This book was just too typical. No matter how much I tried it couldn't hold my interest for too long. I so wanted to like it, but the characters were too one-dimensional and the plot was almost non-existent.

Received in exchange for a honest review. Trying a new way so let’s do quick and dirty review.

Good start to the series.

The writing was wonderful, the descriptions great and the characters drew you in. This is told in the POV of Ty and Sonya. Ty’s POV I liked more than Sonya’s. To me she was more snarky and took awhile to get to like.

Story: interesting. I liked the way legends were involved and how Ty was patient and open with Sonya. I didn’t like how Ty was labelled an outcast and treated like dirt for having honor and respect. There were times I got lost but that was due to not knowing everything and I think this was on purpose so that there was an air of mystery and danger surrounding Sonya and what made her so important to all the packs after her. The romance didn’t happen right away but it was great to see Ty’s thoughts on his feelings and his respect for traditions and people.

Plot: A twisted one that has you guessing as to what makes Sonya so important that one goes against rules and others go after her. The romance was entangled in as Ty fights his feelings so he can do what is right but loses the battle. Clues were trickled in as to what makes Sonya special and important to keep you hanging and wondering.

Characters: Loved Ty. He was respectful, honest, open and caring. He treated Sonya as an equal and didn’t demean her in any way. He fought for what was right and watching him fight for her and fall in love was great. Sonya took a bit to get used to. She was strong and stubborn. It was just her gruffness and sometimes her views and thoughts turned me off. Other than that she was good. Raul didn’t like. Dude had an ego and was spoiled. The other packs got to me because of their actions so we didn’t get to know the individuals.

Overall: good start to the series. Has the elements of romance, love, respect, danger and a little mystery as well.

This paranormal romance delivered everything I wanted. With well-written characters, a great mix of romance and mythology, and wonderful twists and turns. As a sucker for all things Viking and werewolf Heater McCorkle definitely pulled me in. I cannot wait to read the rest of The Wolves of Hemlock Hollow series.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into the story. I didn't rate nor reviewed it as I didn't finish it

Heather McCorkle has written an intriguing werewolf tale filled with myth, legend and a hunky Norse viking. Visions of Alexander Skarsgard abounded while I read this story.
Despite a slow start, I grew to like both Ty and Sonya as I read the story. Ty is simply gorgeous and it was so easy picturing him in my mind's eye. Ms McCorkle did an amazing job of bringing him to life for me. I loved that he was patient with Sonya, putting her education and well being before his desires. It's also sexy as heck to have a hero who's not only completely alpha and kickass but also scholarly and intelligent.
Sonya is an intriguing character. Being turned into a werewolf unwillingly, she had her choice taken from her. Ms McCorkle touches on the topic of choice and the ability of a woman to say "yes" or "no" in certain situations of power and dominance with great skill. She clearly highlighted the issue without getting on a soapbox. Well done. Aside from that, Sonya is a fighter, albeit with some anger management issues. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Sonya and why she was turned into a werewolf, why so many people seem to want her for their nefarious yet unknown reasons. In spite of it all, Sonya manages to overcome the changes being forced upon her and thrives. She may not have come to being a werewolf willingly but she accepts her fate and does her best to adapt to the changes she is undergoing.
The attraction between Ty and Sonya is a slow burn. A very slow burn. Not wanting to overstep the bounds of the teacher/student relationship they have, Ty resists. Not trusting herself and not one easy to trust a strange man, Sonya resists. To be honest, all that resisting made my teeth ache. I just wanted them to get over with the resisting and get to bonking the heck out of each other like they so obviously wanted to.
I enjoyed the Icelandic scattered within the story since my best friend is Icelandic. I even messaged him the words used to ask him what they meant and if they were indeed Icelandic. Ms McCorkle did a great job of building up the myth and legend around the werewolves and their origins, associated religion and links to Odin and Fenrir. Being someone who enjoys mythology a great deal, I think Ms Corkle dis a great job of the world building and the mythology surrounding the werewolves.
My only complaint is that the writing was a little stilted in the first half of the story and the pacing was a bit slow. Most of the story was set around Ty teaching Sonya what it means to be a werewolf and while that was important to the story and the world building, there were points when I thought it lagged a bit. I did appreciate all the face time Ty and Sonya had together though. I do enjoy a romance where the hero and heroine spend a large part of the time in the story together.
The world Ms McCorkle has built intrigues me. I think I will try the next book in the series if there is one.

This was a new and original way of writing about werewolves and I for one loved it. The links between Norse mythology were awesome making this a refreshing change to much of the werewolf paranormal romances on offer at the moment. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A book with bite! Takes you on a thrill ride from start to finish!

'Once Bitten' by Heather McCorkle is book One in "The Wolves of Hemlock Hollow" series & this is Sonya and Ty’s story. Sonya is tough, alone and studying to be a doctor. She meets Raul who she thinks is ok and after a date they start to make out when he ups an bites her hard which is how she gets infected. Sonya is hurt when Ty comes upon them and chases Raul away. Ty ends up being the one to help Sonya thru her change but Sonya doesn’t know what to believe or do. Ty usually is unflappable in these situations but something about Sonya calls to him. Ty finds He wants to and will protect her and be there for her as long as she will have him.
There is a lot of heat, romance, mystery and suspense along with the paranormal aspect and a dash of Norse mythology in this book. I did like this book and look forward to more in this upcoming series.

My rating: 4.0 stars ****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Pages and pages of inner dialogue and descriptions of things. No attraction between the two characters and there seem to be some pretty big plot wholes as well. I was not happy with this book and I will be skipping the rest of the series.

Sonya was making out with a man- Raul - she had met two weeks ago. They were in the alley as she wouldn’t let him in her apartment. The alley was in front of her low income apartment. Sonya didn’t see fate coming for her. Then Raul bit down and locked onto her neck drinking her blood. Then his fangs went back up into his mouth. Then Raul told her he was sorry it had to be this way. There had been a car with the headlights then Raul took off running a man with cold blue eyes and golden hair named Ty. Ty came and told her she should go inside and lock her door and he would go after Raul. Then she warned Ty to be careful and Raul was dangerous and the man said so was he. Sonya was six years into her medical degree Sonya also worked full time at the bar while going to school. Ty caught Raul and said you bit a woman and The Council will have your hide for that. While at the bar Sonya found out she was fired but she had been unconscious for two days. Then she got mad at the owner and discovered she had two sets of fangs two sets on top and two sets on bottom. Then she found a letter from Raul saying to come look for him if she wanted her questions answered about what she was becoming Then Sonya remembered her dad once told her that she was special chosen by Loki and someday it would all make sense Ty Vioarrrson had been captured as a horse tranquilizer had brought him down. Then the police officer declared Ty was free to go. He requested to be Sonya’s Kennari He said he had tried to save Sonya and she probably already had some trust for him. But even though she pulled something in Ty if he became her Kennari he had to keep his emotional feelings distance from her the code demanded it. At least she would be safe in his care and he would not allow Raul near her again. One of the six that were part of The Council was Raul’s parent and another was the parent of the girl Raul was engaged to. Ty said neither party’s Kennari would be impartial. This woman deserved the right to be brought through the Veroa by someone by someone without an agenda. It was the law. The six people were The Council. She had just driven three states and six hours. She recognized him immediately when he stepped in front of her. A thrill ran through her. He told her his name was Ty and he was a professor. Then as Sonya asked ty what Raul had did to her she teared up he pulled her in hug her. Somehow Ty put Sonya at ease in a way no one had before him. Sonya’s dad had told her tales of Viking werewolves her whole childhood.
I liked this story a lot. At times I felt bad that Sonya was alone even if she had a busy life between work and school. At times I chuckled and that is always good. I thought this had a good plot. It was fast paced and had a lot of turns and twists to this story. There was a lot in this story. There was a lot in this story: werewolves, heat, action, drama, Norse lore and mythology, drama, romance, a bite, people trying to take Sonya, a lone wolf, sexual tension, danger, suspense, mystery, adventure, and a lot more. I did however get a little lost at times. But I still kept going and really enjoyed the story. I loved the characters and I recommend.

Once Bitten is the first book I’ve read from author Heather McCorkle and I’m really glad I decided to read this book from her. So what drew me to read this book? First it was the cover because it definitely caught my eye and I always enjoy books that have eye candy on them. 🙂 They look great on my bookshelves, so everyone can stare at them. Second, it was the synopsis because werewolves are one of my favorite paranormal creatures to read about and I really like how the synopsis grabbed my attention because it was written in first person.

Sonya the main character in the story who happens to be the one telling the summary of the story in the synopsis has her life change. One minute she’s a med student working at bar without family, the next she’s being bitten and has pack members trying to kidnap her to be apart of their pack. She has no idea of this world, but she’s about to find out thanks to a werewolf/man who has been assigned to teach her their werewolf ways and also prepare her for her first shift.

Once Bitten is full of action due to everything that is happening with Sonya and her teacher. Sonya is forced into a world she has no clue about and she is battling with werewolves that are out to kidnap her, but she has no idea why. Ty who is Sonya’s teacher I found interesting because he’s a werewolf that doesn’t really belong to a pack. He’s new at that this werewolf teacher thing too, but he actually did a pretty good job on taking care of Sonya in the story. Sonya also took care of herself very well. I really liked her character in the story.

There was some things I was confused with, especially when it came to the storyline and how the flow of it ended. I definitely wasn’t expecting how it ended, but I was surprised by it. I would’ve loved to have more scenes between Sonya and Ty too because those two were interesting together. I loved the scened of them going swimming. There was a lot of tension between those two in the story more than action. It wasn’t an insta-love between the two, but more of a confusing try to fight it off tension because they were not sure if they would get in trouble.

I love the switching of POVs in the story because I got to be inside both of their heads in the story and got to see in different angles.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars and look forward to reading way more books from Heather McCorkle and more on the Wolves of Hemlock Hollow. If you’re looking for a book with werewolves (some hot Icelandic talking ones that look like sexy Vikings) I definitely recommend this book.

It had been a minute since I had been in this genre with this little gem drawing my attention. This was also first time for me reading this author. The female lead in this was once going in one direction but when Sonya gets a encounter of a furry kind which will change it all for her. Ty the male lead will have it hard with a challenge. Not that he can't teach but resist is something else. You will get caught up in the drama that unfolds. This is also first in a series and love when I catch the beginnings. This one gives you great background which enables you to really enter in this world and love it. With different kinds of elements this one is a winner. The chemistry in turn ensures you too have to see how this turns out. She will have me coming back to another one from this series.

Every story that brings us into the world of werewolves and shifters has some basic lore that is universal. Then the author brings in their own unique spin on that world, adding to the established lore of shifters. In Once Bitten we are taken along this journey with Sonya. As she is faced with learning how to survive in this world, we are also learning along with her. It’s a unique world building that makes it a natural flowing process of learning what this world is all about.

Sonya is out on a date with Raul, a man who seemed nice but is now giving off that well known feeling of unease and need to get rid of him fast that most women (or men) have encountered over the years. When Sonya’s instinct proves correct and she is attacked and bitten by Raul, she is rescued by a man she’d never have thought to be part of that new world. She knows of Ty as a professor at the school she attends, now he’s become her teacher in another more vital study… how to become a werewolf, and survive what is coming.

I enjoyed Once Bitten. I found it to be full of danger, twists and turns, definite sexual tensions and the beginning of an intriguing series that I plan on following. For now I have questions that need answers, and a world to get to know better. If you enjoy Paranormal Romance then I believe you’d find this world rather fascinating. Norse mythology is always an interesting history period, add to that the touch of the supernatural and there are so many possibilities. Take a chance on this world, I believe you’ll find the experience well worth your time.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Sonya is just a student working her way through med school as a waitress. A man who has been chatting her up for a while tries to take things further than she wants. The result of that night will change her forever.
Werewolf Ty gets picked up by the authorities along with the ones he is fighting. He will then get a task that will test his control to the limit.
If our heroine is to survive she must learn to control her new abilities. Her teacher is proving quite the distraction. They must find out why so many wolves are after her.
This is the beginning of a new series, and stars Viking werewolves. What could be sexier? The characters have lots of depth to them and are strong, sexy and fun. A fabulous story line full of magic and danger that I was pulled into from the first page. I can't wait to read more of this series. I loved it.

One night was all it took to change everything. One moment of weakness, and now I’m becoming. Werewolves were supposed to be things only seen in movies, not things that exist in real life. Instead of med school and homework, my life is filled with a laundry list of things that were once impossibilities. Groups fighting over whom I belong to. The possibility of dying if I don’t learn everything before the next full moon. Figuring out how to survive in a world I never knew existed. But the biggest danger? Ty: history professor, super sexy Viking werewolf, and the man who’s been assigned by the Council to teach me how to survive becoming a werewolf.




Review:




Great start to this new series.




I read four great paranormal romances last week and this was one of them. It was action packed from the start, from Sonya being turned to Ty saving her and them going on the run, Sonya's training. It truly is full of action and fast paced. It was an average length but seemed to be over before I knew it. It is not only full of action but also some super sexy times too and it was written sensually and emotionally. There is a lot of machinations going on and it was hard to figure out what everyone ulterior motives are/were. I really liked how the story based the wolves around Viking/Norse mythology and wove the two together. The only thing that I think would have made the story better was if it was in a longer format, and more things were fleshed out.




Great paranormal romance from this new-to-me Author.




3.5Stars




*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

This book was definitely a different spin on your classic werewolf paranormal romance. There’s still a boy, a girl, and some werewolves, but that’s about where the similarities end.

Sonya is an overworked med school student who makes one bad decision – taking home the bad boy from the bar she works at. This particular bad boy, however, is using her to try to get out of an arranged marriage in a pretty dramatic way. After a surprise bite, she’s suddenly dropped into a world where werewolves are real and she’s going to turn into one. She’s also been paired off with an instructor of sorts, Ty.

Ty is a trainer who has never trained a new initiate before. He’s still learning while at the same time trying to fight his undeniable attraction to his trainee. It’s forbidden, of course, but that doesn’t stop the budding relationship. Oh, and to make matters worse, there’s a whole bunch of warring packs trying to get to Sonya.

There are a bunch of twists and turns, but at the core of this is the romance. These two are a great couple to watch and I found that to be the driver for finishing this book. At the end of this book we are left with the start of yet another journey for Sonya. Not quite a cliffhanger, but we certainly don’t have an entirely standalone story here.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

So not what I expected. I just never really connected with the book or the characters. Sonia is ok. She is strong and not written as a “silly woman” but I never really connected to her. Ty was just BLAH to me. He never seemed to man/were up if you know what I mean. Aren’t Vikings alpha men? And aren’t Werewolves alpha men? So why is Ty so wimpy?

There is just too much brain talk. I got so bored. This is just not for me.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

'Once Bitten' by Heather McCorkle is book One in "The Wolves of Hemlock Hollow" series. This is the story of Sonya and Ty.
Sonya is tough, alone and learning to become a Doctor. Sonya meets Raul who she thinks is nice and after a date they start to make out when he ups an bites her. Sonya hurt and struggling to realize what he has done with Ty shows up to chase him away.
Ty takes on the role as her 'teacher' for learning what she is becoming after Raul's assault. Ty is suppose to have a non-emotional connection while teacher her to become a werewolf. But he is finding it hard to do that. Sonya is struggling to understand what is happening to her...but her father had told her stories of what she is now dealing with.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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What a great combination of humour, angst, shifters and romance this story proved to be - I thoroughly enjoyed it! It has great characters who are easy to relate to and empathise with, an engaging, action-packed plot full of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and is written in a way that brings the story to life in the imagination of the reader.

Studying to become a Doctor isn't easy, but it is made harder when you're also working your way to pay for your studies. Actually almost trusting the man who'd been chatting her up at work proved to be a life-changing decision for Sonya, the heroine of the story. She's wary and, it turns out, with good reason. After seeing her home and Sonya refusing to let him in, he bites her before another stranger chases him off. That handsome, very fit, stranger is Ty, a history professor. It also turns out that Ty is a Viking werewolf and it is he who explains the Norse mythology and background to what is now happening to Sonya - she's turning into a werewolf. As different packs vie to have Sonya join them, this new reality is open to many possibilities and Sonya needs the best help and advice she can get to ensure she survives her transition into a varúlfur. Why did Raul choose her? Why did her father tell her so many Norse tales that she's now discovering are true? Can Ty protect her from those who are out to get her? What secrets is Ty keeping? Can she really trust him?

The story starts at a fast pace and continues at that throughout. It is a high action packed story with well developed characters and is mainly told from the point of view of the main characters, especially Sonya. Many thanks to Entangled who, without obligation, gifted me a copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion after reading the book. It is the first story in a new series and I really hope I get to read more from the series and others by this author in future.

Reading the blurb for Once Bitten and I'm realizing what was it that made me want to read it: Viking werewolf. I've read all sorts of books that contain the combination of a Viking and some other kind of being, but I have yet to encounter this unique to me combo. Shifters are some of my most favorite books and throw in Vikings, heck yay! And...things did not go off quite like I had expected.

Normally, if a story isn't working for me, it usually falls on the heroine. Either she's too weak, or too dumb. In this case, Sonya isn't either of those. She's a fairly strong character. Okay, granted she took what was happening to her, the whole situation, a bit too easily. Probably her family history played its part in keeping her from screaming because I would have completely lost it. Nope, in this case, it was the hero that drove me nuts. Ty was supposed to be a Viking werewolf. Instead, he comes off as way too calm, almost impassive. I like my leading males, especially shifters, to have a bit more Alpha to them. Come on Ty, embrace the animal and show me your Grrr side!

So the story itself was good although I do feel robbed of the whole Viking werewolf thing. History and lore do not make a Viking. Sorry, I digress. It's told from alternating POVs so you get tho know what they are both thinking. The beginning was exciting, then it slowed down in the middle as Sonya begins to learn the new world she was forced into. I get it, this is the first book in the series and there's a certain amount of world-building that needs to occur. Normally, I am a big fan of world-building. However, my lack of connection with the characters really killed it for me and I really wanted to start skimming but I didn't. It wasn't until around the last 20% of the book before my interested was piqued. Now things start to pick up when... Nope, I'm not giving anything away except of course there is an HEA. You'll need to find out what happens to Sonya and Ty for yourself.

What I really enjoy about shifter books is the fast-paced, high emotions they tend to have. Once Bitten didn't seem to have that for me. It had more of a slow meander to it which had my mind wandering from the story on more than one occasion. That really sucked for me because I prefer books that grab me from the get-go and make me lose sleep. It's not that the storyline was bad, no, it held quite a bit of promise. My problem was the lack of connection I felt to the characters as well I felt the story dragging on several occasions. I'm going to guess the next book is going to be about Ayra. Maybe I'll stick around to see how it goes for her.

reviewed by Jac