3.5⭐

I thought this book was a good quick read, with a love/hate relationship. Meiying is a sassy, fierce were-tiger and Desmond is your typical alpha-hole. The chemistry was sizzling. I didn't realise this book was actually the 3rd book in the series but I cut wait to see where this story goes.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Highlights:
--> childhood enemies to lovers
--> shifters
--> College setting
--> Diversity
--> fast paced and short

I encourage you to check trigger warning before reading this book.

This is a new adult book that centers two shifters Meiying ( tiger) and Desmond (wolf) as they sort out their feeling for one another. We follows both their point of views as the obsessively banter with each other.

The main characters does have a 4 year age gap that doesn't see bad, right? At the start of the story Meiying is 17 and Desmond is 21, since we are getting a multiple POV we heard his sexual thoughts about a 17 years. This made me uncomfortable. Plus that scene when she was 14 and he was 18, truthfully I believe it could have been omitted from the storyline. I will point out that Meiying does turn 18 in the book.

That being said, I would still try this author other books in the series.

So to start off, I wasn’t aware this was part of a series when I began this book. I thought the begging seemed rushed, then I realized it was just a recap which was very helpful for me.

This is sort of an enemies to lovers situation mixed in with brothers best friend. I felt the story had quite a few cliche lines but overall it could have been worse.

Meiying is quite immature, which makes sense considering she’s only 17! I know that in this universe 17-21 is considered juvenile, but I was not ok with the age difference between Meiying and Desmond. Especially considering the sexual situations that occur between them.

I found most of the book to be pretty shallow and smutty until, BOOM, a tragic event occurred that had me tearing up.

This book is only the start to Meiying and Desmond’s journey, there will be more to come.

*thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Danielle Annett for a the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to netgalley for a couple of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this as a standalone which was good. Overall enjoyed the storyline just not the age? Why is it needed to mention so often that she is so young. It didn't really mesh well with the story.

Will likely read the sequel though so i do feel invested in the two main characters.

This is a great setup for Meiying and Desmond’s story, it’s book 3 in the series but can be read without reading the first two. I have not read book 1 or 2. It’s a brothers best friend trope, age gap with a mix of “hate” to love, but the hate in my opinion isn’t exactly warranted except that they’re in different shifter clans. As for their chemistry, I enjoyed their banter back and forth. The attraction is there but they both deny it to be anything serious. If you like the over protective male hero, Desmond is definitely for you and Meiying is an awesome feisty heroine who doesn’t back down to it.

A very quick and steamy read. I'd never read any Danielle Annett before but I'm looking forward to reading more of her backlog and the next one in this series.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I haven’t read a paranormal romance book for a while, but the cover is 100% what attracted me to this book. It is stunning! I loved the concept of this and found the storyline interesting.

Meiying, is a seventeen year old shifter, who starts university at the beginning of this book. Why the author chose to make her seventeen baffles me as the love interest is four years older than her. She turns eighteen later on in the book, but I don’t understand why this decision was made. Looking past this, Meiying moves into Hellhound U, a university for everyone, including the paranormal. If I’m being honest, the paranormal/shifter aspect of this book is very minimal and it is a romance-led book.

Desmond is Meiying’s brother’s best friend and flatmate. So essentially he is off limits, but Meiying and Desmond have a past from when they were younger. There was constant tension between these two characters, which eventually led to them following their feelings. This is a steamy book, so it is definitely not suitable for younger readers. Their romance is kind of enemies to lovers, and there are a few swoon-worthy moments, including Desmond asking Meiying who hurt her.

‘”You’re arrogant, and most of the time, I can barely stand to be in the same room as you.” ” The feeling is mutual.”‘

This was a very quick read, that ends with a “to be continued…” I kind of wish it was just one book as I felt like I was just getting invested in the characters and their journey as it ended. I will be reading the next instalment to see what happens after the sort of catastrophic event towards the end!

College paranormal romance with a little steam. I've never heard of different were packs intermingling and was curious about the Tiger and Wolf mixing. I like the Enemies to Lovers trope but this was a little too young for me (not to be mistaken for YA as the content is clearly adult). The story between Meiying and Desmond didnt quite have enough oomph for me - maybe because it is quite short and barely anything happens. The story also doesnt quite conclude so you have to read the next one to see what happens.

You can read this as a standalone but there are some call backs to earlier books that sounded a bit more interesting - I want to know what happened to Zheng to make him so troubled.

Overall rating 3 stars. (It would have been higher if not for a BIG issue I had, that I will mention later in my review)

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op 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’m going to start by saying I have not read the other 2 books in this series and that this is the first book of this author I’ve read.

The idea of a paranormal university, with paranormal fraternities, sororities and sport teams sounds wildly entertaining, AND IT WAS. I read this in one sitting. Like time flew by and then next thing I knew I had 2 chapters left and it was past midnight.

It’s a dual POV, best friend’s brother as the LI, “we get each other and love riling each other up” to not friends with benefits in secret. There is a “who hurt you?” scene that made me lose it.

There’s a 4 year age gap which wouldn’t bother me, EXCEPT that the FMC, Meiying, is 17 years old for 99% of the book. And it isn’t like a thing that’s mentioned once and then we move on, no, the reader is CONSTANTLY being reminded of her age, whether it’s the “Baby Liu” nickname, being referred to as “Zheng’s little sister”, or her pointing it out frequently.

What was the reasoning behind making her 17? Obviously this is a college romance, having her start out 18, and turn 19 at the end would have made much more sense AND made me feel less weird about this book.

If I block out her age thing (AND how often it was mentioned), I would have given this book a 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the tropes, Desmond is an interesting MC/LI. I loved the idea of the college with different factions (supernatural species) and how they all interact.

If the 2 previous books are based on the high school, I will probably not be going back and reading them. (I don’t enjoy reading smut about teenagers as someone in their mid 20’s) I may be picking up the second book in this duet though, I have to see it though. 😂

I received this book for free through NetGalley to review. This book is set in Texas in El Paso, but paranormal creatures are real and have exposed themselves to the world. While this book can be read as a stand alone I did read books 1 and 2 before reading this book.

This book follows a female MC and a male MC. The chapters switch between their POV. I am really glad that I read the first two books because there is a lot of character development for the two main characters of this book in them.

Meiying is a shifter and so is Desmond. They are always at each others throat- bickering, pestering, and antagonizing one another. While it seems like they hate each other, maybe it is something more.

Meiying and her brother are now both in college and since their mom is moving Meiying has to live on campus. Sadly there is a traumatic event that throws their entire life into disarray. They are suddenly alone and Desmond is Meiyings rock as she learns to tread the new path her life is taking.

I love the slow burn (3 books) part of this relationship because there is a ton of tension. Meiyings character has so much growth throughout the books and I enjoyed seeing the sweeter side of Desmond in this book as he cares for her and supports her brother throughout the book.

I like that the books are all in the same universe and the characters of interwoven because I feel like I have gotten to know the characters over time and from multiple perspectives. I am excited to read book four in this series!

ahhhhhhh enemies to lovers, rivals, segsual tension from the hate and difference ???? i'm so hear for it. and the steam ??? pff i thought i was in a sauna. definitely going to check the other books in the series...

Desmond Pierce is a wolf.
Good looking, arrogant, and hunter-born. Sounds like my kind of wolf am I right ladys?
Cruel Wolves & Devious Deceptions is a STEAMY New YA read that you need to read also you don't have to read the other books this can be read as a stand alone. You will be hooked hooked hooked on this book

I didn't realise when I picked it up that this book was the third in a series, but it was very obvious straight away. That said, I don't think you necessarily need to have read the others, but I do think it may have been useful.

Meiying and Desmond are not a couple that I particularly enjoyed reading. I'm not quite sure what it was, but their enemies to lovers romance felt forced. The paranormal aspect also seemed pretty minor!

Towards the end things picked up again but it was a bit late, and I was really just rushing to finish by that point.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I started this reading by being out of reading and wanting a simple and fun story with a good romance. And I got exactly that. So yes the book is not perfect, the universe is not extremely developed, but we have two characters with strong character, real feelings, and humor. One cannot help but be attached to the characters and be frustrated when they do not react as one would like. I am happy that the story of Desmond and Meiying is not only a stand-alone book because I find that there are still many things to develop for their story and I am really looking forward to having the sequel because the author leaves us on an end impossible to accept. I’m a little upset that the paranormal side of the story is not more develop, Desmond is supposed to be a wolf with a special status but we don’t see him as a wolf and we don’t have a lot of information about his status, for Meiying I would have liked to see her as a Tigress, know her size, her color, etc.
So I recommend this book if you want a small urban fantasy series with adult romance, which can be easily read without getting in the way with a heavy universe.
I am now waiting for the follow-up which, according to the author, should arrive quickly! :)

I was SO excited when I read the description and it did not disappoint. When I went to add to my goodreads, I was bummed because I didn't know that it was in the middle of the series, BUT you don't have to read the others so it was fine (I will read them of course!!).
I loved the alpha, the smut, and the story. It was a fun read with great characters. I can't wait to read the series!

Firstly, thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for approving me for the ARC of this book.

This is the first book I have read by Danielle Annett and it did not disappoint. I originally requested this book as the cover attracted me and after reading the description I thought it might be something I would like. It went above and beyond my expectations and I absolutely loved this book! This is the third book in the series but can be read without having read the other two. I finished this book in two days, thats how good it was, I could not put it down!!

This book is a paranormal enemies to lovers between two shifters, Meiying and Desmond who have always had a banterous I hate you but also want to kiss you relationship. It is set in college with Meiying moving into a sorority house and Desmond living wither her brother down the road. Their relationship takes a turn in the book throwing them both off balance and trying to scramble back to what they were before tradgedy took place. It appears that this is the first book about them with a second to follow soon which I absolutely will be reading! The writing style is quite simple but I think that worked beautifully here as it really reflected the characters age and typical college speech. This book had some super spicy scenes and I couldn't have been more there for it.

If you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- A sassy/strong female lead
- Classic asshole love interest
- Forbidden romance/brothers best friend
- STEAMY scenes
- Possessive I will kill you if you touch her love interest

Then this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!
I originally requested for this book due to the beautiful cover and I wasn't disappointed nor impressed. The novel is the third book of Blood and Magic : Hellbound series however, you do not need to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this one. It is a paranormal romance set in high school where both main characters are shifters.
The final rating I gave this is 3.5-3.75. The reason being that the ending is very abrupt, the huge cliffhanger at the end left we very confused. At first, I thought my copy didn't load properly but, upon some research I realized that it was meant to be left like that. The story is general is really cute and easy to read. I will most likely read the next book because I really hate cliffhangers like this.

This book starts as your typical college sports romance with a little bit of paranormal thrown into the mix. Meiying is a 17-year-old cat shifter, is starting college early, and her mother is forcing her to join a sorority so she can mingle with other supernaturals. Desmond is a wolf shifter and the pack hunter, and also happens to be her brother's best friend (though they used to be enemies? the relationship between Desmond and her brother isn't super clear).

They have always had a contentious relationship but clearly are attracted to one another - there are some age-gap/consent issues which bothered me a little but weren't a total deal breaker for me, and Desmond is SUPER overprotective of Meiying.

I really enjoyed a lot of this couples relationship, especially after the heroine suffers a tragedy and Desmond is completely there for her.

Though i was okay reading this as a standalone i think i would have preferred to read the earlier books in this series because there are some relationships between certain characters that I needed a little more clarity on.

What finally dropped this story from a 4 to 3 for me though was the ending. I'm not the biggest fan of continuous series that follow the same couple - I prefer that a couple's story be contained in one book - but the ending was just so abrupt in this book. There isn't any real cliff hanger it just ends and the book just left me feeling very unsatisfied.

I may continue with the next book in the series but it wont be very high on my TBR list.

I posted this review to Goodreads and Amazon.ca and I will be posting it to Instagram - @readersaesthetic in the month of October

I enjoyed this similarly to the first book in this series (they are standalone but you get introduced to the characters in the first two Hellbound books).

Immediately loved the cover of this book and the title screams exactly what it is: spicy possessive werewolf book. It reads like a well-written Wattpad (but I love that so no hate) and I am sure this could get a following on Booktok if it was shared enough. I suggest this book if you LOVE supernatural books or either of the tropes below.

Tropes:
Brothers Best Friend
Enemies To Lovers

Main Characters:
17/18-year-old Meiying (a tiger shapeshifter) and her brother's best friend/roommate Desmond (a wolf shapeshifter).

Warning to a 4 year age gap (which didn’t bother me much because it is a supernatural book but I know would bother some). Also warning of a big cliffhanger (aka to be continued) as this is part 1 of a 2 part book. But it did succeed in wanting to read more.

It also has a good amount of spice! I highly doubt you will put this done when you pick it up.

I ended up enjoying Cruel Wolves and Devious Deceptions more than I thought I would by the end. Not that I thought it would be bad, but I wasn't expecting to feel as much as I did. So for that reason it definitely felt too short!
I've not read anything by Danielle Annett before, but this book was easy enough to read on its own, though I do feel like there is possibly background info that I'm missing from other books in the series, like how the packs work with having mixed animal shifters in them.
The story was written from dual points of view, Meiying, a 17-year-old tiger shifter, and Desmond, an older wolf shifter. The two rub each other up the wrong way. The antagonism between them is palpable, yet they seem to be the only ones who don't realise they want each other.
When Meiying moves into the local college campus, she and Desmond manage to keep running into each other, but she also finds a friend in the fae, Deacon, and this brings out Des's protective inner wolf. There is lots of banter, lots of posturing, lots of Des trying to tell Meiying what to do, and lots of Meiying flipping him off.
But there is also so much sexual tension which comes to a head towards the end of the book, and then we're left on a total cliffhanger!
So I will be awaiting the next book because despite myself, I need to know what happens!
Thanks for a quick, interesting read!