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katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
While admittedly there were times when Jem was TSTL, I'm willing to cut her a little slack, as she had a lot to come to terms with in this book.
Overall, really enjoyed it.
Overall, really enjoyed it.
justlily's review against another edition
2.0
I'm going to preface this review by saying I did not finish this book. I read about 60% of it and then quit. And the reason is basically this.
Jem leaves her abusive husband for the reincarnated werewolf that she has loved for centuries. Cool, right? Except apart from physically punching her in the face... Sean is exactly the same as said abusive husband. She cooks, she cleans, she is expected to report her whereabouts and the company she's keeping at all times. She is expected to "obey" and that is a direct quote.
Sean is your basic alpha male, do as I say bullshit type. There is nothing special or romantic about him. He's barely even likeable in my opinion. Jem is obnoxious and just...awful.
So upon reading this line: "When Sean returned home to find me waiting for him where I should be, the relief in his eyes made me want to ensure I obeyed more often." I quit.
Jem leaves her abusive husband for the reincarnated werewolf that she has loved for centuries. Cool, right? Except apart from physically punching her in the face... Sean is exactly the same as said abusive husband. She cooks, she cleans, she is expected to report her whereabouts and the company she's keeping at all times. She is expected to "obey" and that is a direct quote.
Sean is your basic alpha male, do as I say bullshit type. There is nothing special or romantic about him. He's barely even likeable in my opinion. Jem is obnoxious and just...awful.
So upon reading this line: "When Sean returned home to find me waiting for him where I should be, the relief in his eyes made me want to ensure I obeyed more often." I quit.
alejandra_guerrero's review against another edition
2.0
I skipped so much of this book... There were parts that were aboslutely boring, and a couple chapters could have been summarized in one or two paragraphs and the story would have been better, since they don't bring much to the plot. And there are pages upon pages of descriptions of what products does she use in the shower, what she makes for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and what steps anyone takes to make freakin' coffee. Didn't need that.
Also, Peter completely dissapears at some point, no one mentions him again, and I have to assume Jem's still married to the guy, since there's no mention of him delivering the divorce papers Jem asks of him. Because she trusted the weasel to file for divorce instead of doing it herself.
And Peter going absolutely bananas in a residential neighborhood, aroud dinner time, screaming obscenities and threatening to hit people, and nobody calls the police? Yeah, right. Later, the friend is harassed (by Peter), and the husband does nothing (well, he did let his wife open the door to an inhebriated guy while sitting on the couch, and didn't intervene when said guy got violent, after Jem told him the last time he was drunk ended badly, so...)? Why exactly didn't she call the police herself, for that matter? Of course! because we needed Jem to do something absolutely stupid so the plot can move forward! TWICE! silly me.
Finally, I know nothing about their world. There's mention of a witch, but we don't know anything about magic and how it works. They actually say she was "a big believer in astrology, astronomy, fate and destiny, but in those days it was misconstrued as witchcraft". So, was she a witch or not? Are you telling me that her binding of two souls was science? I guess I'll never know, since I won't continue the series. Zero information about the history of werewolves except the reincarnated souls were super important in their pack history, but why? Who knows? not me! Why are there not many female werewolves? There's mention of bitten vs naturals, but no explanation, and they make a point of calling themselves another race instead of another species, but, that doesn't relly make sense to me. Why the distinction? Oh, and Jem's told her life is in danger because she's the reincarnation of the first she-wolf. Why? Why would other packs want her dead? If anything, they would want to breed her or experiment with her. And I'm not even going to mention the lack of character development, since Jem just flips a switch and she's a badass now, and Sean doesn't have much personality to be developed.
Also, Peter completely dissapears at some point, no one mentions him again, and I have to assume Jem's still married to the guy, since there's no mention of him delivering the divorce papers Jem asks of him. Because she trusted the weasel to file for divorce instead of doing it herself.
And Peter going absolutely bananas in a residential neighborhood, aroud dinner time, screaming obscenities and threatening to hit people, and nobody calls the police? Yeah, right. Later, the friend is harassed (by Peter), and the husband does nothing (well, he did let his wife open the door to an inhebriated guy while sitting on the couch, and didn't intervene when said guy got violent, after Jem told him the last time he was drunk ended badly, so...)? Why exactly didn't she call the police herself, for that matter? Of course! because we needed Jem to do something absolutely stupid so the plot can move forward! TWICE! silly me.
Finally, I know nothing about their world. There's mention of a witch, but we don't know anything about magic and how it works. They actually say she was "a big believer in astrology, astronomy, fate and destiny, but in those days it was misconstrued as witchcraft". So, was she a witch or not? Are you telling me that her binding of two souls was science? I guess I'll never know, since I won't continue the series. Zero information about the history of werewolves except the reincarnated souls were super important in their pack history, but why? Who knows? not me! Why are there not many female werewolves? There's mention of bitten vs naturals, but no explanation, and they make a point of calling themselves another race instead of another species, but, that doesn't relly make sense to me. Why the distinction? Oh, and Jem's told her life is in danger because she's the reincarnation of the first she-wolf. Why? Why would other packs want her dead? If anything, they would want to breed her or experiment with her. And I'm not even going to mention the lack of character development, since Jem just flips a switch and she's a badass now, and Sean doesn't have much personality to be developed.
lolasreviews's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to reading this book, it did capture my interest but in the end it just was an oké book for me. I always like a good werewolf story and that's the main reason I picked this book up. I also love the cover, it's simple but beautiful.
The story is about Jem, she is a housewife who cleans the house for her husband. The story starts pretty slow, with Jem just living her life and being bothered by some strange dreams. Later on the story does get more interesting, but somehow I just couldn't really get into the story. I loved the idea behind this book, the idea of jem and Sean being reincarnated every time again. This also was what kept me reading, but I still struggled trhough some parts. I also think the book lacked some action and explanation at some points.
The romance is a huge part of this book, but it just wasn't that interesting. The author has a great idea here, but I just didn't really think it was worked out that well. I didn't really understand why Jem loved her husband and later on Sean. There is not really much to like them. As the book continued I did begin to like the characters more. They are nice characters and I liked the way they behaved with each other. Although I still didn't really felt like I knew them, luckily the author has written lots of short stories and I am determined to read those and get to know the characters better.
Another point that just keeps bugging me is the lack of pack world building. In a werewolf book you just have to have something about the pack, who is alpha and wolf traits that enter the human part of their life. I really felt those parts lacked in this book. The werewolf part only starts playing a role pretty late in the story and then I still felt like it was too less. I liked the werewolf parts of the tory and wanted to read more about them.
To conclude: an oké book, but not great. It did capture my attention and the idea behind the story was interesting. The story was a bit slow and I struggled through some parts. I also felt like I didn't really knew the characters.
The story is about Jem, she is a housewife who cleans the house for her husband. The story starts pretty slow, with Jem just living her life and being bothered by some strange dreams. Later on the story does get more interesting, but somehow I just couldn't really get into the story. I loved the idea behind this book, the idea of jem and Sean being reincarnated every time again. This also was what kept me reading, but I still struggled trhough some parts. I also think the book lacked some action and explanation at some points.
The romance is a huge part of this book, but it just wasn't that interesting. The author has a great idea here, but I just didn't really think it was worked out that well. I didn't really understand why Jem loved her husband and later on Sean. There is not really much to like them. As the book continued I did begin to like the characters more. They are nice characters and I liked the way they behaved with each other. Although I still didn't really felt like I knew them, luckily the author has written lots of short stories and I am determined to read those and get to know the characters better.
Another point that just keeps bugging me is the lack of pack world building. In a werewolf book you just have to have something about the pack, who is alpha and wolf traits that enter the human part of their life. I really felt those parts lacked in this book. The werewolf part only starts playing a role pretty late in the story and then I still felt like it was too less. I liked the werewolf parts of the tory and wanted to read more about them.
To conclude: an oké book, but not great. It did capture my attention and the idea behind the story was interesting. The story was a bit slow and I struggled through some parts. I also felt like I didn't really knew the characters.
mystikai's review
5.0
This book was amazing, I really liked how J.A. Belfield wrote it.
Jem had dreams, they seemed so real to her, the same person always there, Sean and turning into a wolf. So when she finds out Sean is a real person she feels that she already knows him, the problem is that she is trapped in an awful marriage where she is controlled.
At the beginning I of the book I was so cross with Jem, allowing her husband to get away with the things he did to, however, as the book progressed I admired her, she turned into a strong woman who would not let anyone treat her that way anymore.
All of the wolf pack were likeable as were Jem’s friends, the twist was really good and I was hooked from start to finish. Bring on book 2!
Jem had dreams, they seemed so real to her, the same person always there, Sean and turning into a wolf. So when she finds out Sean is a real person she feels that she already knows him, the problem is that she is trapped in an awful marriage where she is controlled.
At the beginning I of the book I was so cross with Jem, allowing her husband to get away with the things he did to, however, as the book progressed I admired her, she turned into a strong woman who would not let anyone treat her that way anymore.
All of the wolf pack were likeable as were Jem’s friends, the twist was really good and I was hooked from start to finish. Bring on book 2!
jeanz's review against another edition
5.0
MY REVIEW
Oh Wow! I never thought I would say I had found another series of books as good as the Rachel Vincent Shifter Series, or Dee Tenorio's Resurrection Series or Kelley Armstrong's Women Of The Otherworld Series but The Holloway Pack Series well and truly lives up to their standard and at time surpasses them!
I loved the historical element in the book. It's difficult to say more without giving spoliers which I refuse to do! The same historical element is dealt with in Instinct, so if you have read that you will totally know what I mean!
I thought the relationship between Jem and Peter was very realistic and portrayed really well. The domestic violence was depicted well without being over the top. As someone who has both seen and also experienced domestic violence I can vouch for Jem's behaviour and her feelings being so realistic. I loved the way her friend, Poppy and then of course Sean rescued her. (Where was my "Sean" when I needed one?! )
The relationship between Sean and Jem is *sigh* beautifully written, you feel that they are besotted with each other , that they are soul mates and meant to be together.
The wording in the book and how it is written draws you in, you feel like you are in the midst of the action rather than being a watcher from the sidelines. You really become involved with the book. You certainly don't want to put it down! Twice I found myself reading J. A. Belfield books at 1am in the morning!
I would say *warning* this book is for adults or very mature teens that is down to the domestic violence and the er....bit of bedroom action between Sean and Jem. having said that it really is no more than the teens are watching on tv these days and I do believe teens need to be more educated about such subjects as domestic violence anyway.
One section of the book stands out to me as being true in real life too, I hope J. A. Belfield doesn't mind me sharing it with you all in my review.
"Fate and destiny go hand in hand. It is impossible to change our destiny. Only the path upon which we walk to reach our destination alters. If we should stray from that path, fate will take control and guide us in the right direction."
The above quote fits in with what happens in the book with Jem and Sean but I think it's relevant to the reader in real life also. What a beautiful quote.
I like the cover as it represents the dark and light in Jem's life, as well as her dark night dreaming and her daylight hours.
So did I enjoy the book? A definite Yes! Would I recommend? To the correct age group or maturer teen then yes. Would I read more by J. A. Belfield? Yes there will be more reviews of her books to come for sure!
Available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk £11.49 paperback or £3.08 on kindle
shereadsontrains's review
3.0
It's great to read an urban fantasy werewolf book based outside of the US. This one is set in England. When we first meet Gemma, she is married to a horrendous man and having dreams about a man she's never met.
It can be quite hard to like Gemma and to read her story. Sometimes you just want to shake her for some of the decisions she makes, but unfortunately her reactions are the same that millions of women have when in an abusive relationship. But she does end up having a lot of growth by the end.
Trigger warning for domestic violence.
I received a copy of the audiobook from StoryOrigin. All opinions are my own.
It can be quite hard to like Gemma and to read her story. Sometimes you just want to shake her for some of the decisions she makes, but unfortunately her reactions are the same that millions of women have when in an abusive relationship. But she does end up having a lot of growth by the end.
Trigger warning for domestic violence.
I received a copy of the audiobook from StoryOrigin. All opinions are my own.
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