Born of Lies
Red Ridge Pack #0.5
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication: 7/4/13
Published By: Boroughs Publishing Group
Released : Available Now
Details: Kindle for honest review, 90 pages
RATING: 3.25 PAUL STARS
Blurb: Goodreads
The world changed for Lillian Michaels the day Marcus chose her. Gorgeous, strong fierce…and soon he would be alpha of her werewolf pack. But then the marriage was set. No choice. No looking back. Except, she did. Lillian started looking forward, too, and wondering if eighteen was too young to give away her life.
Certainly, it is tonight. A rock concert. She and her friend, intoxicating music, sweat, bodies, freedom…and him: Paul. The human bassist’s touch makes her soul sing like the strings of his axe, and everything is possible. Yet, Lillian’s parents, her secrets, her entire world lies elsewhere. Paul doesn’t even see what she is, what she can do. What she must do. This to-die-for human is not of her kind. And yet, something special, something terrifyingly perfect, something eternally true has been…born of lies.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
This is my first book I have read in this series. It is the prequel but it was written/released after Circle of Lies, book # 2 in the Red Ridge Pack series.
The reason I bring this up, it naturally is the prequel novella, so I started with it, no matter when it was actually published. I got a bit confuzzed with the prologue. I just let it go and started reading the novella and pretty much forgot what I read in the prologue. I received a lot of information in the short prologue that told me what had already happened, in a nut shell, eighteen years later. It kind of felt like an epilogue.
It just threw me off a bit before I started Chapter 1.
Marcus is the son of the current Alpha of the Red Ridge Pack.
Ding!
He turns eighteen and for whatever reason, it is decided that he will take over the role of Alpha.
Lily is the daughter of the packs enforcer, she has known Marcus her whole life and they began dating, couple years prior. All was going hunky dory, until he decides to be an ass, for whatever reason and began dropping his trunks behind Lily’s back and having a howling good time.
Pun intended.
He’s decided he isn’t in love with Lily anymore, she is the last to find out, but one must keep up appearances. He would be the first Alpha I have read that I would stick a great big jerk sticker on his forehead and wonder how he was ever going to shape up into an Alpha with morals and integrity.
Lily grows some fur and decides to go out with her friend and meets muso, twenty two year old, Paul Wright, Bass player for the Spastic Bambis. I really like Paul, he is a great guy.
Insta love ensues, it is a novella people, throw in some parents behaving badly and we have a novella that has kept me intrigued enough to know more.
I would have loved Paul’s character and their love filled out more as I really like Paul. It seemed a bit rushed, taking into consideration I started from the start with this series. I assume if maybe I had already read Pack of Lies and Circle of Lies then I would already be informed on some things.
Not sure.
But, this is technically the start of the series, so I take it as I read it.
I would probably have liked less time spent on Marcus the jerk and more time on Paul the sweetie in this novella sized read. I can't help feeling I would have liked to have known more about Paul and connected with him more.
I do love all the cover art for this series.
This was a great start to this series.
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Boroughs Publishing Group
Pack of Lies
Red Ridge Pack #1
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication: 4/08/12
Published By: Boroughs Publishing Group
Released : Available Now
Details : Digital for honest review, 204 Pages
RATING: 3.75 STARS!
Blurb:
The last thing Allison Wright ever expected when she moved to Red Ridge, New Mexico was to come muzzle to muzzle with the wolf of her dreams.
Seventeen-year-old Allison Wright is convinced she’s losing her mind. Uncontrollable mood swings, hot flashes, and the urge to punch anyone who gets in her way are suddenly becoming everyday occurrences. Before her erratic behavior gets out of hand, Allison’s mother finally comes clean about her dark secret. Mom is a werewolf, and soon Allison and her brother Aiden will suffer the same fate. When Allison reaches her breaking point, the family leaves their life in Texas to move to Red Ridge, New Mexico where they rejoin the pack that Allison’s mother left behind almost 20 years ago.
Unfortunately, not everyone in Red Ridge is thrilled about Allison’s arrival, especially when she attracts the attention of the very handsome, very taken, soon-to-be alpha, Cade Walker. Little does Allison know, her mere presence is causing a rift in a once unified pack. Not only has Cade been forbidden from being with Allison by his father, the pack’s alpha, Cade’s girlfriend, Kendall Stuart, will stop at nothing to get Allison out of the picture. Well on her way to becoming the next alpha’s mate, Kendall expects to rule the pack by Cade’s side even if it means teaming up with a rogue werewolf with an agenda of his own. Determined to get rid of Allison permanently, when Kendall and the rogue join forces, all hell breaks loose and no one in the pack is safe, especially not Cade and his true mate.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
This was a great first full length read in this series. I recently read, Born of Lies, the prequel novella and liked it.
Fast forward nearly eighteen years and Allison and Aiden are at high school. Allison is causing a lot of trouble with her urge to fight and take down other students.
Lily and Paul decide to come clean.
Guys you are werewolves.
I did have a little chuckle at that part. Because I had already read the prequel novella, I lost the impact of surprise for what gets revealed at the end of this book. I knew the whole time I was reading. But not to worry.
I had a favorite scene in this installment, it was when Allison and Cade are both in wolf form and I really loved how it was written with their playfulness and nuzzling when they first come across each other.
I can’t rate this book that high as I did have some issues with the plot and certain characters, naming one, Dylan, who appeared to change part way through the read. It was a most prominent attitude change that I couldn’t ignore.
Dylan was this mysterious wolf always lurking. What was his agenda? I was intrigued. He brought a dangerous feel to the story.
Then, he is this compliant minion.
What the heck happened? The story went a bit skewy for me with his character change.
Kendall is a really good mean girl. She plays the part well, but if Dylan wants to be Alpha, lordy he had me convinced with his attitude part way through the book and then it all fell in a crumble for me.
I did feel like... now I mean the editor no disrespect, but there was wording that needed some cleaning up. This is just my one personal opinion. It may be just my personal issue.
Somehow I knew, without a doubt, he was the wolf from the woods.
Well, if you have no doubt , then you kinda just knew it. Drop the somehow.
Somehow I made it to my first period, but I was feeling worse by the minute.
Maybe it is my aversion to using 'somehow' at the start of a sentence.
After an extremely long, extremely uncomfortable moment of silence...
Overuse of extremely.
Something told me she needed some time to herself as well.
Eh, not working for me some of the wording that was used quite a lot throughout. These are just a few examples.
I want to point out I didn’t lower my rating because of the wording.
I felt the story needed some strength in parts.
I’m not really believing in Marcus as an Alpha and Cade the upcoming Alpha. I really like him but he didn’t prove to me he was worthy of becoming the next Alpha the way he was so indecisive. This would be the first YA read where I just don’t believe at this stage that Marcus or Cade are strong enough characters to be Alphas. I understand Cade’s predicament and I sympathize, but it may be in the way it is told to me.
I did enjoy this read for the most part. I felt the story could have been stronger in parts.
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Boroughs Publishing Group
Circle of Lies
Red Ridge Pack #2
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication: 12/20/12
Published By: Boroughs Publishing Group
Released : Available Now
Details : Digital copy for honest review, 254 Pages
RATING: 4 AIDEN STARS!
Blurb: Goodreads
Life has always been easy for Aiden Wright. He’s smart, athletic, funny, and the ladies adore him. But when tragedy strikes, Aiden discovers the truth about who he really is, and his whole world comes crashing down around him. Aiden thought that being a teenage werewolf was going to be awesome, but it might just cost him the one girl who could make him whole.
Since her mother’s disappearance, Teagan Rhodes’s life has been littered with her father’s empty beer cans and his hollow promises to change. Convinced that others would only let her down, she keeps everyone at arm’s length—but resisting Aiden’s charm is proving to be more difficult than she thought. Throw in a psychotic werewolf hunter out to terminate the species, and one wrong move, one wrong decision could destroy everything.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
For me personally , the installments in this series get better the more I read.
We met Teagan in Pack Of Lies and I really liked her character. This installment belongs to Aiden and Teagan. I have to say I didn’t like Aiden much in Pack of Lies, but really liked him in Circle of Lies.
There have been a lot of violent attacks on people and twenty one year old Peter Marshall has taken note. His uncle was killed by a werewolf when he was only a little boy, he saw the attack and it has never left him. He wound up in psychiatric care for six and a half years.
Peter has an imaginary friend, or is it the ghost of his Uncle Raymond. I am not sure if it is in his head or he genuinely sees his uncle as a ghost. I think Uncle Raymond is in his head.
“Get yourself together, boy,” Uncle Raymond told him sternly.
At first Peter comes off quite creepy and unstable, but once he gets another character on board with his crazy plans, he became a little too comical for me.
Peter tried his best to keep the group beer consumption at a minimum, but the team consisted of the town barflies, so as the sun started to set, the cans piled up. Peter needed these men alert and sober, but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen.
I know he was supposed to be uber creepy, but sometimes the authors referred to him as a man and then sometimes a boy. I knew his age from the start of the book but I think it crossed wires a few times.
I turned around to find my dad standing a few feet away. He was flanked by a man I’d never seen before, a tall and thin, gangly-looking soul whose limbs were almost too long for his body. His hair was long and unwashed, and his clothes hung on his body as if they didn’t belong to him. But he was young, surely only a few years older than me.
Peter, sometimes didn’t talk like a twenty one year old, he sounded like an older man.
“All right, dear. Suit yourself,” Peter said, turning back to the table.
Peter tried his best to keep the group beer consumption at a minimum, but the team consisted of the town barflies, so as the sun started to set, the cans piled up. Peter needed these men alert and sober, but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen.
I know he was supposed to be uber creepy, but sometimes the authors referred to him as a man and then sometimes a boy. I knew his age from the start of the book but I think it crossed wires a few times.
I turned around to find my dad standing a few feet away. He was flanked by a man I’d never seen before, a tall and thin, gangly-looking soul whose limbs were almost too long for his body. His hair was long and unwashed, and his clothes hung on his body as if they didn’t belong to him. But he was young, surely only a few years older than me.
Peter, sometimes didn’t talk like a twenty one year old, he sounded like an older man.
“All right, dear. Suit yourself,” Peter said, turning back to the table.
I really like Teagan, she is a great character. She has her own family problems and she is totally in the dark about what Aiden is.
I think I got my spoiler from the prequel, Born Of Lies, when it came to Aiden and Marcus’s relationship, same as in Pack of Lies, no surprises for me, I already knew. But still, if I hadn’t read the prequel, I would be none the wiser. I did laugh a little at how blunt Paul was in his explanation.
“No, Aiden, you’re not dying. It’s just...well, the truth is... I am not your biological father.” He looked around the room and added, “There, I said it. Everyone feel better?”
Not sure if Aiden felt better, getting told it like that. LOL!
The writing was definitely better, but still I want to see a bit more maturity in the plot. It see-saws for me.
Because of what we learnt in Pack of Lies with mating, there were no surprises in this installment.
I did laugh at Paul in this scene as he came across a bit girlie, bless him.
I jumped up and smacked my paws against the door. As I did, the curtains covering the window moved, and my dad let out the most ear-piercing scream I’d ever heard. It was worse than the time Alli saw a mouse in our old house. I’d never known my dad could be so girly, and I couldn’t stop myself from cracking up.
All laughing aside. I didn’t understand why the authors got Paul to scream like a girl, his wife is a WEREWOLF!!!! He lives on an estate with WEREWOLVES as his neighbors, one smacking it’s paws against the door, making curtains move, ( not sure how ) shouldn’t illicit a girlie scream. Your daughter and son are both werewolves, even though one has only made the change and your daughter's mate is a werewolf. Moving curtains and smacking on a door...
Really, Paul? Did make me laugh at the visual. Poor Pauly got handed his man-card. Where did my sexy muso go? You can still have your man-card at forty.
Peter is taking a photo on his stake out at night time, not sure how well that image would have turned out without a flash.
I was questioning how it was in the end ok, for Lily and Paul to be together, but it seemed such an unheard of thing for Aiden and Teagan to be together. I would have thought Aiden’s mum and dad set the bar.
“Omigod, you did. You actually thought Marcus would let you carry on this little fling with a domestic. That’s sweet - but come on, get real. Aiden, it would never be allowed.”
I did enjoy this installment and I rated it the highest out of the three, because the authors made me laugh quite a bit. Teagan and Aiden are the best couple for me, so far. Aiden doesn’t let the mean girl ruin his chances with Teagan. He has a brain of his own. He stands up to Marcus-the-loser, when it counts. For me, he shows more Alpha characteristics than Cade at this stage.
Time will tell who it goes to.
Michelle
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Web of Lies
Red Ridge Pack #3
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication: 12/20/12
TANGLED
Eighteen-year-old Luke Stanton is focused, strong, and intimidating as hell. He has to be. As the future enforcer of Red Ridge, it will be his job to keep the other weres in line. So avoiding close friendships, pack drama, and especially pack females is in his best interest. He witnessed firsthand what love did to his father, so casual human hookups are enough.
Then she arrives: Scarlett Reed. She arouses something primal in him, something undeniable. But just as Luke gives himself permission to finally experience something real, the truth bursts free. The were beauty is harboring a secret so devastating it has the power to destroy him. At the same time, the pack is splintering over a battle for leadership, and Luke’s strength is needed more than ever. It is a time of upheaval, of the destructive power of lies. Everything he thought to protect is in danger: his family, his friends…and most of all, his heart.
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END OF LIES
Red Ridge Pack #4
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Publication Date: COMING SOON
ABOUT SARA DAILEY & STACI WEBER
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Staci Weber is a graduate of the University of North Texas. Staci is a junior high school teacher with an addiction to reading romance novels. She considers herself incredibly lucky to have a close family, some good friends, a fabulous husband and two beautiful little girls.
Sara Dailey co-authored the Red Ridge Pack Novels with her good friend and co-worker Staci Weber. She has a degree in literature from U of H Clear Lake and is a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature. Sara is a native Texan and lives with her wonderful husband and son in League City, TX.
Connect with Sara Dailey & Staci Weber:
website: http://www.saraandstaci.com/
twitter: twitter.com/Sara_Staci
This sounds like a pretty good series, Michelle. I can see that it definitely improves with each installment. I'm going to add it to my tbr - it seems worth giving a go. Great reviews of each. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for introducing me to a new series. :)
ReplyDeleteNo worries Brandee. Hope you get time to give it a read :D
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