What do you think?
Rate this book
Fatal Instincts
On the run from her haunting past, Alyssa Barnes doesn't expect too much when she strolls into the small town of Kettle's Bell, Kansas. It's just another temporary place full of temporary people that she'll never let close enough to see the lost girl hiding beneath her tough facade. She's done this all before, she'll do it all again. She's sure this new town won't be any different from all of the others, but then she meets Daimon Kross.
Meet isn't even the right word.
He demands her attention and she refuses to give it.
Leader of the town's unruly biker gang, he's tall, dark, and decidedly deadly. Oozing with dominance and power he's exactly the type of man Alyssa knows all too well that she should avoid, but mashing his buttons is just too fun.
Alyssa knows a man like Daimon Kross could destroy her, but she's always had a problem with tempting danger, and turning away now might not even be an option.
Kettle's Bell and the mysterious Kross bikers may not be all they seem to be from the outside and Alyssa might not be the only one with secrets to protect.
In ways that she never expected, Alyssa is finding out that sometimes love doesn't just bite...it howls.
Meet isn't even the right word.
He demands her attention and she refuses to give it.
Leader of the town's unruly biker gang, he's tall, dark, and decidedly deadly. Oozing with dominance and power he's exactly the type of man Alyssa knows all too well that she should avoid, but mashing his buttons is just too fun.
Alyssa knows a man like Daimon Kross could destroy her, but she's always had a problem with tempting danger, and turning away now might not even be an option.
Kettle's Bell and the mysterious Kross bikers may not be all they seem to be from the outside and Alyssa might not be the only one with secrets to protect.
In ways that she never expected, Alyssa is finding out that sometimes love doesn't just bite...it howls.
ebook
35 people are currently reading
459 people want to read
About the author
Shelby V. Painter
8 books72 followersShelby V Painter is an author of Young Adult fiction from a small town in Alabama. She is an avid daydreamer and reader who sometimes prefers the realm of imagination over real life. When she is not busy writing, she is hard at work as a Preschool teacher where she has learned to sing every Disney song known to man. In her free time she can be found with her nose in a book or cuddled up on the couch with her family watching movies. She has been actively writing for Wattpad.com, where her works have gathered over a million reads and thousands of followers from all over the world. Two of her works, Because of a Girl Like Me, and Watered Down will be published exclusively this year with Tapas Media. It is Shelby's hope that through her writing, she can impact the lives of her readers and that her stories will stick with them long after they've finished the book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 11, 2021
3.5 stars
Don't mind me. Just revisiting my all time favourite Wattpad stories and still loving them as a cognitive adult
Okay well....I understand why my 15/16 year old skinny ass basically proclaimed this author a deity, built an altar around this series and worshipped it for all its wattpad glory.
The reason for all the dramatics is because the person who read this back then? I don't know her. We're talking about the same girl who was absolutely obsessed with the episode app and thought After to be a literary masterpiece. She died the day I discovered GR and I haven't mourned her since.
Now as an adult -it's what I like to call myself these days- I can clearly see the flaws, lazy coincidences, the semi-irritating heroine and at times cringey early 2010s dialogue, all of which I completely missed the first time.
But I. Don't. Care.
I'll still go ahead and say it, this is the best werewolf romance I've read so far. Fight me.
I have read a million on wattpad once upon a time and they're all relatively the same. I've read published books too and they are, if I'm being honest, mediocre.
This author took the most overused plot on wattpad and made it actually distinguishable & truly memorable.
Even though this is the second time I'm reading these books and this time my tastes have significantly changed, I still stayed up day and night rereading and feeling the exact same exciting emotions all over again.
Just put this series through an editor, give it shiny new covers, a better synopsis....because:
"love doesn't bite....it howls"
yea no.
And it's good to go.
Quick description
➾ No fated mates trope
➾ the first and only female werewolf
➾ pack war
➾ heroine with a really dark past
➾ hero has a dead ex
➾ super wholesome friendships
➾ Enemies to lovers
➾ Take no shit from anyone heroine (she can be annoying but I could relate to her tbh)
➾ Alpha hero with a heart of gold
➾ Sex work (h is a stripper)
➾ Motorcycle club (The hero and his pack are an MC)
➾ Super super angsty
➾ You may or may not cry, I'm dead inside so I didn't this time around, but the first time I read this I remember crying.
TW for the entire three books:
Fatal instincts: 3.5 stars
Fatal Contingencies: 4 stars
Fatal Conclusions: 4-4.5 stars
Don't mind me. Just revisiting my all time favourite Wattpad stories and still loving them as a cognitive adult
Okay well....I understand why my 15/16 year old skinny ass basically proclaimed this author a deity, built an altar around this series and worshipped it for all its wattpad glory.
The reason for all the dramatics is because the person who read this back then? I don't know her. We're talking about the same girl who was absolutely obsessed with the episode app and thought After to be a literary masterpiece. She died the day I discovered GR and I haven't mourned her since.
Now as an adult -it's what I like to call myself these days- I can clearly see the flaws, lazy coincidences, the semi-irritating heroine and at times cringey early 2010s dialogue, all of which I completely missed the first time.
But I. Don't. Care.
I'll still go ahead and say it, this is the best werewolf romance I've read so far. Fight me.
I have read a million on wattpad once upon a time and they're all relatively the same. I've read published books too and they are, if I'm being honest, mediocre.
This author took the most overused plot on wattpad and made it actually distinguishable & truly memorable.
Even though this is the second time I'm reading these books and this time my tastes have significantly changed, I still stayed up day and night rereading and feeling the exact same exciting emotions all over again.
Just put this series through an editor, give it shiny new covers, a better synopsis....because:
"love doesn't bite....it howls"
yea no.
And it's good to go.
Quick description
➾ No fated mates trope
➾ the first and only female werewolf
➾ pack war
➾ heroine with a really dark past
➾ hero has a dead ex
➾ super wholesome friendships
➾ Enemies to lovers
➾ Take no shit from anyone heroine (she can be annoying but I could relate to her tbh)
➾ Alpha hero with a heart of gold
➾ Sex work (h is a stripper)
➾ Motorcycle club (The hero and his pack are an MC)
➾ Super super angsty
➾ You may or may not cry, I'm dead inside so I didn't this time around, but the first time I read this I remember crying.
TW for the entire three books:
Fatal instincts: 3.5 stars
Fatal Contingencies: 4 stars
Fatal Conclusions: 4-4.5 stars
March 18, 2021
This book left me SHOOK. I loved everything about it!
The descriptions were on point. Excellent character development all around (or just amazing characters in general). Everything was beautifully (and often very graphically) written, and I was even left breathless at times. I’ll admit I cried on multiple occasions, and that doesn’t happen often. Or at all, as a matter of fact. It clearly made an impact on me.
This was one emotional roller coaster... I really felt for Alyssa. Her pain felt incredibly real to me. This book touched me in ways I never could’ve expected, and it was definitely worth staying up all night for.
(P.S; It’s 05:57 A.M over here, and I still haven’t gone to sleep. So there’s always that. Lol.)
Can’t wait to start on the sequel tomorrow!
10/10.
The descriptions were on point. Excellent character development all around (or just amazing characters in general). Everything was beautifully (and often very graphically) written, and I was even left breathless at times. I’ll admit I cried on multiple occasions, and that doesn’t happen often. Or at all, as a matter of fact. It clearly made an impact on me.
This was one emotional roller coaster... I really felt for Alyssa. Her pain felt incredibly real to me. This book touched me in ways I never could’ve expected, and it was definitely worth staying up all night for.
(P.S; It’s 05:57 A.M over here, and I still haven’t gone to sleep. So there’s always that. Lol.)
Can’t wait to start on the sequel tomorrow!
10/10.
September 9, 2021
daimon sucks but i love me a dumb bitch heroine
Currently reading
September 3, 2022Where can I download pdf of this book for free??
February 16, 2022
Finally gave paid stories a shot. I mean, if I support serial webtoons, I can support serial novels. This one came recommended by a mod I know fairly well so I gave it a whirl. What did I think?
The reason I finished it was because of the main character. She's probably the most interesting heroine I've seen in this type of book in ages. Her tough but damaged character and longing to be vulnerable and connect made her feel very real. Her growth was also believable. I also have to shout-out the smart-mouth one liners she often uttered which increased her entertainment value.
Plot-wise it's got some interesting things going but it also hit several tropes like the alpha-jerk hero and "she's one of kind" in magic world stuff. The cliffhanger was yet another trope but again, Alyssa proved to be a compelling heroine so I'm tempted to go and see how she handles it.
Time will tell I suppose. All in all, not a bad foray into the paid stories program.
The reason I finished it was because of the main character. She's probably the most interesting heroine I've seen in this type of book in ages. Her tough but damaged character and longing to be vulnerable and connect made her feel very real. Her growth was also believable. I also have to shout-out the smart-mouth one liners she often uttered which increased her entertainment value.
Plot-wise it's got some interesting things going but it also hit several tropes like the alpha-jerk hero and "she's one of kind" in magic world stuff. The cliffhanger was yet another trope but again, Alyssa proved to be a compelling heroine so I'm tempted to go and see how she handles it.
Time will tell I suppose. All in all, not a bad foray into the paid stories program.
May 7, 2021
This might have been rated higher if I hadn't PAID for that gutshot of a cliffhanger. And if I hadn't been bitching about this EXACT THING with fellow readers who hate unbalanced angst as much as I do.
Look, if you want to see a character go through basically EVERY TRAUMA POSSIBLE and get the beginnings of a happy ending only to have it ripped away in the last 4 paragraphs then have at.
(OH also it annoyed me that on top of regular TW/CW every single time there was sex she had one. Like, yes, warn me about assault, but consensual enthusiastic sex?)
Look, if you want to see a character go through basically EVERY TRAUMA POSSIBLE and get the beginnings of a happy ending only to have it ripped away in the last 4 paragraphs then have at.
(OH also it annoyed me that on top of regular TW/CW every single time there was sex she had one. Like, yes, warn me about assault, but consensual enthusiastic sex?)
April 25, 2021
I stumbled on this book and it was by far one of the most amazing books I have read. I got so hooked on this book and finished the trilogy, I continued two read two other books by the writer.
This book will feel so real when reading it because you can feel each character, and one of the best part you see them grow and create this family bond I’m so in love with it.
Must read and recommend I can’t describe how amazing this book is as well as the other two and more of the writer.
This book will feel so real when reading it because you can feel each character, and one of the best part you see them grow and create this family bond I’m so in love with it.
Must read and recommend I can’t describe how amazing this book is as well as the other two and more of the writer.
March 3, 2024
Alyssa and Daimon are definitely fire and fire. It’s frustrating that they have the same fight over and over again. I did love the gradual growth and learning. Great use of present and flashbacks to share the tons and tons of trauma and stress that Alyssa has faced.
I love that a few of the guys immediately took to Alyssa and wanted to be there for Daimon even if it is for a girl. I love the idea that there has never been a known female wolf before and that it’s less of having another voice/personality in your head like other werewolf stories.
I loved the book but literally took a star off the rating with Stacey, Daimon’s long lost (thought to be dead) love comes back at the last moment. I feel like there were stronger ways to take the story for future books. I enjoyed the book, even if the pacing was a little off at times.
I will be checking out other books from the author, but after reading a few reviews of the next two books I am not sure I want to pay for the book via Wattpad like I did for the first one. I liked how she took typical genres: werewolf, bike gang, possessive male, damaged girl, obsessed former “love” (technically stalker), etc. and makes it her own.
I love that a few of the guys immediately took to Alyssa and wanted to be there for Daimon even if it is for a girl. I love the idea that there has never been a known female wolf before and that it’s less of having another voice/personality in your head like other werewolf stories.
I loved the book but literally took a star off the rating with Stacey, Daimon’s long lost (thought to be dead) love comes back at the last moment. I feel like there were stronger ways to take the story for future books. I enjoyed the book, even if the pacing was a little off at times.
I will be checking out other books from the author, but after reading a few reviews of the next two books I am not sure I want to pay for the book via Wattpad like I did for the first one. I liked how she took typical genres: werewolf, bike gang, possessive male, damaged girl, obsessed former “love” (technically stalker), etc. and makes it her own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2024
Discovered this book on Wattpad when it was still free and I’ve reread it about every year or so since. (Yes, I paid for them once they became paid.) Legit one of the best Werewolf books I’ve read. I look for it in every one I read to this day. Is it angsty? Yes. Is Damion hot? Yes. Is the combo of a MC Club and Werewolf pack my motivating factor to give this 5 stars? Also yes. I enjoy Shelby Painter a lot and wish I could buy this book series in paper form.
September 21, 2019
It a very interesting story
September 20, 2021
I read this book when it was first written on wattpad and fell in love with this book and the characters
November 25, 2022
Incredible. I've read the series many times and I absolutely love it
May 12, 2020
You start about 20 different books in Wattpad that you will stop reading before the second chapter. I confess it's a bit frustrating. Then you stumble in a book like this one, and all the failed attempts seem worth it.
It had everything to be another cliche possessive romance kind of book, but then the author starts going deeper into the main character story, bring the darkness of a horrible past, written with so many details that you feel like you were there, seeing everything, experiencing the same feelings and horrors. It was a surprise for me how much I liked this book. Alyssa dark past was beautifully put together though out the book, the author was strongly building her personality characteristics, giving a touch of humor to her relationships and sexiness to the development of the romance between her and Daimon.
You have some cliches that are tiring in those kinds of books, like the male possessiveness, the so predictable romance between opposites, the excess of overly detailed "love" scenes. But it has a really good amount of unpredictable plot twists and unexpected surprises.
Not a huge fan of content with explicit violence, such as abuse, self-harm, and suicide, but this book got me crying, fearing, laughing, cheering, and loving every single character and their flaws.
It had everything to be another cliche possessive romance kind of book, but then the author starts going deeper into the main character story, bring the darkness of a horrible past, written with so many details that you feel like you were there, seeing everything, experiencing the same feelings and horrors. It was a surprise for me how much I liked this book. Alyssa dark past was beautifully put together though out the book, the author was strongly building her personality characteristics, giving a touch of humor to her relationships and sexiness to the development of the romance between her and Daimon.
You have some cliches that are tiring in those kinds of books, like the male possessiveness, the so predictable romance between opposites, the excess of overly detailed "love" scenes. But it has a really good amount of unpredictable plot twists and unexpected surprises.
Not a huge fan of content with explicit violence, such as abuse, self-harm, and suicide, but this book got me crying, fearing, laughing, cheering, and loving every single character and their flaws.
October 3, 2022
The author did Stacey so dirty. Brought her back to life for the sole purpose of adding another book to the series and increasing ratings. This book is like a tacky CW show with shitty plotlines to get viewership.
Stacey should’ve stayed dead. Better than being raped for years thinking she’d get to come home to her fiancé, only to be cruelly replaced, forgotten, and discarded.
I can’t believe the author would take this route. So disgusting.
Stacey should’ve stayed dead. Better than being raped for years thinking she’d get to come home to her fiancé, only to be cruelly replaced, forgotten, and discarded.
I can’t believe the author would take this route. So disgusting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews