Title: Assertion Trials
Series: Wilder Series
Author: Melaina Rayne
Genre: Paranormal, Shifter, Romance
Release Date: 6th August 2019
BLURB from Goodreads
I am Shala Wilder. It is time for my coming-of-age celebration.
Eligible males from every wolf pack have come to compete in the brutal trials
of the Assertion.
When all is over, the victor will claim me as his companion. The problem? My heart isn’t set on a competitor, but on an off-limits guard who has no interest in me.
What fate awaits me at the end of the trials? Will I fulfill my duty as obedient pack member, or will I forge my own path?
PURCHASE LINKS
REVIEW
Once again I found myself craving a shifter read! The dark
mysterious looking cover caught my eye and then when I read the blurb this
novella soon became a must read now choice! I would say the female on the cover
is a good representation of Shala, the main character in the book.
The book begins with Shala hiding out, having some quiet, alone
time to calm her nerves about what is to come soon. It’s not long until one of
the elderwomen shouts for Shala to come down. Shala is nervous, its been ten
years since she saw her parents. All female children go to the mountain
stronghold until they become a woman and return to their families at the age of
twenty. At age twenty it is time for the Assertion Trials where all the males
fight until only one is left standing and then they claim their prize.
Shala is pleased that it is Nailana that accompanies her back to
her village. Shala is anxious about seeing her parents again but that soon melts
away when as tradition dictates her parent stand in the doorway and her mother,
Eden breaks tradition and cannot wait for her daughter to walk to her so she
meets her halfway. Shala’s father Arnou as Alpha is more restrained but its
clear to see that he is proud of his first daughter to be home for her
Assertion Trials. It’s not long until Shala feels somewhat stifled and decides
she needs to wander outside and reacquaint herself with the area she grew up
in. Shala ends up in the nearby trees of the forest and climbs a tree
contemplating what is to come. Thinking about who will she end up being with
for the rest of her life. Suddenly she senses wolves approaching but they are
not pack wolves they are feral. One of the guards comes to her aid and it’s the
one she noticed earlier. The one that caught her eye in a way none of the
competitors in the Assertion Trials did. The guard being her companion is
impossible, it’s just not done. The best she can hope for if she doesn’t get on
with her companion is to join the guard. Though there aren’t many female
guards. After the fight with the ferals, the head guard Kene, allocates two
guards to be with Shala at all times. The two guards he choses are Wyatt and
Decker. Decker being the one with the eyes that seem to be staring at Shala a
lot. Those eyes that Shala is beginning to care a lot about.
I can’t really say much more without giving spoilers. There is
plenty of fighting action in this book as each fight within the Assertion
Trials is covered in the book. Shala has to sit and watch each fight. The one’s
she wishes to be out of the competition as soon as possible are Resno and his
two sidekicks Rafe and Lyall. Though not particularly interested in any of the
competitors she does have the hope someone other than the three arrogant young
men will be the victor. I really loved the way Nailana and Eden talked to Shala
about the competitors saying that there will be some great specimens but there
will also be some she would dearly love to slap around the head. Another part
that made me laugh was how the women in the pack were drinking and encouraging
Shala to drink her Uncle’s, well known moonshine drink. Poor Shala certainly
needs it at certain points of the book. Things don’t turn out to be as straight
forward when someone threatens the safety of Shala and a guard steps him to do
his job protecting her. The one who wins the Assertion Trials ends up not being
the one that wins Shala, thank goodness for her sake and safety. A challenger
steps forward, which though unusual, it is allowed. Can this, last minute
challenger beat the unsavoury Assertion Trial victor, or is Shala doomed for a
life with a man she already detests?
My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book was
that I had just snuggled up in bed and read it in one go, didn't want to put it down. Loved it! Please tell me there is going to be more...? ....A lot more to this ...series?
that I had just snuggled up in bed and read it in one go, didn't want to put it down. Loved it! Please tell me there is going to be more...? ....A lot more to this ...series?
This book has action, fighting, wolf packs, feral wolves, love,
honour, duty and a generous helping of romance too. I really hope there’s going
to be more of this series.
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