I must be honest, I didn't like this book. I disliked this book so much, I forgot about it as soon as I put it down, to the extent that I forgot to do a review.

The writing of the book was fine, but the characters I found just... annoying and I didn't like them and I don't want to read anything else in this book.

The leading man was difficult and a jerk most of the time, even if eventually he was nice to the leading lady, and I remember being so annoyed after they were together how they were acting together, still. I understand it is based in college, and in that the characters did feel real, but I still found them very, very annoying.

I wanted Liu to find someone better for her than Desmond. Yes, he is the bad boy, but he is also just a jerk. In the end he stands up for her, but it takes SO LONG and he had feelings for her the whole time.

If you are looking for something to scratch the shapeshifter itch, this might do it, but I just found the characters unlikable.

I did get a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meiying and Desmond were shapeshifters who lived in a world where human and other magical creatures live together.
Meiying, a 17 year old tiger shifter started to live in a sorority house due to her mother's demand and she tried every possible way to stay away from her brother's friend, Desmond the wolf shifter whose also a hunter born.
They both didn't like each other, but they also can't deny that they're attracted to one another. Will they be able to keep away from each other or ended up admitting their growing attraction to each other ?

This is a very quick read. This book was only around 200 pages which is probably why I was able to finish this in just a couple hours.

The plot is actually intriguing, where magical creatures went to University and also compete in sport games. The pacing is also very fast so it didn't bored me at all.
The writing style feels slightly juvenile although I have to admit it makes processing lots of information being dumped on this story easier to understand.

The main problem why I didn't like this one is because of the characters. For a new adult paranormal romance with lots of spicy scene, making the main characters age were 17 and early 20's just didn't sit well with me.

Desmond was actually a good guy but acts like a jerk that I ended up didn't like him either in this book.
Meiying also wasn't that likeable, she complained a lot and felt very immature for me. I guess I have to tolerate her a bit since she's a teenager, a fact that was repeatedly mentioned throughout the story by stating that she's 17 years, which also annoyed me at some point.

While I like the concept of the plot, I'm not sure I'll be reading the rest of the story, but we'll see..... since I'm actually curious to find out what will happen to Meiying and Desmond after that cliffhanger at the end of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Danielle Annett and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve enjoyed Danielle’s other books, and this one followed nicely in the same line.

As usual with her books, there is a lot of sexual tension, strong female lead and handsome men that thinks they rule the world. They just need to be knocked down a peg or two, which the MC happily does.

Despite my, let’s say less that favourable opinion on university based books (it’s a trope I generally can’t handle), this book worked for me. And I think that’s in great due to Danielle’s feat to captivate her readers with strong characters and world building.

I read her books before this one, and I’ll happily continue

I have read the author's previous work so I wasn't aware of any controversy but the use of a certain term made me look her up. That controversy combined with Meiying's age 17 (14 in flashbacks) made me uncomfortable especially as the hero was 3 years older. It seems an odd choice especially as the leads are both studying at university. I definitely think Meiying could have been aged up a year or two with no significant impact on the plot. If it wasn't for the age thing, this novel would be 3 stars

So, here's the things about assholes in literature: there are basically two kinds. And only one of them is attractive.

There are the charming, confident, likable assholes and the overbearing, domineering unlikable assholes. The first kind, is the kind I love to hate and makes me mad while also stealing unwilling smiles. The second kind, I plain hate because they're haughty, get off on throwing their weight around and have the constant need to establish dominance over everything and everyone. And our boy Desmond fell square into the second category.

And here's the part where I wonder, why would you choose the unlikable asshole as your main love interest? I love enemies-to-lovers stories, and while I get there needs to be a certain "jerk" factor to make the trope work, I have a hard time getting into it when the male main character swings so far to the extreme that he just becomes utterly off putting.

Personally, I didn't find Meiying all that likable either. She came across as very judgy and immature. During the first couple of chapters—that consisted of nothing but a big, heaping pile of info dumping—she kept complaining and whining about everything. I just found her to be very tiring and difficult. She just had to push back on everything all the time. So, in the sense that both Desmond and Meiying were both so unappealing, maybe they were perfect for each other.

Another thing I don't think was necessary, and maybe even a bad idea if I'm being honest, was breaking up the story into two books. This first part is not even 250 pages (according to Amazon), and it's completely normal for fantasy/paranormal stories to be between 400 and 500 pages. So, unless the second half is insanely long, why break up the story at all? As it was, this book felt very empty and incomplete to me, there was little to no story progression and when things started to look like they were going somewhere, the book ended.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't really bored at any point. While the writing seemed a bit juvenile and fanfiction-y at times, and there were plenty of instances of "telling instead of showing" exposition, I still flew through this book. The overall concept of different breeds of magical creatures and humans coming together and assisting the same University was intriguing. But for a book that was meant to be able to be read as a standalone, I think a lot of things related to the paranormal side of things were left hugely unexplained. There was a disclaimer at the start saying this was originally a contemporary story that was given a few coats of paranormal paint, and the brush strokes show.

Back to Meiying and Desmond, I wish they would have been a little older. Just say Paranormal U is 6 years instead of 4 and bump their ages up. I was made so uncomfortable by the fact Desmond kept on mentioning again and again how Meiying was only 17 years old (therefore a minor and why all other dudes had to stay away from her) and meanwhile he had absolutely no problem engaging in sexual acts with her. I'm no prude, but having to read about an 18 year old guy grinding against a 14 year old girl was just too disturbing for me to enjoy.

Most of my issues with this book were merely a matter of personal preference, and while it had positive aspects, they weren't enough to overpower the things I didn't like. But I encourage everyone to judge for themselves, and if this book sounds like something you'd like to read, give it a shot. Perhaps your opinion will be different from mine.

**I received an e-copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to City Owl Press and Victory Editing**

I had narrowed eyes as soon as I started this book in all honesty, there was just a weird vibe and as I continued this book, I had to DNF it. I don't mind an age difference in books but when one main character is 17 and the other is 21 which gave me an icky feeling. After that, there is a scene involving one character being 14 whereas the other one was 18 that is a very graphic kiss that goes to more and it made me super uncomfortable.

This third installment in the Hellbound series was so captivating and intriguing. I hadn't read the first two books in this series before reading this novel, which isn't necessary to do since they are standalones. Although characters in those books do show up in this one.

I really like the premise and world created within this story about all kinds of supernatural beings and humans attending a university together. It's a different twist on a kind of urban fantasy vibe that I really liked.

This story is the first in a duet following two characters, book two will be released soon thank goodness. Meiying and Desmond get under each others skin and always have since they have known each other. Being a part of the same pack even with different clans amongst it kept them in each others lives even if they hadn't wanted that.

Through the story the push and pull at one another, the sexual tension and angst between them growing stronger and stronger each day. A heart breaking moment brings them together with no resistance when her mother is killed and he is the one to tell her. Everything that proceeds after that showcases the care he feels towards her. I can't wait to see where this story progresses and what the future will hold for these characters.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

Cruel Wolves and Devious Deceptions: An Enemies to Lovers Paranormal Romance
Series: Hellbound Hearts, Book 3
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Trope: Enemies-to-lovers

This was a quick and steamy read. I was really sad that the book ended with a cliffhanger, but that just makes me want to get a hold of part two. The story was paced well, but it definitely could include a little more backstory for some of the secondary characters.

Meiying and Desmond were fun to read about. Although the trope is enemies to lovers, you can tell from the very beginning that they are secretly attracted to each other - hard to ignore all the tension and angst.

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I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the banter between the love interests and how they obviously liked each other but had to keep that line from being crossed due to different circumstances. I also liked how they were never nice to each other for the most part. Their relationship revolved around making each other miserable. This doesnt sound like the best thing to read but I found that I really enjoyed it. It made any small change very noticable and you really felt it when there was any shift between them. You could also really feel the heat and the tension between the characters and I think that it made for a really enjoyable story. There was not much of a plot to speak of, it was more following the characters interactions, but I still binged this book in one sitting. If you want a character driven romance story with shifters and lots of smut then definitely give this one a try!

Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC for review.
Adult urban paranormal romance is a relatively new genre for me and this was my first book by Danielle Annett.
Meiying is a very sassy, alpha female lead character that doesn’t let people push her around. Desmond, the Alpha wolf, comes off as a bit of a bully but you can tell he’s a cinnamon roll. What I’ll say about the characters is I liked their banter and their tension but I wanted to know so much more about what makes them tick. It is a relatively short book and I feel like we only got the surface material for them.
If you’re looking for a book with an extremely developed magic system or fantasy components for the background world, this probably not the book for you. It’s mostly character personality/storyline driven versus some deep dive into the background.
Pros: HOT HOT HOT. The spice is on point. It ends on a major cliffhanger so I’m interested in where these two end up.

Of note: I’ve seen some reviews that people are upset that Meiying is 17 for most of the book and a very sexual character. This personally didn’t bother me and I don’t think should sway your opinion to read.

I initially didn't realize this was the third shifter book in the series until I finished the book and looked it up on Amazon. However, this book (as well as the other 2) can be read as a standalone and I was glad I read it first. It really helped me to go back and spot the build up with the main characters a bit more in the earlier books. I do wish there was a little more interaction with the previous books main characters (because I also really liked them), but I can see how that would make it harder to be standalone books. I read this entire book in one sitting, and then immediately downloaded the other 2. The book had a good story to it as well as some steam. The book even delved into deeper issues such as mental health, depression and PTSD. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes Alpha shifters. I am looking forward to finding out more about the characters in the next book.

I received this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Meiying is a 17 year old tiger shifter with attitude to spare. She hangs out with her brother and his shifter friends who look out for her like they would a little sister. But the unspoken leader of the group, alpha wolf, Desmond, doesn't see her that way. He's strongly attracted to her even though he doesn't want to be. Meiying wants him too and but he's a known player so she has to guard her heart. Lots of red hot chemistry between the two makes this enemies to lovers book sizzle.

This story follows Meiying and Desmond. It is a multi perspective supernatural New Adult romance. This is the third installment in the series. In this world humans and the supernatural now live and work together. Meiying, is seventeen years old tiger shifter and at her mothers insistence is moving into her college's local sorority house, which is known for its wild reputation. The day only gets worse when her brother's friends show up to help her move in. Ever since the night when she made the mistake of getting too close to Desmond, the most sought after wolf shifter, she has been trying to keep him at arm's length and being at the same college let alone being one of her brother's best friends has not made it easy. However, when a tragic incident happens Desmond is the only one there to help her cope and deal with the aftermath.
After reading the synopsis for this story and seeing this amazing cover, I really wanted to read this story. However, I had a couple of issues while reading it and so I ended up giving it only two stars. Since this book had a number of spicy scenes and more adult content, I prefer characters and in this case the heroine, to be older. Second, I also did not like how the two main characters finally got together, it just was not working for me. With all the tension and stolen moments I really wanted a different scenario of them coming together. Finally, the writing and portrayal of the characters and their behaviors felt a bit juvenile, again, especially for the adult content in it. Overall, while this story had interesting concepts and supernatural elements it was not for me it seemed more YA, then the new adult story it was supposed to be.
Trigger warnings: Addiction, death
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

** ARC Review**

I don't know with that one friends- I won't be giving it a rating because I don't think its fair to do without finishing the book.
I have no explanation for not reading it except that the writing just didn't gel with me. I tried to pick it up several times and it just didn't work out- and I really wish it did :(

Wow…. Do not read this in public.. lol I am gonna need the next one like yesterday…This story is seductive and pulls you in to where you do not want to leave. I feel a little betrayed for it to end the way it did. I definitely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one.

thanks to net galley and the author for the opportunity of reading this book, I haven't read the ones before this one but it didn't felt necessary to understand everything happening in this one. the plot is quite simple and its a super fast to read which I really liked. However I think it was too flat .

This was part avgerage part really…weird(and not in a good way).
Pros:
- enemies to lovers
- Brothers best friend

My problem with it:
- Creepy? The book was really sending mixed signals for me…The main character, Meiying, is 17 and the love interest is constant commenting on her immaturity and impressionability, but then will immediately go to fantasizing and his “animalistic” thoughts about her…THEN goes right back to using her age as reason for enforcing her sexual inactivity
- I get the whole alpha, possessive thing, but the way he acted seemed kind of toxic (like trying to limit her contact with guys he perceived as threats, etc)
- The scene where she is legit 14 and he’s 18, but they’re making out and…more—case and point, it comes across as pedofilistic
- I was waiting for some plot action, but I never got it!
Okay, to summarize, I liked the idea of this book and not how it was executed. It felt like reading smut with a disaster shoved in as justification

I start off by saying that it was not my cup of tea (at all) so my judgment may be biased.

This was the first book of this author I read and I was drawn into it by the captivating premise (I know it's an overused trope, but I like the idea of enemies-to-lovers mixed in with the brother's best friend scenario), but I found out pretty soon that this was not a book for me.

I liked the UF setting and the idea of a paranormal university (with fraternities/sororities and sport teams). The alternating points of view were another bonus point. But that's it.
Overall, I found this book quite shallow and tacky.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

I did not read the first two books in this series or anything from this author previously.
I would rate this book 3.5/5.

This book was okay. And I only say okay because I was not aware this was the third in a series when I began it. The beautiful cover was what really caught my attention. So the start of the book seemed rushed and I was a little confused. It was a classic enemies to lovers situation. And it did get pretttty steamy at times! But I was a little confused that the author didn't make the main character, Meiying, a little older as she was only 17 when a lot of the book takes place (she does turn 18 in the book). You got to hear s3xual thoughts- "animal instincts," about a 17 year old and that made a little uncomfortable. She was very immature and her love interest was 4 years older than her. The paranormal aspect to the story was kinda pushed aside a lot but still added some interesting parts to the story and I did like that! But putting the bad parts aside, the tragic event that occurs made the whole thing worth it for me. I did read it in two days since I started it on a weekend. BUT It did end in a cliffhanger which I am not a huge fan of, but I will be reading the next one because I have to know what happens!