Written By: Suzanne Wright
Well, happy October! And with that comes the Halloween season. Every Halloween season I read Paranormal books to get in the spirit. We all have our ways of celebrating holidays mine is to read books related to that Holiday. Now that I have written it out it makes me sound like a real loner. But to each, their own, and the Phoenix Pack was the first of the spooky season.
This shape-shifting series will get you believing in soul mates and one true love. Each book follows a different pack member and the storylines did not disappoint. I read the first 4 books before writing the review and enjoyed each one for different reasons. I will write a short synopsis for each book I read, write an overview of the pack universe, and complete my review. I hope it is helpful!
Paranormal - Shapeshifters - Soul Mates - Strong Heroine - Alpha Heroine - Possessive Hero - Protective Hero - Alpha Hero - Action - Suspense - Erotica - Urban Fantasy
Short Synopsis
Feral Sins Synopsis
Taryn an alpha shifter is being forced to mate with a shifter who wants her to be his submissive slave. Trey, an alpha of a small pack, is being threatened by his uncle to combine the packs. Trey comes to Tn's rescue when he proposes a deal that would solve both of their problems.
Wicked Cravings Synopsis
Jamie has always had intense feelings for the Beta of the Phoenix Pack, after an incident she tries to push down these feelings. Dante doesn't have time for a relationship, he even hides his desire for Jamie. But when Jamie's flirtatious encounters end, he finds that the loss of her affection doesn't sit right with him.
Carnal Secrets Synopsis
After her Alpha wolf's true mate didn't claim her Shaya leaves her park to live as a human where her true mate cannot find her. After learning that Shaya left the Phoenix pack, due to it being too painful to be around him, Nick sets out to find his mate to claim her. When he finds her, Shaya is not quick to forgive.
Dark Instincts Synopsis
Whenever Roni is around the Phoenix's Pack Enforcer Marcus there is intense sexual tension between the two. When a brutal attack on the two packs, Marcus and Roni are brought together to hunt down the perpetrators. Marcus tries to get Roni to open herself up and to the possibility of expanding their relationship.
Writer's Note- I have only read the first 4 books in the series, thus only feel comfortable writing about those books I have read.
Phoenix Pack Universe
There are 8 books in the original series. Each book follows a different member of Trey Warner's Phoenix pack. The spin-off or companion series is the Mercury Pack Series. This series follows the ally to the Phoenix pack: Nick Axton and his fellow wolves.
The series could be read one after the other but Wright wrote a suggested reading order for the combined pack series. Below is the suggested reading order:
Feral Sins (Phoenix Series 1)
Wicked Cravings (Phoenix Pack 2)
Carnal Secrets (Phoenix Pack 3)
Dark Instincts (Phoenix Pack 4)
Spiral of Need (Mercury Pack 1)
Savage Urges (Phoenix Pack 5)
Force of Temptation (Mercury Pack 2)
Fierce Obsessions (Phoenix Pack 6)
Lure of Oblivion (Mercury Pack 3)
Wild Hunger (Phoenix Pack 7)
Echoes of Fire (Mercury Pack 4)
Untamed Delights (Phoenix Pack 8)
Shards of Frost (Mercury Pack 5)
After the two series have been read the Olympus Pride could be read. This series is still about shapeshifters but the focus turns to cat shifters. This series I believe this series could be read on its own. Mainly because this series begins sometime after the others have concluded.
My Thoughts on Phoenix Pack
Eat Your Heart Out
(LIKES)
I could not put any of these books in the series down! I finished the first four books in about a week. The dark humor mixed with sass for some reason spoke to me and made me laugh (probably because I would say I have the same humor). I did not find that the humor was written at inappropriate times throughout the story. I also enjoyed the banter between each couple, whether it made me laugh or not.
The character development throughout the story was gradual (as it should be). I thought the use of the stages of true mates to develop the characters and the relationship was interesting and unique. Strong Female leads in romance novels used to be hard to find. But I have found that I am finding independent heroines are becoming easier for me to find. Even though this book was published in 2012. There is something about being saved by your prince charming that appeals to a lot of women. This book strayed as far away from that notion as you can get. The heroines wanted in on the action and to protect their loved ones just as the hero did.
Heart Attacks
(DISLIKES)
All four books I read followed the same formula, which made it feel predictable after reading a couple of books. But I see if the formula isn't broken don't fix it. When I mentioned Wright's choice to write independent heroines, I also had some opinions that went along with that statement. I thought at times the woman came off as bratty or bitchy. And when they were supposedly standing up to their partner, it came off as toxic or at times abusive. I also thought there were detail discrepancies that I could not stop thinking about for the next ten pages. But other than that I quite enjoyed these books and would read them again from front to back.
Um... What About The Sex?
The author did not outweigh the ratio of sex to the plot. Though there were sex scenes and hot ones at that; it did not seem like I was reading porn with a little plot mixed in. There were also mentions of the couple's "mounting" when in their wolf form, which I thought was a good inclusion to show the connection was still there even in wolf form.
