Howl For The Damned Box Set
The Howl For The Damned Series Box set contains 3 individual books!
Title: The Trouble With Beasts
Series: Howl For The Damned
Author: D. Fischer
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Shifter
Release Date: 25th January 2020
BLURB from Goodreads
Bitten by secrets. Broken by truths. That's the trouble with beasts.From bestselling and award-winning author D. Fischer, arrives the highly anticipated Howl for the Damned, a series for fans of Mercy Thompson, Bitten, and Alpha and Omega.All Jinx Whitethorn wants is to discover a life outside of a coven she could never fit in with. She's a witch born without magic, and a woman with a handful of problems to keep her company at night.Determined to find some answers, Jinx digs through old family secrets layered with choices of desire and loyalty. What she learns about herself makes her wish she never went looking for answers in the first place.Jacob Trent, the alpha of the local Riva Pack, stumbles into the middle of Jinx's secret while trying to solve several shifter murders in the nearby town his pack protects. She's a threat. Dangerous. An impossibility. While bringing the troubling woman to heel, Jacob discovers Jinx's family history has made her the prey of a hunt she isn't prepared for.
Title: The Liar Among Creatures
Series: Howl For The Damned
Author: D. Fischer
Genre: Paranormal, Shifters
Release Date: 16th May 2020
BLURB from Goodreads
Uncertainty is measured in lies.
Balancing loyalties and desires isn’t easy, but Jinx Whitethorn is determined to try. She finally understands what she is and the secrets that bind her fate, but she still has questions. Jinx turns to the only living relative she has left on her father’s side. It goes against every tribe fable Kaya Whitethorn had been told as a child, but she agrees to help her skinwalker niece.
Possessing both a combination of shaman and witch magic, Jinx needs to learn how to control her power to defend the people she loves, and her father’s pendant. A pendant that harnesses the wolf souls of the cursed Bane Pack shifters.
Meanwhile, Jacob looks into a mole inside the pack. Someone’s feeding the Bane information, and he’s determined to find the traitor among them. He’ll protect the woman he loves, no matter the cost.
Possessing both a combination of shaman and witch magic, Jinx needs to learn how to control her power to defend the people she loves, and her father’s pendant. A pendant that harnesses the wolf souls of the cursed Bane Pack shifters.
Meanwhile, Jacob looks into a mole inside the pack. Someone’s feeding the Bane information, and he’s determined to find the traitor among them. He’ll protect the woman he loves, no matter the cost.
Title: The Rival Of The Species
Series: Howl For The Damned
Author: D. Fischer
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Release Date: 16th July 2020
BLURB from Goodreads
The past is loyal. The present is desirable. The future may be neither.
Jinx Whitethorn’s world has crashed into nothing but crumbles. A person she thought she could trust has betrayed her, and now Jacob Trent is left to pick up the pieces of the woman he loves.
With the traitor discovered, Jinx takes Jacob back home to the Lotus Coven in hopes of learning more about the curse her father put on the Bane Pack. Bringing home her shifter boyfriend to a manor full of witches is asking for trouble, but Jinx is beyond caring what the witches think of her. She’s learned to be loyal to her desires, and right now, all she wants is to find a way to deal with the Bane’s threats so she can live an uncomplicated life with Jacob and his pack.
But the Bane Pack is getting restless and desperate, a dangerous combination for ruthless killers. Jinx won’t be able to hide from them for long.
With the traitor discovered, Jinx takes Jacob back home to the Lotus Coven in hopes of learning more about the curse her father put on the Bane Pack. Bringing home her shifter boyfriend to a manor full of witches is asking for trouble, but Jinx is beyond caring what the witches think of her. She’s learned to be loyal to her desires, and right now, all she wants is to find a way to deal with the Bane’s threats so she can live an uncomplicated life with Jacob and his pack.
But the Bane Pack is getting restless and desperate, a dangerous combination for ruthless killers. Jinx won’t be able to hide from them for long.
REVIEW OF THE BOXSET
I must admit that I am always on the lookout for the next great shifter series to try so when this one caught my attention by an author, I hadn’t previously read I couldn’t resist.
There is a bit of a backstory which is mentioned throughout the whole series that is referred to quite often, “The Realms War” where all the races of supernatural fought and sustained heavy losses in their packs, covens etc. I don’t think you absolutely have to have read the books about the Realms War first, prior to this book as the incidents referred to in connection with the Realms War are well explained. I will say I do feel I would like to read the both the series set around the Realms War and the Cloven Pack Series too.
My favourite character throughout the whole series is Jinx Whitethorn who has an independent, kick ass, stubborn attitude. Jinx belonged to the Lotus Coven of witches and grew up within it until she realised, she was a witch with no magic, making her an anomaly, the odd one out. Jinx left the Coven’s home which means leaving their protection but at the same time she is leaving behind the judgmental, inquisitive stares of the other witches. Jinx has moved in to the flat that is above the Be Deviled bar that is owned and run by Cinderson Robin, a shifter who is part of the local Riva Pack. Things have taken a weird turn for Jinx lately as it seems some strange group, or pack is hunting her. At first, Jinx thought it maybe just coincidence but then she noticed all these men/beasts had the same tattoo like mark on them. Even stranger is whilst fighting these assailants Jinx seems to blackout, and cannot remember how the fight progressed or ended.
All this comes to the attention of Riva Pack Alpha Jacob who needs to try and find out what is going on. He needs to speak to Jinx. Unfortunately for Jacob he decides that kidnapping Jinx is a good way to get to talk to her, and to say this irritates Jinx is an understatement. Jinx is used to being independent and makes her opinions and views well known which causes friction within the Riva Pack and Jinx. Jinx does prove how tough she is and the fact she can take care of herself and soon integrates with the majority of the pack members. Jinx and Sara end up living with and being under the protection of the Riva Pack. I enjoyed the at first awkwardness between Jinx and Jacob and then their cute, but passionate relationship. I love the way Jacob wants to give Jinx the option to walk away after they sort out the “Bane Pack problem” as it is referred to. Jacob has felt the mate bond pull strongly, but as Jinx is fairly new to wolf pack customs, he forces himself to hold back, which in turn worries Jinx that Jacob doesn’t want her as she is not a usual wolf shifter, more of a spirit wolf shifter.
Jinx best friend from within the coven is Sara, who is the daughter of Jamie, Jinx’ mother’s best friend also. Sara is a great, supportive friend to Jinx and doesn’t care whether Jinx has magic or not. There is a point in the book where Jamie kind of asks/warns Jinx not to involve her daughter in whatever she is mixed up in. I think perhaps there could be further trouble for Jinx in the future with some of the members of the coven. The witches seem to see things in a very black and white way and the fact Jinx has no magic, to them means Jinx is not one of them. Thankfully for Jinx her friend Sara doesn’t think like that at all and is willing to face anything side by side with her best friend. Sara encourages Jinx to speak to her own mother to ask questions about her heritage from her father’s line. Jinx ends up asking her mother about her father as that is clearly where she gets her Native American looks. Eventually her mother, Tabatha reveals that she really loved Adriel, Jinx father but witches are not supposed to fall in love, they are supposed to be lone women bringing up their daughters. Sadly, the day Tabatha revealed to Adriel that she was pregnant he was killed in a mystery car accident. Jinx also learns that her father was also a supernatural, he was a Shaman.
A relative is found and it turns out she is Jinx’ father Adriel’s sister, Kaya. As it is still considered dangerous because the Bane wolves are still wanting to capture Jinx to force her to remove their curse, Jacob’s second in command Rex collects Kaya and brings her into the home of the Riva Pack. Kaya reveals more details about Adriel to Jinx and also has regular training sessions with Jinx to help her control her changing more whilst remaining conscious. Sadly, when secrets about the whereabouts and movements on pack land appear to be leaked it seems like Jacob has a traitor in the camp. Whilst Kaya demands all of her niece’s attention, pitting her against Damien, one of the toughest wolves in the pack, and really pushing Jinx to her limits. Later whilst on guard duty patrolling the Riva Pack home Damien is attacked, meaning there definitely is someone leaking pack information to outsiders, but how did these outsiders get on pack land evading detection long enough to attack Damien one of the strongest pack members both in and out of his wolf form? It is revealed that the sensation and sounds that Jinx feels/hears from the wolf pendant she has that belonged to her father are the voices of the Bane Pack wolves, but what did the Bane pack do that made Adriel remove their wolves and trap them in the pendant? And could anyone other than Adriel or his daughter remove the curse, and free the wolves?
Honestly there were times in this box set that I felt like reaching into the book and shaking both Jacob and Jinx who clearly want “more”, “now” from each other but neither thinks the other wants to commit. It’s a classic misunderstanding of unsaid words and unrevealed feelings, though it is obvious for everyone around them that they are quite literally made for each other, like two halves of a coin.
The other relationship running through the boxset is Cinder & Sara, both normally “love ‘em or leave ‘em types who suddenly seem to have found their other half! There’s an embarrassing scene for Jinx when she walks into Cinderson’s bedroom and see’s both him and her friend Sara naked in bed! Which is quite funny really as you would think that the whole nudity thing could be “old hat” to Jinx now she has been living with the Riva Wolf pack for such a long time.
After their previous misunderstanding and a few awkward moments Jinx and Jacob both want to take their relationship to the next level and carry out the mate bond. Jacob is reluctant as he doesn’t want Jinx to become his mate and then regret it. Jacob seems to think once the danger with the Bane Pack is over Jinx may feel differently about staying with him forever. Jacob knows Jinx is the one for him and that he wants to be with her forever, he is just wary because Jinx is not a wolf shifter and once a wolf mates it is forever and there is no turning back.
I loved the description of the Lotus Coven garden that is only accessible in its true and wonderful form for witches. Witches can gain access to this garden because they have given a drop or as it is described in the book a bead of their blood to it. There is a small clearing separating the vegetation and a pentagram that is outlined in brick with a circle surrounding it. Each triangle of the pentagram has a different shade of flowers, white for the earth realm, red for the demon realm, purple for the dream realm, yellow for the guardian realm and blue for the death realm. The description is so good you can almost visualise how this would look.
There’s a surprise when a visit to the Lotus Coven is planned, though there is a highly amusing scene within the book where Jacob tells Cinder he is going to be visiting the Lotus Coven with him, Jinx and Sara. Jinx needs some answers from her mother about her father and the Whitethorn family. There are some fantastic scenes where the big bad wolves are reduced to scared little boys whilst at the coven. At first there is a suspicion of each other but when Marian sees how much Jacob and Cinder love and care for Jinx and Sara, Marian sort of takes them under her wing. As Jinx had to put up with some initial distrust from the Riva Pack, both Jacob and Cinderson are ignored, and treat quite poorly at the coven and some of its members.
The visit to the Lotus Coven introduces some more witches to the book. I immediately loved Marian the High Priestess, yet at the same time felt drawn to the more cantankerous character of Greta. Greta reminded me a little of Glenda the Riva Pack cook. I enjoyed the introduction of Ravyn, the pack yet to receive a name, and of course revisiting with the Cloven Pack. I loved how the different supernatural beings all came together in the end to fight a common threat.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing this boxset/series were disappointment that it had come to an end. I seriously fell in love with the characters in this series. The world building was great and really interesting, I felt really immersed in this series and didn’t want to return to the “normal world.” There are also some great descriptive sparring scenes between Jinx and the Riva pack. Towards the latter part of the book when Jinx is once again in danger because of the Bane Pack there are some great fight scenes too.
To sum up, I definitely want to read more by this author! I am so giddy from just finishing this series I don’t know which of D. Fischer’s other series’ I want to read into first. I love an amazing shifter series and this one well deserves a place in my favourite ones and I would compare this to the Mackenzie Grey series by Karina Espinosa, Jessica McClain series by Amanda Carlson also the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong and finally the Shifter Series by Rachel Vincent.
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