Chained

'I took a deep breath, but it wasn't enough. He'd regret caging me.'

How are you Readers? Day going swell? 'Cause mine is! The genre of the day is. . . drumroll. . . Paranormal, specifically wolf shifters.

Detour: What do you consider to be the differences between wolf shifters and werewolves?

*Personally when I think of werewolves I think of the creature that changes every full moon. That doesn't have the capability of shifting on command and has no iteractions with his/her/their wolves. Plus, in my imagination whenever they come up in my thoughts they always look like the creatures off of Teenwolf. You know the humanoid beast with wolf like features and lots of fur. What do you think?*

And return, I was generously provided an ARC in return for an honest review of Chained. I know you see this statement all the time but I just had to restate it :). Now let's dive into Kacey Lee's new novel Chained!

Goodreads' Blurb

Will a chain keep me captive or help set me free? I was lucky to escape my last pack with nothing but a few scars--a cheap price to pay for my freedom.

It was supposed to be just another run to calm my wolf, but I wasn’t going to ignore those cubs’ screams for help--even if they were from a rival pack. What I didn’t expect to find was a feral vampire, or the wolf who would change everything. The Alpha who caught me is like all the others--all raging temper and muscles. And yet…his pack is different than mine.

But no matter how much my wolf cries ‘mate’, I need to break free. It’s time I accept the truth: I don’t belong anywhere. My wolf will never settle for anything less than she is, and no other wolf will accept what I am:

Different, an anomaly… A female Alpha.

WARNING: Although the content below may be great and addictive, it does end in a CLIFFHANGER. I am putting this up for your protection because I was blindsided. I signed up for Chained on a very compacted day, lots of stress hazing my mind. So in my chaos I saw this author (a.k.a. Kacey Lee) looking for ARC readers, I'm sure she put up a disclaimer about it being part of a series. But I didn't read the fine print. Started the book, fell in love, reached the ending, and BOOM! "Book two releases 2022, for more information please subscribe to my newsletter." Can anybody cue the tears? So be warned, you will fall in love and there will be a hiatus. Be prepared.

*LOL, did anyone else's mind pop to Scar from The Lion King*

Book Review

Our main characters is Bailey, "the anomaly, the female Alpha." God, I swear this line hooked me from the very beginning. Any books with a strong, badass female MC automatically go on my TBR list <3. I loved her! She was so relatable to me as a young woman (I use that term loosly). To be strong in all spaces is difficult and exhausting. It brought pieces of reality to a fantasy world to see Bailey struggle in accepting her vulnerablity and shed her exterior walls. Beautiful, to see her mature in the cacoon of a safe, encouraging environment. Her adventure begins with a vamp and instict. I mean you can't ignore cubs wailing for help! We follow her on her journey with the Yellowstone pack. As she experiences the pack life on the other side of the forrest. Women have standing, old laws are rejected, and blood doesn't mean pack.

The adventure of Derrick and Bailey is far from over but satisfying. In a world that wasn't so progressive, Bailey found the one wolf who was. I adored Derrick. Imagine Lukov from 'From Lukov with Love' mixed together with Garrett from 'Den of Vipers'. A caring, silent dangerous protector. #Swoon. The two begin as enemies because, well, he kidnapped her. Just a little bit. But she trespassed on pack land and smelled like a rival pack, so. . . I don't exactly disagree with him taking her as a captive but it certainly wasn't completely a-okay. Their love story was so enthralling. A lover in between them, traumatic pasts, dominance issues, ultimatums. This love was juicy with events and troublesome situations!

I don't want to spoil the story so I'm attempting to be vague. I won't tell you about the antagonist because I would Have. To. Go. In. This jackass deserves a fate worse than death! But because I respect you and Kacey, I'll stop now.

I haven't done a topic in a while so I'll do it here. The topic for today's story is perspective. Kacey showed her readers that perspectives are fickle but monumental. When Bailey was taken she obviously thought the worse of the situation. As time continued, her safety secured, and emotions muffled, Bailiey's perspective altered. She was no longer in the pack that took her from her run in the forrest. She was with a safe, progressive pack that would allow her to thrive. With perspective she could identify that she was no longer in an unsafe community but a community that would accept her for her. Perspectives are important to us. They help us identify safety and faciliate how we see ourself and others. Emotions can easily cloud them, with the change of a thought the negatives can transform to positives. A powerful ability of humanity. Change your perspective, alter your situation.

The writing was great, flowed well. However, the first chapter was a little slow for me. If you get into the book and feel the same, just push on to when Bailey enters the woods and you're home free.

Thank you Kacey for allowing me to read Chained, I can't wait for book two!!!