Mackenzie Grey, #1 & #2, by Karina Espinosa
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#Coming_of_Age, #Paranormal, #Urban, #Fantasy
It's hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan's police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school's resident bimbo—oh, and she's a werewolf.
Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah—the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone-wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the Tri-State area. And not even her sarcastic, smart mouth can get her out of this.
When a string of kidnappings involves Mackenzie in supernatural politics, she questions her new acquaintances and finds unlikely allies. Can she escape Pack law and keep her freedom—or will she be condemned to an unwanted path?
4 out of 5 (very good)
Mackenzie is a werewolf; she has no idea how it happened as it came on unexpectedly approximately three years ago. She has learned how to deal with it, but one evening, cuts it a bit too close getting back to her apartment. On the way home, she bumps into a man who asks if she is okay. She brushes him off and gets home. Unfortunately for her, this brings her to the attention of the Brooklyn Pack, who don't want a Lone Wolf on their 'turf'. Lone Wolves are not tolerated very well, and their whole way of living is from the medieval times.
Mackenzie is a smart-mouthed, modern woman, who won't just sit back and be "happy with her place". This leads to some funny and exasperating interactions between her and the rest of the Pack. Now, I am not a big fan of love triangles, and this book heads in that direction - with Mackenzie having feelings/attraction for both Sebastian and Jonah.
A funny, fast-paced and compelling story that ends with this part of the story nicely finished, whilst also leaving you wanting the next book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
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#Coming_of_Age, #Paranormal, #Urban, #Fantasy
It’s hard out there for a lone-wolf. Mackenzie Grey has started a brand new life in an attempt to escape the Brooklyn Pack. She settles in as a detective in a special unit of the LAPD when her identity is put at risk, and she has no choice but to run again. The question is: does she want to run forever?
As events force Mackenzie to confront her past, she is met with many surprises—including the revelation of her true ancestry. When Packs across the country learn of who she is, Kenz becomes the object of desire in a deadly wolf hunt, and she must once again fight to keep her freedom.
Witnessing first-hand the barbaric treatment of Lunas, Mackenzie has to make a choice—follow the prediction of her Vision Quest or let herself be CAGED...
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
This is the second book in the Mackenzie Grey series, and as such, you will need to have read Shift for it all to make sense.
We return to Mackenzie when she is living her new life in Los Angeles; all seems good and she even has a *book* buddy. Unfortunately, Roman is more than happy to remain her buddy, whilst Mackenzie is starting to feel the need for more. However, that aside, life is good for her. She is working for the SUI and loving it. The bubble must burst though, and in this case, it takes the form of Emma, an eleven-year-old girl that is so like Mackenzie, it is funny! Mackenzie's scent is still on Emma when she reaches The Summit, and because of that, wolves are dispatched to LA to find her. Mackenzie is given the option of running again, but instead she returns to make a stand of her own.
This book is darker than the first, in pretty much every way. Mackenzie has to deal with the fallout that occurred after she ran. Lives have moved on, relationships have changed. Friendships and hatreds are renewed as Mackenzie once again becomes the wild card in Pack politics. Sebastian and Jonah are both still wanting Mackenzie, but she has her own issues, wants and needs to deal with too. And, of course, these two don't exactly shine as they both act like idiots in various parts!
There is a trigger warning about an incident which happens to Mackenzie, as well as a traumatic ending.
Once again, very well written with a smooth pace building up to a climatic ending. As with the first book, this wraps up the second instalment nicely whilst still leaving you definitely wanting more! Thoroughly enjoying this series and looking forward to reading more about Mackenzie.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Karina Espinosa is the Urban Fantasy author of the Sins of the Fallen series and the Mackenzie Grey novels, and a blogger for HollywoodNewsSource.com. Infatuated with travel, pop culture, and the need to write everything down, she spends much of her days in front of a computer working on her next book, shopping online, and listening to music. With nomadic tendencies, she is currently resting her head in South Florida until the itch to move strikes again. You can usually catch her on Facebook, Instagram and live-tweeting during episodes of The Walking Dead and Orphan Black. Follow her on social media!
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