Getting arrested wasn’t on werewolf Ivy Kincaid’s agenda when she arrived in Nocturne Falls, but her life rarely goes according to plan. The upside of spending the night in the local lock-up is finding a hotel room is no longer a worry...but the downside is the man she’s come to marry will get his first impression of her behind bars. Not exactly the way Ivy was hoping to meet her pack's sworn enemy...aka her fiancé.
Sheriff (and werewolf) Hank Merrow is the alpha's heir. Everything he's ever done, from becoming an Army Ranger to serving in law enforcement, has been in preparation for the day he’ll take over. Getting married to cement a shaky truce is no different. Hank will do his duty, even if it means shackling himself to a woman he has no intention of liking, let alone loving.
But Ivy is nothing like Hank expected. As feisty as she is beautiful, she's as determined as he is to make a go of marriage for the sake of peace between their packs. The trouble is, Ivy has secrets that could destroy everything Hank holds dear...including his newfound love for her.
Kristen Painter
Kristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes award-winning paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
*****
My Thoughts:
As anyone who follows this Guy's reviews well knows, were-creatures are often my least favorite of the paranormal variety. I'm honestly not sure why, but I have a pretty good idea that the wonderful folks in the media have probably all but ruined them for me. Thankfully a few amazing authors have really helped to turn me around to see the light when it comes to shifters in literature. They actually can be amazing!
Match follows the story of Hank Merrow (Nocturne Falls sheriff and side character from book one) after he is slated for an arranged marriage to a neighboring (and rival) alpha's daughter. Straight laced and by-the-books Hank can't imagine his life being wed to a woman who is no doubt as brash, rude, and crude as the rest of the Kincaid clan, or is she? Ivy Kincaid wants nothing more than to get out from under her father's thumb. Following a life of abuse, Ivy's tried multiple times to free herself from the clan, but after a life altering change, Ivy now has the needs of someone else to consider. Could this arranged marriage really bring her the independence and security she desires?
I found the plot to this novel to be absolutely incredible. One of my favorite parts about book one was that it was a fun, quick, read. While I can definitely say the same about book two, I will add that book two is much darker and has a much deeper storyline than its' predecessor that I greatly appreciated. It still held the same weight in terms of story, but this one really hit home with a few more feels and some hard hitting themes. Painter has crafted another spooktacular masterpiece from Nocturne Falls!
Ivy and Hank's characters were written to perfection, but this novel really hit home with it's supporting cast. Birdie, Charlie, Bridget, and Sam in particular really struck me with excellent character development and side plots. Painter really did an incredible job rounding out each character and supporting the main overall agenda in such a short story.
Like book one, Kristen does an excellent job with the romance in this story. I will warn readers that this series has a bit of 'instalove' or rapidly developed romance, but with reason, each story is on a bit of a timer in some of the most unique ways. While the relationships may be rushed, I found them to all be genuine and realistic. Also like book one, Painter chose to keep all of her sex scenes off-page keeping this at a PG-13 level that I greatly enjoyed.
I said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who is looking to add a new, fun series to their TBR this season, I highly recommend Kristen Painter's Nocturne Falls. Especially with Halloween right around the corner, this series is sure to be a smash hit with all fans of paranormal amazingness!
With excellent writing, great character development, and an original idea to boot, Kristen Painter continues to excel with The Werewolf Meets His Match. A fang-tastic read from cover to cover! It should come as absolutely no surprise that I am granting this one a well-deserved 5-star review! Be sure to add this one to your TBR, you will not regret it!
*****
Check out my reviews of the rest of the series by clicking the cover below:
Alright folks, that's all I have for you on the topic of The Werewolf Meets His Match by Kristen Painter. As if you couldn't already tell, I am loving every second of this incredible series! Be sure to add them to your TBR today! Thanks so much for stopping by and a huge thanks to Kristen and her team for supplying me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
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