Death becomes me. Now I know what it finally means.
As if being a halfling wasn’t enough. Now I’m something more, but I have no clue what my abilities are or what is going on.
Oh, and I’m being hunted. The reasoning behind it makes my blood run cold when I find out.
I need to find a way to protect myself, but as I begin to learn more about who I am and my past, powers and abilities arise.
Now I need to make a choice on how to use them, all while trying to stay alive.
At least I have my four hot housemates trying to help, although they’re more of a distraction and delicious temptation. Not to mention this telepathic thing is getting out of hand. Hopefully I’ll discover exactly what it all means.
J.E. Cluney is a full-time author who lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. She spends her days writing, binging on TV shows, and reading. With a slight addiction to chocolate to fuel her midnight writing.
J.E. Cluney has many projects lined up in the reverse harem genre, and her best-selling series, 'Corviticus University' is only one of many.
Currently Reading the Boxset & I’m reviewing each book individually as well.
This book took a bit longer to focus on, it does have a filler-ish feel, it’s jam packed with stuff but it needed breathing space in some areas. Pacing: Mid-Mid Fast, especially near the last half, things seems too easily resolved. Relationship Type: RH> Reverse Harem: MMMFM. M/M(?): Yes, but it’s very very lite & small amount, I’m hoping there will be actual POV scenes rather than being mentioned by someone else in a present scene or past tense, in the next book. Fingers Crossed. F/F(?): Yes, but if you read the previous book you’d know who I’m talking about Lol. I just wish the scenes were written a bit more detailed & clear. Heat: 3.5-4/5, they do feel rushed at times, and some details don’t come through as clear. Romance: 3.5/5, but two of the male characters felt less important in this book. Drama & Suspense: 3.5/5
Good 1) Male characters continue to develop as individuals with their own voices. 2) There is some solid and relatable relationship development.
Neutral 1) Not a complete story, more like an installment of a serial novel 2) Story is not university-focused as series name implied. 3) Unfocused slice of life story structure continues. 4) Female/female sexual interaction; male on male on female sexual interaction; male on a male taking female form sexual interaction; and male on male sexual interaction mentioned but not depicted
The Bad 1) The lip biting and pouting has reached critical levels. 2) Lead female's self-involvement, woe-is-me and fragility has also reached critical levels. 3) No explanation given for Banshees (a) needing several mates (b) need to screw all mates to unlock all/full powers and (c) ability to make mates more powerful. 5) Skip's characterization is all over the map. He's bounced from fun flirt to pushy horn-dog to serious suitor to creepy ahole to timid supplicant in less than three books. 6) Her family being absent for so many years makes no sense when stacked up against how they are depicted in person. 7) Grandmother creeping on Skip was icky. 8) Plot-driven storyline was wrapped up very abruptly.
This is honestly one of my all-time favourite series now. The creativity of magic and supernatural species is incredible. Now that we know what Ally is, we get to see just how powerful she can become harnessing her power. The guys have each grown wonderfully as people, and I adore the relationship they each have with Ally. Each one is different and special in its own way.
The wendigo has been a fearsome villain throughout the series, and seeing the conclusion to that arc is fantastic. J.E. Cluney writes a hell of an action sequence that keeps the reader right on the edge of the seat.
I'm so glad this isn't the end of these characters because I really, truly love them, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them!
Also, because I'll write this in every review until it happens, this NEEDS to be made on audio! The Aussie slang is fantastic and it just completed the setting and world-building perfectly!
I don't really know how to feel about this overall I do like the story but there are a lot of filler chapters that don't seem to progress the story. I felt like skip was disregarded and the bond magic doesn't make sense either
The last book in this series i think is the best and that was a difficult feat considering the other books were great in their own right. Allison (MFC) has just found out what she is. Not only is it a shock but she is slowly trying to find out what powers she has and how to use them. Add to that a Wendigo that is trying to get to her and her relationship with Marcus, Lucas, Skip and Oliver. As well as reconnecting with her lost family. Loose ends are also tied up giving it a perfect ending to a brilliant series
Whoop whoop what a read, couldn't put it down, Allison sure has her hands full in this book, learning about herself and the skills she may or may not have, love this authors work.. highly recommend this book. Start from the start thought with book one... Hell yes
But all’s well that ends well. Loved being introduced to Ally and her mates and the shenanigans they got up to. Wonder if there is going to be a follow up - it seems like everything is in a good place now though.
This book ends the first arc, I think. From reading the blurbs of books 4-6, that seems to be a whole new plot arc.
One reason for the four stars is the amount of time it took for her to get together with Skip. She was told, early on, that she needs all her mates in order to attain her full power. She keeps moaning that she's worried and afraid of the wendigo, BUT SHE DOESN'T TAKE ANY ACTION TO DO THE ONE THING THAT WOULD HELP PROTECT HERSELF MORE. No, instead she frolics with Lucas in his "Lucy" form (another minus because I don't care for ff) and is forever working and studying and doing homework and fooling around with Oliver. Skip was constantly being left out because he was the only one who wasn't mentally linked with the others and no one even seemed to care how he might feel about that.
My prediction about how her full power might affect Marcus and Oliver came true, and I was very happy about that especially in Marcus's case. I loved how happy he was . It was also cool to see Allison come into her full powers and understand what her powers can actually do, to see that they can achieve something positive and are not just dark and all bout death.
The showdown with the wendigo felt like an anticlimax because there was so much build-up to it but then when it actually happened, the wendigo was vanquished so quickly and easily. This is another reason for the four stars. As a result, the ending feels unsatisfactory. I was expecting there to be some epic battle.
I like this book better than the other two, so far. There's a mystery cold case that the FMC (Ally) decides to try and solve using her newfound powers, now that she knows what she is. She succeeds, but it takes a bit of an emotional toll on her.
I like the development of some of the characters in this book, including some secondary characters (like the family of the main characters). Despite Lucas' family shunning him for being gay (bi), his parents seem to be somewhat acknowledging him more. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how this develops for him. Regarding Ally's family, I'm glad we got to meet them. They're fantastic, loving, and I'm happy that Dixon is a real good uncle for her. The other men in her life who have had "family" roles after her parents died have been dirt.
All of that aside, the only thing I'm not sure I'm loving is the dynamic between Ally and her mates. I'm not a fan of "sword crossing" (MM) in my books, but I'm not exactly against it. I AM someone who will flat out decline to read a book if it had FF (female/ female) in it, just because it isn't my thing. So, this book is a bit odd for me since one of the males can turn into a female using magic and actually goes down on the FMC as a female. Then, Ally starts doing other stuff with them while they're a female. It's also mentioned a few times that the guys do things with this character as well, even if Ally isn't around. Honestly, if I had known any of this before, I probably wouldn't have picked up this series. In a way, I'm glad I didn't know because I'm enjoying the STORY, but I'm not enjoying the dynamic myself. It's unique, though, and I'm sure some readers absolutely love it. It's just not my thing.
It's partially for these reasons I've only rated the book 4.25 on Storygraph and 4 on Goodreads.
This feels like the end to the first story arc. We have a full harem, and the big bad is defeated, happy families all round. The weird flashbacks don’t appear in here anymore and she finally stops dithering on taking Skip into the fold. It is a bit ‘magic sex’ (imagine jazz hands while reading that) that solves all problems, but I’m okay with that. The story is mostly about their connections and building their relationship, so the conflict is pretty minimal, and even the big bad is defeated with very little effort. Everything is just banshee magic and instinctual and no work required, so it’s quite a rushed ending. But I loved the togetherness and family elements. It’s all very sweet and fulfilling, even when it’s getting spicy. The eventual group scene was a bit fade to black and very sparse on details, and the MC is disconnected from it all which was not what I expected. But I am here for the found family, and I can see this as being a good starting point for spinoffs from some of the other characters (give me Grandma Tish!) and a continuation of their life together.
I was hooked right from the start and this is my second time reading this book. I loved the naughty scenes, loved how creative the authors got with the dif kinds of shifter d!{k. Lol let’s just say the sex scenes left me jealous… the plot slowly unfolded at the perfect speed. The ending seemed a bit quick with how long the build up was, but regardless I still feel the need to know, what’s next!? The fmc has had rough past but doesn’t let it get to her. She’s used it to make herself stronger. Her men become her strongest supporters and I can see this series lasting a long time. It’s just that good!
If her solving cold cases was the plot in this, I'd give it a full 5 stars. But as stands, relationships are still developing. The plot was better. Marcus and Ollie stand out to me. Skip doesn't stand out at all.
My biggest issue with this series is the subplot behind the character Lucy. Lucy serves no purpose. She's essentially just another hole when the mood strikes. And I HATE that. This is supposed to be one of her mates. I really wanted Lucy to serve a purpose in character development but she doesn't. Chapter 11 was super hard to read simply because it felt degrading to Lucy.
3.5 stars Fastburn RH with lots of sexy time. I would have preferred a little more balance between the underlying story of Ally discovering her powers and history, some actual active hunting of the wendigo and the sex romps but overall it was enjoyable. I really liked that it was set in Australia. I also liked that while the bond is centred around Allie there is a relationship between all of them. It feel more like a true poly relationship between them all, especially with Luke/Lucy in the mix. I would have like to see more of Allie and Emma’s friendship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was basically the wrap up to the first major arc in this series. Looks like there will be a second plot line with the next book. Here we finally find out the news about Allison’s abilities. She figures out more about who she is and what she can do and really grows as a person. We learn a lot about her and her family and about the guys. This one had a good balance of intrigue, plot and steamy scenes and action scenes in the mix. I’m interested to see what she comes up with for the new story arc.
This is hands-down the best book of this series! (So far)
There isn't as much unnesscary feeling filler, the pace picked up which felt more appropriate for a more plot heavy book and despite the ending feeling a little rushed, I loved the way it concluded. The relationship between the individual characters are great (even if Skip is a little neglected on that front) and the dynamic was great. And even though it has a more typical plot line, the adding of the banshee really mixed it up in unique ways as well as the inclusion of the wendigo to make the book really feel different.
Absolutely superb. This book was my favorite by far. I could not stop reading once I started. I loved all the little things from the banter and dinner scenes with her refound family and her mates to the little big things like her discovering more about her powers and getting her own car. And I teared up so hard when Marcus went out in the sun. And the case she helped solve was such a neat little addition. Just loved the whole thing so much.
*this series was read as a box set, back to back so my views on timing may differ than others.
I could not put the series down. I am in love with the characters, learning a bit about life/slang in Australia, and the fact the shifters are so unique compared to other books with shifters based in the US. The family ties, bullying, types of magic and how they are applied in the 'real world' kept me sucked in and wanting more.
A fantastic story! I absolutely loved how this book ended. It was epic with a strong female lead finishing it. The guys are great with their personalities and chemistry. I absolutely love Marcus and his bad boy attitude at times. The others have great personalities as well. Lucas is so suave and put together. It is well written and is a fantastic must read.
This was easily my favorite book of the series. Ally finally fully embraces what she is and that changes everything. She discovers new and stronger powers and then uses them in a most helpful way. And then she finally completes her bond with all her mates, and that just amplifies all their powers even more. The last couple chapters are pretty darn exciting!
I so did not see that coming, what she was. I mean it makes sense when looking back on it. And it was fun to see how she learned through this book to handle her powers. And at the very end the one special power that she has was pretty cool. Was very interesting on how the bonds changed once she completed it with all of her mates. Glad that they were not stuck in each others head 24/7. lol
Ok - it did get a little bit repetitive in the first half and I felt so sorry for Skip - especially with Allison being so selfish at times and leaving him hanging. The second half was where everything started to get interesting. Overall it had a good storyline and it was such an easy read for me. Loved The guys but Ollie was really well done. An extra 1/2 star for it being based in Australia - 😉.
Can I just say that I love Ally. I'm so glad she's finally come to terms with her banshee side and the issue of the many balls in her life. I love her grandmother. Best side character ever. This book gave me all the feels and I'm so stoked with how the story progressed.
I am really enjoying this series. I love the mix of super naturals and learning about the society. I am especially excited for the upcoming charity event, I can’t wait to see what Lucas does. I like this characters I would enjoy being their friend and I like the peek at Australian life.
This is a multi book series and each picks up right where the last ended with very little overlap so they will need to be enjoyed in order. There are references to past abuse which may be triggering. It’s a fairly quick storyline with well drawn characters. I’m enjoying it
3. I'm still enjoying this series for what it is. I'm still learning about cool new powers and supernatural creatures but they defeated the villain way to easily. Like at least make it hard after saying how bad he is?! But other then that I'm enjoying it for what it is. I do like how the mate bond changed certain things with Marcus and ollie.
Wow, these just keep on getting better. I am so happy that Ally accepted the dark part of her. I love that she can help solve cold cases now. The bond is complete, and wow, the things that unlocked were really good. I am so happy about what happened with the wendigo. Off to continue reading this series.
Wonderful ending to the series. I loved how ally grew and kicked some butt! Hea. Maybe the author will do a short story and catch up with ally and the boys and how life is going.
Fantastic book. It's part of a series so read book 1 and 2 first. The story continues for Allison and her guys. She claimed two as her mates already. Will she claim the other two as well? Will they be able to fight of the wendigo?
Third book in series I would definitely reread..Some aussie langauage,which the author is nice enough to explain which definitely helped..also loved the whole storyline which 2as definitely different