Author: Heather K. Carson
Series: Fated Destinies Series book #1
Category: Paranormal Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
"'You're my little sister. I don't care what those DNA tests say. The same blood runs through us both. If you don't belong here, neither do I. Whatever happens, we stick together.'" - Sage
Sage's life had been hard and was about to become even more challenging. Learning her sister had DNA that wasn't considered normal in the perfect dystopian human city of Ethica, she was forced to flee into the wastelands to save her sister from a research facility. It wasn't until they stumbled upon a town of shifters that shouldn't even exist that Sage began to question everything she had ever been taught.
Above all else, Sage was a loving and protective big sister to Coral, giving everything she could to make sure her sister was safe and happy. Sage was loyal and determined, but unused to putting herself first. A practical girl after my own heart, even when she felt her whole world tilting on its axis, Sage persevered and almost immediately accepted her situation to make the best of it and even thrive.
"It was over. This was the first day of the rest of our lives. And I wanted life to be better now." - Sage
Maddox was in love the moment he set eyes on Sage, given the nature of fated mates. Though it went against his very instincts, he was patient with her and gave her time to come to her own decision about what she wanted from him. I'll always love a possessive Alpha male but I liked that he still had the ability to compromise for Sage and truly, for once in her life, someone put her first.
I got major Wolf Gone Wild vibes from the banter between Maddox and his wolf. The dichotomy in the relationship was as hilarious as it was interesting.
"My witch was full of surprises. I wondered what else she liked rough. My wolf was to blame for that last thought." - Maddox
Sage and Maddox complement each other. They were both seemingly stuck in a rut before fate stepped in unexpectedly. Their romance was a slow burn but so worth the wait.
The world-building was excellently constructed, handing out bite-sized details without long paragraphs of info dumping that tend to happen in paranormal genres. I loved Coral and Kera as secondary characters, but am excited for them to get their own books (and book reviews) to shed more light on their personalities. There is more to come from the Cerberus Pack and hopefully, a bright future awaits.
Tropes and Themes: Werewolves, Wolf Shifters, Magic, Witches, Fated Mates, Dystopian, Forced Proximity.
Blurb
Fate doesn’t exist.
But try telling that to the growling wolf shifter who thinks I’m his mate…
This is not my week.
Or month.
Or year.
My now-ex-boyfriend cheating on me with my best friend?
I’d get over it eventually.
Pretentious chefs who looked down on me because I never went to culinary school while I was raising my little sister?
Screw ‘em.
Finding out my sister has Lycan wolf DNA and I have hours to get her out of the city before she’s locked away in a government research facility?
I definitely didn’t see that one coming.
To save my sister’s life, we take off in the middle of the night following cryptic instructions from our late father to what was supposed to be the toxic wastelands.
Imagine my surprise when we stumble into a fairy tale civilization of wolf shifters where magic is real and a frustrating, but ruggedly handsome pack enforcer has serious plans for me.
The big, bad, and hungry wolf thinks I’m his fated mate and he’s not taking no for an answer.
That’s just the icing on the metaphorical cake.
But this isn’t some magical bedtime story.
Real danger exists in the Cerberus pack. There’s a poison in the ranks. Shifters are leaving. My sister isn’t safe.
And a blood-thirsty Alpha murders anyone that challenges him.
Which I may--or may not--have accidentally done…
Did I mention today is not my day?
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