ARCTIC BITE is a standalone featuring a polar bear shifter (who has a secret), a woman who is trying to hide and live a human lifestyle, who together brings us a steamy romance that will leave you breathless. Add in action, intrigue, Death, Reapers, nasty group of vampires, and a Fallen Angel who scares everyone, and you have ARCTIC BITE and it will have you!

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=70602

First things first, the cover is beautiful and I was spiked when I got approved for this ARC because of the paranormal activities in the synopsis. I was not disappointed!!

Alexei is a shifter - not a werewolf but a polar bear!!
Cassandra is a reaper - gone rouge, has a bounty over her head
One rule of Alexei’s Brotherhood - Don’t fall for the hunted

The entire story plot is set in Alaska and its a hunter-lover paranormal romance. I loved every bit of Alexei and Cassie. Some parts of the story were a little predictable, but it didn’t ruin my interest in the ploy. After reading it, I came to know Arctic Bite is a part of series, but can be read as a standalone too. This being my first paranormal romance novel, I loved it so much. The authors words were descriptive and easily captivating.

If you love haters to lovers romance, this one will be one of your favourites.

Thank you NetGalley, NJWalters and publisher for the ARC.

First I want to say that this book cover is absolutely beautiful. When the artwork draws your attention before anything else it makes me want to pick it up and read what it's about. I have found many of my books this way and I will continue to do that. Great job on the artwork!

Next, I want to get into why I loved this book but I do want want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC on this Free Arc in exchange for my honest review, all these thoughts and opinions are only mine.

I was intrigued to find a book about a Polar Bear Shifter and not your standard werewolf or sometimes the werepanther path.

This book really had me hooked from the beginning with the story starting out about Alexei being a contract killer and having to hunt down Cassandra Dobbs and kill her.

When he reaches the place where Cassandra works and observes her he starts to interact with her. This is where things start to go wrong because he starts to get attached to her when he asks her questions about her past and digs deeper within it.

He feels he must protect her with everything he has and go against everything he has been brought up to believe. He betrays his own brothers for her.

Pick this book up if you would like a great romance with some thrills!

#netgalley #arcticbite

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I can say I enjoyed this book more than the first one. The relationship actually seemed reciprocated on both ends, unlike in Fury Unleashed where Maccus was resistant to his feelings and barely showed emotion until the last page. In this one, Alexei was very protective of Cassie, and it was obvious he really loved her and wanted what was best for her. Their relationship moved fast, which makes sense for a fated mates-type of romance, but I wasn't bothered by it.

This world isn't super fleshed out, I've noticed. Yes, there are a lot of different paranormal species and abilities, and the settings are very varied, but I don't think some of the characters are very detailed or complex. For instance, I couldn't help but think that Cassie should've been....MORE. She's been alive since the dawn of time, and yet she seemed to have no depth or special understanding of the world. She was just the typical thirty-year-old single woman. I expected more from her perspective and experiences.

Some of the dialogue was also a bit cheesy, like from the bad reapers and Lucifer himself (although he didn't appear in this novel, the whole contract on Cassie was obviously his idea), and I had trouble enjoying some aspects of the story because some of the antogonists were a bit stereotypical.

There was a whole lot of sex and smut, which was expected, and the story moved along quickly for the most part. These books are simple, mindless reads which don't rely too much on plot. I think the series is okay, and I might consider reading another book in the series if there is one, but I probably won't seek them out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed book two in the Forgotten Brotherhood series. I liked that it can be read as a stand alone, or in addition to the first book.

Alexei is an assassin in the Forgotten Brotherhood and is endearing mixture of alpha male and gentle giant. He is a polar bear shifter with something a little extra in the mix making him even stronger. Alexei always investigates before accepting a contract to kill someone.

Cassandra is the first reaper to leave her job in the history of the world. She is tired of guiding souls and escapes into the human world to try and live as a human. She is hiding out in Alaska as a bartender, where she is avoiding using her powers to other Reapers can't track her down. The main characters end up meeting when someone takes a contract out on Cassie's life and Alexei goes to investigate before accepting the hit.

After he gets there, Alexei starts questioning the contract and becomes attracted to Cassie. Alexei goes from considering killing Cassie, to protecting her against others trying to kill her. I like the chemistry between the characters and the shyness that Alexei sometimes displays around Cassie.

The thing I am not a big fan of is the characters almost instantly falling in love, but overall I enjoyed reading this book.

Having read book 1 I can tell you two things: 1) this works as a stand-a-lone book in the series, you don't need to read book 1 to fully enjoy this book and 2) I enjoyed this book even more than book 1. I felt Alexei and Cassie's characters were better fleshed out. Both were great characters and worked well together as a couple. Also appreciated that while there was the insta-attraction between them, they didn't rush into bed but instead showed the hesitancy (and frustration) that would expect from 2 individuals with lots of secrets and wariness that comes from being an assassin or on the run. I appreciated watching the connection between them grow and expand into something more and for them slowly lower their walls to each other. The world building continues to be interesting as was the plot and related twists and surprises it included. I look forward to where the author will be taking us next in this series.

This is the second book in the Forgotten Brotherhood Series. And it is just as good as the first book.

Only Alexei Medvedev isn't a fallen angel, he's a polar bear shifter and something else. He's tracked his next target Cassandra Dobbs, to a remote Alaskan town, to gather as much information as possible before taking the assignment. And he can't quite figure out why someone has put a bounty on her head. On top of that, he finds himself attracted to the target.
When another paranormal walks into the bar where Cassie works attempting to collect on her bounty, Alexei is overcome with the need to protect her from this immortal being. Knowing reapers are on their way to collect the deceased being Cassie urges Alexei to run with her before she is discovered.

The book was fast-paced, especially those action scenes. I enjoyed the scenes where Alexei and Cassandra are getting to know each other. The introduction of Death and his reapers was interesting. It was fun to see Maccus again in this book and I can't wait to see who we are introduced to in the next book.

This ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley

I received this title from Netgalley for an honors review.

Excellent job! The author does an amazing job of developing the plot and the romantic tension between is wonderful. Alexei is an interesting hero. I was expecting something a little different based on the blurb, but what I got was much better. He has a conscience and I like that the wanted the truth rather than dismissing his instincts and then spending chapters “fixing”. Here, the hero take it slow and it allows the reader to really connect with the Romantic aspect.
Cassie was an interesting character. She is strong, which is nice in a Romantic suspense. Her struggle with not using her powers and her need for peace are a nice contrast. Overall, this book is very well written. I will purchase the book as well.

This one was okay. It was nowhere near as good as the last one though and that kind of let me down. I also had many issues here. First and foremost, it is simply fundamentally wrong for a brutal mountain of a man to blush as much as Alexei does. We're always told how much of a badass he is, but then he goes and gets all girly. Not right. Next, there was just way too much talk about feelings for me. I don't read books for feels, as the cool kids say. Unlike the first one, there really wasn't much action here either. I just never really got sucked into the story. But I did love the bits and pieces of Maccus we get.

I was really hoping that this book would be about Asher, the vampire we briefly met with Maccus. He seemed like he would be a fun, badass character. Instead we got Alexei. A polar bear shifter who also turned vampire with a ton of emotional baggage. See? Already he sounds like a downer. But he was a good fit for Maccus's brotherhood. Which is why he finds himself in Alaska gathering information on the target of a contract.

Cassie is a reaper. One who has walked away from her job and has been running ever since. By burying all the powers that make her a reaper, she feels like she is becoming more and more human, but it's the only way to remain off the radar of the other reapers. Choosing Alaska to flee to for a while because of the temperature and the very low density of people, she finds herself staying there longer than she should have. Which she admits quickly after two strangers show up at the bar she's working.

Not a shock, her and Alexei immediately feel something for the other the moment they meet. In Alexei's case, he goes from hunting her to wanting to protect her from everything. I mean, literally everything. Their relationship was kind of meh to me and I really couldn't see anything other than lust from them. Oh, and talking. About feelings. So much fun. Also, I'm not sure I'd be willing to die for someone I've only known a few days. Just saying.

Like I said, not a lot of action. But we do get a couple fights with vampires and one with a couple reapers. That said though, they weren't terribly exciting...or long. The bulk of the story is these two running or hiding with that occasional fight thrown in. I did enjoy meeting Death. And with him came Cassie's big secret. Which, by the time it was said, wasn't a huge surprise. Every thing here was all just so anti-climatic though that this one didn't make any impact for me. Thank you for your brief appearances Maccus. I do so love that fallen angel.

So even though this one didn't impress me, I'd still check out the next one. I'll just be hoping for better.

Will her true nature be the end or the beginning of their blossoming relationship...

The first thing to say is I was hooked from the very first page, while I like paranormal romance, I read them from time to time. And this one caught me unaware, I needed to know what will come after each turn of page.
I missed the first book but it is no problem as this one is truly a standalone.
Alexei is not the usual shifter, he is much more than a changeling and it is why he was shunned by his kin and found his right place among the Forgotten Brotherhood group.
He is honorable and follows the rules, never would he accept a contract if he does not feel it is right. Why his investigation brings him in this deserted place.
And his target is nothing he expected and everything he never knew he needed.
Cassandra can’t stand her line of job any more, enough is enough, why she terminated her contract but no one revoke a job with Death himself. And now she has this stranger looming in her bar. While she should run, she is drawn to him. And with shadows lurking closer, whom to trust.
Yet their attraction is one only the fates mates encounter, from the first glance they were stuck with no way of going backward.
It was in some way fun to watch them trying to figure out who the other was and at the same time hiding their true nature, afraid to scare the other.
Alexei since his change has never known compassion, gentleness and empathy. And Cassandra is everything above and more. Together they figure out who they are and what they want even if it will be short lived as no one escapes Death.
This is a fast paced tale as everything moved in the span of time of a few days, theirs is an instant mating kind of love, without even knowing the other, they were destined to be together.
I enjoyed there is no big fight against their calling, but that it was not also smooth. They accept their attraction but need to believe in one another and trust is not something offered blindly.

5 stars for a very entertaining and page-turning read making me revisit the many paranormal beings under a very unusual light.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Entangled, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

The second in the Forgotten Brotherhood series we follow Alexei as he checks in on a hire before taking it. As he watches Cassie, his hit, he realizes that he can’t take the job as she’s obviously not a danger to others. He begins to dig, trying to discover who is trying to hire him and why Cassie. They begin to get to know one another and Cassie’s past catches up with her. Secrets are uncovered on both sides and Cassie finally discovers why she is so different.
This is such an amazing story and a great addition to the series. I love that Cassie is just as strong and capable as Alexei and they complement each other well. The love they have for each other is transcendent and a joy to behold. I’m glad that they found each other and finally get the happy ending that they both deserve. I’ve never heard of vampire shifter, and being the only of his kind to exist his life was quite lonely. As for Cassie, well I’ll let you read the book to discover just who and what she is. I can’t wait to read more of this series. The pace and the twists and turns hook you right from the start and never let up. It just kept getting better and better. Well done.

4.5 Stars

I loved this one more so than the first book of the series and that one was pretty awesome. I am partial to shifters though. Alexei takes out the bad guys in the paranormal world, but he does it with conscience. Thank goodness. He checks on Cassie first and the story isn't matching up. Together they prepare to take on her Boss--Death. Meanwhile, they fall in love. Lots of sparks there. Also a great underlying message about what it means to be worthy in life.

Fantastic setting and more new to me interesting characters. I can't wait to read more of the Brotherhood. SO great to catch up with the couple from Fury as well!

Great read!

RATING 4.5 STARS

Arctic Bite is book two in the Forgotten Brotherhood series by N.J. Walters. First, I need to mention the covers of both of the books in this series. They are gorgeous. It’s what first drew me in. Then, when I read the first book, I was in love. I’ve been anxiously waiting for the next book, Alexei’s story, and it was fantastic!

Alexei Medvedev is a polar bear shifter. Only, he’s not just an ordinary bear shifter. He is a bear with a little something extra. Shunned by his own kind at an early age, he was taken in by the Brotherhood, a band of paranormals for hire, assassins hired to kill other paranormals that needed to be taken out, put down, the worst of the worst. Before any contract is signed, they always investigated the mark, making sure it was truly someone that needed to be killed. Alexei was very glad of this detail, very glad he had not yet signed that contract, the night he walked into The Pit, the bar where his current mark worked, and first laid eyes on her.

Cassandra (Cassie) Dobbs is an ex-reaper. She’s been reaping souls since the dawn of time and she just couldn’t do it anymore. Now she’s in hiding, learning to live as a human, experiencing life for the first time. The night Alexei walked in to her bar, she knew he was something other, just not sure what. What she did know was that when they touched, it was electric. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

“She belonged to him. Now all he had to do was convince her of that.”

Alexei knew this woman was innocent. So why did someone have a contract out on her? He also felt a need to protect her with his life. He could let no harm come to her. Together, these two are a force to be reckoned with. As they explore the attraction to each other, they are also forced to face danger, as they try to figure out what is going on.

I loved this book. I read the entire book with the front cover image of Alexei in my head and that worked just fine! Alexei and Cassie’s chemistry burned up the pages. Not only were they both trying to stay alive, they were also forced to face shocking details of their own pasts. They also both discovered that the power of love, the power of loving someone else more than life, is the most powerful weapon of all.

I am so in love with this world the author has created. I have no idea what is next in this series but I can’t wait to find out! I can’t wait to meet the next member of The Forgotten Brotherhood.

Arctic Bite was exactly what I expected and wanted! Before receiving this arc, I had never heard of the author, and since it was the second in the series, I wanted to read the first book first, even though the books are technically stand alone and only intermingle characters in small connections! The supernatural aspects of this book are one of a kind and I enjoyed the characters, immediately caring about their problems and trials. It was a fast read, and I devoured it in a day! The ending was a little predictable but not enough to ruin the story overall. It had the perfect mix of plot, romance and smut!

It’s a bit wordy and some things seem really drawn out in this book. It takes a really long time for him to tell her what he really is and then he pushes her away or tries to and that was just awkward. The vamps at the end another awkward moment, they travel back to Nome so she can quit her job, ever hear of a phone? The characters are interesting and original but some of the situations they get themselves in were just to drawn out and I really just wanted to know what was going to happen.

I wouldn’t say I had high hopes for this book. I have read two other books by this author before and sadly was not that impressed. However, the original plot and world to this book promised had a big pull on me so I decided to give the author another chance. While Arctic Bite was better than the two previous books, I just couldn’t fall in love with this story.

I did like the start to the book with Alexei scooping out the target while finding himself drawn to and curious about said target; Cassie. Cassie had a bubbly persona as the bartender and their first interaction was charming and held a lot of intrigue, especially being what they were and the circumstances that brought them together. I really thought the book would take of from there with high speed, drama and a real nail biter of a conflict and I guess to some extent it did. Sadly though, it didn’t fully pull me along for the ride. This was because of the main characters.

For having a good start the characters never really developed any distinct personalities from there, staying generic throughout the book. Sure, there were synonyms connected to their names like Cassie being compassionate, brave, witty. Or Alexei being distant, scary, funny, but the only reason I knew that they had these traits was because I was told so by the story. Nowhere in the book did this actually show and, more than both characters constantly doubting or being extremely insecure where they stood with the other in the relationship, they didn’t really have anything else to them.

This made the plot and conflict of the story feel ... off, for lack of a better word. I did like the complexity and the unique touch of the world the story painted, with the brotherhood, shifters, angels, demons and reapers. However the big center of the story and conflict weren’t any of the above, but was the romance between Alexei and Cassie. Considering I had trouble seeing any characterization you can understand that the romance between them just didn’t do it for me.

Since they didn’t have much personality that I could see all I could see between them were great sex, slightly strange sex talk and their constant and repetitive fear of scaring the other one away with their own freaky natures. Oh, and their repetitive validations of “I love you” and the like. These validations and their need to protect one another were beautiful and heartwarming, sure, but it was the only sign that they loved each other. I would have preferred to have this shown to me through good and distinct character development and a growing relationship instead. As it was it was a bit too close to insta love for me and that just takes out all the excitement in the romance.

There were still good moments between them with some development, like their first meeting or them talking about their pasts. Especially Alexei opening up about his parents. It was the first time in the book that I got a bit more from him and actually felt for him. Had this book taken more advantage of that and built the romance by them going through thick and thin to fall in love I probably would have enjoyed it better. As it is now it lands on three stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think the Forgotten Brotherhood will be one of my favorite series already! After Fury Unleashed, I was very happy to see that another Brother got his own story. This one is about Alexei a bear shifter with a dark past, who has received the assignment to kill a rogue reaper. Said reaper is Cassie Dobbs, who is serving drinks in a local bar in Alaska.
The Brotherhood takes on the most dangerous contracts, but they always check out the targets, before killing them. Because they will only take lives when the one in the contract is rightfully targeted. And Alexei doesn't really understand why Cassie should die. So, he starts to investigate her.
And although the first rule is to Never Fall for your target, he can't deny the strange feelings he has for her. But when there appear to be more beings after Cassie, Alexei needs to get to the bottom of this. A wonderful story, with a lot of unexpected new twists. Suspense, humor and sparks flying. Totally great!
And the best news: book number three of the Forgotten Brotherhood is already underway! This will be Asher's story. Can't wait! Five out of five stars and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I received an ARC of this book. Release date is May 18th.

Alexei is an assassin for the Forgotten Brotherhood. He’s a polar bear/vampire hybrid and has gotten the contract to kill Cassandra a reaper.

Cassandra is tired of reaping and is working as a bartender in Alaska when Alexei walks into her bar. They have an instant attraction that has Alexei going from assassin to protector.

Alexei is just amazing. He’s strong and sexy, but we see such an awkward and sweet side of him with Cassie. I love how blunt he is.

Cassie is such a good match for him. She is deadlier than him and not afraid of who he is and what he needs.

This book was so good! I read it in one sitting and loved every second of it. Great suspense, steamy lovin and a sweet and strong relationship between the MCs.

I haven’t read NJ Walters in awhile and I’m so going back to read the previous book in the series.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the DunDurn for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date May 18, 2020.***

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Oh my, this was just what I needed … a nice paranormal fantasy / romance that was a VERY nice escape from our current “normal” life.

The characters were very engaging, and the storyline was perfect for me … not so slow that you lose interest, nor so fast that you feel like you’re missing anything. This book is the 2nd story in the Forgotten Brotherhood series, but works well as a standalone. I WILL be checking out other books by this author. 😃

ARCTIC BITE is a paranormal romance with an interesting premise. The Forgotten Brotherhood is a group of immortal assassins who kill other immortals (they are not impossible to kill, just very difficult), typically those that have gone off the rails. Alexei is a polar bear shifter/vampire and one of the assassins of the Forgotten Brotherhood. He is checking out his current mission to kill Cassie. He does not like to kill just because he is paid to, but instead checks out the immortals he is sent to kill to make sure they should actually be killed.

With Cassie, there is nothing to make him think that she is doing anything wrong. He is not even sure what type of immortal she is, as she lives like a human. However, before he can investigate too much, others show up for the bounty on her head.

Cassie is on the run and has been hiding in a remote town. She left her immortal job behind, and knows that people are looking for her, as it is not a job you can just quit. She finds Alexei immediately attractive.

In terms of what I liked, I enjoyed the premise of the Forgotten Brotherhood, and the different types of immortals. I connected with Alexei pretty quickly and was intrigued by his past, which is slowly revealed throughout the book.

In terms of things I did not like, the romance goes from 0 to I love you in no time, and I did not feel a connection between the two with some talking or getting to know each other first. It was pretty much immediate lust that is construed as love really fast. This might be a spoiler, so skip beyond this if you don't want to know, but one of them is also a virgin, and it felt like such a trope that I would have rather skipped it- there was not a clear reason and it took over the experience a bit.

Overall, it was a steamy paranormal romance with an interesting premise. I think it will really appeal to many readers looking for a hot and heavy relationship without much build. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.