The Norseton Wolves Mate Call Collection

2/4/20 Currently FREE via Amazon: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Norseton-Wolves-Mate-Call-Collection-ebook/dp/B01FQ037XU?_bbid=14044004&amp;_bbtype=email&amp;tag=bookbubemail12-20">https://www.amazon.com/Norseton-Wolve...</a>

? FREE on Amazon today (12/10/2019)! ?

A set of four interconnected novellas that begin a series about a group of shapeshifters that are building a new pack from the ground up, breaking away from old misogynistic traditions of other packs and providing a less cutthroat way of life. At the start, the pack is small, just an alpha pair and four single males. The alpha puts out a call for mates and four female wolves show up to meet their matches. Each novella is about a different pairing and how they get along when essentially thrown together in an arranged marriage. <br /> <br />I think because the collection was free I was expecting the stories to be superficial (and I was A-OK with that!), but I was blown away by the complexity in the relationships. Each novella is basically a close character study of two people who, although they might not seem so at first, are a perfect match for each other. I loved seeing how each couple worked through their various challenges; they were all different but each story was equally fulfilling. This is one freebie that’s definitely worth picking up.

<strong>Really bad</strong><br /><br />The third and fourth stories in this 4 novelette compilation are so bad, I can't even give stars for the first 2 being ok. Being a werewolf should not be code for "treating your new wife like dirt for weeks is just fine." These books are set in our world with a paranormal element. No woman in our world should stay with a man treating her like some of these men treat their wives.<br /><br /><br />The first book is sweet although the man refuses to turn his wife into a werewolf, even in the end. He supposedly does this so he can protect her better. How stupid is that? If he gave her her wolf, she could protect herself. All the other women will be able to shift and protect themselves or run away from danger but this poor girl is going to only have her sharp fingernails. (She is scared to death of guns though she is familiar with them.)<br /><br /><br />The second book is ok.  The man is supposed to be one of those big silent types and the woman talks all the time. I've read this scenario in lots of books that are much better done.<br /><br /><br />The 3rd book is, to me, completely unrealistic. I ended up skipping large chunks of that one. I don't want to read about a woman sexually dominating her "alpha" man.<br /><br /><br />The fourth book is just really bad. He treats her like she is beneath dirt. There is ZERO reason for any man to act like he does. If a man starts out mean and angry, a woman should leave him immediately. He is not going to suddenly become a wonderful husband because a woman gets pregnant. Oh and that pregnancy, in the book, it came after he told her "I’m not even going to let you breathe if I think something bad will come of it," (for the pack). Then he raped her. "No No No No" means no but this writer does not believe in that. The woman in the book was not leading him on. She was adamantly saying "No!" while he was holding her down and rubbing her sli*. When she finally said ok, he put her on her hands and knees in the dirt and gave her "angry sex." Their baby was conceived from that. He doesn't find out about the pregnancy until she is almost 2 months along because he walks out on her and goes to stay with his parents. Yeah, he's a real grown "born alpha" man. Amazingly, and completely unrealistically, he turns into a wonderful person and decides to believe she isn't the lying evil woman he accused her of.<br /><br /><br />Needless to say, I will not waste any more time, and certainly not money, on anything this writer puts out there. <br /><br />

I've been meaning to try out Holley Trent for a while. I've been longing lately to the heyday of Paranormal Romance, when everything felt fresh and Shapeshifters and were-creatures were bountiful. (I never did get into the vampires alas). Holley Trent keeps popping up as someone who writes awesome PNR stuff, so when I saw this collection was free, I decided to finally give it a go.<br /><br />The set up is simple. A male-only werewolf pack sends out a mating call, four women want to escape their homes for various reasons and answer that call, and bam! Four novellas about the resulting arranged marriages are born. In a way, this reminded me of the Western thing where entire towns existed that had mostly male populations, and the women who traveled there to pursue happiness.<br /><br />As a concept this was something I was really in to - I like marriage of convenience as a trope a lot, because it's a kind of forced intimacy where people get to know each other after they've bound their fates together. Add some paranormal stuff like Gods blessing pairings and mating bites and scent and hormones, and I'm all on board.<br /><br />It also worked really well as an introduction to the world Trent has created here, since this series is part of a larger universe that features Sidhe, Viking Telepaths, meddling foremothers and all kinds of other magic stuff. We don't learn about all that here but... I was so hooked and fascinated by the glimpses of the wider universe we did see, that I bought and read the first three books in the Afothama series right after finishing this anthology.<br /><br />I love this universe so much.<br /><br />As for the four novellas in this book, they ranged everywhere from 'meh' to 'loved it' for me, mostly based on the heroes' behavior. I like reading romance novella's, sometimes you just want that quick fix of romance squee and serotonin. It is perfectly possible to write a satisfying romance without hitting 100k words. I do think though that the more asshattery a character commits, the more groveling and character growth on the page a character needs to redeem themselves.<br /><br />In this aspect, I feel like both the first story, Beast, and the last story, Scion, missed the mark. Especially in Scion, which ranged into dub-con territory for me, the romance felt... absent because of this. It didn't help that I felt that their relationship was fixed by a Deus Ex Machina, without actually the emotional journey to get them their happy ending. Scion is the only story I disliked (although it still made me hungry for more of the world and the other characters).<br /><br />With Beast, it was more that I didn't agree with a decision of the hero, which I really thought he would change, and that made the romance feel incomplete, but I think that's probably a YMMV situation.<br /><br />This was balanced out by Loner and Idler, which were two stories where I adored the heroines and adored the heroes (especially Darius who I loved from the start - Colt was more of an acquired taste after we get to know the real him), and I really rooted for them to find their happiness together. Darius made me cry, I swear.<br /><br />I did adore all of Holley Trent's heroines, and I feel like she writes interesting, diverse and real women, who are flawed and have dreams and try to make the best of things.<br /><br />All in all, if you like shapeshifters and pack dynamics, you'll probably enjoy this.<br />

Note: This is a re-read.<br /><br />Always enjoy reading about this world. Can't wait to go read the others that come after this set.

<strong>Mate Call</strong><br /><br />This was a new twist on mate finding. No danger or external threats, but complicated relationships. Still romances with steamy sex scenes.

<strong>Fun escapism</strong><br /><br />This is a fun collection of short stories. I love Holley Trent’s heroines and she does wonderful things with dynamics and flipping tropes on their side. Scion was my least favorite of the collection, but even still I enjoyed all four stories.

<strong>Setting up the pack</strong><br /><br />I jumped into the Norsetons in the middle, so I appreciate this set to learn about the beginning.<br />All 4 were good. Each pair has its strengths and weaknesses. <br />

Love the Norseton Wolf Pack<br />Expelled from their pack, 2 decades on the road working as mercenaries, Alpha wolf, Adam Carbone his mate Lil, and his small pack of Alpha throwaways have found a home with the Afotama. The small modern community of telepathic and more Vikings living in the the New Mexico desert. It's been six months. They have homes. It is time his four boys find their mates. So he puts out a mate call and the wolf goddess blessed him with four wolf ladies that are perfect for his boys. Two she chose the pairing and 2 he did, with her blessing. The new ladies of the pack will have their work cut out for them, his boys carry a lot of baggage. Adam has a vision for his new Pack, one where the strong boys are nurtured not discarded and the girls are treated with respect and care, not beat down and abused with no choices.<br />BEAST<br />Alpha Wolf, Anton Denis "Best" 35, is Quartermaster for the pack. Nephew to Alpha Carbone on his mate's side. He was only 15 when he was forced to leave his pack. He had his Uncle, Aunt and Cousin, then 2 more young wolves they picked up along the way, that are like brothers. He was looking forward to settling down, until a fight cost him his sight in his dominant eye. He doesn't feel he is worthy of a mate. <br />Christina Stilton, 24, is from a rural Virginia pack. Tiny for a she wolf. Answering the Mate Call, is a leap of faith for her, hoping to escape the abuse in her old pack for something better. Alpha Carbone is nothing like her old Alpha. His pack, nothing like she had ever heard of, and she wants to be part of its vision. Convincing her new mate to keep her is a challenge. She is willing to fight for her wolf, even if he will never giver her a mate mark. <br />Christina has a hard road to travel to bring Anton around to her way of thinking. She is tiny, but fierce, and protective of those she calls hers. She shows a rare trait protecting Anton that has Adam crowing in pride for the couple he has chosen to take his and his mates' place in the pack when he retires. <br />LOANER <br />Alphs Wolf, Darius Lucas, "Loaner" (30), was expelled from his pack when he was 9. Spent most of his young life in wolf form for safety, before being picked up by Alpha Carbone. Shy and introverted, he is the Pack's security specialist. He has no ideas what to do with his new mate, who he adores at practically first sight. <br />Stephanie Benson, is half wolf. Raised by her human mother until she was a teen before being forced to join her father's pack. Her life with her mother made her strong, to endured the mental beat down she found living with her father. She is successful and could make a life in the human world, but she is enough a wolf to crave a wolf mate, knowing she will never fined that in her father's pack she take a chance and answer the mate call made by a new pack, with little information available. <br />Stephanie and Darius get off to a rough start. Misunderstandings keep getting in their way. Stephanie quickly becomes protective of her wolf mate. She becomes his buffer and encourages his dreams. <br />IDLER<br />Alpha Wolf, Colton "Colt" Baylor, "Idler",34, is the packs tactician. Expelled from his pack as a teen, when his father lost an Alpha challenge, his mother called Alpha Carbone to take him in. He carries a lot of pain from the short time he spent under his new Alpha. He hides behind jokes and verbal jabs. <br />Lady wolf, Lisa Madesto, 28, is a tax accountant, from a large pack in Delaware. Born to 2 sweet and submissive wolves she is anything but that. Her parents encouraged her dominant nature. This her her second mate call, the first she walked away from as soon as she met the wolf the Alpha paired her with. A lot is riding on making this work, she has two younger sister in their teens who are like their parents and she needs to get them out. The hot Alpha with the surfer boy looks is not what she was hoping for. She trusts her new Alpha and is determined to make things work. <br />Who knew an Alpha wolf could be submissive and crave her praise. While Colt responds to her dominatrix personality, there is something she is saying or doing that has his him withdrawling. With a little insight from his pack brother, Lisa learns to give Colton what he needs. Colton the man and wolf find peace with their bossy mate. Light BDSM with a D female/s male. <br />SCION <br />Alpha wolf, Vic Carbone, 35, is the son of Adam and his mate Lil. His pack brother call him "Scion", but the wolf and the man are not cut out to lead a pack, they are too obsessive and can hold a grudge. His cousin, Anton, is the better choice. His role is security/enforcer. He was more than ready to find a mate and settle down. One of the ladies that responded, gave him pause. When his father pairs him with her, he is going to make her pay for her father's sins. <br />Ashley Maderia, at 29, is the daughter of the New York pack Alpha. She has lived a privileged life. Her time is up and her father has announced he will be choosing her a mate. Ashley knows all the eligible males in her pack and wants nothing to do with any of them, so when she sees the Mate Call e-mail come through with little information about the pack, she takes a chance. She doesn't understand why her mate treats her with contempt and seems to hate her. She has his mark and can only try to make things work.<br />Vic can't let go of the past. Can't believe Ashely doesn't know what kind of Alpha her father is and what he did to his family when he was a teen. <br />Ashley can't believe what Vic tells her about her father. An eye opening conversation with her mother, devastates her. While Vic avoids her, Ashley works hard to become a contributing member to her new pack. Her in-laws have her back, and so do the pack ladies. Vic knows what his parents say is true. He needs to put the past in the past and make a life for his mate, he just doesn't know how. The possibility of a pup on the way, Vic makes his move and Ashley, with O'tama's encouragement, lets him in.<br /><br />Great short series inside the Afotama, series. Great world building. This is a re -read for me. There is hopes for another book about the pack and a last book for the Afotama series.