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True Mates #2
Dark Succession
Nora Hunt is the daughter of former pack leader Sean Hunt and niece to Kieran Hunt. Emotionally and physically scarred after being held captive for weeks, she's finally ready to move on with her life. But when she meets Ryland, she discovers not only a world of darkness and pain, but discovers Ryland may not be any better than those who held her captive all those weeks.
When Ryland Keegan steps in as Alpha of his dead brother's pack, he inherits a pack of savage rogue wolven, as well as a legacy of violence, lies and five women held captive within the pack's confines.
But when Ryland's pack members start dying one at a time, he must decide if Nora is the catalyst or the killer. Can he trust his True Mate? Or will he be relegated to a life of leading the dregs of Wolven society?
When Ryland Keegan steps in as Alpha of his dead brother's pack, he inherits a pack of savage rogue wolven, as well as a legacy of violence, lies and five women held captive within the pack's confines.
But when Ryland's pack members start dying one at a time, he must decide if Nora is the catalyst or the killer. Can he trust his True Mate? Or will he be relegated to a life of leading the dregs of Wolven society?
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First published April 20, 2010
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About the author
Teresa D'Amario
9 books206 followers2nd place winner of the Best First Book Prism Award - 2008! Currently live near Fayetteville, NC
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 16, 2010
I LOVE shifters! Have I told you that already? I’m sure I have LOL. What is not to love? Animal magnetism, sexy Alpha males that growls and are possessive, females that have sharp nails and have no qualms about using them on a male’s body and a lot of smexing. I love reading about soul mates and couples that are joined by fate and I have to say that in Dark Succession I got all that and much more.
Right from the beginning of the novel we get in the thick of the action. We find our heroine, Nora, in wolf form, by the side of the road being taunted by a group of young men that believe she is just a dog. Ryland shows up on his motorcycle, coming to her rescue. One whiff of her scent at a side of the road bar and he just had to go after her.
Nora’s car broke down and when she walks over to a bar near where she got stranded, the smell of a male wolven stirs things inside her that she’d rather not even think about, so she just turns around and leaves.
That’s how our two protagonists meet and that encounter will change their lived forever, because the reason they are so attracted and drawn to each other is that they are True Mates. Wolven soul mates is something very rare in their world and their is really no turning your back on nature and instinct.
Nora and Ryland’s past bring a lot of complications to the table and Teresa D’Amario was able to present us with two very complex and interesting characters.
Ryland is the Alpha of his pack, but not by choice. His brother was killed recently by another alpha and the pack’s leadership was put upon his shoulder without him really wanting it. However, that is not the only thing his brother left him, for Joshua’s reign of terror left a lot of marks and it is Ryland’s responsibility to deal with it all.
Nora is the daughter of the former alpha of her pack. We meet her 3 months after she has been help captive and tortured to an inch of her life. The physical and emotional scars she bares are her biggest obstacles to cross before she can even consider giving into her attraction to Ryland.
These two together have such chemistry and carry a lot of potential. I did find a bit tiring the time it took for them to finally consummate their physical attraction. I mean, I didn’t mind that it took a while, but the near misses got a bit annoying at times. Besides, when they finally did get together, I only found it to be moderately hot, even though Ryland had a lot of sizzling potential.
I loved the plot of this book! Amidst the romance we find ourselves dealing with murders going on in Ryland’s pack and I loved the way the mystery was conducted, though i did have my suspicions, when we actually find the culprit I was quite taken aback by a twist. It was a nice surprise.
All in all Dark Succession was a pretty great read. Action, shifters, smexing and a lot of surprises in between. A very pleasant addition to the PNR world and if you are a fan of the genre, I definitely recommend this book!
Right from the beginning of the novel we get in the thick of the action. We find our heroine, Nora, in wolf form, by the side of the road being taunted by a group of young men that believe she is just a dog. Ryland shows up on his motorcycle, coming to her rescue. One whiff of her scent at a side of the road bar and he just had to go after her.
Nora’s car broke down and when she walks over to a bar near where she got stranded, the smell of a male wolven stirs things inside her that she’d rather not even think about, so she just turns around and leaves.
That’s how our two protagonists meet and that encounter will change their lived forever, because the reason they are so attracted and drawn to each other is that they are True Mates. Wolven soul mates is something very rare in their world and their is really no turning your back on nature and instinct.
Nora and Ryland’s past bring a lot of complications to the table and Teresa D’Amario was able to present us with two very complex and interesting characters.
Ryland is the Alpha of his pack, but not by choice. His brother was killed recently by another alpha and the pack’s leadership was put upon his shoulder without him really wanting it. However, that is not the only thing his brother left him, for Joshua’s reign of terror left a lot of marks and it is Ryland’s responsibility to deal with it all.
Nora is the daughter of the former alpha of her pack. We meet her 3 months after she has been help captive and tortured to an inch of her life. The physical and emotional scars she bares are her biggest obstacles to cross before she can even consider giving into her attraction to Ryland.
These two together have such chemistry and carry a lot of potential. I did find a bit tiring the time it took for them to finally consummate their physical attraction. I mean, I didn’t mind that it took a while, but the near misses got a bit annoying at times. Besides, when they finally did get together, I only found it to be moderately hot, even though Ryland had a lot of sizzling potential.
I loved the plot of this book! Amidst the romance we find ourselves dealing with murders going on in Ryland’s pack and I loved the way the mystery was conducted, though i did have my suspicions, when we actually find the culprit I was quite taken aback by a twist. It was a nice surprise.
All in all Dark Succession was a pretty great read. Action, shifters, smexing and a lot of surprises in between. A very pleasant addition to the PNR world and if you are a fan of the genre, I definitely recommend this book!
July 17, 2010
Dark Succession is an excellent mixture of action and romance, which alone made for a wonderful read. However, I was glued to the pages of this book because of the excellent story telling and an gripping “whodunit” plot line. Ryland’s pack members are being killed off and he has no idea who is doing it or why it is happening. In addition, someone keeps breaking into Ryland’s den, and he finds a mysterious coded diary that his dead brother left behind. Ryland doesn’t know who can help him, and after he has been lied to and hurt by his own family so often, he cannot even trust that his True Mate, Nora, is innocent. We are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters and I found myself constantly looking for a hint or clue that would help me solve the mysteries. I could not put this book down.
On top the great whodunit story, we have Nora: our heroine. Nora is a shewolf and daughter of her pack’s former leader. She is strong, but was destroyed by her own capture and torture and is no longer the confident shewolf she once was. (We read about her captivity in the first book, She Wolf.)
What I love about Nora is that we watch her grow from the weak shell of her former self to the strong alpha-bitch she was born to be. For wolven to show fear is signing a death warrant. And Nora does that early on in the book when a not very nice wolven grabbed her wrists, forcing Nora back into her memories of her capture. We watch her learn to overcome the past, and with the patience and love of her Mate, she gains back her confidence.
On the flip side of Nora’s story is Ryland’s journey from lonely leader to powerful alpha with a heart. Early on he is drawn to Nora physically because of the True Mate bond. But, he is disgusted by Nora’s fear, yet knows he must accept it since she is his destined Mate. He gives her time to grow and is surprised at how deeply he learns to care for her. The author provides great character development as Ryland goes from desires fueled solely by the bond nature put in place - to realizing his own faults as he watches his mate grow.
The story is well written and a joy to read. The end of the book started to drag some, but mostly because I wanted to get some answers and was an impatient reader. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t figure out exactly who was behind all of the shannigans, but it was still a great mystery. One thing that did bother me was Nora’s constant self-berating of her body. Even after she is able to “see” herself through her lover’s eyes and heart, she still puts herself down. She is stronger than that, and it annoyed me. But in the end, the story is a good one and I highly recommend.
On top the great whodunit story, we have Nora: our heroine. Nora is a shewolf and daughter of her pack’s former leader. She is strong, but was destroyed by her own capture and torture and is no longer the confident shewolf she once was. (We read about her captivity in the first book, She Wolf.)
What I love about Nora is that we watch her grow from the weak shell of her former self to the strong alpha-bitch she was born to be. For wolven to show fear is signing a death warrant. And Nora does that early on in the book when a not very nice wolven grabbed her wrists, forcing Nora back into her memories of her capture. We watch her learn to overcome the past, and with the patience and love of her Mate, she gains back her confidence.
On the flip side of Nora’s story is Ryland’s journey from lonely leader to powerful alpha with a heart. Early on he is drawn to Nora physically because of the True Mate bond. But, he is disgusted by Nora’s fear, yet knows he must accept it since she is his destined Mate. He gives her time to grow and is surprised at how deeply he learns to care for her. The author provides great character development as Ryland goes from desires fueled solely by the bond nature put in place - to realizing his own faults as he watches his mate grow.
The story is well written and a joy to read. The end of the book started to drag some, but mostly because I wanted to get some answers and was an impatient reader. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t figure out exactly who was behind all of the shannigans, but it was still a great mystery. One thing that did bother me was Nora’s constant self-berating of her body. Even after she is able to “see” herself through her lover’s eyes and heart, she still puts herself down. She is stronger than that, and it annoyed me. But in the end, the story is a good one and I highly recommend.
April 21, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I actually had to go back and change my star rating for the 1st book in this series from a 4 to a 3 because even though i did like that one it wasn't anywhere near as good as this one was. Granted, the 1st book was considerably shorter so that could have contributed to the reason it wasn't as good (it's kind of like an anthology/novella, sometimes the story is a bit rushed and there isn't quite enough character development for the amount of page time given)...but this one definitely DID have quite a bit more content including a pretty decent mystery to go along with it. Everything that i truly love about PNRs was in this book...the yummy alpha male, a tough heroine, romance along w/ some good emotional angst thrown in and a few smexy scenes to round it all out! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for a really good shifter romance, but i would highly recommend reading the first book, SheWolf before reading this. Even though i enjoyed this book more, the 1st one is still a sweet shifter romance and it introduces the two main characters, in this book, and their backgrounds which play a major role in their relationship and their coming together!
July 19, 2010
Boy is it good to have Teresa D'Amario back! I lost count of the many times I read SheWolf since the first time and I've been waiting for Nora's story as well as Ryland's. I was very interested in seeing how a villain could be turned into a hero for the next book as its one of things on my wishlists for romance themes.
D'Amario doesn't disappoint! Dark Succession is a sexy paranormal romance but it's also a gut wrenching fantasy and suspense all rolled into one. After being captured and tortured then saved by Anna, heroine of SheWolf, Nora (daughter to the former pack leader Sean and Laura) has moved on to college where the guys give her attention more for her status than for herself. After almost being attacked by a group of college guys, Ryland intervenes and rescues Nora then takes her back to his compound where he hides a harrowing secret not only within his pack but also one he doesn't know about that's been hidden as a lie within his own family. Soon, members of Ryland's pack being to disappear and as Nora uncovers the reasons why, a pattern emerges bringing them close to the pack as things begin to unravel.
Ryland came dangerously close to being anti-hero and there are some heavy things he is involved with. His brother (another secret) left him a no-holds-barred unruly wolven pack of convicts, rapists and war mongers and it's up to him keep order even as he fights to control his attraction to Nora.
Nora was a strong heroine although she had some faults due to how she saw her body. I like that she was a strong SheWolf and she took charge when needed but also had to overcome the time she spent as a prisoner. It was an interesting admission when she meets similar prisoners at Ryland's compound and how she saw him through her eyes.
I loved and really enjoyed this book and was tickled when an excerpt for SheWolf was included. Although there was no particular scene to top my favorite one from SheWolf (ahem, the one in Anna's office, hehe) the tension and the sexiness of Ryland was strong enough to topple the previous hero Kieren (sorry Kieren but Ryland was just wow).
Anna makes an appearance here later in the story and I was hoping we'd see a bit of the old Uwharrie camp just for old time's sake. Knowing how Laura reacted to Anna when she arrived and considering Nora's coming into her own SheWolf, I can see why that would probably not turn out well.
All in all I loved Dark Succession which is a wonderful addition to SheWolf. Ryland and Nora's dance of attraction mixed with the murder mystery within the pack, topped off with how Nora would be able to stay in a confined compound made me glued to the pages to find out how all of it will be resolved. I loved that this book had twist after twist with not only finding out the truth about Ryland's family but also about the revelation of the murderer. Early on I thought it was the obvious choice but later there were certain clues to tip off the gender. Eventually, my guess was totally off but it was interesting to see how it lead to the culprit after a previous surprise attack.
D'Amario did an awesome job and if there's another book in the series, I'll be eagerly waiting to grab a copy and dive into the world of the True Mates.
Note to readers: Although this story stands alone, you may want to check out SheWolf not only for the great story but for a little extra flavoring to the world and how the characters are connected. There's also a bit of interesting backstory in how you'll see Ryland's scenes in SheWolf which gets turned on its head in Dark Succession.
Highly recommended as one of my faves for 2010.
D'Amario doesn't disappoint! Dark Succession is a sexy paranormal romance but it's also a gut wrenching fantasy and suspense all rolled into one. After being captured and tortured then saved by Anna, heroine of SheWolf, Nora (daughter to the former pack leader Sean and Laura) has moved on to college where the guys give her attention more for her status than for herself. After almost being attacked by a group of college guys, Ryland intervenes and rescues Nora then takes her back to his compound where he hides a harrowing secret not only within his pack but also one he doesn't know about that's been hidden as a lie within his own family. Soon, members of Ryland's pack being to disappear and as Nora uncovers the reasons why, a pattern emerges bringing them close to the pack as things begin to unravel.
Ryland came dangerously close to being anti-hero and there are some heavy things he is involved with. His brother (another secret) left him a no-holds-barred unruly wolven pack of convicts, rapists and war mongers and it's up to him keep order even as he fights to control his attraction to Nora.
Nora was a strong heroine although she had some faults due to how she saw her body. I like that she was a strong SheWolf and she took charge when needed but also had to overcome the time she spent as a prisoner. It was an interesting admission when she meets similar prisoners at Ryland's compound and how she saw him through her eyes.
I loved and really enjoyed this book and was tickled when an excerpt for SheWolf was included. Although there was no particular scene to top my favorite one from SheWolf (ahem, the one in Anna's office, hehe) the tension and the sexiness of Ryland was strong enough to topple the previous hero Kieren (sorry Kieren but Ryland was just wow).
Anna makes an appearance here later in the story and I was hoping we'd see a bit of the old Uwharrie camp just for old time's sake. Knowing how Laura reacted to Anna when she arrived and considering Nora's coming into her own SheWolf, I can see why that would probably not turn out well.
All in all I loved Dark Succession which is a wonderful addition to SheWolf. Ryland and Nora's dance of attraction mixed with the murder mystery within the pack, topped off with how Nora would be able to stay in a confined compound made me glued to the pages to find out how all of it will be resolved. I loved that this book had twist after twist with not only finding out the truth about Ryland's family but also about the revelation of the murderer. Early on I thought it was the obvious choice but later there were certain clues to tip off the gender. Eventually, my guess was totally off but it was interesting to see how it lead to the culprit after a previous surprise attack.
D'Amario did an awesome job and if there's another book in the series, I'll be eagerly waiting to grab a copy and dive into the world of the True Mates.
Note to readers: Although this story stands alone, you may want to check out SheWolf not only for the great story but for a little extra flavoring to the world and how the characters are connected. There's also a bit of interesting backstory in how you'll see Ryland's scenes in SheWolf which gets turned on its head in Dark Succession.
Highly recommended as one of my faves for 2010.
May 22, 2012
I liked book 1 of this series and book 2 is just as good. This book focusses on Nora, the girl that Anna saved at the end of book 1. At first I wasn't sure whta tot think of the fact that this book wa sabout different characters, but I ended up really enjoyeing it. We get to see the POV from two very different characters than book 2. Also the story and romance is very different, while still having a bit of the same feel to it.
Again I liked the depth given to the story, there is enough going on and the focus is not only on the romance (although ofcourse the romance plays a big part). Also there is some mystery about murders taking place and who can be behind it, I kept quessing, but in the end was still surprised. This story is also a whole lot longer than book 1 and I really liked the fact that it was longer.
I didn't knew what to think of the fact that this book has a different POV than the first book, but I ended up also really liking these characters. I only would've liked if we would've seen more from the characters of book 1, so that we could also see how these characters relate to them. And I have another small minpoint, the fact that there is not enough action/play in wolf form. I love werewolf book partially because seeing the animal side. This book definitely brings enough wolfish behavior into the wolven their normal lives, but still I would've liked seeing them a bit more in wolf form.
I really liked the characters of this book, in the beginning I had to get used to Nora a bit. She is a bit too scared at the beginning, but in the book we really see her grow and get to know her strength. I also liked the love interest and the twist that connects them both to book 1. Although again I would've liked to see a bit more of the link with book 1. And as last I have a comment that I also made about book 1, we really learn much about the lead characters, but the other characters stay more on the background. There is still so much more story to be told about the other characters and I think there really are some interesting characters out there.
To conclude: a very good book. It has a nice combination of romance and story and two very interesting characters. I would've preferred to see more connection with the first book and the side characters got a little too less attention. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone who liked a good werewolf or romance story, because this book has both!
Again I liked the depth given to the story, there is enough going on and the focus is not only on the romance (although ofcourse the romance plays a big part). Also there is some mystery about murders taking place and who can be behind it, I kept quessing, but in the end was still surprised. This story is also a whole lot longer than book 1 and I really liked the fact that it was longer.
I didn't knew what to think of the fact that this book has a different POV than the first book, but I ended up also really liking these characters. I only would've liked if we would've seen more from the characters of book 1, so that we could also see how these characters relate to them. And I have another small minpoint, the fact that there is not enough action/play in wolf form. I love werewolf book partially because seeing the animal side. This book definitely brings enough wolfish behavior into the wolven their normal lives, but still I would've liked seeing them a bit more in wolf form.
I really liked the characters of this book, in the beginning I had to get used to Nora a bit. She is a bit too scared at the beginning, but in the book we really see her grow and get to know her strength. I also liked the love interest and the twist that connects them both to book 1. Although again I would've liked to see a bit more of the link with book 1. And as last I have a comment that I also made about book 1, we really learn much about the lead characters, but the other characters stay more on the background. There is still so much more story to be told about the other characters and I think there really are some interesting characters out there.
To conclude: a very good book. It has a nice combination of romance and story and two very interesting characters. I would've preferred to see more connection with the first book and the side characters got a little too less attention. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone who liked a good werewolf or romance story, because this book has both!
July 15, 2010
I kinda skipped the first in the series, but I don't think it hurt my understanding too much overall. There were things I liked quite a bit here (the mystery, a broken heroine who has to find her own strength, a Pack Alpha who is trying to clean up the mess left by the previous Alpha) and then there were things I wish could have been done a little better (the tie-up to the mystery was almost too pat with a lot of converging pieces coming together all at once-yes, I'm being vague, but I think it was very coincidental that all this stuff was happening at the same time, the heroine's emotional journey could have been given more depth-I'm not all about the angst or anything but when someone has gone through what she has gone through you'd think it would have been harder for her to accept it and move on). Overall, it was a fun little ride and it dealt with some of the things that are canon in werewolf books a little differently than normal. Which was nice.
The story? Ryland's been cleaning up the mess the previous Alpha left behind and he has the feeling he's never going to have a healthy, well-balanced Pack. Nora's dealing with her capture and torture at the hands of humans (in book #1) and isn't expecting to find her True Mate. She doesn't think she can handle the life he's had forced on him, he doesn't think he can live without her. Then the wolves in Ryland's pack start being murdered and they both have to try their hardest to figure out who would want to destroy the pack before she becomes the next target.
The story? Ryland's been cleaning up the mess the previous Alpha left behind and he has the feeling he's never going to have a healthy, well-balanced Pack. Nora's dealing with her capture and torture at the hands of humans (in book #1) and isn't expecting to find her True Mate. She doesn't think she can handle the life he's had forced on him, he doesn't think he can live without her. Then the wolves in Ryland's pack start being murdered and they both have to try their hardest to figure out who would want to destroy the pack before she becomes the next target.
April 2, 2011
"Tantalizing Romance with a Mystery to Solve"
Nora Hunt is the niece to Kieran Hunt, the leader of her pack. After being held captive and physically and emotionally abused, she's free and wants to forget her past and move on, but to do so she must face her fears.
Ryland Keegan's brother is dead and he takes over his brother's pack, but in doing so he inherits the problems left behind—violence, secrets and distrust. Five human women were held captive during his brother's rein and he must decide what to do with them. Then members of his pack are being murdered. As if he doesn't have enough to deal with, he meets Nora Hunt and fears she may be his True Mate. How can he find the killer, keep Nora from bolting and manage his rogue pack?
Ms. D'Amario has a way of keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. The mystery surrounding the murders is well paced and will keep you guessing to the end. The romance between Ryland and Nora is intense, while both try to deny their feelings for each other. Foreplay has never been so tantalizing.
Dark Succession is the second tale in the True Mates series. There is mention of characters from the first book, She Wolf, but this story stands alone. If anything it will intrigue you to pick up She Wolf and find out where it all began. I also recommend Ms. D'Amario's Maxey Wizard Series. You won't be disappointed.
Reviewed for PNR Paranormal Reviews
Nora Hunt is the niece to Kieran Hunt, the leader of her pack. After being held captive and physically and emotionally abused, she's free and wants to forget her past and move on, but to do so she must face her fears.
Ryland Keegan's brother is dead and he takes over his brother's pack, but in doing so he inherits the problems left behind—violence, secrets and distrust. Five human women were held captive during his brother's rein and he must decide what to do with them. Then members of his pack are being murdered. As if he doesn't have enough to deal with, he meets Nora Hunt and fears she may be his True Mate. How can he find the killer, keep Nora from bolting and manage his rogue pack?
Ms. D'Amario has a way of keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. The mystery surrounding the murders is well paced and will keep you guessing to the end. The romance between Ryland and Nora is intense, while both try to deny their feelings for each other. Foreplay has never been so tantalizing.
Dark Succession is the second tale in the True Mates series. There is mention of characters from the first book, She Wolf, but this story stands alone. If anything it will intrigue you to pick up She Wolf and find out where it all began. I also recommend Ms. D'Amario's Maxey Wizard Series. You won't be disappointed.
Reviewed for PNR Paranormal Reviews
July 13, 2012
It was better than the first, longer, and actually had me bitting my nails to figure out the killer, so it has to be at least a 4 star. But, there were inconsistencies, plus the scapel should have been left out because it was never explained how it got there- so it had no point to it, plus I still don't know why or who was behind Nora's torture in the first... prequel? (I just can't call it a book), but these were problems brought out in the first... prequel.
Both had a good romance story:)
Both had a good romance story:)
September 23, 2013
This was an easy, quick read. I thought it was interesting in that is focuses on the bitch of the werewolf pack as being so very different from the male. I also liked how the good and the bad were both for a lot of what they did controlled by their instincts. The sex scenes were okay. I think I wasn't overly moved by them though and her insistence of waiting for him to say the words 'I love you' made her seem in my view childish. She wasn't able to read his actions, of looking beyond the obvious. She was in that sense flawed, and I suppose flawed heroines are interesting.
November 5, 2010
Much better than the first in the series! I didn't care for the first one that much, but I was interested in Ryland's character. The writing was much more cohesive in this installment and the plot much more filled out.
December 6, 2010
This was another great book in the True Mate series. I'm so glad that Ryland & Nora got their book next. This definatley had me guessing in who was committing the crimes. I love shifter stories and this is one of the best yet. I hope to see more from this author!
October 31, 2010
Loved it! Send this baby to print!!
May 8, 2011
3.5 stars
September 12, 2013
I was sick in bed.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews