The Good
* Hunt the Moon is very lean, fast paced and exciting. There was so much going on but Kari Cole handled it all so well. She writes clearly and eloquently without wasting words which was just right for a book with so much action.
* The action scenes themselves were really well written. They were exciting without being confusing.
* The main characters were really strong, layered and well developed. I expected Luke to be an insensitive, pushy jerk (like so many other alphas in were romances) but he was actually pretty amazing. With his pack he was strong and kind, and with Izzy he was patient, understanding and most importantly he was willing to let her go if she wanted to. Izzy was more complex and harder to get to know but she was willing to learn, grow and accept. She didn't keep throwing her past in the way just to be difficult and Cole didn't use it just to create angst. Hunt the Moon centres on two sensitive and troubled people who actually want to be better. It made a really nice change.
* The secondary characters were really strong. Freddie, Rissa, Dean, Sarah, Vaughn etc were all fully developed, individual and interesting characters who added to the plot instead of being in the way.

The Bad
* Despite being great Izzy and Luke took some time to grow on me. It was a little too long to fully connect with them in the way that I could have.
* Hunt the Moon is one of the better 'predestined mates' romances out there but it still took some of the chemistry out of the courtship.

The Ugly
* I really didn't like the chapters from the POV of the bad guys. I didn't feel like it was needed. I would have preferred that time to have been spent with the pack.

Just no. I like my paranormal werwolf books but this wasn't for me. It was too generic and flat. There was nothing special for me.

REVIEW
I like to try new authors and when I found this book by Kari Cole I wanted to read it. The blurb had me intrigued.

I would say the cover depicts the characters of Luke Wyland and Isabelle Meyers, there is also a full moon in the background of the cover behind the two shifters.

The genres listed for this book include Romance, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy which fit the book very well.

The books central characters are Isabelle and Luke. Isabelle has lost both her parents in an incident many years ago in a planned shifter attack. The girls end up in the care of her bitter, shifter hating grandmother. It is the grandmother that makes both Izzy and Bess ashamed of their heritage and makes them learn to suppress their inner wolf. The grandmother is a very cruel woman, she keeps the girls from others of their own kind and even forces the girls apart from each other, punishing them if she finds them comforting each other or even holding hands.

Then when social services finally intervene and the two girls are placed in foster care with Hank & Abby and their adopted son Freddie. The girls naturally find it hard to settle in and trust they will not be abused as they were with their grandmother. Hank & Abby try many times to adopt the two girls but their grandmother refuses.

This book has quite a lot going on as human Freddie is marrying Rissa who is a shifter. Freddie has invited Izzy whom he considers his sister to meet his wife to be and her extended family. As soon as Izzy comes into contact with Rissa she realises that she is a shifter. You would think as a shifter herself Izzy would be happy to find a pack that seems intent on welcoming her. However her grandmother has filled her head with everything negative about shifters.

Then there's Rissa who is the Luna in her pack. Luke has only recently taken the role as alpha as his father & his father's beta, were killed along with a couple of young female shifters. Luke has his hands pretty full already with trying to find out who killed his father. Then there's the people that keep going missing, then turning up dead!

When Izzy meets Luke Wyland, the Alpha of Rissa's pack the air practically sizzles. Luke instantly knows that Izzy is his mate! As Luke learns more about Izzy he wonders What on earth could her human grandmother have done to her and her sister Bess for them to fear their own kind? And why had the Chicago pack not come forward to help the two girls, especially after their grandmother died? How could any pack allow their own species end up in the care system under "only human care"??" Luke knows he cannot reveal his attraction and mate bond to Izzy, he needs to gain her trust and coax out her inner wolf before that or he may lose her.

The fact that Izzy was a vegetarian and is totally repressing her wolf has Luke and brother Freddie concerned. Both Luke and Freddie are very protective over Izzy so they kind of butt heads a lot especially when Freddie realises that Luke is attracted to Izzy even though Freddie is a breakable human he threatens Luke the very strong alpha! Eventually Freddie reveals some of Izzy's tragic past to Luke including the fact her sister Bess killed a man the one time she was in wolf form. She also video calls Izzy to tell her what she has done and to say goodbye to her sister and shoots herself. Obviously Izzy is devastated about her sisters suicide which to her just reinforces what their grandmother instilled in them, that shifters are bad, they kill and their inner wolf should be repressed at all times!

Along with trying to help Izzy, Luke has the problem of the mysterious deaths in the area his pack lives in. Is it a human killer or a shifter?

My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were that this book was fairly medium paced to begin with but certainly becomes really action packed nearer the end. This book ends with a few loose ends which is good news because I would love to read more about this Were pack.

This book has some great book boyfriend worthy characters, Luke, Dean and Freddie to name just three possibilities. If you love kick butt females there are plenty of those too, Isabelle, Rissa, and Abby for example.

What more can I say? I'd love to read more by this author as well as definitely wanting to read more of the Mated By Fate Series. If you love a great shifter book then this one should be on your reading list!

I loved the uniqueness of this shifter romance! Paranormal romance is shifting (see what I did there?) into a beautiful direction, and this book is proof. Yes, the hero is an alpha, but he's not a jerk. The heroine practices her personal agency and did I mention they pray to a Goddess? Yeah, they do. They also have a female leader in the pack, Luna. Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Kari Cole.

The idea of this book really had me wondering how everything would play out. A werewolf who hates her own kind? Color me intrigued. This is my first book by this author and I thought she really did a good job at drawing me in and wanting to know what exactly was going to happen and how everything was going to play out.

I have to say I'm incredibly impressed with HUNT THE MOON, especially considering it's the author's debut. Paranormal romances are more on the candy side for me, quick easy reads that stay on the lighter side. While I love mixing in paranormal romances in between my darker Urban Fantasy reads, I will admit sometimes the instalove and uber domineering alpha males can get a bit stale. However HUNT THE MOON felt anything but despite the couple being a fated pair. Izzy is incredibly scarred from the abuse in her past, and justifiably weary. And Luke despite having all the control and protection instincts of an alpha, didn't ever once push her. I really enjoyed the slow burn and progression of the romance and felt it was very well done, perfectly balancing the characters, the situations, and the chemistry between them all in a very believable progression.

In addition to the deliciously executed romance, the world and plotline behind this book were very entertaining as well. While most of the focus was on the main couple of course, many of the secondary characters shined and teased at their hopeful stories to come. All in all, HUNT THE MOON was exactly the sexy, fun, and flirty paranormal romance fix I was looking for. I can't wait to see what's in store for this series next!

I enjoy a good shifter romance with good world building, whether that setting be contemporary or fantasy. I also look for a sexy but plausible-feeling Hero and heroine. Hunt the Moon comes close. Luke is the arrogant alpha of his wolf-shifter pack, though his cockiness disguises his feelings of inadequacy. On the other hand, Isabel his mate, is a genuine plucky female with a horrific childhood that has scarred her mentally and physically. The plot combines two storylines, suspense set on top of romance. There are some incomplete plot points and jarring point-of-view shifts that hampered its quality.

Wow, quite the ride! A lot of characters, so a little tough to get into, but once you’re settled a great read. Enjoyed the slow burn of the romance. Izzy has a dark and believable back story. The author doesn’t hold back and puts her characters through the wringer. Intriguing worldbuilding and definitely curious about the next book in the series.

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Hunt the Moon by Kari Cole
I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
I found out about this book from another author at a book convention. I mentioned I loved paranormal and boom she hooked me up with the author info!!
Again, I am a huge paranormal girl and can be a little picky so trying a new to me author and my favorite genre could be awesome or a disaster!! I am happy to say it was awesome!! I men can we talk about Luke??? HELLO!!!!
Izzy is not ok with being a wolf. She will not let her wolf come out and play. We find out about a loss that Izzy has experienced in her life and how Izzy feels about being a shifter in general…which is not good. Luke and his crew are investigating a bunch of murders that are taking place in town. He is soon discovering there is a lot of deceit and politics in the world he never knew until he reached his current position of Alpha.
I loved the developing characters and learning why our main characters are the way they are. Izzy’s life and history was a bit sad to me where as Luke, I felt his pain and hurt when discovering so much about what is happening to his people.
I look forward to the next book in the series!!

This book was a truly enjoyable experience. I haven’t read this author before and so am delighted to pick up a new “must have” author to read. Izzy and Luke are both attractive personalities and you can’t help but root for them. This author has presented a storyline which is more psychologically complex than most of this genre. It is a book which involves healing and self-acceptance on a fairly deep level..Definitely recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Kari Cole is a new-to-me author. Not realizing this was the first in a new series, there were a few times I thought I was reading a continuation and just rolled with it instead of being confused. Now that I know it's the first book, I wonder if this is a spin-off of another series? There was slight confusion, as backstories were told as if the reader experienced it firsthand in another book, with most of the pack already mated, leaving few to narrate future books, which is one of the main reasons I thought this was a continuation. I just rolled with it, not finding it too confusing as long as I focused on our narrators.

This was a solid paranormal novel featuring the fated mates plot device, where two people meet and are instantly connected. But where this was unique is how Izzy is suppressing her wolf, removing the insta-love/lust connection often used in this genre.

Izzy is in town for her foster brother's wedding, which is one of the reasons I thought this was a continuation or spin-off, as that seemed like a story that had been told. Izzy never acknowledges she's a shifter, thinking weres are monsters, including herself, only to land in a town full of weres.

The book was much deeper than anticipated, with grief, guilt, and shame riding shotgun for a handful of the characters. Izzy was an identical twin, Bess having committed suicide due to being unable to handle her wolf side after years of abuse at their human grandmother's hands. There're still threads of Izzy and Bess's backstory left to tell at the end of the novel, which I believe will be voiced by Chicago's alpha.

Luke is a reluctant alpha, grief over the loss of several of their pack members, including his own father/alpha, has made it difficult for Luke to connect to his new position. Even with his wolfy instincts riding him, he still manages to be a patient hunter.

Murders are occurring around town, the alpha, beta, and gamma are investigating, which is the main focal point of the novel, with the fated mates romance just skimming the surface. Mystery. Murder. Betrayal. Politics. These facets converge to create a well-rounded paranormal novel.

I do recommend and look forward to the next in the series, and I'll be checking out Kari Cole's backlist as well.


Dawn – ☆☆☆☆
I felt this story was a little slow to start but once it did I really enjoyed it.

It's full of angst and heartbreak, you feel it as you go through the journey with Izzy. I enjoyed that the second half of the book kept me on my toes, so many twists and turns.

I liked Izzy as a character. All she had been through and she still refused to be victim or back down, even though she was terrified.

The chemistry between her and Luke was great. I was rooting for them the whole way through.

Not going to lie, Freddie annoyed me quite a lot. He acted like a petulant child for a lot of the book; glad he calmed down towards the end.

I'm excited for Vaughn's book. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

A great shifter paranormal romance, I really liked this one. Hunt the moon, is book one in this new series and I really thought it was great fun.

First story I've read by Ms. Cole and pleasantly surprised. Good plot and character development. Intriguing story.

It’s great to find a book where characters suffer hardships without becoming martyrs. Many urban fantasy characters are products of their horrible, violent upbringing and are horrible and violent because of it. HUNT THE MOON is about healing, about having the capacity to heal yourself and heal others. It’s about family, both the one you are born to and the one you choose; it’s about accepting who you are.

Luke is the new Alpha of his pack, but he doesn’t feel like he deserves it. He has taken over his father’s role after his father was murdered, and those are some awfully big shoes to fill. They may be werewolves, but they still have human rivalries and doubts. I loved the pack dynamics, watching the different pack members use their strengths to build up the pack - or to try to tear it down. Izzy is so broken she is slowly killing herself in order to push down what she sees as her inner monster. When faced with a whole pack of people who challenge her views, she obviously doesn’t have an easy time of it. Watching her character evolve as she tried to accept the wolf within was fascinating. It’s engaging and emotional to watch Izzy and Luke, who both pretend they are fine, discover themselves by becoming closer.

A mating bond can quickly devolve into insta-lust/love, and I’m so tired of that trope. If not handled well, it can feel like all agency has been taken from the characters. I was worried that Izzy would be “fixed” as soon as the mating bond kicked in, or that Luke would turn into a caveman and insist that he can fix her. Instead, Izzy’s foster brother makes Luke promise to let her go if she chooses to leave. Even knowing that it might kill him, he agrees. Although the mating bond threw them together and definitely turned up the heat, it never felt like a force living the characters’ lives for them.

HUNT THE MOON is a heart-wrenching story full of twists and excellent character development. I am dying to read the next one, because although most things were resolved, there are still questions and I want to read more about these characters.

Luke wondered who would have thought being Alpha would involve so much paperwork. A truck rumbled out of Townes Aviation. Luke’s cousin Dean barged into the conference room wearing his deputy sheriff uniform. Fifteen months ago four of their packmates including Dean's sister and Luke’s father were murdered. Then Dean said said they had another missing person - a human - Eric Conroy who was the county clerk. No one had seen Eric since he left work yesterday. Dean said he had a bad feeling and so did Luke. That was five missing now. Here they had a pack and the pack could find anything in their territory. Yet they had found no sign of the logger who has been missing seven months or the two female hikers who had vanished a month ago or even the lifelong resident who sold all his land just after New Years Day and disappeared without a word to his three kids . Dean was Luke's Beta- or second in command in the pack. Luke added no one was to search alone including Dean. If someone or something was hunting in their territory he wouldn’t let his wolves be easy targets. Ressa came into her family business- Townes Aviation- Freddie was her mate. Dean and Ressa had been Luke’s best friends since they were kids. The responsibility of their home and care for it and the people who lived there weighed on Luke. His dad would have said that is what an Alpha does- the worries, comforts, manages and directs. And when that doesn’t work he knocks heads. Grief pounded at Luke at the thought of his father and the others they had lost. Luke won’t rest until each of the missing humans were accounted for in honor of his dad. Fury ate at Luke for not being able to find his dads and the others murderers. Within him his wolf snarled. Izzy felt Freddie was more than just another parentless kid who shared a foster home with Izzy. In every way that mattered Freddie was her brother. Freddie said Izzy was nothing but skin and bone and their foster mom- Abby- was a force of nature, a tidal wave that swampede people with her care. Lately Izzy couldn’t satisfy her bottomless pit of a appetite. Then Freddie said not to worry that they would fatter Izzy up before their mom Abby and dad Hank got there. Izzy had flown a Blackhawk in Iraq just like Freddie. Izzy loved flying , it was her on;y refuge , the one place where the memories and fears didn’t take over. Sometimes on the ground she lost the ability to breath , panic seizing her lungs. Izzy avoided crowds, and sat with her back to walls so no one could sneak up on her. Sudden and inexplicable anger would pound through Izzy’s viens.make her want to rage at the world. Nightmares woke her every night. That more than anything else terrified Izzy, because she knew what drove the constant craving.Freddie asked the last time Izzy had talked to a professional. He said between her childhood, the war…. Bess she needed to talk about things. But Izzy knew her problems went beyond PTSD or dead sister. Izzy knew the man was staring at her and she stumbled and the weight of his gaze set off a new kind of fluttering in her stomach. His body shook as he inhaled deeply - as if straining against an immovable force. The cop grabbed the man’s arm and got snarled at for his trouble. The man never took his hungry eyes off Izzy. She wanted to run toward him . Her whole life Izzy had hidden from werewolves now her brother was to marry one. Izzy’s grandmother had brought her granddaughters up that werewolves were violent vile monsters even though their parents had been werewolves. Izzy had never shifted.Bess had shifted then killed the man. Luke was sucker punched by the sight and scent of something he hadn’t expected as his beast declared “mine.” His wolf tried to break free to take what it wanted. Then Luke smelled ehr fear and his instinct to protect her was nearly overwhelming as Freddie’s foster sister was Luke’s mate. Izzy now understood Freddie knew about werewolves and also cared for them. Everything in Izzy told her to run but she would not leave Freddie. Not once had he abandoned her or Bess, even when he should have. He got beatings from all sorts of bullies in defense of the “Freaky Twins.” Izzy had already failed her sister, she would not fail her brother. Izzy was a werewolf as was her sister Bess and Bess had committed suicide after she had killed a man and showed Izzy on Videochat and also when she killed herself almost three years ago. Izzy was starving herself with the refusal to eat meat. Caine set his cell phone down despite the wolf growling in his head as he refused to lose his temper. A forty something blonde haired woman looked down the hallway at Caine with a look of distaste on her face. Caine didn’t care someday soon she would outlive her usefulness and he would probably snap her skinny neck. Holt - Caine’s employer and pack leader said Caine looked annoyed. Caine killed for many reasons and enjoyed while he did. Caine never loved anything in his life except the hunt. Caine wanted to live in the world Holt was creating so he’d take orders.
I loved this book, it was a great action packed read. I loved how Izzy and grew in this book and finally accepted her wolfand all that went with it. I loved the relationship between Izzy and Freddie as well as Izzy and Abby and Hank.I also loved how Izzy and Luke interacted with each other. I loved izzy and Luke together. I loved the pace and the plot. I happily could find anything to criticize in this book. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

Trigger warnings: child abuse, threats of rape and sexual abuse

Despite the fact that I'm not that big of a fan of insta-love, I'm a ridiculous fan of werewolf romances. So, I was a little leery of reading the first book in a series named "Mated by Fate," but the blurb was irresistible. I'm so glad I did! This was an absolutely delightful read!

Isabelle is ridiculously kickass, and I simply adored her. After their parents' death in a car crash, Izzy and her twin sister Bess stayed with their grandmother until they were eventually placed in the foster care system. Though she hasn't been great at keeping in touch, she's excited about being in her foster brother's wedding - until she finds out the new in-laws are werewolves. Izzy should know - she's one, too, though she's managed to hide it from her foster family. Her backstory is pretty tragic, so it's no surprise to find that she's terrified of werewolves, but her first thought is to protect her brother, Freddie, from them. This is probably what really set this book apart for me - Izzy is ex-military, and even when she's obviously scared out of her mind, she's thinking of how to protect others. She's not the only kickass woman - Freddie's fiancée, Rissa, is another - and it was nice to see someone who's able to hold her own. I thought her journey from "all werewolves are evil monsters" to "ok, maybe they're like regular people, just toothier" was well done and believable.

“So. It’s a happy-happy shifter utopia around here. You’re all going around being mundane members of society. Got it. But?”
He gave her a wry look. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or throttle her. “You’re kind of a wiseass.”
“Just noticing that now?”


I was initially put off by some of Luke's alpha posturing, but after Izzy put him in his place a few times, he shaped up. Luke's having a rough time as well, trying to pick up the pieces after becoming alpha unexpectedly when his father and several other pack members were murdered. Despite his best efforts, he's no closer to finding their killer, and he's having serious doubts about his ability to run the pack. So the last thing he needs is the added stress of a finding his mate - especially one who seems to have no idea how to be a werewolf and seems ready to kill all of them to protect her brother. I loved the immediate tension between them, but also that they took the time for at least the start of a relationship to develop before giving in to it too much.

The pacing is a bit uneven, especially in the middle, and it did feel like the reader was dropped smack in the middle of things. The secondary plot - the mystery/thriller involving the murders - was fun, if a bit confusing. There's a lot of history with Luke's pack and how he became alpha, not to mention Izzy's brother's romance. I hope at some point Ms. Cole will go back and write a prequel for how Freddie and Rissa met. I still think the relationship between Luke and Izzy developed too fast, but at the same time I realize it's pretty par for the course for a fated-mates-type novel. There are a few loose ends left at the end of the book, but it sets the stage well for this being the start of a series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. If you like werewolf romances with kickass women and a decent thriller subplot, you'll love this book! I'm definitely looking forward to the next in the series!

I just visited a brand new world by debut author Kari Cole. This promising new shifter world – Marked by Fate – is well developed with strong, enthralling characters that easily draw readers in and invite them to stay. Kari Cole brought her world to vibrant life with well written descriptions that made it easy to picture the each and every scene as it happens and made it easy for the readers to imagine they are part of the story.

The hero and heroine, Luke and Izzy, of the first book – Hunt the Moon – are easily connected to and have a strong electrical chemistry that sizzles from every page. Their romance is rocky and full of emotional turbulence since Izzy has a very troubled and disturbing past that tugs at reader’s heartstrings but makes Izzy fear Werewolves despite the fact that she is one. Izzy’s characters is definitely a troubled one and the author did a great job of showing readers the past that caused such emotional issues that readers can certainly understand why she is the way she is and it also shows just how strong Izzy is and Luke is sexy and all alpha but with a heart that clearly has what it takes to help Izzy overcome her past and move toward a happily ever after.

The plot is fast paced and full of twists that keep readers on their toes, lots of action to get the adrenaline pumping and lots of suspense to keep readers glued to the pages wondering what will happen next and that’s not to mention that the bad guys have quite a few surprises for this pack as well so there is never a dull moment to be found in this exciting and thrilling story.

I was fascinated by Izzy and Luke’s story and was captivated by the other characters in this pack as well, so I will impatiently await the release of Vaughn’s story – Touch the Sky - which will be releasing this fall.

Note: Hunt the Moon has explict sex scenes, memories of child abuse, references to rape.

I very much enjoyed HUNT THE MOON

I really felt for Izzy. Learning about her life and the role that being a shifter played in her past was heartbreaking. It was easy to connect with her and feel her pain as she fought the beliefs and habits that were tortured into her. Even when she was scared out of her mind she was there for those that needed her and was willing to put herself in harm's way quite often. I really loved how Luke treated her and stood by her even though she pushed him away. I also really loved meeting and learning about her family.

Luke had that sexy alpha male feel to him, but he wasn't super pushy or overly full of himself. He was protective, yet willing to step back and watch. Their connection was pretty instant, but their romance was slow and turbulent. It was fun watching them navigate and learn each other.

The very first meeting between Izzy and the pack was pretty priceless. I was both horrified and amused at the same time. Definitely entertaining and I found myself entertained during many parts of the book. It wasn't needed, but I would have actually loved a prequel to HUNT THE MOON showing us how Freddie met and fell in love with Rissa. It would have been a nice intro to the Mated by Fate world and it's characters. Especially considering the role some of the pack members plays in HUNT THE MOON.

I plan to read more.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Izzy was traumatized as a child and hates the very thing she is a werewolf. This becomes a problem when she goes to Montana for her brother's wedding and is surrounded by them. This story is really about Izzy accepting herself and dealing with the abuse at the hands of her grandmother. Really enjoyed the love story and how excepting and helpful Luke was to get her through her issues. Great story, loved the characters, also had a bit of a mystery. I think the different point of views were great but sometimes they happened a little too often and it ruined the flow of the story for me.

This book was so good, I couldn’t put it down! It felt like I was already joining a world that was previously built in a series all its own, but I came to find this was the first book of what I hope is a long and awesome series.

Izzy is joining her brother as he prepares for his wedding. It seems a rather ordinary outing for normal humans, but there are just oodles of secrets hiding behind every corner. Because of her tragic and abuse-filled past, she’s got a few issues surrounding werewolves. This makes her being a werewolf an even more difficult pill to swallow. When confronted with tons of werewolves (and her brother is marrying one!), she obviously freaks out.

Luke is the alpha of said group of werewolves. He’s begrudgingly accepted Izzy’s brother into the pack (even though he is human), but he can’t quite understand the whole mating thing. In true karmic fashion, he instantly knows that Izzy is his, even before she threatens to kill them all. These two obviously have an uphill battle ahead of them, but Luke is a very patient man.

The sizzle between these two was obviously there and there’s enough of Izzy that is willing to listen that they can actually begin to pursue a relationship. It probably helps that her brother is uniquely qualified to give advice and calm her prejudices. On top of all this drama, they also have some disappearances and mysteries to solve. Somewhere along the way, Izzy gets to learn that, just like humans, there are good shifters and bad shifters out there. I absolutely cannot wait to see where this series takes me next!