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Dark Hollow Wolf Pack #1-4
Dark Hollow Wolf Pack: Books 1-4
Books one through four in Shannon West's bestselling Dark Hollow Wolf Pack series is now available in a box set!
396 pages, ebook
First published September 10, 2012
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83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 6, 2021
Alpha's Pet
Hmmmmm, I'm not so sure how I feel about this shifter world the author has created. There are werewolves, who are shape shifters and shift into wolves, and then there are werekin who are human with a little extra oomph. Sometimes the werekin, or pets, are adopted, meaning they are a human but a blood match to a wolf so they are brought over and bitten. Children born to a wolf and his/her mate/pet are human and it's not until they reach puberty and shift for the first time that it determines whether they'll be a wolf or a pet.
This is all well and good, and certainly a different take on shifter lore, but the independent me had a big problem with people being called pets, being spoken to so demeaningly (in my opinion), the adopted ones having to wear a collar and walk on a leash when away from their master, and after a few sexual encounters the masters can hear their pets thoughts but not the other way around. Ugh. Poor Nicky doesn't understand any of this, and even though it's explained to him that the masters treat their pets this way in order to make them more submissive so they won't go feral from the change to werekin, I still felt pretty bad for him as I would have responded the same way. Even though Nicky is straight, the blood match and mating ensures he will be only attracted to Marco for the rest of his life.
So, once again, I'm withholding total judgement until I've read a few more of these books. I empathized so much with Nicky, and I wasn't sure how much I liked Marco. I loved how Nicky tried to show Marco the error of his ways, that the old traditions didn't hold true any longer, that adopted pets/mates wouldn't go feral, and that they didn't need to be leashed and made to be submissive. I honestly wanted to punch Marco for his stubbornness and refusal to see reason.
"Marco cast a bitter, hopeless look at his beta. “They’ve convinced my own mate to betray me. But it’s my fault. I didn’t spend enough time with him. It’s time I took charge of my mate again. He’s had too much freedom, and I haven’t trained him properly. He thinks he’ll be allowed to defy me. Well, he’s got another think coming. I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.”
Are you freaking kidding me? Not so sure how thrilled I was with the ending, as I don't think Marco really learned anything, but I guess I'll wait and see.
Cry Wolf
Oh these wolves and their archaic beliefs about who is dominant and who is submissive in a mating. Infuriating, I tell you.
"As Alpha of his own pack, and the brother of the man slain by Rory, it was his duty and obligation to exact revenge. It was painfully obvious to him now that since Rory was his blood mate, he couldn’t kill him or even hurt him. He could, however, take him over, make him submit, make him, in effect, his prisoner. He could and he would. Before another day went by, Rory would be his mate and his captive. Rory would be in his custody for life. For a wolf shapeshifter, being owned body and soul by another wolf would be torture. He would make it an exquisite torture for his beloved mate, but torture it would be. He’d pay for what he’d done."
Casey's brother, Aaron, is the one who stole Nicky from the compound and Rory, in his wolf form, killed him. Rory felt bad about it, afterwards, as he truly didn't mean for it to get out of hand, but Rory was so angry with himself that Nicky had been taken while Rory was supposed to be watching him. Men. Sigh.
(A side note......the editing and proofing of this second story is horrific. I noticed a few issues with book one, but book two is filled with problems. The names are consistently wrong, and it's adding to my frustration.)
Not sure how I felt, again. I liked the idea of two wolves together and I felt for Rory and the position he was put in. I think my problem seems to be with all this horrible dominance and demeaning treatment of the pets/mates. Don't get me wrong, I love a big, strong shifter, and I'm a huge fan of BDSM books, so I'm confused about why these books are disturbing me so much. I honestly think it's the way they talk to the pets/mates, as if they're small children, or dogs. I know it's not meant that way, but it's how I'm interpreting it.
Logan's Choice
I have to say that I enjoyed this book the best. But, that's all due to Nicky's and Logan's willful disobedience of Marco and Ian. It was the most fun I've had in these books where the masters are so dominant over their pets/mates. I understand the lore. I do. I get it. The wolves are stronger than their mates. The wolves only want to protect their mates, to love them, to take care of them. But, they're going to need to adjust some of their thinking when dealing with humans who got changed to werekin. Humans who are independent and strong, like Nicky and Logan.
Yes, I definitely liked the direction the author seems to be going in.
Gabe's Alpha
It was nice to see the author finally clarify the fact that the Dark Hollow Wolf Pack refers to a very large territory and different sections are held by different alphas. This book is about Zack and his pack which is located farther south than Marco's. It's also interesting to notice that this is the first time the author has mentioned the full moon and the wolves need to shift. That little piece of lore has been mysteriously absent in the first three books.
Gabe and Nicky are a lot alike! I loved Gabe's independence and the way he wasn't taking to the "traditions" lying down. It caused some problems between him and Zack but they managed to work it out in the end. I have to admit, these books are getting better as they progress, at least in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed these four books, liking the last two the best. The author has definitely written some differing shifter lore that if I continue to read these I will need to become acclimated to. We shall see. *grins*
Hmmmmm, I'm not so sure how I feel about this shifter world the author has created. There are werewolves, who are shape shifters and shift into wolves, and then there are werekin who are human with a little extra oomph. Sometimes the werekin, or pets, are adopted, meaning they are a human but a blood match to a wolf so they are brought over and bitten. Children born to a wolf and his/her mate/pet are human and it's not until they reach puberty and shift for the first time that it determines whether they'll be a wolf or a pet.
This is all well and good, and certainly a different take on shifter lore, but the independent me had a big problem with people being called pets, being spoken to so demeaningly (in my opinion), the adopted ones having to wear a collar and walk on a leash when away from their master, and after a few sexual encounters the masters can hear their pets thoughts but not the other way around. Ugh. Poor Nicky doesn't understand any of this, and even though it's explained to him that the masters treat their pets this way in order to make them more submissive so they won't go feral from the change to werekin, I still felt pretty bad for him as I would have responded the same way. Even though Nicky is straight, the blood match and mating ensures he will be only attracted to Marco for the rest of his life.
So, once again, I'm withholding total judgement until I've read a few more of these books. I empathized so much with Nicky, and I wasn't sure how much I liked Marco. I loved how Nicky tried to show Marco the error of his ways, that the old traditions didn't hold true any longer, that adopted pets/mates wouldn't go feral, and that they didn't need to be leashed and made to be submissive. I honestly wanted to punch Marco for his stubbornness and refusal to see reason.
"Marco cast a bitter, hopeless look at his beta. “They’ve convinced my own mate to betray me. But it’s my fault. I didn’t spend enough time with him. It’s time I took charge of my mate again. He’s had too much freedom, and I haven’t trained him properly. He thinks he’ll be allowed to defy me. Well, he’s got another think coming. I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.”
Are you freaking kidding me? Not so sure how thrilled I was with the ending, as I don't think Marco really learned anything, but I guess I'll wait and see.
Cry Wolf
Oh these wolves and their archaic beliefs about who is dominant and who is submissive in a mating. Infuriating, I tell you.
"As Alpha of his own pack, and the brother of the man slain by Rory, it was his duty and obligation to exact revenge. It was painfully obvious to him now that since Rory was his blood mate, he couldn’t kill him or even hurt him. He could, however, take him over, make him submit, make him, in effect, his prisoner. He could and he would. Before another day went by, Rory would be his mate and his captive. Rory would be in his custody for life. For a wolf shapeshifter, being owned body and soul by another wolf would be torture. He would make it an exquisite torture for his beloved mate, but torture it would be. He’d pay for what he’d done."
Casey's brother, Aaron, is the one who stole Nicky from the compound and Rory, in his wolf form, killed him. Rory felt bad about it, afterwards, as he truly didn't mean for it to get out of hand, but Rory was so angry with himself that Nicky had been taken while Rory was supposed to be watching him. Men. Sigh.
(A side note......the editing and proofing of this second story is horrific. I noticed a few issues with book one, but book two is filled with problems. The names are consistently wrong, and it's adding to my frustration.)
Not sure how I felt, again. I liked the idea of two wolves together and I felt for Rory and the position he was put in. I think my problem seems to be with all this horrible dominance and demeaning treatment of the pets/mates. Don't get me wrong, I love a big, strong shifter, and I'm a huge fan of BDSM books, so I'm confused about why these books are disturbing me so much. I honestly think it's the way they talk to the pets/mates, as if they're small children, or dogs. I know it's not meant that way, but it's how I'm interpreting it.
Logan's Choice
I have to say that I enjoyed this book the best. But, that's all due to Nicky's and Logan's willful disobedience of Marco and Ian. It was the most fun I've had in these books where the masters are so dominant over their pets/mates. I understand the lore. I do. I get it. The wolves are stronger than their mates. The wolves only want to protect their mates, to love them, to take care of them. But, they're going to need to adjust some of their thinking when dealing with humans who got changed to werekin. Humans who are independent and strong, like Nicky and Logan.
Yes, I definitely liked the direction the author seems to be going in.
Gabe's Alpha
It was nice to see the author finally clarify the fact that the Dark Hollow Wolf Pack refers to a very large territory and different sections are held by different alphas. This book is about Zack and his pack which is located farther south than Marco's. It's also interesting to notice that this is the first time the author has mentioned the full moon and the wolves need to shift. That little piece of lore has been mysteriously absent in the first three books.
Gabe and Nicky are a lot alike! I loved Gabe's independence and the way he wasn't taking to the "traditions" lying down. It caused some problems between him and Zack but they managed to work it out in the end. I have to admit, these books are getting better as they progress, at least in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed these four books, liking the last two the best. The author has definitely written some differing shifter lore that if I continue to read these I will need to become acclimated to. We shall see. *grins*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2017
I'm not leaving a star rating since I have chosen to DNF this 4 book edition. Sadly. As I read this I finally remembered why I didn't continue reading the series originally. I personally just do not like the whole attitude that the wolves have with their mates.
October 11, 2015
Great collection
I like these pack of wolves. Dominant wolves and submissive mates are hot. There were times that I was sad for the pets not having freedom to make their own choices however that seemed to slowly change which I enjoyed.
I like these pack of wolves. Dominant wolves and submissive mates are hot. There were times that I was sad for the pets not having freedom to make their own choices however that seemed to slowly change which I enjoyed.
October 22, 2015
Review of dark hollow wolf pack
Great series, loved it can't wait to read more from this author. Great characters, great plots keep up the good work
Great series, loved it can't wait to read more from this author. Great characters, great plots keep up the good work
August 14, 2019
I loved the HEA endings with a touch of stubbornness added to the mix.
Marco's and Nicky's story was exceptional , tantalizing ,and just plain fun to read . Now Casey's and Rory's story would have been great too if I wasn't spending most of my time trying to figure out who was who .too many times their names were mixed up ( Casey talking to to his mate Casey ) and that got confusing fast . Logan's and Ian's story was really a good book with only a few mix ups with their names. I'm glad these two not only made it work but truly loved each other in the end . Zack and Games story was full of defiance , stubbornness and good fun sexiness . I would recommend this series to anyone who likes a HEA ending.
Marco's and Nicky's story was exceptional , tantalizing ,and just plain fun to read . Now Casey's and Rory's story would have been great too if I wasn't spending most of my time trying to figure out who was who .too many times their names were mixed up ( Casey talking to to his mate Casey ) and that got confusing fast . Logan's and Ian's story was really a good book with only a few mix ups with their names. I'm glad these two not only made it work but truly loved each other in the end . Zack and Games story was full of defiance , stubbornness and good fun sexiness . I would recommend this series to anyone who likes a HEA ending.
August 18, 2019
Warning, rape and abuse scenarios
I have re-read this books more than 5 times now and the more I read it the more weary I become. It pushes the boundaries of consent so you know is rape but the "culture" and the fantasy allows it. If you have a trauma or feel disgusted with non consensual acts please do not read this book. The BDSM style intercourse it's interesting and "steamy" on it's own and it has an idea of romance, so if you take it as 100% unreal then go ahead and enjoy, but if not you will see how the "love" could easily be a trauma, a chemical/biological reaction and has no future. Well, not maybe as much because at the end the abuse is kind of amended... But still, I wonder
I have re-read this books more than 5 times now and the more I read it the more weary I become. It pushes the boundaries of consent so you know is rape but the "culture" and the fantasy allows it. If you have a trauma or feel disgusted with non consensual acts please do not read this book. The BDSM style intercourse it's interesting and "steamy" on it's own and it has an idea of romance, so if you take it as 100% unreal then go ahead and enjoy, but if not you will see how the "love" could easily be a trauma, a chemical/biological reaction and has no future. Well, not maybe as much because at the end the abuse is kind of amended... But still, I wonder
April 11, 2024
Unusual Pack Dynamics
The pack dynamic and mythos that these books are based on is very different. Shifters are the masters and non-shifter mates and family are pets. There are also elements of non-consensual relationships and forced matings. I personally found this whole idea to be offensive. I could not even finish book one. There are no issues with the writing itself, but I simply couldn't bring myself to continue to read it and accept the author's premises.
The pack dynamic and mythos that these books are based on is very different. Shifters are the masters and non-shifter mates and family are pets. There are also elements of non-consensual relationships and forced matings. I personally found this whole idea to be offensive. I could not even finish book one. There are no issues with the writing itself, but I simply couldn't bring myself to continue to read it and accept the author's premises.
October 8, 2020
Four Thumping Good Tales
Lots of engaging conflict and entertaining characters. I enjoyed the interesting theory about the source of human legends about werewolves.
Lots of engaging conflict and entertaining characters. I enjoyed the interesting theory about the source of human legends about werewolves.
Read
January 1, 2022review to follow
April 23, 2024
NOPE!!!!!
I tried. However, all of that "pet" "master" ish was too much! Good thing this was a free read. I would've been upset had I paid for this nonsense!
I tried. However, all of that "pet" "master" ish was too much! Good thing this was a free read. I would've been upset had I paid for this nonsense!
February 14, 2018
The Alpha's Pet ~ 3 stars
Cry Wolf ~ 2 stars
Logan's Choice ~ 3 stars
Gabe's Alpha ~ 2 stars
Cry Wolf ~ 2 stars
Logan's Choice ~ 3 stars
Gabe's Alpha ~ 2 stars
December 6, 2015
Ok, what have I been thinking?!
I'm using the omnibus edition for the review of my re-read of books 1-4.
I looked through my read shelf and noticed that I had given most of the books in this series a 5 star rating and decided to re-read them.
I'm a total speed reader and can go through 400 pages in an afternoon but as a draw back, a year later I might not remember any details from the books I've read. That was the case with the Dark Hollow Wolfpack Series...so I thought, why not use a lazy Sunday afternoon to read them again...
The first book totally pissed me off this time! What have I been thinking?! Nicky was just an immature spoiled brat and Marco an overbearing asshole...I felt totally uncomfortable with the portrayal of the main characters in the first book and I didn't like the end at all.
Well, Ian and Logan's story was ok and it's why I give the first four books a 3 star rating.
Furthermore, I noticed so many mistakes which I hope are gone from this Omnibus edition: So many places where the wrong names were used it cheapened the reading because I felt I as a reader was not worth the effort of good editing.
Well, I will read the rest of the series again as well to find out why I liked it so much in the beginning...
I'm using the omnibus edition for the review of my re-read of books 1-4.
I looked through my read shelf and noticed that I had given most of the books in this series a 5 star rating and decided to re-read them.
I'm a total speed reader and can go through 400 pages in an afternoon but as a draw back, a year later I might not remember any details from the books I've read. That was the case with the Dark Hollow Wolfpack Series...so I thought, why not use a lazy Sunday afternoon to read them again...
The first book totally pissed me off this time! What have I been thinking?! Nicky was just an immature spoiled brat and Marco an overbearing asshole...I felt totally uncomfortable with the portrayal of the main characters in the first book and I didn't like the end at all.
Well, Ian and Logan's story was ok and it's why I give the first four books a 3 star rating.
Furthermore, I noticed so many mistakes which I hope are gone from this Omnibus edition: So many places where the wrong names were used it cheapened the reading because I felt I as a reader was not worth the effort of good editing.
Well, I will read the rest of the series again as well to find out why I liked it so much in the beginning...
October 22, 2015
Decent series of books although a bit redundant in that its always the dominant wolf with the non-submissive mate. The author jokes in book four about big, dumb wolves, and by that point I truly believed it. Actually, I liked the mystery sort of storyline that follows the first three books, but...
Okay author, pay attention, who the heck edited these books? Book two was the worst, the names where so totally messed up that I kept getting pulled out of the story to try and figure out what was going on. Book Three was good, then name errors again in book 4. Lots of missing quote marks too throughout the series. Sorry, but since I beta read and review books, this is stuff I pick up on fast and is just unprofessional. I know an occasional error can occur, but every other page?
Okay author, pay attention, who the heck edited these books? Book two was the worst, the names where so totally messed up that I kept getting pulled out of the story to try and figure out what was going on. Book Three was good, then name errors again in book 4. Lots of missing quote marks too throughout the series. Sorry, but since I beta read and review books, this is stuff I pick up on fast and is just unprofessional. I know an occasional error can occur, but every other page?
September 23, 2016
Confusing
I like it actually. The story had so many potentials but i dunno why the way the story building and so many names mistakes irked me and it was kinda disturbing me when i wanna comprehend the sentences.
English is not my first language and this book english was fine but the mistakes on names still disturbing me. And i dunno, its just not like i was hoping for alpha and his omega or pet in this story supposed to be. Maybe i just have my own type of alpha omega preference.
I like it actually. The story had so many potentials but i dunno why the way the story building and so many names mistakes irked me and it was kinda disturbing me when i wanna comprehend the sentences.
English is not my first language and this book english was fine but the mistakes on names still disturbing me. And i dunno, its just not like i was hoping for alpha and his omega or pet in this story supposed to be. Maybe i just have my own type of alpha omega preference.
March 29, 2016
I really enjoyed all 4 of the books and the couples. I was glad that each couple was a little different in their mating story. Book 4 was lacking compared to the first 3 books. I really liked Gabe and his mate, but just thought they moved so fast and everything was just so accepted compared to the first 3 couples, it kinda threw the whole vibe off for me. Still have to say that Nicky and Marco were still my favorite couple, Nicky was hilarious!
January 26, 2016
I've reviewed all of these individually. These books are not perfect - far from. But I have been super addicted to them for a very long time and have eagerly gobbled each one up. I like the universe, even if it is at times juvenile, and I enjoy the characters and the way the author builds each one up.
April 11, 2019
Good story line
Thought the book has a good story line and flows well it gets confusing. The confusing part comes when the names keep getting mixed up. I have now read the book twice so that helps, but I wish for better editing in future books.
Thought the book has a good story line and flows well it gets confusing. The confusing part comes when the names keep getting mixed up. I have now read the book twice so that helps, but I wish for better editing in future books.
December 20, 2015
Liked, didn't love. Will probably buy more.
January 16, 2022
Datk Hollow Wolf Pack
By Shannon West
By Shannon West
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews