*a prequel to The Lycans series, but does not have to be read in any specific order. This is Banner and Luna's origin story.
Luna
I was eighteen. He was over two hundred years old. I was an inexperienced vampire exploring Eastern Europe by myself. Banner was the king of the Scottish Lycans. He was huge. I was small. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. Talk about a forbidden, age-gap romance. Our meeting had been nothing short of happenstance, luck of the draw, a strike of fate, or one of the many other things people say when you meet the one person meant to be yours and yours alone. But we were meant to be together. Fated mates by destiny. Maybe I should have fought the attraction. Maybe I should have played hard to get. Especially when my Lycan mate was so big and burly, growly and an over-the-top alpha? But where was the fun in that?
Safety warnings: - H 200+ / h 18 (she is not human) - No cheating - No OW/OM drama - HEA
Quick read about a Lycan and his vampire mate. These two meet by chance and find out right away they are mates.
In this world the ''otherworldly beings'' are all unable to feel any sexual desires or emotions unless it is with their mate, so this guy (a Lycan king nonetheless) has been walking around for over 200 years being a virgin.
There is not a lot of plot and it's just basically them getting to know each other and ending up together.
We go back in time and see how Luna and Banner meet and this novellas was cute and enjoyable.. I don’t think anyone can top Adryan for me lol. And maybe because I already meet them I was okay with there story.
But Luna is traveling enjoying life until she feels a pull and leads her to her mate Banner their connection is fast he wants to shower her with everything. But not everything is easy at first we get my fave guy Adryan in this story watching out for his baby sister and he still insane (this is pre-bite Marks) once that’s settled these two get to know eachother more and more growing with each second.
No ow/om drama, No cheating, tiny drama, Slight secondary chars, sexy times, both virgins
Recommend-maybe Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heat level-🌶🌶🌶
Slowinsta Age gap 18h/200H Violence Shifters/supernatural Tiny fang kink No condom Hea Epilogue
this is was so good!!!! a novella for the Lycans series! This novella has everything…fated mates, a Highlander werewolf, and American vampire, age gap, breeding and praise! My favorite things.
God…sometimes a werewolf mating romance is exactly what you need 💗
It was okay... The writing was pretty basic, and for a fated mates that are immediately compelled to jump each other, this one was a slow burn. There wasn't much character development in there - mostly it was laying some framework for the series concept, the mates seeking each other, the brother of the h losing his mind repeatedly, them traveling to the H's home, descriptions of everything, and then finally getting it on in the woods (which was a little weird bc the brother was clear that he would remain close by, so they were probably doing it in front of him). There were 2 brief epilogues that gave a little more info on the couple, but otherwise, not a whole lot to it.
Plot --- 2/5 Writing Style --- 3/5 Main Characters --- 2/5 Supporting Cast --- 2/5 Steam Level* --- 4/5 Violence --- h's brother and H get in a couple of tiffs but nothing graphic or mortal Triggers --- the H physically chases the h/tackles her to the ground and then has his way with her but it was consensual Language --- yes POV --- dual (mostly h)
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
Anyway, it's short and the prequel in this series. There's no major problem, well, aside from Adryan, Luna's brother. But I already know he's a psycho, so I anticipated as much. 😂
That said, this is very straightforward, as with other novellas. They saw each other, and voila, insta-love.
I'm such an asshole but you gotta give me a break. I'm Scottish, born and bred (little Irish and Belgian thrown in there), and every single time I read a book with Scottish characters and the author's added the accent, I just completely lose my mind. Because it's always wrong and it's always hilarious. Doona? Wtf is that? Australian for duvet, methinks. Dinnae, I would accept, but doona?
- the main negative thing is that I was so very confused on what is the time period of this book; I read it and I still don't know, I assume is maybe late 1800, early 1900? I'm not sure yet - the other thing I didn't get is that huge age gap.. I know they are supernatural beings, but but but ... was she born a vampire? is that possible? I suppose it is, since she's 18; otherwise, when was she turned? can they be turned? or they are only vampires by birth, maybe? I need more details... as a prequel, this book should have contained more world building; she could have been portrayed a little bit older, and it would have worked even better in my humble opinion - but I'm still interested in reading at least the next one in the series
- mates, their one and only, HEA, no angst, fast paced, epilogues
By now, I have to say that I am a big fan of JS's brand of smut. This book again justifies this as the smut part was very steamy 😳.
Although the book was only a novella, I still found it a smidge too slow burn. And at times, the language came out as confusing, as if it was written in a rush. But I didn't look too deeply into it as this book remained honest to its primary raison d'être 😆!
P.S. Love that cover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you followed the Lycans series, this one was the story of the power couple that united the Scottish Lycan clan and the American vampires. I gave a 4 because this one was the story that I was kinda waiting for. Banner and Luna didn't disappoint me. It was like the brute and the beauty. It wasn't much of the beast since Banner seemed to be some bulky handsome warrior in my head. Both met accidentally in some small village in Eastern Europe. Banner was over 200 years old to Luna's 18 years old at that time. Talking about a serious age gap. One look and left it to the mating pull to work on its magic.
It was a whirlwind romance in a one-mate-for-life universe between a Vampire and a Lycan king. He saw, he liked, he conquered. Not much about the background story since it was basically a prequel with the already-out-there sequels; though we could just read it as standalone. There were some recurring characters shown up like the vicious Adryan and forever-loyal Odhran and Cian.
Dual Virgin No condoms Dual PoV, 1st person One mate for life universe OTT instalove 90% sexy scene and 10% getting to know each other (you'll catch the drift) No drama/angst No cheating, No OW/OM Safe read, HEA, epilogue Overall score: 3.5 instalove stars
I didn’t know this was a prequel until now. It was super short and sweet. Not very spicy even though it had adult scenes. They just kind of happened. No drama, just a crazy stalked vampire brother. I was scared the brother actually wanted the sister for a minute but no, he’s just “over protective.”
Jenika Snow kind of came out of nowhere for me earlier this year with Bite Marks. When I got the chance to grab this baby for free from prolific works, I thought it would be a good chance to take yet another peak into her world of The Lycans.
Only meeting Luna & Banner briefly in Bite Marks I knew that their story would be quite the tale. I loved that she took us back to a different time, back when things were a bit simpler. We got to see a fresh faced 18-year-old Luna exploring a whole new land on her own and coming across her true mate along the way. Banner is almost two centuries older than her and while he has been looking for his mate much longer than she has their union was powerful. And by powerful, I mean sexy AF!
Now, that I have seen a bit more of The Lycans from Jenika Snow I am going to have to go back and read every book about all these deliciously beasty men.
Tropes & Things: - Fated Mates - Fast burn - Vampire/Lycan - Age gap (she's 18, he's 200+) - MMC & FMC are both virgins - Overprotective, borderline psychotic older brother + alpha King-of-the-Lycans mate = pissing contest of epic proportions - Primal play - Blood play - Fluids (which is standard for Jenika, but she shows a lot of restraint, so kudos to her! lol)
Even when Banner is older than Luna their story of instant discovery as they acknowledge they are mates, their feelings and undeniable attraction is so worth reading. Banner is truly the king.
I am so glad I got to read this. Seeing banner and Luna through the lycans series I had always wondered how their story went. I didn't realize this was such a short story, I wish it had been longer but still I loved this story. Everything from the meeting to them coming together.
Luna (18, virgin, vampire) sets off on a little vacation trip, where she catches a scent that can only be her mate. Banner (super old, Scottish lycan wolf shifter - or something like that) is passing through the town and smells his mate. His primal instincts take over and he eventually tracks her down and says, "yo woman, you're coming with me!!". Except he says it with a hot Scottish accent. So she knows he's her mate but she's all "maybe I don't want to have sex with you on this cave floor." I was like shut the f*ck up and get your clothes off.
"Ah, lass, ye please me tae no end. But when I come it's going tae be in your p*ssy, making ye take all my cum oso ye smell like me from the inside out."
So she's got some evil vampire older brother that shows up, but he didn't really make an impact on the story other than stalking the new couple.
So Banner takes her back to his castle. The have wild hot sex in the forest. Eventually make some babies.
Again, sex is super hot. They do A LOT of foreplay, but still. It's good.
Romance trope: paranormal Series: The Lycans Length: 113 pages
Plot: Luna, a young vampire, is in Europe to gain some independence. Banner, King of the Lycans, scents her and knows instantly that she is his mate. They mean to take it slow, but some things are just fated to be.
Commentary: I won't be reading any more of this series. This is why:
I hate the weirdly unending phonetic dialect/language she uses in her books set in Scotland/Ireland. It's unnecessary and interferes with reading. That and I'm not a fan of vampire stories. I overdosed on them back in the 90s. And maybe I've just outgrown this author? I liked a few of her more recent full-length not-paranormal books, so I don't know.
I read big bad wolf first then received this as intro. I liked the story. It really draws you into the world and gives you enough about a bunch of characters to want more and see what happens down the line with some of the people you meet. I loved Luna and banner. They got each other. Loved how she knew she held power over him but he was still all alpha when it came to her. And especially when dealing with her crazy psycho brother. Their banter and posturing makes me so excited for adryans book. Loved it. So steamy but also telling as it introduced us to the life we see further on when the kids are grown and getting their HEA. it’s cool to see how the parents got their HEA and the beginning of relationships with each other and their families.
I got this for free last year and it’s a novella so I wasn’t expecting it to blow me away but after reading this I won’t be continuing in the series and I don’t think I’ll read from this author again. The paranormal element in this was just so flat and not developed at all. Even the language used didn’t fit the setting at all and I know this is a quick novella but at least make some effort. It felt like the author wrote this in a couple of hours and didn’t give it any thought. It felt very reminiscent of the immortals after dark series. I’m giving this 3 stars because whilst I objectively don’t think it’s very good/worth a read it was a quick read and I can’t honestly say I was expecting much.
Me gustó mucho la historia, aunque siento que arranque medio mal porque primero me leí el cuarto libro (the alpha). Este libro nos muestra el comienzo de toda la saga y otra vez escuché nombrar a Adryan (como quiero leer su libro 😭), tenemos diferencia de edad aunque nose cuánto exactamente tiene el en comparación con ella (18 años) porque dice que tiene 200 más pero nose como se ve físicamente, si de 30 o 40 medio q no especifican. En general me gustó, fue romance rápido, lo sentí muy de época, me encantó como se conocieron en el agua y todo lo q pasó después y como apareció Adryan jajajja (lo adoro ya lo quiero leer). En fin, si quieren algo spicy, rápido y facil de leer es su libro. 4/5 ⭐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This prequel lead us to Luna and Banner and how they meet. The book was amazing and so sweet,Jenika again write from her overprotective heroes that melt my heart.
Luna is living her life traveling over the world one thing brings her to another and 💥 she meet her mate Banner,who from the first glance was captived by her. Of course here comes Adrian the psycho one Lunas big brother,who will not so easily let he's baby sister in Banner pawn. The interaction between this two male was definitely full with testosterone and growling that make me laugh and only Luna was capable to to calm them down .
LOVE Luna & Banner. Fell in love with this couple in book 2 of this series when their daughter Ainslee met her mate..a older Lycan...like mother like daughter 😂. So I'm glad to be able to go back and see where their love story began. Like everything else Jenika Snow writes she did a phenomenal job. Of course I LOVED seeing a Adryan...Luna's pshyco brother make an appearance in the book. He's got a couple of screws loose but loves his sister dearly and believes he's the only one that can protect her. So imagine how hard it was to let Luna start her own life. Can't wait for more of this series
Honestly, meh. The story was just pure smut, no plot at all (which I don’t normally mind), but the smut was just very… cringy. There were a few phrases that I never encountered before and made me question life. Plus, homegirl literally was not giving me the vampire vibes I wanted and the accented dialogue writing kept throwing me off—I understand the purpose, I just didn’t like it very much.
I think I’ll give the author another chance with an actual novel instead of a novella and see if this is my jam.
Important note: I started with this novel and have never read any other book part of this series. Not sure if that’s going to make a huge difference. To be determined.
Cute love story between “others” Luna Darris is barely an adult, but she wants an adventure. She has been sheltered her entire life, she feels being a vampire, she can take care of herself. Luna’s brother Adryan finally agrees to her trip, so off she goes to Balka, a small town in Eastern Europe. It’s everything she ever could imagine, an old-world cozy town and she loves it. There she meets Banner McGregor, who's traveling back to his home. Banner is the King of the Scottish Lycan. He is still unmated at 200 years old but unbelievably he scents his mate. Banner is so gentle and protective of Luna, his innocent mate. This is a sweet love story. Linda
Meh, I've read better, but for a fluffy, insta-love/lust novella, it wasn't that bad. I'd prefer it if the writing was better and didn't read like a rush job on a school assignment, but anywayz.. "Old" Lycan finds his fated mate, a 18 y.o. vampire virgin girl. They scent each other, find each other, lo' and behold, instant attraction and love. Vamp girl wants to follow lycan man to his highland den, psychopathic, protective older brother follows them and busts lycan's balls. They reach the lycan castle, they mate, brother leaves, HEA.