Wolfish: Moonborne is a cute YA+ fated-mates paranormal romance novel.
When Sierra discovers she's a half-blood witch, she's forced to finish her schooling at an academy for witches. The only problem is, as a half-blood, she doesn't have any magic. The years are torture, with the only respite her brush with a mysterious Dragon Boy at the school's annual masquerade ball. She falls for him that first year when he rescues her from a rather embarrassing situation, spending much of the night with her in the infirmary-- the only whisper of his identity a note he's left with the initial "H.".
The first chapters of the book float between present-day and Sierra's past encounters with "Dragon Boy" (nicknamed for the dragon mask he wears to the ball). You really get a sense of the push-and-pull of their growing relationship and the sexual tension between the two... and, to be fair, that sexual tension broods throughout this book and the next.
The discovery that her power isn't magic at all--but being a shifter-- side-tracks Sierra's plans to go back to the human world to live out the rest of her life as a mere mortal.
I said the book was cute, and it's freakin' adorable. I like the innocence. I love the characters. The plot is engaging and the book flows very well. It's a brain-candy book with pent up sexual tension on every page. I loved it.
My only chagrin was the book needs a better editor. Some of the sentence structure and grammar was distracting, but not on a much lesser level than normally seen in a lot of writing from lesser-known publishers or from self-published authors. It was palatable, making the story shine through. Though, if you're a grammar snob, you might get hung up on it... but, grammar aside, the story and writing style are fun and flirty in a way that makes the books a blissful distraction from the outside world.
Gods, I loved the characters. Cass, the magical healer and Sierra's best friend. Vander, BFF of the Supreme Beta, Aristaeus (also beta of the Dragos wolf pack). Ransom, beta of the Royal wolf pack. You have bad guys and hunks aplenty in this badass paranormal world built for adventure.
The world crafted by DeRosa has a lot of potential for adventure-- and I'm sure that's reflected in her other books (though this is my first taste of her writing).
A warning to my fellow readers, though-- read at your own risk as this and the next book ends on a cliffhanger. Books 1-2 are out. I believe Book 3 comes out in Late September 2021. It irks me when I have to wait after I'm invested in a series... but these dang Facebook ads have been so tantalizing lately, I've succumb to the guilty pleasure and torture of getting hooked on some of these unfinished, cliff-hanger series!
If this book had a bit more polish, I'd give it 4 stars. It's a good read.
For those looking for romance without the intense sex, this is a totally viable option. The sexual tension from abstinence is a major theme in the book. While there is a bit of fooling around... for the most part, the book is "safe" in that respect-- but it all depends on how close of a brush of heat you're looking for in a book. It's tepid compared to a lot of romance novels out there, but enough to leave the reader with a thirst for more.
Loved the story... and now on to review the second book!