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The Lair of the Wolven #1
Le Loup solitaire
Lydia Susi s'est donnée pour mission de protéger les loups à l'état sauvage. Lorsqu'une chaîne hôtelière aménage un terrain à deux pas de la réserve naturelle où elle exerce, elle est parmi les premiers à dénoncer le projet, et à s'attirer les foudres de la compagnie. Un inconnu l'agresse lors d'une excursion nocturne dans la forêt, avant d'être mis en fuite par le nouveau collègue de Lydia, surgi de nulle part. Daniel Joseph semble dissimuler de nombreux secrets, pourtant Lydia a envie de lui faire confiance. Quand la menace qui plane sur eux conduit à la mort de l'un de ses collègues, Lydia doit décider jusqu'où elle est prête à aller pour protéger les loups. Daniel lui fait alors une révélation qui bouleverse son existence...
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 27, 2021
2074 people are currently reading
16188 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Ward
221 books52.5k followersJ.R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,278 reviews
December 19, 2021
Well didn't this surprise the shit out of me... and in a great way!
This was a strange storyline compared to what I'm used to from J.R. Ward and not because of the lack of vampires... I'm so used to the twists and turns of the paranormal world happening quickly and progressively.. With Claimed came the storyline first and foremost and then almost towards the end events changed, the plot twisted and like an electric cable hitting me, I was zapped with shock and an aftermath of a potential future!
And then I'm back in the waiting game for the next book!
Amazing ❤
This was a strange storyline compared to what I'm used to from J.R. Ward and not because of the lack of vampires... I'm so used to the twists and turns of the paranormal world happening quickly and progressively.. With Claimed came the storyline first and foremost and then almost towards the end events changed, the plot twisted and like an electric cable hitting me, I was zapped with shock and an aftermath of a potential future!
And then I'm back in the waiting game for the next book!
Amazing ❤
August 13, 2021
J.R. Ward & Wolves, need I say more???
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: ☺️🥸😎😘😍
Favorite Quote: “There were a whole host of things a person didn’t want to hear: Your mate is missing in the field. That limb is not going to grow back. Lassiter has the remote.”
The heroine: Lydia Susi - works as a behaviorist at the Wolf Study Project, a refuge for wolves. Things have been going crazy at work lately since her boss, the director of the facility hasn’t been coming in to work much lately and she has had to do his job as well as her own. Plus a luxury spa resort is opening on the other side of their fences and they have been making noise about the safety of their clients so close to a wildlife preserve.
The Hero(es): Daniel Joseph - a drifter that applies for the groundskeeper job at the WSP. Daniel has secrets and doesn’t plan to stick around for long. He has never had a job that lasted more than 8-10 months.
The story: Wolves at the preserve are being poisoned and Lydia thinks it is the owners of the resort that are doing it. There are also the weird things going on with her boss and the fact that money has been drying up. Lydia needs to hire a groundskeeper and she hires Daniel, but things need to change.
I don’t want to go into the plot too much because this was a great story and had a few twists that I really wasn’t expecting. It was the “I see dead people” kind of surprise ending that came out of nowhere. I really liked this one and I can’t wait to read the next in 2022.
I also wanted to mention the tie-in with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Though you don’t have to have read the BDB books to read this, because everything is explained well. However, for those that have, we get to see Xhex, John Matthew, Qhuinn, Blaylock, Rhevenge and Blade (Xhex’s brother).
The love story between Lydia and Daniel was absolutely perfect. Lots of sexy looks, pining and all the feels we like in romance books with just the right amount of steam to make it hot without being to risqué. They are a great couple and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I will definitely be continuing to read this series.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💋💋💋💋💋
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: ☺️🥸😎😘😍
Favorite Quote: “There were a whole host of things a person didn’t want to hear: Your mate is missing in the field. That limb is not going to grow back. Lassiter has the remote.”
The heroine: Lydia Susi - works as a behaviorist at the Wolf Study Project, a refuge for wolves. Things have been going crazy at work lately since her boss, the director of the facility hasn’t been coming in to work much lately and she has had to do his job as well as her own. Plus a luxury spa resort is opening on the other side of their fences and they have been making noise about the safety of their clients so close to a wildlife preserve.
The Hero(es): Daniel Joseph - a drifter that applies for the groundskeeper job at the WSP. Daniel has secrets and doesn’t plan to stick around for long. He has never had a job that lasted more than 8-10 months.
The story: Wolves at the preserve are being poisoned and Lydia thinks it is the owners of the resort that are doing it. There are also the weird things going on with her boss and the fact that money has been drying up. Lydia needs to hire a groundskeeper and she hires Daniel, but things need to change.
I don’t want to go into the plot too much because this was a great story and had a few twists that I really wasn’t expecting. It was the “I see dead people” kind of surprise ending that came out of nowhere. I really liked this one and I can’t wait to read the next in 2022.
I also wanted to mention the tie-in with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Though you don’t have to have read the BDB books to read this, because everything is explained well. However, for those that have, we get to see Xhex, John Matthew, Qhuinn, Blaylock, Rhevenge and Blade (Xhex’s brother).
The love story between Lydia and Daniel was absolutely perfect. Lots of sexy looks, pining and all the feels we like in romance books with just the right amount of steam to make it hot without being to risqué. They are a great couple and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I will definitely be continuing to read this series.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
August 1, 2021
2.5 STARS
I have been sitting on my rating of this book for almost a week now, struggling to figure out how I felt. Ultimately, while there were definitely things about this book that didn't really work for me, it did hook me enough to want to read the next one, but just not enough to rate the book any higher than I did.
Now for the story. If you haven't read the BDB series, you may find yourself a little lost here. This is set in the same world as BDB with an overarching story line for Xhex from Lover Mine as well as events spanning from those that happened later in the BDB series. While you get some explanations, if you haven't read BDB, you may find yourself a bit confused.
Additionally, this is not a standalone. This caught me completely off guard. I was expecting a standalone in an interconnected series, not a cliffhanger. I wish this was made clear to the reader and the cliffhanger here doesn't catch you unaware.
But those things aside, let's talk about the story. I love Ward's brand of story telling. She's written some of my favorite PNR books. When I saw she's taking a step from the vampire world to dive into werewolves, I was so here for it. Now usually book one in a new world, does read slower. You have a whole new world to introduce. But while I expected slower paced, I didn't quite expect to feel as disconnected from it as I did. I found myself bored, skimming the pages. The mystery is what kept me going, but everything else felt lackluster. I found myself struggling to connect to the romance. I never fully felt the chemistry here. It all just felt a bit...bla to me.
Now don't get me wrong. While the story didn't blow me away, it still kept me engaged enough to keep turning the pages. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was just very bland compared to what I've come to expect from Ward. I will say that even though I didn't expect the cliff, the last 20% off the story is what won me over slightly. That's when the action really began to take place and the story began to pick up at least a little pace. It hooked me enough to want to read the next book and desperate to see how everything ends. Though it's still not clear if the next book is the conclusion or if it will be a series focused on one couple.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
He’d gotten it wrong. She wasn’t his. It was the other way around. She owned him.
I have been sitting on my rating of this book for almost a week now, struggling to figure out how I felt. Ultimately, while there were definitely things about this book that didn't really work for me, it did hook me enough to want to read the next one, but just not enough to rate the book any higher than I did.
Now for the story. If you haven't read the BDB series, you may find yourself a little lost here. This is set in the same world as BDB with an overarching story line for Xhex from Lover Mine as well as events spanning from those that happened later in the BDB series. While you get some explanations, if you haven't read BDB, you may find yourself a bit confused.
Additionally, this is not a standalone. This caught me completely off guard. I was expecting a standalone in an interconnected series, not a cliffhanger. I wish this was made clear to the reader and the cliffhanger here doesn't catch you unaware.
But those things aside, let's talk about the story. I love Ward's brand of story telling. She's written some of my favorite PNR books. When I saw she's taking a step from the vampire world to dive into werewolves, I was so here for it. Now usually book one in a new world, does read slower. You have a whole new world to introduce. But while I expected slower paced, I didn't quite expect to feel as disconnected from it as I did. I found myself bored, skimming the pages. The mystery is what kept me going, but everything else felt lackluster. I found myself struggling to connect to the romance. I never fully felt the chemistry here. It all just felt a bit...bla to me.
Now don't get me wrong. While the story didn't blow me away, it still kept me engaged enough to keep turning the pages. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was just very bland compared to what I've come to expect from Ward. I will say that even though I didn't expect the cliff, the last 20% off the story is what won me over slightly. That's when the action really began to take place and the story began to pick up at least a little pace. It hooked me enough to want to read the next book and desperate to see how everything ends. Though it's still not clear if the next book is the conclusion or if it will be a series focused on one couple.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
October 6, 2021
this was such an incredibly odd read from J.R. Ward. i'm sure it can get tedious writing books only for one series and it's fun to branch out and all but i'm not sure this was the way to do it.
it's the first book in what is pitched as a paranormal romance series but it felt more like a weak attempt at romantic suspense. and i didn't care about either of our characters enough to forget how all over the place the plot was.
i think if you've read BDB the best way to try and explain it would be if Beth spent the entirety of Dark Lover in Caldwell working for the newspaper, talking to coworkers, and being... generally stupid.
anyway. gonna stick to BDB and not read the rest of this series.
it's the first book in what is pitched as a paranormal romance series but it felt more like a weak attempt at romantic suspense. and i didn't care about either of our characters enough to forget how all over the place the plot was.
i think if you've read BDB the best way to try and explain it would be if Beth spent the entirety of Dark Lover in Caldwell working for the newspaper, talking to coworkers, and being... generally stupid.
anyway. gonna stick to BDB and not read the rest of this series.
October 21, 2021
For a werewolf romance, there were……. barely any werewolves. And wtf was that cliffhanger ending. This wasn’t what I was hoping for at all.
******
It feels like JR Ward has been teasing us about the wolven for sooo long, but we’re finally getting a werewolf romance from her! I’m super curious how this will play out.
******
It feels like JR Ward has been teasing us about the wolven for sooo long, but we’re finally getting a werewolf romance from her! I’m super curious how this will play out.
July 27, 2021
WTF??????
Really? A cliffhanger? I hate cliffhangers! If I would have known that it would be a cliffhanger I would waited for this series to finish before buying this first book.
Also, I am so disappointed with this book. It felt hastily written, with so many gaping holes in the story and barely passed as a paranormal romance. Definitely not one of Ward’s better creations. I feel like the Black Dagger Brotherhood was only used in it to rope in BDB readers to buy the book to generate more sales.
I don’t believe I have ever given this low of a rating to a J. R. Ward novel before and it saddens me. 😢
Really? A cliffhanger? I hate cliffhangers! If I would have known that it would be a cliffhanger I would waited for this series to finish before buying this first book.
Also, I am so disappointed with this book. It felt hastily written, with so many gaping holes in the story and barely passed as a paranormal romance. Definitely not one of Ward’s better creations. I feel like the Black Dagger Brotherhood was only used in it to rope in BDB readers to buy the book to generate more sales.
I don’t believe I have ever given this low of a rating to a J. R. Ward novel before and it saddens me. 😢
June 13, 2024
1.75 stars
Um. I'm completely stumped. First of all, what in the hell was this? This is supposed to be a Paranormal Romance about werewolves but this really read more like a Romantic Suspense. 😐 Hence my confusion. I don't like being baited which is why I was set and ready to give this a 1 star and walk away given how completely confused and bored I was for a good chunk of it. But the last 20ish% got my attention a little so here we are. (ETA: Originally gave this an extra star but changed my mind, 1 star it is) Bottom line: this felt too much like a smoke and mirrors show. I don't like being pitched a false product and I certainly don't like being baited. Ward loves to build up the suspense but for the first book of a series introducing a new species? Waaaaaay too much exposition and vagueness for way too long. There was not enough action of the paranormal kind. Doing too much but showing very little. Too much time and focus was spent around a Nancy Drew mystery of who is poisoning wolves on a reserve where the heroine Lydia works. And honestly? Not interested. I did not find it all that suspenseful or exciting. But all the action and WTF! surprise reveal happened at the very end and now I'm annoyed. I feel a bit manipulated and set up because where was all this excitement and intrigue in the rest of the book? It felt wasted on nothing. I enjoyed Xhex's part in this but that was like only 10% of the story. And given that cliffhanger I get the feeling this may be a one couple series and that's not my thing at all. Ward tried that (kind of) with her Bourbon King series and it was a fail. Nothing wrong with Lydia and Daniel but they didn't really jump off the page for me or strong enough to hold my attention as a "lead" couple to carry a wolven series. If you have to do a one-couple series at least have your couple be compelling enough to drive the car. Just saying. Also .
Did I like the reveal at the end? Kinda. It did surprise me given there were a whole bunch of clues and red herrings thrown around with all the characters that had you guessing who is what. But the excitement wasn't there for me. I'm not dying to pick up the next book. The wolven reveal felt too little way too late. Like a quick reveal slapped in at the very end. Ward gave way too many clues and hints with every character on canvas that it started to overlap and get confusing. And the fact that we know nothing about said wolven or where they come from doesn't sit right with me. Not enough information is given which kinda defeats the whole purpose of this spin off series, doesn't it? You gave us 500+ pages of just speculation and microscopic-sized clues to lead to a wolven who doesn't even know their origin and where they come from?
BDB readers have been waiting since wolfen was teased in Payne's book which was a long while ago. So for the first book in this series introducing it, yeah it needed to pack a bigger punch. Don't be vague and tease. I don't care about labs, mansions or suburban houses, show me the lair. That's literally the name of the series. Why the fuck weren't we introduced to actual wolvens earlier in the book? Or given a backstory? I want to read about a wolf pack, the alpha wolf, their den, their pack dynamics and customs, their mating rituals, alpha wolves with cool sexy names, etc. WHERE ARE THEY?
There was too much human element in this which really confused me. I'm not even entirely sure if some of the characters here are really human with all the mystery and questions that were left unanswered. I wanted a wolf pack, not scientists and humans obsessed with genetic testing and labs. I wanted to be introduced to a whole new landscape like Ward did with the Sympaths colony, the Shadows tribe, the Fallen Angels universe, etc. Her universe is so complex and each world is so meticulously thought out and multi-layered with class hierarchies and rules. That's what I was expecting here.
What I was expecting:
What J.R. Ward said:
Instead I got a scientist contemplating what's in her empty refrigerator and the old bitty town gossips and what color they dye their hair. Like come on. It was just a weird mix and focused on the wrong things. Humans should not be running this show, unless my hunch is correct and we get more reveals but even so. That all should have played out here, not later. The focus in this book felt very backwards. Like a CR book trying to dabble a little in the paranormal and just teasing it. So for a diehard PR fan and BDB reader? Disappointing to say the least.
I hate one-couple series but I might give Book 2 a try cause I am curious about happens with Xhex. And the fact that she has . But this was a very poor start for this series and Ward completely missed the mark. I'm genuinely baffled by the choices she made in here. I just really hope in the next book we actually delve deep into the wolven world and it's not an actual goose chase with a bunch of humans again. Cause if so, I'm out. That's not paranormal romance to me. And I've realized I'm in dire need of some good werewolf romance recs cause my track record is so sad. So if you know any, help a girl out!
Um. I'm completely stumped. First of all, what in the hell was this? This is supposed to be a Paranormal Romance about werewolves but this really read more like a Romantic Suspense. 😐 Hence my confusion. I don't like being baited which is why I was set and ready to give this a 1 star and walk away given how completely confused and bored I was for a good chunk of it. But the last 20ish% got my attention a little so here we are. (ETA: Originally gave this an extra star but changed my mind, 1 star it is) Bottom line: this felt too much like a smoke and mirrors show. I don't like being pitched a false product and I certainly don't like being baited. Ward loves to build up the suspense but for the first book of a series introducing a new species? Waaaaaay too much exposition and vagueness for way too long. There was not enough action of the paranormal kind. Doing too much but showing very little. Too much time and focus was spent around a Nancy Drew mystery of who is poisoning wolves on a reserve where the heroine Lydia works. And honestly? Not interested. I did not find it all that suspenseful or exciting. But all the action and WTF! surprise reveal happened at the very end and now I'm annoyed. I feel a bit manipulated and set up because where was all this excitement and intrigue in the rest of the book? It felt wasted on nothing. I enjoyed Xhex's part in this but that was like only 10% of the story. And given that cliffhanger I get the feeling this may be a one couple series and that's not my thing at all. Ward tried that (kind of) with her Bourbon King series and it was a fail. Nothing wrong with Lydia and Daniel but they didn't really jump off the page for me or strong enough to hold my attention as a "lead" couple to carry a wolven series. If you have to do a one-couple series at least have your couple be compelling enough to drive the car. Just saying. Also .
Did I like the reveal at the end? Kinda. It did surprise me given there were a whole bunch of clues and red herrings thrown around with all the characters that had you guessing who is what. But the excitement wasn't there for me. I'm not dying to pick up the next book. The wolven reveal felt too little way too late. Like a quick reveal slapped in at the very end. Ward gave way too many clues and hints with every character on canvas that it started to overlap and get confusing. And the fact that we know nothing about said wolven or where they come from doesn't sit right with me. Not enough information is given which kinda defeats the whole purpose of this spin off series, doesn't it? You gave us 500+ pages of just speculation and microscopic-sized clues to lead to a wolven who doesn't even know their origin and where they come from?
BDB readers have been waiting since wolfen was teased in Payne's book which was a long while ago. So for the first book in this series introducing it, yeah it needed to pack a bigger punch. Don't be vague and tease. I don't care about labs, mansions or suburban houses, show me the lair. That's literally the name of the series. Why the fuck weren't we introduced to actual wolvens earlier in the book? Or given a backstory? I want to read about a wolf pack, the alpha wolf, their den, their pack dynamics and customs, their mating rituals, alpha wolves with cool sexy names, etc. WHERE ARE THEY?
There was too much human element in this which really confused me. I'm not even entirely sure if some of the characters here are really human with all the mystery and questions that were left unanswered. I wanted a wolf pack, not scientists and humans obsessed with genetic testing and labs. I wanted to be introduced to a whole new landscape like Ward did with the Sympaths colony, the Shadows tribe, the Fallen Angels universe, etc. Her universe is so complex and each world is so meticulously thought out and multi-layered with class hierarchies and rules. That's what I was expecting here.
What I was expecting:
What J.R. Ward said:
Instead I got a scientist contemplating what's in her empty refrigerator and the old bitty town gossips and what color they dye their hair. Like come on. It was just a weird mix and focused on the wrong things. Humans should not be running this show, unless my hunch is correct and we get more reveals but even so. That all should have played out here, not later. The focus in this book felt very backwards. Like a CR book trying to dabble a little in the paranormal and just teasing it. So for a diehard PR fan and BDB reader? Disappointing to say the least.
I hate one-couple series but I might give Book 2 a try cause I am curious about happens with Xhex. And the fact that she has . But this was a very poor start for this series and Ward completely missed the mark. I'm genuinely baffled by the choices she made in here. I just really hope in the next book we actually delve deep into the wolven world and it's not an actual goose chase with a bunch of humans again. Cause if so, I'm out. That's not paranormal romance to me. And I've realized I'm in dire need of some good werewolf romance recs cause my track record is so sad. So if you know any, help a girl out!
July 25, 2021
Read this review on Fresh Fiction
J.R. Ward returns with a brand new sizzling series featuring wolven. As a fan of Ward for many years, I have been looking forward to her take on the shifter books ever since her mentioned that she wanted to write them years ago. So I had some pretty high expectations going into this book. Not surprisingly, Ward pens a fantastic story that is original and unique yet stays true to famous style of writing.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to start about this book. I loved it all! Everything from the heroine, Lydia, being a scientist and all the twists and turns of this book had me hooked from the beginning. I can already sense that a new addiction will be happening with this series and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series goes from here.
The story flows beautifully even while it explores multiple viewpoints from the characters. The worldbuilding is complex and original, showing off Ward’s talents. And the romance builds beautifully, making me feel like this book might be one of my favorite books this year. It’s always tough starting a new world with a new series, but with Ward’s skill, she makes it look like a breeze. Her angels and vampires need to watch out because the wolven shifters have arrived!
J.R. Ward returns with a brand new sizzling series featuring wolven. As a fan of Ward for many years, I have been looking forward to her take on the shifter books ever since her mentioned that she wanted to write them years ago. So I had some pretty high expectations going into this book. Not surprisingly, Ward pens a fantastic story that is original and unique yet stays true to famous style of writing.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to start about this book. I loved it all! Everything from the heroine, Lydia, being a scientist and all the twists and turns of this book had me hooked from the beginning. I can already sense that a new addiction will be happening with this series and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series goes from here.
The story flows beautifully even while it explores multiple viewpoints from the characters. The worldbuilding is complex and original, showing off Ward’s talents. And the romance builds beautifully, making me feel like this book might be one of my favorite books this year. It’s always tough starting a new world with a new series, but with Ward’s skill, she makes it look like a breeze. Her angels and vampires need to watch out because the wolven shifters have arrived!
October 27, 2021
2.5 stars
Well that was disappointing. As a werewolf romance, the werewolf came in at 95% and LITERALLY CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. No hint that that character was a werewolf and I was like, did I just read that right?! The romance was really lackluster and I really didn't feel any true emotions between Lydia and Daniel. And then I'm supposed to believe they're in love at the end? I really liked the premise of a company dedicated to saving wolves and these wolves are being poisoned and killed by someone, but the story really dragged and not a lot really happened for a book that is almost 500 pages. The romance was underwhelming, the werwolves were disappointing, and the plot was slow. The ending seemed so random and I don't even care about the future of these characters or what that meant at the end for the one character (trying to be vague so I don't spoil anything!) Definitely a miss for me.
Well that was disappointing. As a werewolf romance, the werewolf came in at 95% and LITERALLY CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. No hint that that character was a werewolf and I was like, did I just read that right?! The romance was really lackluster and I really didn't feel any true emotions between Lydia and Daniel. And then I'm supposed to believe they're in love at the end? I really liked the premise of a company dedicated to saving wolves and these wolves are being poisoned and killed by someone, but the story really dragged and not a lot really happened for a book that is almost 500 pages. The romance was underwhelming, the werwolves were disappointing, and the plot was slow. The ending seemed so random and I don't even care about the future of these characters or what that meant at the end for the one character (trying to be vague so I don't spoil anything!) Definitely a miss for me.
December 31, 2022
October 2021 Shhlutty Read!
October Shhlutty Read• Chat here: https://bit.ly/Oct21SRSuggest
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May 15, 2024
In CLAIMED, Lydia works at the Wolf Study Project. Wolves are being poisoned and a new hotel chain may be to blame. Daniel is a drifter who gets hired on as a groundskeeper.
Mixed feelings on this one. If this had been categorized as romantic suspense rather than paranormal romance, I would have rated it higher.
I liked the mystery of what was happening with the poisonings. I really enjoyed the plot line with Xhex and her history of being experimented on and ESPECIALLY how that developed towards the end into it threatening her emotional grid if she didn’t deal with the trauma. Some good page time with BDB characters we don’t always get to see like Rehv and John Matthew and meeting Xhex's brother Blade was interesting.
However, there were also some negatives for me in how this was executed. This is categorized as a paranormal romance, and while the Black Dagger Brotherhood main series is a richly developed vampire world (love the main series), this book felt like almost no effort was put into developing the world of the Wolven. I love wolf shifter romances. I kept waiting to see the Wolven, to find out about the Wolven, and to see wolf-shifters in action...
Where were the wolf shifters?
This felt more like a romantic suspense than a paranormal romance because it's supposed to be a wolf shifter romance, but we don’t even see someone shapeshift at all until 92% of the way through the book.
To me, the romance between Daniel and Lydia fell flat.
Ending on a cliffhanger is really tricky to execute well. I didn't think it worked here.
Mixed feelings on this one. If this had been categorized as romantic suspense rather than paranormal romance, I would have rated it higher.
I liked the mystery of what was happening with the poisonings. I really enjoyed the plot line with Xhex and her history of being experimented on and ESPECIALLY how that developed towards the end into it threatening her emotional grid if she didn’t deal with the trauma. Some good page time with BDB characters we don’t always get to see like Rehv and John Matthew and meeting Xhex's brother Blade was interesting.
However, there were also some negatives for me in how this was executed. This is categorized as a paranormal romance, and while the Black Dagger Brotherhood main series is a richly developed vampire world (love the main series), this book felt like almost no effort was put into developing the world of the Wolven. I love wolf shifter romances. I kept waiting to see the Wolven, to find out about the Wolven, and to see wolf-shifters in action...
Where were the wolf shifters?
This felt more like a romantic suspense than a paranormal romance because it's supposed to be a wolf shifter romance, but we don’t even see someone shapeshift at all until 92% of the way through the book.
To me, the romance between Daniel and Lydia fell flat.
Ending on a cliffhanger is really tricky to execute well. I didn't think it worked here.
September 7, 2021
Almost a DNF. The mystery kinda kept it going but the characters were meh. I didn’t have any emotional connection to them. The whole ending was just a “what the hell” thing with some paranormal stuff shoved in at the end which left me with more questions than I had to begin with and not in a good way. Also frankly I’m just kinda done with the black dagger brotherhood thing. I’m tired of reading about the same characters and it made this book really dependent on reading that series when I gave up on it after book 4 or 5. I’m all for book series that exist in the same universe, but having past characters with a potentially significant and long term plot role and their own sections just made it seem like part of that series and not it’s own thing. Yea this was just a weird book honestly. It wasn’t at all a paranormal romance as it suggests. It just left me feeling really out of sorts and dissatisfied and annoyed I wasted the time to finish reading it. If you want a weirdly paced and unsatisfying mystery with some paranormal stuff thrown in at the end go for it I guess🤷🏼♀️
February 27, 2024
Something about this just felt like a much too long slow burn etc. I love shifter romances - but this just seemed too drawn out for what little actually happened.
August 7, 2021
Claimed was far more than your run-of-the-mill paranormal romance. It held mystery and intrigue and suspense. I did find that it was slow to start, however, when things started to pick up, I couldn't put it down. Here I am at the end and I'm devasted to learn that I have to wait until next summer to find out what will happen next!
For lovers of The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Claimed is a must-read! And if you're anything like me, it will inspire you to give the entire series a re-read just to be able to dive back into this dark, deadly, enchanting, and binge-worthy world again!
Find more HERE
March 29, 2024
**Contains Spoilers**
Rating: 2.5
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Suspense 🤷♀️
Well, I was disappointed to say the least.
I was looking forward to this one because it is the first werewolf themed book by J.R. Ward, however it did not deliver the desired effect that it promised by the premise.
Characters:
Lydia Susi is the heroine in the story and she is working at Wolf Study Project analyzing the behavior of wild wolves. She does not have any family or friends except the two colleagues that work with her on the project.
Daniel Joseph is the loner hero who drifts from place to place and takes on any job that he can find, for a couple of months, and then moves on. He ends up working at the WSP by handling anything that needs fixing around the building and the wild trails of the forest.
Plot:
What I liked:
The mystery was the only thing that kept me going with the story. I wanted to know who was poisoning the wild wolves and what was the involvement of the hotel resort in the woods. Also, what was going on with Lydia's missing boss and Daniel's real purpose for being there in the first place.
Aaand... that's about it.
What I did not like:
Usually, when you read a paranormal romance book you expect to find some paranormal factors in it. And when you read a werewolf paranormal book you surely expect to find some wolves in it right? I mean the human-turning-into-wolf-on-a-full-moon kind RIGHT?!
Well...not in this one.
Not even a mention of a pack or a suspicion of someone turning out to be a werewolf (at least not until the last chapters, which in my book does not count).
I mean the paranormal factor in the story was almost non-existent and most of it at the end of the book.
Also, I was so confused with the turn the story took toward the last chapters, it seemed right out of left field.
For example, . There was no indication what so ever that this was going to be a thing. I usually like surprise factors in most books, however, this one was not it. I mean even the cover of the book is misleading on this one.
And let's talk about the other surprise that felt just weird .
It felt like the author wanted to add something to make the ending more dramatic and to give an excuse for a frigging cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers!!). And let me tell you, it WAS dramatic. However, in a sense that I was so very confused about it that I wanted to either laugh or throw the book on a wall.
Finally, let's get into the romance.
It all felt so disconnected, like for me, there was no chemistry between the couple and it was so frustrating to read.
I would not recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a paranormal romance book about werewolves. Even though I liked the mystery and suspense, this was not what it was indicating to be, based on the premise and the genre that it's classified into.
Rating: 2.5
Well, I was disappointed to say the least.
I was looking forward to this one because it is the first werewolf themed book by J.R. Ward, however it did not deliver the desired effect that it promised by the premise.
Characters:
Lydia Susi is the heroine in the story and she is working at Wolf Study Project analyzing the behavior of wild wolves. She does not have any family or friends except the two colleagues that work with her on the project.
Daniel Joseph is the loner hero who drifts from place to place and takes on any job that he can find, for a couple of months, and then moves on. He ends up working at the WSP by handling anything that needs fixing around the building and the wild trails of the forest.
Plot:
What I liked:
The mystery was the only thing that kept me going with the story. I wanted to know who was poisoning the wild wolves and what was the involvement of the hotel resort in the woods. Also, what was going on with Lydia's missing boss and Daniel's real purpose for being there in the first place.
Aaand... that's about it.
What I did not like:
Usually, when you read a paranormal romance book you expect to find some paranormal factors in it. And when you read a werewolf paranormal book you surely expect to find some wolves in it right? I mean the human-turning-into-wolf-on-a-full-moon kind RIGHT?!
Well...not in this one.
Not even a mention of a pack or a suspicion of someone turning out to be a werewolf (at least not until the last chapters, which in my book does not count).
I mean the paranormal factor in the story was almost non-existent and most of it at the end of the book.
Also, I was so confused with the turn the story took toward the last chapters, it seemed right out of left field.
For example, . There was no indication what so ever that this was going to be a thing. I usually like surprise factors in most books, however, this one was not it. I mean even the cover of the book is misleading on this one.
And let's talk about the other surprise that felt just weird .
It felt like the author wanted to add something to make the ending more dramatic and to give an excuse for a frigging cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers!!). And let me tell you, it WAS dramatic. However, in a sense that I was so very confused about it that I wanted to either laugh or throw the book on a wall.
Finally, let's get into the romance.
It all felt so disconnected, like for me, there was no chemistry between the couple and it was so frustrating to read.
I would not recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a paranormal romance book about werewolves. Even though I liked the mystery and suspense, this was not what it was indicating to be, based on the premise and the genre that it's classified into.
July 30, 2021
Wow what happened here?? This book was boring, drawn-out, and had wildly underdeveloped characters. Not even the glimpses of our OG BDB characters Xhex, John Matthews, and Blay could save this one. Not only will I not be reading the sequel, but I might be done with JR Ward altogether. Such a bummer!
July 29, 2021
2.5 Stars
Not really sure what to say on this one. It's a mixed bag for me, hence the 2.5 star rating.
Claimed is the first book in Ward's newest series, The Lair of the Wolven. However, there are scenes and characters from her BDB series within this book that I feel will lose any new reader who hasn't read the BDB series (myself being one of them). It's one thing for those characters to make appearances but when they are an integral part of the plot, it truly hurts the flow of the book and causes a lot of confusion on the reader's part.
The mystery is what kept me interested in this book. While I found the book to be well written, it did feel as though it was all over the place. There really isn't any paranormal aspects (aside from Xhex's POV from BDB) til the end (huge letdown). I wanted more of the paranormal as part of the plot development and not just as bait for a cliffhanger.
I wanted to enjoy this book so much more than I did. I had high expectations because I have read other books from JR (not her BDB series) and her writing is impeccable. And the writing here was great too, but the whole plot and development was just everywhere. I have never struggled to read a book by Ward like I did this one. It took me 6 days to get through it; I wanted to DNF this many times, but refused to.
If you are interested in reading it, definitely give it a try. I am in the minority on this one (and it pains me to write that).
Not really sure what to say on this one. It's a mixed bag for me, hence the 2.5 star rating.
Claimed is the first book in Ward's newest series, The Lair of the Wolven. However, there are scenes and characters from her BDB series within this book that I feel will lose any new reader who hasn't read the BDB series (myself being one of them). It's one thing for those characters to make appearances but when they are an integral part of the plot, it truly hurts the flow of the book and causes a lot of confusion on the reader's part.
The mystery is what kept me interested in this book. While I found the book to be well written, it did feel as though it was all over the place. There really isn't any paranormal aspects (aside from Xhex's POV from BDB) til the end (huge letdown). I wanted more of the paranormal as part of the plot development and not just as bait for a cliffhanger.
I wanted to enjoy this book so much more than I did. I had high expectations because I have read other books from JR (not her BDB series) and her writing is impeccable. And the writing here was great too, but the whole plot and development was just everywhere. I have never struggled to read a book by Ward like I did this one. It took me 6 days to get through it; I wanted to DNF this many times, but refused to.
If you are interested in reading it, definitely give it a try. I am in the minority on this one (and it pains me to write that).
October 16, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Book 1 of Lair of the Wolven series
POV: Third Person
Rating:
3. 25 Stars
Lydia Susi’s passion to save the wolves might be boundless but she could only do so much with limited authority and resources. Daniel Joseph’s arrival as a new hire gave her hope in easing her burden. However, neither of them prepared for the danger that came their way in their effort to make a difference.
I was excited to start a new series by the author, but this one turned out to be underwhelming. The story focused more on the mystery/suspense than on the paranormal element - which is something I usually don’t mind except in this case it’s supposed to be a werewolf book, thus the expectations were not met.
In theory, I liked both Lydia and Daniel. But both the story and the romance were very slow burn. I needed more excitement on at least either one. It took towards the very end for the story to pick up and by that time I was already losing interest. For me, the book’s saving grace was the appearance by BDB, but those were barely significant to the story. I had my suspicions, and I liked the reveal at the end.
Claimed is a story of doing what’s right. It is the first book in the non-standalone Lair of the Wolven series.
Books in the series:
🌒🐺🌒 . . . (F)BR with the Shhluts . . . 🌒🐺🌒
#ShhluttyRead Oct 1-31: https://bit.ly/Oct21SR
For more reviews/interviews/promo visit:
Type: Book 1 of Lair of the Wolven series
POV: Third Person
Rating:
3. 25 Stars Lydia Susi’s passion to save the wolves might be boundless but she could only do so much with limited authority and resources. Daniel Joseph’s arrival as a new hire gave her hope in easing her burden. However, neither of them prepared for the danger that came their way in their effort to make a difference.
I was excited to start a new series by the author, but this one turned out to be underwhelming. The story focused more on the mystery/suspense than on the paranormal element - which is something I usually don’t mind except in this case it’s supposed to be a werewolf book, thus the expectations were not met.
He was, in a strange and undefinable way, taking not just her sex, but her soul. She was … Claimed.
In theory, I liked both Lydia and Daniel. But both the story and the romance were very slow burn. I needed more excitement on at least either one. It took towards the very end for the story to pick up and by that time I was already losing interest. For me, the book’s saving grace was the appearance by BDB, but those were barely significant to the story. I had my suspicions, and I liked the reveal at the end.
Claimed is a story of doing what’s right. It is the first book in the non-standalone Lair of the Wolven series.
Books in the series:
🌒🐺🌒 . . . (F)BR with the Shhluts . . . 🌒🐺🌒
#ShhluttyRead Oct 1-31: https://bit.ly/Oct21SR
For more reviews/interviews/promo visit:
July 28, 2021
Ok, here are my thoughts...
I finished reading Claimed by J R Ward this afternoon and honestly, I was really disappointed. If you're looking for the same type of book like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, you really won't find it here. I found this book really low on Romance. I'd actually not classify it as a romance, but more as a suspense since most of it was very story-driven. The hero and heroine do eventually get together, but only towards the 70% Mark which for me is quite late in the game. Before then there's very little chemistry or sexual tension between the characters and very little physical touch, maybe one kiss? Although I had no issues with the writing itself, I found the story to be all over the place. I consider myself a smart reader and can usually guess what's going to happen next in a book. Not with this one. Here, I had trouble following the narrative and making sense of it all. I began reading this book with the idea that it was going to be a werewolf paranormal romance book. Well the joke was on me, since there were no werewolves except at the very end, at around 90%, and it wasn't even the hero! And then to top it all off, the book ends in a cliffhanger with no resolution between the hero and heroine! I will not be continuing this series. It was hard enough getting through this book. To all the PNR reading fans, I'd say skip this one and find something else to read.
I finished reading Claimed by J R Ward this afternoon and honestly, I was really disappointed. If you're looking for the same type of book like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, you really won't find it here. I found this book really low on Romance. I'd actually not classify it as a romance, but more as a suspense since most of it was very story-driven. The hero and heroine do eventually get together, but only towards the 70% Mark which for me is quite late in the game. Before then there's very little chemistry or sexual tension between the characters and very little physical touch, maybe one kiss? Although I had no issues with the writing itself, I found the story to be all over the place. I consider myself a smart reader and can usually guess what's going to happen next in a book. Not with this one. Here, I had trouble following the narrative and making sense of it all. I began reading this book with the idea that it was going to be a werewolf paranormal romance book. Well the joke was on me, since there were no werewolves except at the very end, at around 90%, and it wasn't even the hero! And then to top it all off, the book ends in a cliffhanger with no resolution between the hero and heroine! I will not be continuing this series. It was hard enough getting through this book. To all the PNR reading fans, I'd say skip this one and find something else to read.
November 7, 2022
3'5 Estrellitas. ¿¿¿Pero qué narices se ha fumado la Ward para escribir éste libro??? No sabría decir si me ha gustado o no. El planteamiento como Spin off de la Hermandad está correcto, pero ¿qué clase de historia es ésta? Está claro que la Ward pretendía sorprender y lo ha hecho, con el coste de que no me ha convencido lo que ha intentado colarnos.
De nuevo la Ward nos adentra en su mundo paranormal, esta vez donde los protagonistas son los lobos. Lydia Susi es una bióloga que trabaja en una reserva protegida de vida salvaje, donde precísamente se salva y protege a los lobos. Pero la paz que esperaba encontrar su trunca cuando unos lobos mueren en extrañas circunstancias.
Todo es muy misterioso, el jefe del proyecto desaparece, la reserva peligra y alguien parece ir detrás de Lydia para hacerle daño, o que no averigue ciertos secretos. La presencia de Daniel Joseph, el nuevo jardinero, manitas y chico para todo de la reserva será un bálsamo y una ayuda para Lydia, hasta el punto de que entre ellos, la protección acabará convirtiéndose en amor. Pero su amor se verá truncado por una serie de secretos ¿quién es realmente Daniel Joseph? ¿Y Lydia, qué sabe exactamente del proyecto?
No quiero desvelar nada, porque creo que hay que leerlo y avanzar en la trama. Pero juro que la historia me ha dejado descolocada y no sé si me ha gustado o no. Del romance puedo decir que sí, me ha gustado, pero no la forma en que la Ward pretendía finalizarlo, para dejarnos con un final que yo llamaría abierto.
El punto positivo: tendremos un pelín de la Hermandad, encarnado en el personaje de Xhex, que tendrá algo que ver con ciertos experimentos que hicieron con ella en cierto laboratorio, y que conocimos gracias a libros anteriores.
La pena es que el libro me ha parecido hecho a medias, y eso no se hace. Final abierto y sin una conclusión que satisfaga. Quizás por eso entiendo la puntuación que tiene en Goodreads. Reitero, el libro no es malo, lo que no me gusta es cómo lo ha acabado escribiendo la Ward.
Supongo que para averiguar cómo sigue esto, habrá que seguir leyendo. Así que espero no tardar demasiado en continuar con "The Wolf". Ojalá allí continúe la trama de éste libro, porque Ward ¡Así no se hace!
De nuevo la Ward nos adentra en su mundo paranormal, esta vez donde los protagonistas son los lobos. Lydia Susi es una bióloga que trabaja en una reserva protegida de vida salvaje, donde precísamente se salva y protege a los lobos. Pero la paz que esperaba encontrar su trunca cuando unos lobos mueren en extrañas circunstancias.
Todo es muy misterioso, el jefe del proyecto desaparece, la reserva peligra y alguien parece ir detrás de Lydia para hacerle daño, o que no averigue ciertos secretos. La presencia de Daniel Joseph, el nuevo jardinero, manitas y chico para todo de la reserva será un bálsamo y una ayuda para Lydia, hasta el punto de que entre ellos, la protección acabará convirtiéndose en amor. Pero su amor se verá truncado por una serie de secretos ¿quién es realmente Daniel Joseph? ¿Y Lydia, qué sabe exactamente del proyecto?
No quiero desvelar nada, porque creo que hay que leerlo y avanzar en la trama. Pero juro que la historia me ha dejado descolocada y no sé si me ha gustado o no. Del romance puedo decir que sí, me ha gustado, pero no la forma en que la Ward pretendía finalizarlo, para dejarnos con un final que yo llamaría abierto.
El punto positivo: tendremos un pelín de la Hermandad, encarnado en el personaje de Xhex, que tendrá algo que ver con ciertos experimentos que hicieron con ella en cierto laboratorio, y que conocimos gracias a libros anteriores.
La pena es que el libro me ha parecido hecho a medias, y eso no se hace. Final abierto y sin una conclusión que satisfaga. Quizás por eso entiendo la puntuación que tiene en Goodreads. Reitero, el libro no es malo, lo que no me gusta es cómo lo ha acabado escribiendo la Ward.
Supongo que para averiguar cómo sigue esto, habrá que seguir leyendo. Así que espero no tardar demasiado en continuar con "The Wolf". Ojalá allí continúe la trama de éste libro, porque Ward ¡Así no se hace!
July 20, 2021
Oh My God! This ends on a cliffy.. grrr! But how this woman writes with such subtlety amazes me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am definitely not going to spoil one single thing in this review by telling you anything other than what’s in the synopsis. The story is told in such an incredible method that you are reading with bated breath knowing that something is going to happen but you don’t know what or when.
This book is a very slow build, focusing mainly on the two main characters along with other secondary characters, twists, and pieces that are going on around them.
Yes, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is involved but that’s as far as I’m going to say about that. If you have any love for this author, you will want to definitely grab this book.
The bad news is because the ends on a cliffhanger, we are going to be just itching to find out what’s going to happen in subsequent novels. How this woman writes with such subtlety amazes me!
Ward continues to surprise the reader with her intricate development in both her stories and her characters. The interweaving is incredible and yet she manages to focus on singular characters as well. I cannot get enough of this author and the fact she has an incredible ability to magically interlace the story in ways which will make your heart race and sing too!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review and Giveaway! - https://amidlifewife.com/claimed-by-j...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am definitely not going to spoil one single thing in this review by telling you anything other than what’s in the synopsis. The story is told in such an incredible method that you are reading with bated breath knowing that something is going to happen but you don’t know what or when.
This book is a very slow build, focusing mainly on the two main characters along with other secondary characters, twists, and pieces that are going on around them.
Yes, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is involved but that’s as far as I’m going to say about that. If you have any love for this author, you will want to definitely grab this book.
The bad news is because the ends on a cliffhanger, we are going to be just itching to find out what’s going to happen in subsequent novels. How this woman writes with such subtlety amazes me!
Ward continues to surprise the reader with her intricate development in both her stories and her characters. The interweaving is incredible and yet she manages to focus on singular characters as well. I cannot get enough of this author and the fact she has an incredible ability to magically interlace the story in ways which will make your heart race and sing too!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review and Giveaway! - https://amidlifewife.com/claimed-by-j...
July 9, 2025
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Not what I was expecting, but entertaining nevertheless.
It has an interesting storyline, with a quiet path and evolution. I enjoyed it, although I wouldn’t really categorize this book as Paranormal Romance, so it might disappoint people looking for that genre specifically.
Overall, I think it was a nice book, right up to the last reveal at the end that I really, truly disliked. I do want to find out what is going on in the future, but I do NOT want to deal with the drama that comes with that last reveal. I really don’t want to read anything about that, I just want fantasy and escapism, I do not want reality and tragedy thrown in my face while reading what it is suppose to be a werewolf romance. So in that regard, I am very frustrated, angry and uncertain about what I will find in the next installment and thus, whether or not I’ll be able to read it. I have enough of illness and death in real life, if JR Ward keeps writing about that stuff I am going to have to quit her altogether. I have said it before, I really think there should be some kind of trigger warnings when it comes to terminal illnesses and such...
Forever (Lair of the Wolves #2) - 1 star
Mine (Lair of the Wolves #3) - 1 star
Not what I was expecting, but entertaining nevertheless.
It has an interesting storyline, with a quiet path and evolution. I enjoyed it, although I wouldn’t really categorize this book as Paranormal Romance, so it might disappoint people looking for that genre specifically.
Overall, I think it was a nice book, right up to the last reveal at the end that I really, truly disliked. I do want to find out what is going on in the future, but I do NOT want to deal with the drama that comes with that last reveal. I really don’t want to read anything about that, I just want fantasy and escapism, I do not want reality and tragedy thrown in my face while reading what it is suppose to be a werewolf romance. So in that regard, I am very frustrated, angry and uncertain about what I will find in the next installment and thus, whether or not I’ll be able to read it. I have enough of illness and death in real life, if JR Ward keeps writing about that stuff I am going to have to quit her altogether. I have said it before, I really think there should be some kind of trigger warnings when it comes to terminal illnesses and such...
Forever (Lair of the Wolves #2) - 1 star
Mine (Lair of the Wolves #3) - 1 star
January 25, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up. There is a bit of a cliffhanger to this book, and I'm unsure if this will be a long-running series or a trilogy. I'll have to do a little more research on that. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more information given to the readers.
I have not read a book by Ms. Ward in several years since she decided that her books needed to go off in many different threads instead of mainly concentrating on the main characters. Still, this book sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. Even though people from her other series are in this book, this can be read as a stand-alone. I can see where they will most likely combine probably at the end of this trilogy/series.
I will immediately re-read this book to pick up some more of the nuances. This is definitely a book that needs to be read twice. There are so many twists and turns. And there are many red herrings and a lot of steamy sex-though that doesn't happen for quite a while-somewhere after the 50% mark.
This is the perfect summer read and will inject some new fresh ideas into future books.
*** I must add that the ending of the book was a complete surprise for me.
*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss. Thank you.
I have not read a book by Ms. Ward in several years since she decided that her books needed to go off in many different threads instead of mainly concentrating on the main characters. Still, this book sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. Even though people from her other series are in this book, this can be read as a stand-alone. I can see where they will most likely combine probably at the end of this trilogy/series.
I will immediately re-read this book to pick up some more of the nuances. This is definitely a book that needs to be read twice. There are so many twists and turns. And there are many red herrings and a lot of steamy sex-though that doesn't happen for quite a while-somewhere after the 50% mark.
This is the perfect summer read and will inject some new fresh ideas into future books.
*** I must add that the ending of the book was a complete surprise for me.
*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss. Thank you.
July 29, 2021
2 1/2 "Can't decide if that's generous or unfair." Stars.
So. These are my immediate thoughts after finishing: Nothing really happen in this book. It dragged. We get information a tiny crumb at a time. It read like a contemporary romance with a bit of mystery. There was one good surprise toward the end. I was disappointed in the amout of paranormal anything. Overall, not at all what I expected. There is basically a cliffhanger! I'm truly sad to be so disappointed.
On the short list of positives, I liked both Daniel and Lydia. I really wanted them to get to their HEA. Their characters kept me reading and listening. Probably if this hadn't been billed as PNR, but rather a contemporary I would have enjoyed it more.
As far as the BDB series goes, only Xhex is really in this story and it has to do with You could definitely catch on if you haven't read the BDB series.
So... Happy reading...
So. These are my immediate thoughts after finishing: Nothing really happen in this book. It dragged. We get information a tiny crumb at a time. It read like a contemporary romance with a bit of mystery. There was one good surprise toward the end. I was disappointed in the amout of paranormal anything. Overall, not at all what I expected. There is basically a cliffhanger! I'm truly sad to be so disappointed.
On the short list of positives, I liked both Daniel and Lydia. I really wanted them to get to their HEA. Their characters kept me reading and listening. Probably if this hadn't been billed as PNR, but rather a contemporary I would have enjoyed it more.
As far as the BDB series goes, only Xhex is really in this story and it has to do with You could definitely catch on if you haven't read the BDB series.
So... Happy reading...
February 13, 2022
Initial thought after reading: genuinely a bit confused
Honestly it might be because I’m on my last brain cell but there was some crossover with JR Wards other series I think (the vampire one??) and that part of the plot made me even more baffled. Also apparently I really struggled connecting to the secondary characters in this one and remembering who they were 🤡
That being said I liked the plot and the setting! Lydia was a great heroine 🙌🏻 the romance was also decent and Daniel 😍
Looking forward to being even more confused when the next book comes out 😍😍😍
Honestly it might be because I’m on my last brain cell but there was some crossover with JR Wards other series I think (the vampire one??) and that part of the plot made me even more baffled. Also apparently I really struggled connecting to the secondary characters in this one and remembering who they were 🤡
That being said I liked the plot and the setting! Lydia was a great heroine 🙌🏻 the romance was also decent and Daniel 😍
Looking forward to being even more confused when the next book comes out 😍😍😍
August 9, 2021
Lydia Susi heads the Wolf Study Project and is disturbed when some of the wolves show up sick and poisoned. Lydia suspects the owners of a big new hotel on the edge of the reserve’s property, and she aims to stop them. Meanwhile, her director has been behaving oddly and now he isn’t even showing up at work. The WSP has been operating on a shoestring budget and they need to hire a new handyman. With the director MIA Lydia takes it upon herself to hire Daniel Joseph, the handsome and mysterious drifter.
Claimed wasn’t anything I expected. I kept trying to figure out what was going on, where the plot going, and it seemed to take forever to get anywhere. Yes, it’s a mystery of sorts, but that it wasn’t front and center, and I didn’t feel like there was a sense of urgency to solve it from Lydia or that she was in any kind of immediate danger. It seemed to be more of Daniel and Lydia getting to know each other, and slowly, very slowly falling for each other.
There isn’t any paranormal in much of the book, even though it’s part of a series named “Lair of the Wolven”. There wasn’t anything shapeshifter/wolven to the plot, other than natural wolves in the preserve, until the very end. I was surprised by the reveal, I thought it’d be the other way around.
I was thrown by the addition of the Black Dagger/Xhex chapters not really getting the connect to what was going on. Yes, the labs, but I think it’d would’ve been fine to leave out the BDB part. Honestly, it was a little distracting and took away from the main story, but maybe that’s because I haven’t kept up with the BRB series. Maybe someone who’s been reading every book from the BDB might understand the connections and feel differently.
With all that said, Claimed managed to hold my attention enough to finish it even though it’s a long book (525 pages), and I have no problems with pulling a DNF if I’m not enjoying the story. I wouldn’t say this ended in a cliffhanger, more a “to be continued” sort of situation. I was left with a lot of unanswered questions by the end. Hopefully, we get a more focused plot and answers in the next book, which I plan on reading.
A copy was kindly provided by Gallery Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Claimed wasn’t anything I expected. I kept trying to figure out what was going on, where the plot going, and it seemed to take forever to get anywhere. Yes, it’s a mystery of sorts, but that it wasn’t front and center, and I didn’t feel like there was a sense of urgency to solve it from Lydia or that she was in any kind of immediate danger. It seemed to be more of Daniel and Lydia getting to know each other, and slowly, very slowly falling for each other.
There isn’t any paranormal in much of the book, even though it’s part of a series named “Lair of the Wolven”. There wasn’t anything shapeshifter/wolven to the plot, other than natural wolves in the preserve, until the very end. I was surprised by the reveal, I thought it’d be the other way around.
I was thrown by the addition of the Black Dagger/Xhex chapters not really getting the connect to what was going on. Yes, the labs, but I think it’d would’ve been fine to leave out the BDB part. Honestly, it was a little distracting and took away from the main story, but maybe that’s because I haven’t kept up with the BRB series. Maybe someone who’s been reading every book from the BDB might understand the connections and feel differently.
With all that said, Claimed managed to hold my attention enough to finish it even though it’s a long book (525 pages), and I have no problems with pulling a DNF if I’m not enjoying the story. I wouldn’t say this ended in a cliffhanger, more a “to be continued” sort of situation. I was left with a lot of unanswered questions by the end. Hopefully, we get a more focused plot and answers in the next book, which I plan on reading.
A copy was kindly provided by Gallery Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2021
I struggled with this book. Truly. Deeply. Struggled. I have read every book in JR Ward‘s Black Dagger Brotherhood series and the spinoffs too. Yes, they have been uneven at times, but they all shared this undeniable spark that made me keep coming back for more, even when I had to wade through all of the b-plot boring shit about the Lessers. The romances, by in large, were captivating. And the sexual tension was always palpable. But this? This book felt like it was simply written by someone else.
I don’t say that lightly. But other than a couple of side scenes involving Xhex, there is nothing about this book that would let a fan know Ward had written it. It was slow. So, so slow to engage. I had to force myself to keep reading, especially in the first half. I didn’t care about any of the characters and I kept waiting for the familiar world building to kick in, or at least something to do with the wolven. After all, the name of the series is the Lair of the Woven. Like werewolves. Like maybe the dude we met in The Jackyl. They weren’t there.
It was just this lady who cared a lot about wolves who... frankly I’m not even sure what her job was, because she wasn’t a vet but she worked for some kind of nature preserve or something... and the sturdy handyman she hired with the mysterious past and Big Secret.
The heroine's name is Lydia and guys fall in love with her for Reasons. Daniel is clearly more than just some drifter, but it takes literally forever for his backstory to come out at all. There’s a mystery about who is poisoning these wolves and maybe it has to do with some new hotel development? Or maybe something more sinister?
Literally the only thing this book had going for it was the twist at the end. At the 94% mark, I got interested. And then there was a cliffhanger. Unlike every other Ward book, the series apparently only follows one couple and I’ve got to say, where she left them gave me some serious Trez and Serena vibes.
Which is not good y’all.
I’m not sure I will read the next one. I think I’ll stick to the BDB books. Warts and all.
I don’t say that lightly. But other than a couple of side scenes involving Xhex, there is nothing about this book that would let a fan know Ward had written it. It was slow. So, so slow to engage. I had to force myself to keep reading, especially in the first half. I didn’t care about any of the characters and I kept waiting for the familiar world building to kick in, or at least something to do with the wolven. After all, the name of the series is the Lair of the Woven. Like werewolves. Like maybe the dude we met in The Jackyl. They weren’t there.
It was just this lady who cared a lot about wolves who... frankly I’m not even sure what her job was, because she wasn’t a vet but she worked for some kind of nature preserve or something... and the sturdy handyman she hired with the mysterious past and Big Secret.
The heroine's name is Lydia and guys fall in love with her for Reasons. Daniel is clearly more than just some drifter, but it takes literally forever for his backstory to come out at all. There’s a mystery about who is poisoning these wolves and maybe it has to do with some new hotel development? Or maybe something more sinister?
Literally the only thing this book had going for it was the twist at the end. At the 94% mark, I got interested. And then there was a cliffhanger. Unlike every other Ward book, the series apparently only follows one couple and I’ve got to say, where she left them gave me some serious Trez and Serena vibes.
Which is not good y’all.
I’m not sure I will read the next one. I think I’ll stick to the BDB books. Warts and all.
November 1, 2021
3.5★
Lydia Susi is a dedicated wolf behaviorist working at a nonprofit facility a small mountain town. When suspicious activities begin to jeopardize her project, Lydia is determined to get answers but she doesn’t know who to trust. Though Daniel Joseph appears at a crucial time, and seems to be a distraction, he remains mysterious.
To begin, I was expecting an action driven story with heavy paranormal elements, but this story was more of a mystery with a slow burn romance and light paranormal elements. The investigative aspects were intriguing yet the pacing was a little too measured to reveal a solid impact. Though there were elements and some surprises that I enjoyed, this book felt much more foundational for a series and this was confirmed at the end in a cliffy – which was quite unexpected.
Claimed is a mystery about vying interests set in a world with paranormal aspects. This story would appeal to those seeking to invest in a new series and reunite with BDB characters.
*This was a (F)BR with the Shhluts
#ShhluttyRead Oct 1-31: https://bit.ly/Oct21SR
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Lydia Susi is a dedicated wolf behaviorist working at a nonprofit facility a small mountain town. When suspicious activities begin to jeopardize her project, Lydia is determined to get answers but she doesn’t know who to trust. Though Daniel Joseph appears at a crucial time, and seems to be a distraction, he remains mysterious.
“You always do the right thing.”
To begin, I was expecting an action driven story with heavy paranormal elements, but this story was more of a mystery with a slow burn romance and light paranormal elements. The investigative aspects were intriguing yet the pacing was a little too measured to reveal a solid impact. Though there were elements and some surprises that I enjoyed, this book felt much more foundational for a series and this was confirmed at the end in a cliffy – which was quite unexpected.
Claimed is a mystery about vying interests set in a world with paranormal aspects. This story would appeal to those seeking to invest in a new series and reunite with BDB characters.
*This was a (F)BR with the Shhluts
#ShhluttyRead Oct 1-31: https://bit.ly/Oct21SR
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
July 29, 2021
Lacking
I was so excited for this book but it couldn't fulfill the promise it made. The story was missing substance and background. It skipped in places so the flow of the story was interrupted and made no sense. The characters lacked depth and felt very shallow. It wrapped up in a very choppy and left you going "huh"? The ending was left on cliff hanger. If the author flushed it out more and wrote it as a prologue book it would have been ok but as is its very disappointing
I was so excited for this book but it couldn't fulfill the promise it made. The story was missing substance and background. It skipped in places so the flow of the story was interrupted and made no sense. The characters lacked depth and felt very shallow. It wrapped up in a very choppy and left you going "huh"? The ending was left on cliff hanger. If the author flushed it out more and wrote it as a prologue book it would have been ok but as is its very disappointing
July 29, 2021
Mixed feelings! Review to come
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