Unwilling to sacrifice her dreams of loving the man she commits her life to, Lily makes a drastic decision and disappeared into the night. For six years her life was untouched by her old pack, but all of that changed when he walked into Gathering Grounds, the coffee book shop she worked at.
Declan Monroe
He wasn't looking for a mate. He'd lived a hard life, there was blood on his hands, no woman would be able to handle the darkness that tainted his soul. When his Alpha hires him to track down his missing daughter he thought finding her in New Orleans would be the hard part. He had no idea she would be the woman who could bring him to his knees.
**Authors Note: Each book in the NOLA Shifters series is a stand alone, they are interconnected. Each book ends with an HEA. Also, as the characters are shifters, there may be situations that wouldn't normally arise in a romance novel. The pull of a mate is something that is intrinsically written into their DNA. It is not something that can be fought or controlled. When a shifter meets their mate, the attraction is immediate and intense. As such, they may find themselves doing something that they never expected, even something that goes completely against their own moral code.
Angel Nyx is an author of paranormal, and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and post-apocalyptic romance with some why choose thrown into the mix. Her passion for literature was instilled in her at a young age when her mother read her fairy tale stories at bedtime. Her vivid imagination helps her get in tune with her characters to bring them to life for her readers. She is also a mom, a reader, and an avid gamer chick. When she's writing, reading, or gaming, she is usually relaxing to music, spending time with family, or finding new authors to fall in love with. She has a long time love affair with the city of New Orleans and plans to make it a regular vacation destination in coming years.
Wild Lilies, the first of the NOLA Shifters series by Angel Nyx, is another book that I won in Facebook readers' group give away. (I admit, I've had some good luck in those lately!) I always promise to post a review for those, and I have a backlog waiting for me, so let's knock off another one.
I love paranormal romance stories, so I was happy to have a new shifter series come to my attention. I haven't double-checked, but I think this may have been an early release for Angel Nyx and it's not an attention-getter. There are metric tonnes of shifter romance stories out there, so you really need to have some unique variation to stand out from the crowd. Wild Lilies is a cookie cutter effort - there is nothing here that you haven't read already, many times.
Independent young woman runs away from overbearing father. Check. Jaded, slightly older man who thinks he's too damaged for love. Check. They are fated mates. Colour me surprised. Nothing about how they exist or act as shifters is different or unique. Even the sex scenes are a bit flat, as they come across as being described as great by the characters, rather than giving you the visceral experience of a hot and sweaty time. The only thing which might have promise for an ongoing series is the interplay of the allied and enemy shifter groups.
Sadly, the proofreading was sadly lacking. There was a lot messed up punctuation throughout the whole book. Many extra spaces, unpaired quotation marks, that kind of thing. It doesn't effect the story itself, but it does raise my irritation level. If Bookbubs has discounts on more of the series or I can convince my library to pick up copies, I might read more to see what happens with political interplay, but I'm in no rush. I'm giving this book two stars.
I really enjoy paranormal books, and I really enjoy military books, so we get both here. Lilly is the daughter of her clans Alpha, and Declan has just gotten out of the military. The actual story told was a good one, and I enjoyed the over all story. But the book had its faults.
First though, the world building was pretty good. The clans and characters were put together nicely. The description of New Orleans was good as well. Done in a way that makes you feel you have really been there.
Lilly drove me up a wall. She spent over half of the book whining about the same damn thing. Literally. The same exact sentence, more than once. I wanted to punch her.
Declan on the other hand, I absolutely loved. He was easily the best thing in the entire book!
The POV changes CONSTANTLY. So much so that at times I was surprised that I wasn’t getting dizzy. There were times where the POV changed 6,7, times in a chapter. It was two paragraphs from one POV, then two paragraphs of the same. exact. scene. from another persons POV. Wash, rinse, repeat. It is possible to convey the emotions from both characters from one persons POV without changing that POV. I understand that this is a debut novel, so hopefully that is something that gets picked up in further stories.
The dialog at times was generic, sometimes cheesy, and occasionally completely unnecessary. Just things that a normal person would never actually say. Or something that was just explained, then the same thing was said in dialog. Just unnecessary.
I understand that this is a series based in New Orleans, and the Cajun culture is popular there. So naturally we run into characters that are Cajun. I understand that a Cajun doesn’t always speak perfect English, and has an accent. The problem is that I don’t know how to do a Cajun accent. So when it gets a little difficult when I read ‘Dey’ ‘da’ ‘dem’ ‘dere’ ‘dat’ ‘wit’ ‘tinkin’ ‘sometink’ and ‘ever’tink’ I can’t help but picture some person in a trailer who has no teeth. Plenty of books manage to have a character with an accent, and still write readable sentences. Sure sometimes all it takes is writing, let’s say: Remy said “They think of everything” but it came out “Dey tink of ever’tink”. Would of made the story much better and probably even would of warranted an extra star rating.
As I said the story told was decent. As a debut, it wasn’t bad. I hope the author picks up some better habits along the way.
The story: 4 stars The execution of said story: 2 stars Overall a 3 star book
Wild Lilies is the first book in Angel Nyx’s NOLA Shifters series, although it is the third book in the series I have read. I started with book three, Midnight Orchids, before diving into book four, Radiant Violets. From there, I went into the prequel, Trailing Moon Flowers, before finally diving into the first book. Fortunately, the NOLA Shifters series is one of those series you can read in any order – although the stories are linked, each is a standalone.
Although I enjoyed Wild Lilies, I will be honest and say it was my least favourite of the NOLA Shifter books I have read thus far. It had me hooked and turning the pages, but I was not addicted in the way I had hoped to be, in the way I was with some of the other books in the series.
I think, for me, I’d created something a wee bit bigger in my mind with the information I’d received in the other books. In this sense, it is better to read the books in order – but as I’ve said, each book works as a standalone, so it is not necessary. With the information I’d gathered from the other books, I’d created a story in my mind and I went in expecting something explosive. Due to such ideas being in my mind, this felt a bit simple.
Wild Lilies had enough to keep me entertained, but I never really came to enjoy the characters as much as I had expected to. It felt like there was too much back and forth, not the explosive chemistry I’d imagined for the duo. The big events relating to the shifter world were also a bit too easy for my liking, as I’d anticipated a bit more.
I think, in many ways, you can feel this is the first book in the series. It was a fun introduction to the NOLA Shifters world, but it was not quite as powerful as the later books. It leaves you wanting more of the characters, and due to that you’ll be happy to dive into book two.
This is the first in this really amazing series. Its Lily and Declans story and I couldnt put down. I really enjoyed these two and all of their friends in it and will continue to read the rest of this series. When they first met she tried to resist him becasue she was with someone else at the time, but couldnt stay away for long. He could not and did not give up on pursuing her. Really enjoyed so much!!!
loved this story. volunteered to read this ARC for an honest review. loved the chemistry between the characters. fun love story. neither Lily is in a relationship with a human and is hiding from her pack. Declan is coming back to the pack after years away when given the tray real task of locating the alphas daughter. after the first meeting, Declan and Lily are drawn to each other, but neither are looking for love there and she is trying to deny her animal instinct. after some crazy events, they let their wolves lose and can't turn back. great story.
What a great story! I really enjoyed following Lily and Declan’s route to happiness. These characters are such a wonderful addition to the series. The story was so well written that you felt an immediate empathy with the main and secondary characters alike. I would recommend this book to shifter lovers and look forward to reading the next book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
All kinds of shifters! I loved this book! The romance, the Cajun dialect, the suspense, the drama, the characters, the wonderful world building. Angel knows her way around writing a good story. A definite must read and a full 5 stars from me. I can't wait to read the rest of the NOLA series.
a sweet little read, very fast paced. a great introduction to the series and plenty of opportunity to expand the storyline with so many interesting characters
These characters truly have their personalities jumping off the pages and I couldn’t put it down. Great story and can see it continuing to be a great series.
Still reading, but wanted to capture my impression of the writing style. It feels like checking all the checkboxes. Like all the pieces are there and in the right doses, but something magic is missing. Like watching the staging of a play rather than getting lost in the story.
Four pov characters, so far, and at times the swapping of pov is distracting. Not in a “who’s talking” sense, but in a “I can see the joins” sense.
Also, the characters miss things that are presented as painfully obvious to the reader, like the three jaguars following the women at the mall. Not to mention the two year boyfriend made himself scarce awfully fast and without drama.
Seems to be an open universe — aka humans know shifters exist — but they can’t recognize them. Two years and human boyfriend had no clue.
(just finished chpt 15)
*****
Finished. It was a decent story, but a bit too smooth for my tastes. Like the story was following a plot outline and knocking off plot points left & right.
I never invested very deeply into Lily’s world.
Universe where shifters have a fated mate that they know by sight & scent. Lily is the daughter of an alpha wolf. He wants her to find a mate and procreate, even though she has yet to find her destined mate. So Daddy picks two contenders from within the pack and is told to pick one. She decides to run.
Pick up in the present. Lily is content as a lone wolf in New Orleans, friendly with the local leopard pard.
Meanwhile Declan, a member of her father’s pack returns home after an extended period away doing what is basically shifter black ops. He’s ready for a less bloody existence. Daddy sends Declan to fetch his little girl home. (She was randomly spotted by a pack member going into a New Orleans coffee shop.)
Declan shows up to take Lily home to find that she is his mate. But Lily doesn’t give into their instant attraction. She has the most boring human boyfriend in the world, and she doesn't want to hurt him.
As a responsible little werewolf, Lily takes Declan to see the local Pard alpha, as it is their territory. One of the leopards gives birth while they are visiting. Alcohol flows, their inner wolves take over, hot sex.
Quick breakup with the boring human who didn’t even have a clue Lily was a shifter after being together 2 years. Lily & Declan grow closer in fits and starts.
Declan volunteers to help the alpha leopard with a panther problem. He calls in former team members from his black ops days. Multi-species team. One wolf, one tiger, one bear, and two lesbian panthers.
While Lily is helping her leopard friend move to New Orleans, the leopards and Declan’s team kicks ass. The team stays. Declan opens his own firm, a privatized version of his black ops time.
Lily and Declan are HEA. Lily’s leopard friend and the leopard alpha hook up in the next book.
This book has all the feels you expect from a shifter romance, beautiful storyline and great character. This is the first book in the NOLA Shifter series and it really sets up the series well. The story is about Declan an alpha wolf shifter with darkness inside and Lilly an alpha wolf who ran away when her father tried to force a bond with a male wolf he picked. Declan was a special operator in the military and had blood on his hands. He never expected to find his mate. These two were perfect for each other and are truly well matched. Declan knew he could not force Lilly and gave her the time to accept him. This book was full of brotherhood, respect, protectiveness, suspense and found family. This author did a great job with all the different storyline and you will not put the book down until you finish it. I really enjoyed it.
Ah., such a beautiful, refreshing, love story! Quite an awesome adventure convincing the sassy, feisty, wolf shifter that she belongs to him! He is in for it! She is determined, stubborn, and unpredictable! He is more determined,stubborn, and unpredictable, he wants her and won’t take no for an answer! Danger is stalking her, suspense, evil, and surprises abound. You feel the emotions as she fights her feelings, her loyalty, and love! A fantastic plot with amazing characters!
4 stars for Wild Lilies by Angel Nyx. This is book one in the NOLA Shifters series. This is also my first book from this author, but it will not be my last. Lily ran from her home six years ago when her Alpha father tried to force her to mate with someone who was note her fated mate. Now years later Declan is sent to find her. This book is filled with romance, steam, yumminess, and suspense. I loved Lily and Declan and how all the different types of shifters come together. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.
After reading the blurb, I was reeled in. It sounded like an interesting story and Lily have me the impression she was a very strong, no messing kind of person. I love this kind of character. When Declan showed up, you would expect Lily to fall at his feet as her mate but no she wasn't having that. She held out as long as she could. I enjoyed the interaction with other characters and meeting other characters who will have their own story told in the series. Will definitely be reading more.
So many things happened in this book, and each one added a layer that enhanced the story. I love the characters! The strength of the males was bold and in your face while the strength of the ladies was understated and their equal. I love that we got glimpses into the future of the series, and can’t wait to see how each connection plays out. This was my first experience with this author, but it won’t be the last. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
There’s a lot of great characters and backgrounds. All the pieces were in place with the feel of NOLA and its culture. I was rooting for them to find the happiness they did. For me, the flow of the story didn’t work well. The POV shifts were super frequent that I couldn’t settle into the pace. Things would be told from one POV and then told again from another disrupting the flow in a different way. Everything ended how it should have so all the tropes were hit, it just wasn’t for me.
This book is both slow burn, and fast paced at the same time. I love how strong and hard the FMC is, but also knows when to admit her softness. I love how dominant the MMC is but again, he knows when to give a little to be the best man for his mate. I love the suspenseful twists this book has. The only thing I didn't love about this book is something my hopeless romantic heart can't go without, and it's the first declaration of love. It's just assumed, but the book had the perfect moment for it and it didn't have it unfortunately. But again great book, very intrigued to see how the series plays out.
This shifter romance was great. Lily is one of those strong heroines that you love as a character. Declan is such a Alpha male however he is very patient with Lily to come to terms with them being mates. I will definitely listen to others in this series with the side characters. Portia does a great job. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. AudiobookObsession AudiobooksUnleashed
I really liked the story line, but almost didn't finish it because of so much bad language. The story would have been just as good, and not so hard to read. I am sure you have a lot of readers that are not bothered by this, however, that is the only reason for low rating. I tried to skip all the F words, but will not read anything else by you if this is how you write everything. I love fantasy, hate a foul mouth.
In Wild Lilies Angel gives gives us a Wild ride. The characters are fun and quirky. I have to read more of her books just to find out what happens to the secondary characters! Declan and Lily fight with themselves as much as they fight each other. The Cajun flavor gives the book an extra spicy flare that adds to the overall heat between the characters. I enjoyed every page. A Must Read!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I do love a good shifter story. I do recommend this to anyone who likes the genre. My only issue with it was towards the end there was a paragraph that was repeated and that is why I gave it 4 stars especially when I read the author was also a proof-reader.
A fast-paced shifter fated mates story. The romance part of the story moved very quick and I wish there was more build up with that and the characters themselves. I had trouble really connect with them.
If you enjoy steamy possessive alpha male shifter fated mates stories then be sure to give this one a try!
Lily is the daughter of an alpha clan leader who gave her an ultimatum. She chose to leave home instead and find herself. Six years later her father hears of her whereabouts and sends Declan to bring her home. Little does anyone realize this one action will change both Declan and Lily’s lives forever.
I enjoyed the storyline - shifters, romance, different clans and territories.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I love fated mates stories and this one delivered beautifully. The world building was great the characters are written in a very believable way, so much that I couldn't stand Lilly, lol. The one thing that put me down a bit was the constant change in POV, lets hope it doesn't happen in the next books. Of course I am reading the next!!!
Honestly not what I expected. I love paranormal books, but the shifter genre really isn't my thing. This author has completely turned that around for me... I'm excited for the next book!!!!