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Following my dreams was supposed to be my way out.
Sometimes, what doesn’t save you, kills you after all…

Thalia
Apparently ignoring my parents’ politics wasn’t the right move. Shifters were outed to the public, and months later, I’m still unsure what the big deal is about.

Now my life is in danger and the only one who can protect me is the true king of the wolves.

Cade is nothing like what my mom and the press show shifters to be. He’s thoughtful, reserved… and have you seen his butt in those jeans?

Cade
Having abdicated the throne, I’ve vowed to stay out of shifter politics.

Now, my sole responsibility, for the next nine weeks, is to make sure no idiots can completely derail the deal I’ve cut with the one woman holding all the cards.

The problem is… the threats against Thalia Clark are nothing compared to the danger of my wolf, now that he’s claimed this human as his.

I’ll kill to protect my mate, but is keeping up my end of the deal enough to save her?


Smoke is the first book in the Ardelean Bloodline series. While this story does contain an HEA for Cade and Thalia, there is an ongoing plot connecting each book in the series. Each book will need to be read in order. There are open door, explicit scenes as well as colorful language not intended for young readers. Don’t let the fluffy puppy on the cover deceive you… he bites.

ebook

Published March 23, 2023

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891 people want to read

About the author

Sarah Jaeger

7 books66 followers
Sarah Jaeger is a human being from the Upper Midwest, even though she is certain she was born to be a shifter. A dreamer since birth, the idea for the Ardelean Bloodlines popped into Sarah’s teenage brain and refused to leave. Finally, that idea is taking shape in the form of a fully-fledged paranormal romance series. When she’s not writing, Sarah likes to recharge with solid TV show binges, playing cards and games with her family, and caring for her fur babies. Stay in touch with Sarah on her website or social media.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
Profile Image for Sumbul Arsalan.
56 reviews14 followers
March 20, 2023
I recently finished reading this shifter romance book SMOKE by Sarah Jaeger with a dual POV that I found to be quite engaging. While the pace of the story was a bit slow for my taste, and I felt that the story was dragged on for a bit longer than necessary, overall it was a good read that kept me hooked until the end.

The book was similar to Twilight in that it tells the story of a love affair between a supernatural creature and a human. The main character, Thalia, is the daughter of a politician and a diplomat, and her life is in danger. To protect her, her parents hire a security staff, and this is where we meet the Sovereign Alpha wolf named Cade.

Cade believes that Thalia is his mate, and this is where the story begins. What I enjoyed most about the book was the dual POV narration, which allowed me to get into the heads of both characters and understand their perspectives.

Despite the slow pacing, the story was still engaging and kept me invested in the characters and their relationship. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys shifter romance novels. While the story may be similar to Twilight, it still manages to stand out on its own thanks to its unique characters and interesting plotline.

Four stars!

I would like to Thanks R&R Book Tours for sending me an ARC against an honest review.

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Profile Image for Books N Dark Hearts.
122 reviews3 followers
August 16, 2023
I am 84% in to the book. And I’ve turned into a demon to anything that’s bothered me while reading it… this book is consuming me, my emotions, my heart, my life. Im literally looking at my kindle right now debating with myself between needing to know… and not wanting it to end yet. I DREAMED about this story last night. The last book that held me this hostage was The Hades series by Tate James.

I finished this book 4 days ago. I’ve read another two books since then… and I’m still drifting back to this story. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. This books is soul level captivating. Once you start you can’t stop. You’re sucked into this world with these characters, their struggles and pain.
With writing like this you’re going to be so submerged in this story you won’t ever want to leave. The ending had me literally gripping my kindle and internally yelling “NOOOOOOO”. This story I already know is one that is going to haunt me till Sarah puts me out of my misery when she finishes the series.

Thalia and Cade, they are not the perfect couple. They definitely have some communication issues due parts of this book. They live in two different worlds and have very complicated past and families. There are times when reading Thalia definitely a little hard, she’s coming from a very toxic family. And the writing I feel really reflects that in Thalia’s POV. You definitely have to keep that in mind while reading her POV at parts.
Over all tho… these two are FIRE!! This book has it all. Tension, steam/spice, plot, fated mates! Shifters! 🫠
I would definitely consider this a plot heavy medium burn book. But it is SO GOOD. It’s worth the read I swear!

My only flaw is a selfish one, I loved this couple and just can’t imagine letting them go…
This series all the books will follow a different couple throughout the story but we will see these two again throughout, I just don’t know if it will ever be enough! 😭
Which is terrifying to think about already being obsessed with these characters cuz I know damn well that means it’s probably going to continue with every book that follows.

Thank you Sarah for letting me ARC read this book! I will gladly sit in my book purgatory till this Fall for the second one.
Profile Image for Escape Into Books.
284 reviews21 followers
February 25, 2023
Smoke was an absolute joy to read. Minus the moments I was mad at Sarah for ripping my heart out and not immediately putting it back. 😂

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Thalia - fiercely independent and stubborn, she's been staying out of her parents political drama, and marching to the beat of her own drum. And everything is going perfectly. Until her mom's political beliefs bring threats on Thalia's life.

Cade - fiercely loyal to his pack, his immediate family and his work. He's a shifter with "The Leviathan," the alpha wolf of all alpha wolves, passed on through the Aderlean blood line. He's brought in on a job that he never wanted. To protect the daughter of the senator that wants his people dead.

How is Cade supposed to take back his throne while protecting the enemies daughter? And how is Thalia supposed to return to her parents side once the threat is contained, knowing her mom absolutely despises the shifters she's come to care about?

These two go through hell and back. And fall in love along the way. But not without betrayal and lies that threaten to tear them apart!

I loved Sarah's writing. The steamy scenes were full of emotion and love and felt real and not just smut thrown on a page.

The issues the characters came across seemed very realistic to the storyline and not far-fetched. I did want to strangle Thalia a time or two for her refusal to hear Cade out. But by the end of the book, I'm confident she has grown in that area.

4.5 ⭐ Rounded up
🌶️🌶️🌶️ .5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jess | jadecanread.
1,264 reviews190 followers
June 22, 2023
“You’ll never be safer than you are by my side, Thalia. The Leviathan will always protect you.”

Anyone order a shifter romance between an alpha wolf and a human? And he's actually contracted to be her bodyguard for nine weeks? During which he realizes she's his mate?

Well, order's up!

I went into this blind with zero expectations and honestly had a really pleasant time reading.

Basically: Thalia's life is in danger because her mom is a Senator whose agenda is frankly anti-shifter. As a result of her mother's political stance, Thalia receives some threats, forcing her parents to hire her protection and sequester her away until the bill is passed. Enter Cade, a shifter whose wolf is The Leviathan (aka the king of wolves, the de facto alpha of alphas). He's her hired protection and the two are forced together for Thalia's safety.

I really liked this book's take on shifters! Maybe I haven't read enough of the genre but Cade comes from a line of "gifted" wolves, where each member of the family has a special power in addition of their wolf (examples: mind reading, seeing when someone's going to die, seeing dead people, etc). There's even a Volturi-esque ruling house in Romania introduced at the end of this that has me intrigued for the sequel haha.

There's a lot of road tripping and talking between the two which is so sweet to witness. Considering the fact that Cade's wolf is this big legendary being, I honestly expected him to be the generic asshole alpha but he's not that type at all! He's patient, kind, and so caring. Thalia's pragmatic but realistically emotional. Let's be honest, I will always enjoy a human FMC that doesn't do the whole denial song and dance. Thank goodness.

My favorite section of the book would probably be the last third of the book. There's some ~changes~ for the characters and seeing them learn and adapt to their new status quo was really fun. I also adored all the side characters! I can't wait to see more of them in the next books.

Writing wise, I thought this was quite nice for a debut novel! This was slower paced, which could work for those looking to really escape into a different world while reading, getting to focus on the minutia of the characters' lives. It takes its time and keeps you in the moment. I do think some editing down would be greatly beneficial for the pacing while also in streamlining the storytelling. There's something to be said in not writing out every single thing a character does in a book.

Overall, this was really enjoyable! There's a handful of questions I still have so I'm excited to pick up the sequel once it's out.
Profile Image for Marlou Klijn.
693 reviews24 followers
March 12, 2023
Yes yes yes, this was exactly the kind of book I was in the mood to read. I feel so blessed to have gotten an ARC for this book. It was so good. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because there were a few things that didn't feel right for me. But damn, this was one of the best shifter books I've ever read (and I've read quite a few of them)

The plot was built on a standard romance novel recipe, but because of the great writing and awesome characters it didn't feel like your usual shifter romance. I can't put my finger on it, but this book was just so very different than other shifter romance I've read. It had insta-love, bodyguard-to-friends-to-lovers, only one bed, grumpy vs sunshine.. And it all worked so perfectly together.

The characters were all very diverse and interesting. Their personalities were very well thought out. Not just one thing that made them quirky, but a combination of qualities like real people. And their loyalty to each other was the cherry on a fabulous cake.

Cade and Thalia's relationship was very organic and healthy. Thalia reacted the way I would to being dropped into a shifter world: curious, careful and respectful. And Cade is such a sweetheart, oh my stars, I just wanna hug him. He's intense when he's in alpha mode, but so supportive and understanding of Thalia.

This whole story flowed together so nicely and I was addicted from the very first page. Yes, I would have liked some more high stakes moments and more involvement of their wolfy sides, so I'm giving it 4,5 stars. And I can't wait to read the next book!

This book was provided to me by the author.
Profile Image for vixen ‹𝟹 reads.
286 reviews141 followers
September 7, 2023
When Thalia is suddenly in danger she’s assigned a bodyguard, but that’s not all; she finds her whole life uprooted with only him to turn to.

It’s been 10 years since Cade refused to take the throne, and nothing has tested his control since, until he meets Thalia. Half of him really wants the her, while the after half needs to resist.

I enjoyed the build up of the story, but the cuteness became a life support for me. Melting, swooning, gushing, you can expect all of that with this Alpha. To top it off, the down & dirty was 😏😏 this man should be given a doctorate for his dirty talk, he’s mastered it.

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙮, 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙖? 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪?”

_____________

✞ 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜 ✞
• shifter/human • forced proximity • he falls first • one bed • touch her & 💀 • slow burn • age gap • bodyguard • found family • gifts/abilities • fated • safety lessons •

✞ 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 ✞
• hand necklaces • dirty talk • forehead kisses • scenting • oh never before • bubble baths • lap cuddles •

✞ 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎 ✞
• mental health • body dysmorphia • world based politics • panic attacks • awful ex •

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: The Ardelean Bloodline #1
𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞: interconnected standalone
𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: shifter romance
𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞: Cade & Thalia

*𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜*
Profile Image for Anna Fury.
Author 31 books393 followers
March 5, 2023
This book was so different from what I expected of a shifter romance. It was politically-charged, beautifully written, and delved so deeply into the world of not only the wolves, but the humans as well, that I really felt I was right beside the characters the whole time.

Now let's talk about our MCs. Thalia is the daughter of a bigoted senator who (is a dummy) and hates shifters with a passion. Our sweet FMC tries to stay out of her mother's politics, but unfortunately threats are made against her life, and she's forced into hiding with, ironically, a shifter.

Cade has abdicated his throne as leader of the Ardelean bloodline, but forces beyond his control continue drawing a spiderweb around him, forcing his hand into dealing with his past and his birthright.

I loved that Cade was such an excellent communicator. There's drama, there has to be, this is a romance after all, but he was exactly the type of strong alpha male I'd want in real life - total book boyfriend goals! Thalia makes a few different choices than I would, but her perspective was understandable once the drama ensues. The odds were stacked against them, but they manage to persevere harrowing events.

What I loved about this book is how REAL the characters felt to me. This isn't the book for instalove, over-the-top sweet romance lovers. This is a book for people who want to ride the emotional rollercoaster of uncovering and learning another person through lots of trials and tribulations. It was real and raw and I loved it!
Profile Image for jennifer | offmyredcarpet.
554 reviews44 followers
January 19, 2025
4.5 // This is a contemporary wolf shifter romance where shifters are recently known to humans and humans are split on them as a threat.

She is the daughter of a Senator whose political aspirations put the FMC in danger when her humanity is threatened by shifters. He is the bodyguard hired to keep her safe. A shifter himself, he knows best how to do that but takes the opportunity to make a deal with her mother over her proposed bigoted bill to legislate shifters. He also happens to be the rightful heir over wolf shifters but chose to abdicate due to pack politics.

It is a beast of a book at 700+ pages but the pacing never felt like it was too much or too little. It was enjoyable to read a lengthy book about shifters and get lost in that world. It is a fantastic read but I do have a couple criticisms.

1) Using interrogatives to communicate anxiety. A character’s apprehension and uncertainty can be posed beyond primarily using questions to do so.

2) Overuse of a word. Some form of ‘squirm’ appears every spicy scene, multiple times; 38x over the course of the book. See also ‘bite’ at 96x, most of those being specific to the “she bites her bottom lip” type.

Criticisms aside, I absolutely can not wait for book 2.
Profile Image for CassDamm.
678 reviews95 followers
April 6, 2023
4.5 ✨

Someone recommended this in a book group where someone was asking for shifter reccs and has an expert on shifter books when I saw one I hadn’t read I immediately jumped on it.
Now, I’m not going to lie, I was not expecting much bc the person recommending it stated it was the authors debut novel and we all know those can be pretty iffy, but it ended up being super good. The best book I’ve read probably all year(and I’m nesting 100 books read already)

Anyway, I’ve said it 61937 times. When the wolf is a separate personality idk I just don’t care for that in shifter books. This book had that which is why I docked the half point. However, it actually flowed really well. It wasn’t over the top, they weren’t having constant conversations in their head, etc. it was executed really well.

Also, this book was over 700 pages, but told the whole story and set the book up to be a series. I was so worried it would end on a cliff hanger. Which it did, but not one of the cliff hangers that make you want to rip your hair out. One that just sets it up for another book with an interesting but different plot.
Profile Image for Megan.
278 reviews14 followers
April 21, 2023
DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS BOOK. READ IT!!

I am passionate about books I love and this one blew it out of the park. Shifter romance with characters that are so dimensional and have so much depth to them you fall in love with even the tricky to love ones. I loved Cade and Thalia who are absolutely perfect for each other in a world that is not made for them. Think star crossed lovers vibes. I loved how we learned about the world and about shifters and packs right along with Thalia and I felt so connected to the story and characters. So well done. So well written. All the emotions with twists and turns and devastation with beautiful restoration afterwards.

I am so excited for book 2 and whatever else this author writes.
Profile Image for Megan.
268 reviews29 followers
January 22, 2024
This book had an interesting premise that slowly disappears before the heroine can even reflect on the privilege she had to be able to just “ignore” her mothers genocidal politics

Then, the emotional maturity levels between the hero (late 20s) and heroine (20) are so far apart that her POV became quite intolerable.

Finally we have an extremely abrupt shift into what is meant to be sexy teasing that reads so skeevy I’m physically cringing. I say this all as a SEASONED monster smut reader.

One positive note is the content warning, which I always appreciate being included
Profile Image for JD.
180 reviews7 followers
August 28, 2024
“𝕐𝕠𝕦’𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖, 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕒, 𝕞𝕪 𝕨𝕠𝕝𝕗 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦.”
🐺

Cade who is a shifter and part wolf, gets called in for a special job. To protect the daughter of the political woman who literally hates shifters and is trying to pass a bill for them to be sterilized so they can’t reproduce and will all eventually die off. He doesn’t want to do it, it will literally be betraying his kind. However with some persuading and feeling quite sorry for the girl he agrees.
There’s a thing they say that when you meet your mate, your wolf knows and will keep you with them. When Cade meets Thalia, his wolf goes crazy. Can Cade stay professional, and just do his job protect Thalia from harm until the threat is over? Can he even ignore his wolf and not go after his mate? And if he does how will any one of his kind respect him? Cade is also gave up his right to his throne to his evil brother who he finds out isn’t running things well or looking out for his people like he should. Should Cade take back his rightful place as leader? And if he gives into his feelings for Thalia is she willing to be a pack leader’s mate and all that goes along with that? I absolutely loved this book! It’s thick but I finished it in two days, the writing and story telling was amazing! I loved Caden’s family, and loved finding out what gift they all had! 736 pages and they don’t have sex until page 400 so definitely a slow burn I usually hate those but I was so drawn to the story And curious of what would happen next so I didn’t even mind it. I absolutely love Cade and Thalia and the ending was perfect! Can’t wait to read the rest of the Ardelean bloodline series!

“𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕗𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕒𝕟 𝕠𝕓𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕞𝕪 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖. 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕒 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥? 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕪? 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕥𝕤. 𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕠 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕀’𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕤𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤. 𝕀’𝕞 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦.”


“𝕀𝕗 𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡 𝕜𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕟𝕠𝕨, 𝕀’𝕞 𝕘𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕠𝕗 𝔸𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕝’𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕔𝕜, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕞𝕪 𝕨𝕠𝕝𝕗 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕣𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖.”


“𝕐𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕪 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀’𝕞 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕛𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤. 𝕄𝕪 𝕨𝕠𝕝𝕗 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕘𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕖𝕩𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖.”
Profile Image for Deanie.
809 reviews21 followers
March 21, 2023
It’s taken me awhile to write a review that didn’t come out sounding like a screaming 14 year old fan girl. After being teased with snippets and promos of this story for months, I was so excited to delve into this book. Not only is it a different take on your standard paranormal shifter romance but you also have the added aspect of it being politically charged, forced proximity and enemies to lovers.

Thalia was a testament to strong redheads everywhere. She was stubborn as ever but didn’t let fear or anger cloud her judgement either, and was willing to learn about the shifters she was forced to encounter. Cade was delicious and watching him embrace his birthright was incredibly powerful. The way he cared for the others in his family, and the found family they had created was truly beautiful.

The love story between them was very organic and didn’t feel rushed. I wouldn’t say it was insta-love but it was very med/fast burn which, as someone who despises slow burns, I appreciated. The steam was expertly written. It was delicious and romantic but didn’t at all take away from the plot or drama unfolding in the rest of the story.

I had two ultimate favourite parts from this book though. One special shout-out goes to The Leviathan. He’s the real MVP of the whole book 😂 His sassy mate banter kept things light when they had the potential to get very heavy. He was cheeky and amusing but oh so protective too. Second was the hair washing scene! It’s a pet peeve of mine when an MMC washes his FMC’s hair and no one talks about fallout?? But Sarah added just a tiny section of it to that scene and it made me curly-haired heart cackle with glee.

The angst and eventual blow up in the third act was *chefs kiss* if I’m honest and I love how it all turned out. I cannot wait to see what’s next for my new favourite pack family and look forward to book 2 already!!
Profile Image for Maaren.
1,446 reviews10 followers
July 22, 2024
3.5 stars (rounded up for the app).

I did enjoy this book but it’s so long. Too long in some points because there is an inconsistency with the slice of life -thing that is happening with the main couple Cade and Thalia getting to know each other (which can take chapters at a time) and then the action that we spend a great deal of time preparing to and then them being over in less than a page. I did struggle with that.

I do like the characters and feel they had a lot of depth. I also liked that it was cookie-cutter romance and both our MC’s had to do some growth to come together. Did I wish I’d seen more of that from Cade? Yes, but it really was Thalia that had the biggest culture shock and had to really expand her views so it makes sense the most growth came from her.

I would’ve preferred this book as a duology as it would’ve been more structured in that way I think. Now, it’s a mammoth of a story and intimidating at its length.
Profile Image for Ashley.
79 reviews5 followers
July 17, 2023
OMG!! Everything I want in a Shifter Romance

This booooook! I absolutely loved every minute of it. The responses of the characters felt right and true to their age and what was happening around them.

The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat! This is wolf shifter romance done right.
Profile Image for GigiReads.
719 reviews220 followers
dnf
April 4, 2023
Not sure I'll get back to this. DNF
Profile Image for Sophie.
127 reviews9 followers
July 12, 2023
I loved it. The tension between Cade and Thalia at the beginning of the book is fantastic.
Profile Image for Verv.
450 reviews19 followers
April 9, 2024
“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘦-𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.”

First I want to give a huge shoutout to @jadecanread for getting me into Sarah Jaeger. If Jess recommends it, I am ALL OVER IT. Her reviews are stellar and her taste is impeccable.

THAT SAID. I’m in love with @author.sarahjaeger now. Smoke was a deliciously slow burn wolfshifter romance wrapped in a wonderful roadtrip adventure and the softest, sweetest moments. An alpha wolf acting as bodyguard for a human forced into hiding after her mother’s anti-shifter views land her with threats against her life realizes the human he’s protecting is his mate. Do I have your attention yet? Not only is he an alpha, but the King of the Wolves AND he flips the macho alpha stereotype on its head with his caring and attentive nature. Cade skyrocketed his way up on my book boyfriend list, as well as Sarah on my autobuy list.

AND THIS PACKAGE?! Excuse me while I cry over the details. The postcards with the little notes? The art? I’m in love and need to find a way to display ASAP.

Thank you so much to Sarah and @flyingpigpr for the package as I binge my way through the series in anticipation of Scorch releasing next week on the 11th!
145 reviews
July 8, 2023
DNF 25%

Loved the idea for this story, but I was hoping for a gritty, strong, commanding and dependable alpha hero and a likeable, clever, “make the best of it” type FMC. Instead the characters are juvenile drama queens with a penchant for mood swings, and weird rambling dialogue that makes little sense to me.

My first inkling that I was going to give up on the book came with the epic panic attack, tears and melt down, because they shared a bed (her idea) and woke up cuddling. Drama in the extreme, requiring shutting herself in the bathroom and sliding down the wall, over an unintentional cuddle?!! She even tells him to forget anything happened and he tells her he doesn’t want to forget (except he might want to forget, because he is convinced that they mustn’t have a relationship). Literally nothing happened to provoke this strange outburst!

Then her dialogue got weird;
“What does touch normally look like for wolves? Is it all touch? Certain things?” ????? What are you even asking here oh bookish, “smart”, beautiful, FMC riddled with crippling self doubt, who can’t work out what touch is?

This conversation then turns into him telling her that if something doesn’t feel right…..then it isn’t right”. Really??? That’s deep!

Then he displays arrogant idiot tendencies with;
“I assure you nobody is willing to risk pissing me off” not even a chapter after a bear shifter deliberately pissed him off, resulting in fast car driving and phone call drama, rather than unruffled, confident alpha style behaviour.

Then we move on to convoluted plans to throw off the bear shifters by getting a couple of assholes and a bloke called Ezra to meet up at a creepy water tower and swap cars (queue ridiculous posturing instead of gratitude, or was that blocking? Because our FMC is fascinated by the sociology of Cade interacting with other wolves). Then we learn Ezra the driver is groggy, but not why, then Ezra takes the opportunity to go on about Dinah being abused and how they were grateful for Cade being there. Can’t work out a purpose for this conversation right now other than to show us how masterful and manly Cade is?!

The characters are giving me whiplash and winding me up, I’m stepping away.
Profile Image for Jessica.
155 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2023
"You're allowed to have emotions. They're not something to apologize for. What you see as a failure, I see as awe-inspiring. I read somewhere: hard is hard. There's no comparing things that are difficult because we all experience things differently. "


What to expect

Slow Burn

Age Gap

One Bed

Wolf Shifters

Touch Her & Die


I have read a ton of shifter romances, so sometimes they can blend together, and it's hard to remember one book from another. That will not be the case with this book! I enjoyed that the story has a political aspect to it, and getting to see that play out for how the shifters operate was just super intriguing. It also leads the way to events that may take place in later stories in the series.


Thalia is super sweet and very passionate about her schooling and career choice, so, understandably, having all that ripped away from her because of who her mom is, leaves her anxious. She's not a pushover, but she's made herself small due to having parents with political jobs. My favorite moments are when she pushes back against people and stands up for herself; a specific interaction with Lena is beautiful, and one with her bigoted mother.


Cade is top-tier book boyfriend material! This man has communication down to a science, excluding the one thing that causes the drama for our couple, but it's a romance book, so there needs to be some drama for our couple to overcome. Cade is meant to be the Sovereign of the wolf shifters because of his wolf, but he abdicated the throne and stays out of shifter politics until he can make a deal with the devil. He cares about his family (except for Robert), which is his driving force for jumping back into a world he decided to leave.


Not going to lie, I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Cade and Levi, which is not his name, but my brain stopped calling him The Leviathan at some point, and Levi is now his name.


The spice is good, and when I say it's a slow burn, please believe me, but the wait makes it even better because of the build-up.


I enjoyed all the supporting characters in the world, and I'm excited to see who will get books in the future. Lena is next, and I can't wait to get inside her head.
Profile Image for Gemma Honeyman.
399 reviews3 followers
March 8, 2023
This is book one in The Ardelean Bloodline series. It is an interconnected series, each book with have a different couple but follow an ongoing plot line. So they are best read in order.
Thank you so much to Sarah for allowing me to read an Arc of this amazing book, it was a privilege!

There is so much to love about this book, it’s got fated mates, a possessive, very opinionated wolf, road trip/bodyguard romance vibes, an adorable Romanian pet name, spice, a whole gang of awesome side characters to love- Ansel and Deacon were my faves!! some very easy to hate villains and MC’s that are just so amazing!!

✨Thalia is a little shy and insecure but so smart, kind, sassy and her character growth was just so beautiful!
🐺 Cade is the ultimate Alpha- literally!! strong, sweet, dirty talking, possessive. Will totally fight and kill for his mate and his family. He was everything I hoped he would be and more!!

There is so much world building in this and I loved it, Sarah has put so much information: background, laws, customs, gifts, hierarchy, lore but it comes slowly instead of like an info dump which gives you time to take it all in. The story definitely kept me hooked from the very beginning, i couldn’t get enough. I was so invested in Thalia and Cade’s relationship- which definitely had some ups and downs- and I was constantly thinking about the plot and all the questions that would arise as the story went on. A lot of the answers to my questions were revealed but there are definitely still some unanswered ones that I’m guessing/ hoping will come in the next books. It was just so good!

I absolutely adore paranormal romance, especially involving shifters/wolves and I think Smoke has become one of my new favourites! I cannot wait for the rest of this series to see what happens next for The Ardelean bloodline.
Profile Image for Scorcs Reads.
184 reviews8 followers
September 1, 2023
ARC Review

Tropes: Forced proximity, Age-gap, One bed, Fated Mates, Bodyguard, Wolf Shifter, Forbidden Love

A daughter in the political spotlight, Thalia Clark, she is a red headed beauty with a good amount of sass, but she is human. She manifests feelings deeply and struggles with her own mental health while trying to focus on herself and not the woman her narcissistic mother wants her to be. Thalia is smart, inquisitive, and curious. She lives in a time where shifters are becoming known and want to live amongst humans as equals. Little does Thalia know she is about to embark on a rollercoaster ride of suspense, danger, love and emotions.

Cade and the Leviathan are one in the same, well sometimes, 😉 but Cade is everything we want in a wolf shifter. Handsome, smart, a chiseled body you want to run your hands all over and strong. He is a true leader, but when he is assigned to be Thalia’s bodyguard his life is flipped upside down and things get really interesting. Cade and the Leviathan will do everything to protect and worship what is theirs, even if that means risking losing her.

I truly love a good well told shifter romance. Sarah didn’t disappoint with a great plot, realistic scenes and a good amount of spice. This book ends on a cliffhanger. Please note there are trigger warnings to consider before reading.
Profile Image for keeley  Rose.
30 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2023
When i found out this was Sarahs first book I was shocked, her writing is beautiful, and the plot is well thought out.

This book has politics, spice, and shifters just came out to humans and the "real world"
I love books focused around politics and new intersections of people learning to live together, so this hit the spot.

TL was by far my fav character in the book, and puppy brain is my fav line hehe ;)

I feel like this book is a full standalone story, but it also is a great first building block to a well thought out series.

Profile Image for Amy Poirier.
390 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2023
The MC, Cade, is a powerful shifter who's placed in a less than ideal situation. If you enjoy the enemies-to-lovers, he-falls-first and forced-proximity tropes, then this book is pure gold! There's oodles of family drama and plenty of tension. Even the third act drama, which contained my least favorite trope, didn't take away from the enjoyment. I can't wait for book 2!
Profile Image for Danae.
13 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2023
I have not read anything fantasy-related since my twilight days, but I loved this. Thalia has a hard life in general. Her parents’ politics and now shifters around with mom trying to get them shut down… yeah, I don’t blame her for not wanting any part in their politics to be able to live a little but of course, she ends up in the middle of it all.
The way the wolves take Thalia under their wing? Paw? Is very beautiful and wholesome. They understand everything is new and keep her as informed as possible but also, the ones that know who her mom is understand that she has nothing to do with it. Now the real main characters. Cade and The Leviathan… all I thought about was Venom with them. It’s interesting how smitten The Leviathan was with Thalia instantly though I didn’t question it given the usual fantasy following of a mate forever and basically love at first sight.
The climax was wild. I didn’t expect it to go down like it did. There is nothing worse than feeling betrayed by the person you must trust so while I was reading, I didn’t know if I should yell at Cade for withholding information or Thalia for being so freaking stubborn.
*SPOILER* Her shift was well written. His sudden need to change her to save her. I loved every moment of it. I didn’t fully grasp how having a wolf worked until Thalia became one. Seeing her perspective and the communication between her and her wolf was amazing.
Ansel- Whole A$$ King! He has the hardest job, yet he is extremely strong and at the same time, we managed to see him broken. It was a very good read.
Deacon- I can’t wait to read more about him. He is such an understandable character, at least in my eyes. Quite possibly the friendliest yet with a lot of demons, no doubt.
Lena- I know she called Thalia the Queen Bitch but Lena is the Queen Bitch in my eyes. She of course acted like the wonderful sister asking the only sane questions but her immediate change on Thalia was wholesome.
Ezra- I can only imagine being his woman and how he would use his gift on him woman. That within itself sounds like it can be hot. Given how Cade knew he could trust him was enough for me to fall for him.
Cade and Thalia- Wonderful love story, really. Cade was an entirely different person. Thalia was only figuring out herself finally through all of this. It was extremely well written.
The Leviathan- His obsession, sarcasm though with him seems more like his tough truth is what made him fierce yet lovable for me.
Nothing like having an alpha command you and a bit of bitch in you to show him you can be a brat. Now excuse while I buy the paperbacks.
Profile Image for Nikki McComas-Jimenez.
Author 5 books12 followers
March 21, 2023
SMOKE BY @author.sarahjaeger

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🌶️ 🌶️/5

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE paranormal romance. This genre has me by my heart and other things 😉

Sarah did not disappoint with the first book in this series!

She’s thiccccc but VERY well paced. I quickly fell in love with Cade & Thalia. I also fell in love with Lena, Deacon, Ezra, & Ansel. So much character development and growth. Ansel tho 😈😈

The plot was interesting and the twist & turns kept me wanting more.

I can’t believe this is your debut novel 👏

Publish date: 3/23/2023

🐺 Fated mates
🐺 One Bed
🐺 Age Gap
🐺 Forced Proximity
🐺 Wolf Shifter
🐺 Body Guard

Blurb:
Following my dreams was supposed to be my way out.
Sometimes, what doesn’t save you, kills you after all…

Thalia
Apparently ignoring my parents’ politics wasn’t the right move. Shifters were outed to the public, and months later, I’m still unsure what the big deal is about.

Now my life is in danger and the only one who can protect me is the true king of the wolves.

Cade is nothing like what my mom and the press show shifters to be. He’s thoughtful, reserved… and have you seen his butt in those jeans?

Cade
Having abdicated the throne, I’ve vowed to stay out of shifter politics.

Now, my sole responsibility, for the next nine weeks, is to make sure no idiots can completely derail the deal I’ve cut with the one woman holding all the cards.

The problem is… the threats against Thalia Clark are nothing compared to the danger of my wolf, now that he’s claimed this human as his.

I’ll kill to protect my mate, but is keeping up my end of the deal enough to save her?


Smoke is the first book in the Ardelean Bloodline series. While this story does contain an HEA for Cade and Thalia, there is an ongoing plot connecting each book in the series. Each book will need to be read in order. There are open door, explicit scenes as well as colorful language not intended for young readers. Don’t let the fluffy puppy on the cover deceive you… he bites. #paranormal #paranormalromance #wolfshifter #shifter #shifterromance #indieauthor #kindle #kindlepaperwhite #kindleunlimited #bookstagram
Profile Image for Rieka.
392 reviews7 followers
March 19, 2023
Loved loved loved this shifter book! I am so glad it's book one in a series cause I definitely need more of this family! It's a very politically driven werewolf romance which I usually don't read politically driven books but this one was done so well that it's not the forefront of this storyline but it does have major holds on why certain decisions are made. This was definitely a journey to follow and had me concerned at many points and wondering what could be next. I love the uniqueness of this story and how the 'gifts' make each one of the Ardelean bloodline characters unique! The gifts themselves had me very intrigued cause they brought so much more to who these characters are and how they fit into the storyline. Especially Cade and the The Leviathan.

I love Cade and I love how protective he is. Even when painted as the bad guy he's always cool calm and collected and trying to do what's best for his kind. He live to do right by his kind and his family. What he didn't expect was for Miss Thalia to be the opposite of what her mother's platform stands for. Thalia is thrown into this world that she's avoided cause she hates politics and the unknown cause she knows nothing of shifters. Thalia and Cade are the main characters and their journey is a roller coaster ride that Cade's siblings and family hop on to help guide them along the way. Lena and Deacon are polar opposite Deacon is the laid back there for you person and Lena kind of reminds me of Nesta. You hate to love her but love to hate and she's a total b........ I can't wait to read what's next for this pack.
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