Published by Self-Published on November 26, 2019
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 256
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Layla Fitzpatrick lives a simple life, for a werewolf. And that's just how she likes it. Her childhood was less than ideal. She'd like to spend her adult years flying under the radar of more powerful preternatural creatures. Because she knows from experience what happens when they notice you.
Everything changes one early summer night when she attends a ritual bonding ceremony meant to join two werewolves together for life. Midway through, the spell becomes corrupted and she finds herself unexpectedly mated to the stuffiest shifter she's ever laid eyes on.
Michael Kolbeck is more man than wolf. He spends his days in a skyscraper, building his family's empire. At night, he prowls the streets of Boston, a city where shifters, witches, and vampires walk a delicate tightrope of ceasefire masquerading as peace.
Little do they know that Layla's arrival will act as the spark that ignites the fire, and that thin veneer of peace is about to vanish.
If you’ve followed my reading habits for any length of time, you know I’m a huge fan of the strangers marry trope. When I saw that The Lunatics is one step up from that with a forced mating of werewolf shifters, I was so in. That is my favorite trope but on steroids.
The Lunatics: Volume One is the first part of a serial story in a published format. It is the tale of how Layla and Michael, two very different kinds of werewolves, went to a mating ceremony to support someone close to them and ended up mated together against their will. Not only do they lead very different kinds of lives, neither was looking to complicate it with another person.
There seems to be some foul magic afoot either from the goddess herself, witches or maybe the vampires. But before any of that can be addressed, they have to go up against something else…their new in-laws.
Layla comes from a pack in the woods, they live simply and with the land. Michael’s pack is in the city, they have different rules, priorities and ideas about shifting. Each will have to make compromises for the other and find a way to balance between the wild of Layla and the control of Michael.
I enjoyed getting to know the two characters and getting some hints of the challenges they will be facing. Between the danger from other pack members, the witches and the Vamps there looks to be plenty of obstacles stacked against them.
The way the mating bond worked throughout the book was also interesting and I thought it was nuanced and added to the overall story. How would marriage be if you could really tell some of the thoughts and all of the feelings you spouse was really having?
This does end at a semi-dramatic place, not really a cliff hanger but something that would make you want to pick up the next chapters right away if they were available.
“Then it will get out eventually,” Ronald said. “You know it’s better to get ahead of her. Put it out yourself. That way you can control the way it’s done and we won’t find ourselves in an unplanned shitstorm.”
I couldn’t help it. “Which is somehow better than a planned shitstorm?”
Ronald looked at me and nodded, expression flat. “At least in a planned one you know where to stand with the umbrella.”
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I stared a series a bit ago about a forced mating like this and you’re right about how the dynamics add a bit of something to the situation. Sounds even better with the city wolf/country wolf thing going, too.
O.o this was the first time I’d seen that. But it is an interested concept.
i like anything shapeshifting, especially werewolves. this sounds like one i would enjoy. thanks for sharing the great review
Shapeshifters can be so much fun when done right. 🙂
I enjoyed this. She is just starting out and Indie so I’m not sure how long before the next part is ready to go.
I didn’t know about it but why not
It was a added little bit of fun to have the strangers mated trope.
I love it when my favorite tropes are on steroids, and I have to say, this is a very interesting take on mates. I don’t think I’ve seen this before where you can just ‘be mated’ to someone as opposed to fate deciding.
Great review!
It was interestingly done. I was definitely a new fan of this trope.
Oh yes, this sounds like all kinds of fun. And I swear his eyes are following me!
Those eyes definitely say “I will find you”
If you like the ‘Strangers marry trope’ you might like this new Netflix reality series about just that.