Title: Savage Surrender Series: The Devil's Dires
Author: Ellis Leigh
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: May 10, 2016
Publisher: Kinship Press
ASIN: B01DLJYVA6
There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt...
Feared by even his own kind, Bez of the Dire Wolf shifters knows exactly how to succeed in any battle. Even if that means racking up collateral damage along the way. A simple mission into the swamplands to save a teenage wolf shifter should have been an easy track and retrieval for a man with his training, but nothing comes easy when the fates get involved.
In one night, Omega Sariel went from a free, single shewolf to a captive with a teenage girl to watch over and a couple of guards intent on making her life miserable…what little is left of it. Then a soldier with ice in his eyes walks in, and the mating call begins. He’s too tough, too harsh, too murderous…but when your life hangs in the balance, a lethal fighter in your corner is better than battling alone. Especially one who isn’t afraid to get a little dirty with her.
Two kidnapped women, one dangerous soldier unknowingly about to come face-to-face with fate, and a monster set on destroying everything in its path. In the world of the Dire Wolves, a retrieval is a simple mission for the unit of soldiers that make up their pack. But this time, a single glance blows simple right out of the swamp and forces Bez to make his stand alone.
One soldier, one fight...one chance at forever.
My rating:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley (in Bad Boys After Dark set)***
The Omega's, the she-wolf shifters, the last remnants of the Dire Wolves females, are going missing. But the Lycans might finally have an opening. The latest to disappear was a fifteen-year old Omega and the president sent his best tracker, one of the last seven remaining Dire Wolves, long thought extinct, to track her down, save her, and bring her kidnappers in for questioning.
Beelzebub, Bez for short, find the little Omega, but it’s her older companion, also taken captive, that draws his attention. Turns out Sariel is also an Omega...And Bez’s mate. For the first time in his life, Bez is willing, able, and more than capable of forsaking orders. He’s not about to leave his mate in the lurch while he saves the one he’s been sent to save. They’re both coming with him...
Now, this is a paranormal after my own heart. I’ve never been overly fond of wolf-y shape-shifters (I’m more of a vampire kind of gal), but after reading this story, I had a change of heart. I love wolf-y shape-shifters.
I loved Bez, so controlled, so “soldier-y”, so Zen, and then...poof, he meets the girl, and everything he’s lived for in his life (order, orders, discipline, control...) goes out through the chimney, leaving just one prerogative—protect his mate.
And Sariel was the perfect mate for this taciturn, brooding soldier. She was a damsel, she knew that, she knew she couldn’t hold a candle to Bez, and his strength, and abilities, so she let him do his thing without once jumping into the fray and endangering herself. She knew that worrying about her would be his weakness, so she stayed out of his way (of course, the other main character in this story, the other Omega, the teenager, wasn’t so smart, so the two were in danger, but it all ended well). I also liked the fact she didn’t whine or lecture about his ways of conducting his “business” (you know, killing things) or push him away because of his “profession”. She was actually proud of him, and supportive (which puts her firmly on my heroines-I-love-to-bits shelf).
And the two of them together were so adorable. So utterly awkward at the beginning, circling each other not knowing what to do or say. I loved their interaction from beginning to end, the progress of their relationship. I loved Bez’s confession about kissing (aww) and I loved the scorching hot scene they shared before all hell broke loose. It was hot, quick, and sweaty, but so incredibly sensual (all the growling got to me a little 😊).
Yes, as I said a million times before, the characters make a story for me. You can have a great plot, but if your characters are worth shit, it’s not going to work no matter what cartwheels you have them perform. The characters hold the story, and this two made a great job of it.
That doesn’t mean the plot and its various elements don’t count. They do, and Ms Ellis did wonders in this (short) story. The suspense (although not the main element) worked wonderfully, the romance aspect (as mentioned) was perfectly incorporated, working in the context of the story and its characters, and the action scenes were diverse, and yet each packing a punch. The tension and the danger were palpable, the battle scene in the end vivid and chilling...Everything, every single aspect of the story, worked perfectly together, creating an action-packed, thrilling, sexy read.
5 stars, bodyguard/military/merc/gov/cop/spy, contemporary, Ellis Leigh/Kristin Harte, favorites, freebie, paranormal, shape-shifters, short story/novella, suspense/mystery/adventure/thriller
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