept who she is and use it as a strength rather than seeing it as a weakness?

I really loved this story. It was a story of pain and rejection but also a story of growth, empowerment and acceptance. Seneca was an amazing heroine and I loved her strength, grit and viciousness. Tyran was such a yummy alpha male. He was dominant in all the right ways without stepping on Seneca. He was a strength when she wanted it and a push when she needed it. The steam in here was passionate and the storyline was suspenseful. Just a really well written story. My only complaint is I would have liked a little more Seneca and Tyran time at the end. Overall, if you like steamy shifter stories with a heavy dose of emotion, then I definitely recommend this.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I felt every emotion the FMC went through and enjoyed the journey she took to take back her truth. Such a good book!! The vengeance she was able to take against those that wronged her and the HEA at the end was satisfying.

[Milina’s library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I was in the mood for a crazy paranormal romance and this mostly provided. This is an alpha male with a feisty /alpha heroine. Kind of fated mates, they bang before they even know each other’s names. But it takes a few chapters to get to them meeting because Seneca starts off in a very horrible and abusive pack, and has to find her way to a better one. I think if you liked feral sins by Suzanne Wright you would like this book, the relationship dynamic was similar and it was a similar level of smut except this book had knotting which if I’m being honest is the whole reason i picked this book. Tyran is kind of a Dick in the beginning because he assumes a lot about Seneca but once they talk he is very apologetic and devoted to her.

Spice about a 3 because it was explicit but not overly frequent

[shanda shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

Emotionally manipulative, immature male protagonist

I recommend this book for people who enjoy emotional abuse, threats of violence against people who are victims, killing victims of abuse who fail to be “strong enough.” Forcing marriage, and the entire erasure of the female lead’s anger with that. A man that requires absolute obedience and no questioning of way. And worse, the author seems to realize these are bad things... but still makes her “good” alpha do them. To the authors of this book: seek help.

[Sophie (lambsbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love when she’s just as unhinged as he is.

4.5 stars

[Sheeb ⚔️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in my 9th grade werewolf era. Nothing to see here !

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yesssssssss !

This was a much-needed reprieve from all the sub-par fantasy/paranormal romances I've been reading lately. Seneca was the bomb! I loved her no-frills attitude. She was a breath of fresh air, from the woe is me pseudo damsel in distress with trust issues for days kinda girlies.

The plot was plotting, the spice was spicing, the emotions were emoting. This story delivered !

[Annelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐3.5⭐⭐⭐

3.5 ⭐ because the guy was a real dick at the beginning and she didn't make him enough grovel...🙄 Otherwise the story was interesting, I liked a powerful, rapid, and savage FMC😏
Trigger warnings here, so take care of you!

[CassDamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

It was fine. I didn’t really care for any of the werewolf stuff. I like shifter books. But the way this one was set up with the flux and the way packs worked, I just didn’t like. I also really dislike when the wolf is a separate entity entirely. This was one of those types of shifter books. Idk it’s just weird to me when they can have conversations with they’re wolf and they’re a whole separate spirit.

I also hated the whole Presley thing towards the end. I hated her, she was a character made to be hated then because of a 2 sentence attempt to talk things out we were supposed to suddenly care what happened to her?
Naaaahhhh