Pack or Prey

Wolfblooded #1

by Melissa A. Graham

Harley Rayne's bad choices just keep piling up. All she wants is for her family to acknowledge her existence, and to be needed by someone. Anyone. When Frank rides into town with the Coyotes, and seems to be everything she thinks she wants, she finally feels like more than a piece of furniture. Frank not only sees her, he needs her. Harley runs away for love, but is entirely unready for the world love brings her to. Regret number one? Letting her loneliness drive her into the arms of an exceptionally volatile flavor of trouble named Frank Essex.

Regret number two? Jumping on the back his bike and blowing out of town—and away from her family—with middle fingers blazing.

You see, Frank and her family share a secret, and while her family has protected her from the truth, Frank throws Harley into it headfirst. The man she loves is a werewolf, and he's nothing more than a charming sadist who doesn’t take rejection easily. Or at all. Turns out, running away again won't be as easy as it was before; especially when Frank isn't the only one hunting her down.

Regret number three? Thinking she could escape without Frank tracking her down.

To start a new life away from bad boys, bikers, and werewolves, Harley must give up her long-standing fixation on finding her true "family" and learn how to be reliant only on herself. Easier said than done, and in the end, she's left with an ultimatum that will change everything she thinks she knows: Pack or prey.

Previously Published as: "Deny the Moon" until June 2018.
ISBN: 1720938474
Re-Titled Paperback Edition

Genres: Fantasy

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

After reading reignited a spark in her life, Melissa has found a lifetime goal in becoming an author whose books help others escape from the harsh realities of the world, just as it did her.

She has a love for all things supernatural or paranormal. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Anita Blake, Zombie Fallout... just the tip of her fandom-obsessed iceberg. Laurel K. Hamilton is one of her biggest writing influences, and her style of writing sometimes echoes Hamilton's.

Her first novel, Pack or Prey (previously titled "Deny the Moon"), was first self-published in 2013, and has been re-titled and re-released in June 2018. It is the first in her Wolfblooded series, with a sequel in progress along with other various stories ranging from horror to magical realism.

Melissa joined forces with her dear friend, and partner, Chelsea, to begin writing under the Madison Chase pen name and has rebranded Pack or Prey under this name.

Reviews

[Lin]

I gave it a chance and I tried really hard to like it and get into the story, but sadly it did not work out for me.

By no means this implies that the books is no good or not worthy to be read, no. Just because it did not suit my taste does not mean you would not like it and enjoy it. So do not let my opinion discourage you or make you lose interest in this book.

I really did like the feeling of adventure and wildness at the beginning and how it started. However it kept going down the hill and my interested dropped and it just did not feel right that I keep reading something that I do not feel like to.


I guess most of your had had this kind of experience, not only with books but with some movie or tv series and dropped them mid way because you figured they did not work out for you.

The book will not be rated as I did not finish it, however I do encourage you regardless to give it a go, you never know it might turn out to be your piece of cake and you might love it.

A big thank you to Melissa for contacting me and giving me this opportunity!

[Bruno Goncalves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now here’s a book I would have loved to read exclusively from Frank’s point of view: werewolf takes in sweet but dim human and then has to put up with her s**t for years. New definition of hell, I guess. After all there’s something real cool about the guy… oh wait, looks like he’s a woman-beater, scratch that last part.

Instead I was sentenced to seeing the story mostly from the female perspective. Cringe. Nevertheless, I realize this novel was probably meant for women in the first place and so I got on with it, sniggering every once-in-a-while at Harley’s naiveté.

The narrative initially made some reference to the fitness level of the dominant male (read Frank here) and I realize this was probably meant to elicit an appropriate response in the reader. Being, however, a heterosexual male with a decidedly unromantic nature, I think it was all lost on me. This is, after all, a romance novel too.

I say this as a warning to those who read my review, since I rate a book based on how much I enjoyed it; all reading experiences are highly subjective, right? This is unfortunate, since I suspect that many potential readers (read target audience here) would probably have rated it higher than I did.

But here’s something that I can also say: There was a tipping point in the novel (about midway through) when the story began to increase in its complexity and interesting new characters came into play. I guess that’s the point where I stopped droning along and began to pay real attention to the story. The author gathered a complex, imperfect and interesting ensemble of characters, and the increasing depth of the story reminded me of those deceptively shallow pools where the further you walk into it the deeper you get.

Additional points:
This book has not been professionally edited. This doesn’t bother me at all, of course; I’m an Indie author myself and know the difficulty of getting one’s book properly edited. But due to this lack of editing, I noticed an odd mistake here and there that tells me it’s her first novel. Congratulations for this achievement, author, but now you really must get your book professionally edited to smooth it out and learn where you’re doing it wrong. This learning experience is fundamental to continue writing and improving;

The initial relationship between Harley and Frank is about what you’d expect if a woman tried to date a wild wolf. Growl. Snarl. Snap. F**k. P**s off. Some successful marriages are made of this, but this one not so much. The violence throughout these pages has also been referred to by other reviewers, but I consider it entirely appropriate. After all, these are werewolves we're talking about, not MyLittlePonies! Life in a wolf-pack isn’t a walk in the park.

In all, I consider this the work of a talented author and hope this book is only the first of many future installments!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for an honest and unbiased, non-reciprocal review.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited I was granted permission to read this book! I enjoyed it very much. I love how the author added some humor into this book. This is anew author for me and I must say I will read more from her. This book had me at page 1. I was so excited to read about this character and I enjoyed Harley Rayne so much. I can't wait for book 2! * I received this book from the author and this is my honest review*

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all need an escape now and then. I personally like to dive into a good book or video game. In Melissa Graham’s Pack or Prey, Harley is looking to escape her family with a healthy dose of teenage rebellion. This is where Graham’s writing shines. This could have been any other teenage angsty werewolf book, but Graham’s tone is witty, descriptive, and realistic making this book fly by with ease. I found myself caring about the characters and on edge for what happens next. A good read for both werewolf romance lovers and action fans alike!

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harley “Harls” Rayne is just an average girl in an average town in an average family, except for the fact that her parents favor their younger daughter Lorelei. This favoritism spurs Harley to run off with the bad boy biker to become his bike b***h (aka the person who rides behind him on his Harley). But Frank isn’t all that she thought he was and his violent behavior and a culminating incident becomes the final straw for her to steal his bike and run away again. She thinks she’s safe with her new life and new job and new friends, until it all comes crashing down around her once more.

I went through a sequence of liking and disliking this book. At first I loved it, there was tension from the very first page and the characters were very real. The story was alive from paragraph one and the inciting incident went off without a hitch. Harley turned her life upside down. Then I started to get bogged down in grammatical errors and the gruesome violence that the author described. I was not prepared for the horrific violence, but kudos to the author for bringing out such a strong emotional reaction in me, it is a telltale sign of a good writer, just not what I was expecting in a paranormal young adult story. I was further disgusted by the behavior of Frank and the relationship between Harley and Frank. It was an abusive relationship described in a way to make my toes curl and my hair stand on end, but was interlaced with these extremely steamy descriptions. Graham was putting me through emotional loops, with ups and downs and extremes in between. Be warned fair readers of the violence, abuse, and foul language in this book. Graham depicts the not-so-nice aspects of relationships and the gruesome results of foul play, but she does it in a hypnotizing way that makes you turn the pages with shaking fingers.

I despised Frank so much he made my stomach curdle. He is cold-blooded and cold-shoulders and the definition of the opposite of a gentleman. But he has a soft spot for Harley and it’s hard to hate him too much because he has that undeniably redeeming quality of wanting to protect her (from everybody but himself at least). He is domineering and possessive with a pack-like animalistic quality. He is raw and as Harley sees him: extremely and ruggedly attractive.

Harley is also a hard character to like. She put herself into the bad situation. Don’t girls know that the bad boys are usually bad news? Her most redeeming moments are when she is being protective of her best friend Liz. Harley surprised me with her gumption and ability to leave the situation when it crossed the line. When at first I didn’t like her because she couldn’t take action and kept staying in the abusive relationship, she showed her true strength when she up and left and started over with a confidence not many women would have after her experiences.

This book pushes the boundaries of paranormal with its down to earth grittiness and would appeal to those who enjoy a gritty paranormal story with violence, werewolves, or a female protagonist.

[Erika Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of Deny The Moon, (Wolfblooded), in exchange for a non-reciprocal review.

Deny The Moon is a dark tale spun by Graham that honestly caught me of guard. The book was much like a Quentin Tarantino film where bits and pieces and random events begin to fall together to paint a much larger picture that you were not really expecting or ready to view. However, overall the story punches powerfully into the imagination whether you want it there or not...which to me is a sign of great imagery. Warning to squeamish of heart, Deny The Moon may not be for you as this book is full of very graphic scenes of extreme violence.

The opening prologue was hard for me to follow, but once I was past it the story began to flow at an easier pace that was easier to digest...though the story does bounce back and forth between being written from the perspective of the protagonist, Harley Rayne, and then from a third person point of view. The book also contains some grammatical errors and typos that I had to push aside to get into the story line.

Harley's family seems to threat her as "the third wheel" where mother and father both dote over the younger sister, Lorelei. Harley has no sense of belonging so she runs off with a biker that she meets, Frank Essex. We only see two brief encounters with the family and Frank and Harley before Harley makes the decision to leave, so it was hard for me to get into the decision of the character at first. Throughout the story, Frank's brutality escalates both towards other people and towards Harley which is hard to understand. What happened to him to make this way? Then there is Liz, Harley's best friend. They are extremely close until another secret is revealed. Without inserting spoilers, Harley's reaction is understandable, but then Liz seems to write Harley off for a few chapters without any explanation. I love character development and was looking for more! Harley almost seems to have a closer relationship with bouncer friend Jackson. Overall, the main characters, Frank and Harley, bring out very strong reactions in the reader--either you will LOVE them or HATE them because of their manic ways. The book ends with yet another surprise that you never see coming that is meant to set up the next book in the series.

While I enjoy a good paranormal story line, Deny The Moon (Wolfblooded), was not for me, but those who like to take a walk on the dark side would probably enjoy it. I gave the book three stars because the story line was imaginative and left me wanting more from the characters instead of just pushing them aside and moving on.

[Lana Axe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's much more going on in this story than I realized when I first started reading. It starts with Harley and her relationship with a biker named Frank, and things aren't going so well. He turns into an abusive jerk, and Harley has had just about enough. I think it's around fifty pages in when the werewolf scenario comes into play, and that put a whole new spin on an already interesting story.

I really liked Harley. She is young and puts up with too much, but she finally finds her courage and knows that she's worth more, and I commend her for that. She is multi-faceted and real, and it felt like she was a friend I could root for as she got her life back on track. I loved Liz when she comes onto the scene. She is fun and well-rounded.

Just a heads up for those who are easily offended. There is a lot of graphic violence, strong language, and descriptive sex. I did not find anything crude, though. These things aren't included just for shock value. They fit in nicely with the lifestyles being depicted.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

powerful and gritty.

It's dark and raw, and wonderfully addictive. The kind of story you don't put down until the end. Nothing is as average as it seems, and it brings the story in on this delicious trail of secrets. Secrets. Yes, this family is full of them, and even the darkest secret is brought to light. I like this story, as it's not just about the drive for survival and to be loved, but not being forgotten. A need to be needed, is just the beginning. Very well put together, and I look forward for more work from Graham.

[Angie Pfeiffer-Senft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s face it. Love it or hate it, Twilight will never be over. It divided the masses into factions way before Divergent appeared. Team Edward versus Team Jacob. Books versus movies. Twilight rendered quite a lot of fan fiction, swooning teenage girls, and dreams of what it would have looked like had Bella Swan chosen Jacob.

Harley Rayne knew she didn’t fit in with her family. Not that it was hard to guess. It seemed wherever they went her sister Lori was the center of attention, and she was the one in the background. Nothing was denied Lori, while Harley just watched. It’s no wonder she dreams of freedom. What better picture fits the bill than a motorcycle? Easy. A bad boy sitting right on top of it.

It was the gleam of machines under the sun that hypnotized her. Her ticket to freedom coincidentally had the same name as her. It’s not until Frank breaks her hypnosis at a fairground, that she discovers the owner may be better looking than the bike. Naturally, her parents and Lori’s impatience break her out of her reverie, and Harley is forced to participate in “family fun”. What she doesn’t expect is for her tall, dark, and handsome daydream to follow her. What girl doesn’t want to hear “run away with me”?

When all you know is the family you grew up with, even feeling unloved and unwanted, it’s natural to have some hesitation to leave. After eighteen years of feeling second best, Harley decides to cleave from her family and ride down that path to freedom.

Fast forward two years, and it has been nothing but open road, dilapidated hotel rooms, and seedy bars. Harley had been accepted into the group and had made friends along the way. For two years things in the exclusive group have remained the same, until Frank decides to make a play for leader of the group, and be up front and honest with Harley about what their pack actually does.

Torn between knowing the truth, or continuing to be in the dark, Harley has to make the hardest decision she’s had to make since leaving her family. With all the distance she’s put between her and her family, will they actually welcome her back with open arms? Better question is will Frank allow her to leave the pack?

As soon as I started this book, I was transported back to my teenage years. I was angsty. I was looking for trouble off and on. I will still nerdy and reading books, that has never changed. I was also a hopeless romantic. The further into “Deny the Moon” I read, the more it continued to remind me of “Twilight”. Only this is for Team Jacob fans, and it’s not the Jacob you remember.

While we all have our fantasies of living out the bad boy day dream, this book took it a bit far into the abuse scene. Harley was definitely in a controlling relationship. Frank was not only verbally abusive, but mentally AND physically. As much as I like to read, it kind of makes me cringe when that kind of abuse is in a book. I have read other books with abuse in them, I’m not condoning that action by any or all means. Some authors put it in a subtle way, and others are in your face with it. I do not prefer the latter.

There were a few times I felt that the main character contradicted herself. There’s a particular scene where Frank “gifts” (it’s more like throws) ripped up pieces of red fabric at Harley and tells her to change, he wants her to look nice for when they go out. Harley goes into the bathroom to change and can hardly believe these few scraps are going to cover anything- which she’s right about when she tries to get on the back of his bike. She throws shorts on underneath for the ride. Embarrassed of letting anyone see her rear end. Fast forward to her breakaway, and what kind of job does Harley have? She’s a Burlesque dancer- because in my mind that makes all the sense in the world (PLEASE tell me you caught the cynicism there?!)

Naturally, being shown how a person is able to change into a werewolf should come with pamphlets on how to cope. Although Harley was chased down, knocked out, and kidnapped, once she regains consciousness (and some space) she makes the bold decision to leave. . .through a tiny window in the bathroom. . . and steal Frank’s bike. In her time away from, well, all of that, she calls herself crazy for even thinking that werewolves walked among us. That her ex boyfriend didn’t just smash someone’s skull in. So when confronted nose to nose by a dumpster with a wolf of unusual size (WOUS- “Princess Bride” anyone?! COME ON!) Harley is put into panic mode. It’s only another wolf that helps her elude being devoured. Running up to her apartment, away from the wolf fight, it seems the savior wolf is limping and whining in Harley’s direction for help. Right here, RIGHT FREAKING HERE is where I’m shaking my head, already knowing what this stupid girl is going to do and wondering to myself why she’s going to do it. Harley grabs a sheet and a shirt, rolls this injured wolf into the sheet, AND PROCEEDS TO DRAG IT UP THE STAIRS TO HER APARTMENT. Once in her apartment, she bandages the wolf, TALKS to the wolf, and prays she (how Harley knows it’s a she even before this is astounding) doesn’t eat her. Doesn’t bring the wolf back down and outside, where all wild, untamed, unpredictable animals should go. No, it’s in her living room.

Other than that, it was just some obvious typos that stood out. I most likely will not be reading the next in the series, as I did not make a connection with the book. If you are into rough werewolves, controlling and abusive relationships though, I would definitely recommend this book.

[Amora Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deny the Moon was excellent. I got very invested in the characters.

Liz and Jackson are both excellent characters. I like them a lot and I'm really glad they have Harley's back, even if she can't always see it. After all, someone has to have her back. They're both really cool.

Even minor characters like Braedon are developed enough for me to get attached to them, which is impressive.

I hope in future books we see more of Harley's trainer and the cop, even though I didn't exactly like the cop and found him really misogynistic at times. I have to admit, I was a little happy Frank ended up scaring the crap out of him.

As for Frank... I like that he's kind of sympathetic, but I hope he remains a bad guy instead of becoming a love interest. Even though he loves Harley in his own convoluted way, he's evil through and through and there's a difference between being flawed and abusive and he was straight up abusive to Harley. He kept secrets from her, mocked her for not knowing the very secrets he kept hidden, and actually beat her up. He seemed to justify that by "preparing" her for the future or whatever, but there's a huge difference between training her to fight and take a punch with her consent and just plain beating her up. Hell, even Kilgrave from Jessica Jones felt sorry when he made Jessica harm herself. Frank didn't regret hitting Harley at all.

I don't really like Harley. I get she's had a crappy life so far and everyone, including her family, love keeping secrets from her for no apparent reason (the exception being Liza and Jackson. I understand why they wouldn't exactly want to tell her they are werewolves). But at the same time, she's so dumb. She actually thought Frank would leave her alone once he got his bike back. Even after she knew he had found her she didn't pick up and run, instead thinking it would be the end of it, despite him constantly saying they belonged together.

Nor did she tell Liza, Jackson, or her boss what was going on. I understand not wanting to tell the police because of the murder she witnessed, but she should have told Jackson and Liza. Instead of shutting Liza out and pretending it was because she couldn't deal with the idea of werewolves, she could have been like "Hey, no offense, but the only werewolves I've seen before now were murdering psychos, so forgive me if I'm a bit nervous." Half this story would never have happened if she had told them what was going on.

I don't understand her family at all. I don't know why they kept things from her, played favorites-- if they did and Harley wasn't just jealous of her sister-- or let her go without actually looking for her. None of that makes any sense and hopefully, it'll be explained in the next book.

Aside from Harley's character, this was a pretty good book. It was very interesting and well written and I'm definitely at least interested in reading the secon

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Spice Rating: .5 out of 5

Pros:
- The plot is dark, deceptive, and you never know what's really coming your way for the most part.
- Werewolves, drifters, bikers, burlesque dancers.. need more?
- FMC that is her own hero (Harley, girl, BRAVO. I think it took too long, but you did it.)
- Anti-hero MMC; you hate him and yet think you can change him.

Cons:
- I wanted more action throughout the plot. The entire book felt like a large build up to the bigger story, which is great because it's a series, but it left me with questions and the need for more to have happened.
- Some of the FMCs reactions baffled me; they felt very back n forth within short periods of time.
- There is one character about a quarter of the way through that we meet (from their POV) and then never hear from again. I am so curious as to why and who they work for. But it makes me question why the chapter was included if we never hear from them again.

[Tena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn’t the normal Werewolf story I prefer. Still not sure how everything connects. Sounds like a great story line. Some very graphic scenes.

[Haven Gwynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very different from any other werewolf book I've ever read, in a good way. It was very intense.

[Erin Saulpaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
It is very well written. Can't wait to see what's next

[Phyllis Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strength

Madison Chase’s first book in her Wolfblooded series is like a train engine out of the station, slow to start, then really builds up steam. Harley, the main female character, still has some growing to do especially in the strength department. She seems to be almost meek as a mouse with Frank’s, the main male character, dominance. There’s plenty of exciting adventure, mystery, suspense and steamy situations that’ll keep you wanting more. This is the first time I’ve ever read anything by this author but it certainly won’t be the last. Highly recommended and definitely a MUST read!

[Esha Bajaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked by the author to read "Deny the Moon" and give an honest review.

Deny the Moon is about young woman named Harley who doesn't feel appreciated in her family. Her parents drastically favor her younger sister Lorelei. In order to escape this, she get's herself a seriously messed up boyfriend and basically becomes his arm candy, riding around with him on the back of his motorcycle.

Deny the Moon is a book that caught me off guard. I'm usually not to keen on reading the paranormal genre, and this book genuinely surprised me. The characters were well developed and balanced, and the story was well paced and suspenseful, with just the right amount of gore.

The characters:
Harley's boyfriend Frank is a truly despicable person. He seems to want to protect Harley from the world, but doesn't care about hurting her himself. Harley balances him out with her unrelenting strength and determination. Overall, they make quite the interesting pairing for the reader to observe as they go through ups and downs in their relationship as Harley has to choose whether or not to leave an abusive situation.

Overall, Deny the Moon was an entertaining read and I did enjoy it. However, I chose to give it three stars because I felt it was good, but not great.

Deny the Moon will appeal to readers of Sarah Dessen and Amanda Hocking. If paranormal romance is your thing, than this is the book for you, especially if you love stories with a strong female lead.