After being kidnapped, or is it called kidnapped when your a shifter, Brooke manages to escape, from an airplane, with the help of her sister. Did I mention she had a parachute? When she staggers up to a cabin., a tall dark rugged male gives her assistance. The rest I will let you read for yourself.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This was an easy weekend read or would make a steamy beach read. It was fairly simple and straightforward shifter romance with a lot of underlying action. Brooke is a bobcat shifter and Kane is a grizzly shifter. After being captured with her sister, Brooke escapes, but not before being collared with a device that doesn’t allow her to shift. She also needs to find a way to rescue her sister. They are both strong characters in their own way and there is plenty of danger to face, challenges to overcome and good steam too. I definitely enjoyed it, but wasn’t totally blown away by it, hence 3.5 stars. It was worth reading though and I would continue reading the other books in the series. Fans of shifter romance will really like this one.

I enjoyed this paranormal romance story with all of the characters. The two main characters were Brooke and Kane.

Brooke is a bobcat shifter. Her and her sister have been abducted and collared in their human form and can't transfer. After her sister gets them out of the cages that are on a plane that is in the air. They have to excape but their capers try to stop them. Brooke is able to get out of the plane but now she has to find a place to stay safe since she can't shift. And she in a big forest with only a cabin in sight.

Kane is a grizzly bear shifter. He has build a log cabin in the woods of the North Canadian Wildness to avoid people. But when a woman show up in his cabin he not sure about it. Plus she looks to be hurt and my need help.

This was a fun story to read. It has action, adventure, secrets, and mystery within that made it fun to read. It also had a few funny parts that had me laughing and giggling to. There also a few steamy parts to.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

This is one of the best books I read this month without a doubt. I devoured it so quickly and I'm beyond obsessed with this sub genre now. Kane and Brooke's relationship progresses perfectly and I will recommend this book

I loved this book. My only grievance is that I have to wait until the NEXT book to find out who is behind the collars and why they are going after shifters, with Brook in particular.

Brooke is a bobcat shifter who wakes up only to find that her and her sister have been kidnapped and caged. A city girl from Detroit, she's used to navigating the dance floor, not a survival situation, unlike her sister. Together they manage to escape, but Sabrina stays behind in order to give her sister time. Brooke has no idea what happened after she exited the plane...in midflight.

Not knowing where she is, she stumbles around the wilderness, wishing she had her survival expert sister with her. But she lucks out when she finds a cabin in the woods. Here she meets Kane, a grizzly bear shifter, who has no voice to speak due to an accident long ago. He's not happy to see her. But when she passes out, he feels compelled to care for her.

They have a precarious couple of days together while Brooke tells him what happened, that she fears they are still coming after her, that she doesn't know where her sister is. Kane does the only thing he knows how to do and cares for her basic needs, keeps an eye out for strangers all while he waits for the restock plane to come in so he can send her home. But things get more complicated when their attraction for each other is set ablaze (view spoiler) and the bad guys show up to recapture her. This is when Brooke learns exactly what Kane is, why he is afraid to be around other people, and why he was trying so hard to stay a respectful distance from her on all fronts.

I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you I loved their relationship. I loved their mate bond. I loved how it felt natural and unrushed even though they are only together in the cabin for two weeks before the plane arrives. I loved how caring and attentive Kane was to her needs. I loved the pacing of the book, the fact that I never felt bored or felt that the book was lagging. I enjoyed ever minute I spent reading this book....and the smut once it finally came into play was pretty good too, of course.

Conclusion

This is a much better version of the same fantasy/romance genre of the series New Species. I like New Species, don't get me wrong, but I like this one a heck of a lot more so far.

The characters are well done. The romance is believable. The plot is well thought out and goes at a good pace. You will never be bored.

I can't wait to read the other books!

Kidnapped shifters, unlikely romance - yes true opposites attract in this one, and it definitely works. Shifter hiding in Canada, city girl shifter lands on his doorstep - and yea, lots of fun interactions ensue. Coupled with the corporate mystery behind it all - makes for a fun and quick read - and yes, there will obviously be more ...

Thank you for Netgalley and the Publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Captive Wilderness is a paranormal Romance with a dash of action, following the story of Brooke and Kane, both shifters but living in very different circumstances until their unlikely meeting.

Brooke and her sister are kidnapped. As shifters they should have an easy time escaping but the culprits use collars to literally tame them. Brooke escapes and ends up in the middle of the frozen wilderness. Stumbling upon a remote cabin, she gains not only a warm place to stay but a very hot shifter to keep her company and help her escape the people still hunting for her.

The book is very heavy on the romance and has a bit less action than what I would've preferred. I like when the romance ratio is more blanced out. I loved the characters, especially Kane, who I believe is a very unique character AND representation in this genre.
I also loved that there weren't too many extra dialogues and the story was focused mainly on the two main characters.

What I felt were weak spots was the lack of complexity. It just felt a bit boring and repetitive during the middle of the book. I didn't really have a fluid storyline but rather we had a looong stay at the cabin and then a lot of jumping around in the last 20% of the book. The spacing felt off as a result and I would've enjoyed it more if that 20% was spread throughout the book keeping the tempo going.
I also would have enjoyed if we got to know more the two main characters. Even the focus was on them, I didn't much have a chance to rrelate to them. For example what does Kane do in the cabin as a hobby? How does Brooke drink her coffee? A personal touch was missing and left the story a bit hollow.

The ending though was great, it got me hooked, I just want to know what's going on and what will unfold in book two.
I crave more of what we got in that 20% of the book.

3.5 stars from me.

What a wonderful book! I even enjoyed the 'fated mate/female in heat' scenario because it was well done. I loved the savagery of Kane's bear--I enjoyed how vicious he was in the face of his mate being in danger. Even though Kane and Brooke had a sudden hot sexual chemistry that kind of started with her heat, the romance was a sweet slow burn. Really enjoyed this.

This was an intriguing shifter book with an interesting bit of technology thrown in. The relationship between Kane and Brooke is well thought out, especially with communication made more difficult by the speech barrier. Although I was concerned that it was implied she went from knowing no ASL to being fluent in a matter of days!
I need to read the next book!

Abducted and collared in human form, Brooke, a bobcat shifter wakes up on a plane in a cage with her sister picking the cage lock. Sabrina puts a parachute on Brooke and pushes her out of the plane before their captors realize it. Landing somewhere in the cold northern Canadian wilderness, Brooke walks until she finds a small cabin by a lake. She meets Kane, a large bear shifter who has self exiled to the middle of nowhere. Brooke feels sparks towards this bear, but has to get out if this collar and find her sister before it’s too late.

Great, intriguing, suspenseful storyline and lots of steamy chemistry between Kane and Brooke make this a fabulous paranormal romance. However, it ends in a cliffhanger, setting this up to be the first in a series, I hope!

2.25 stars

Brooke is kidnapped and left stranded in the woods. Kane finds Brooke passed out in his cabin covered in wounds and wearing a strange collar. Being the only person for miles to come he has no choice but to help Brooke. Of course Brooke's heat is right around the corner so there ends up being a lot of smutty scenes. I would say there is more smut than plot.

There's a ton of plot holes and unanswered questions that leaves the reader on a cliff hanger. There are also a few grammatical errors such as "Why do you have tracking her?".

I would have like to see more communication between the two and less reliance on memories.

What a fun book! Characters were engaging and relatable. Plot passing was good. I look forward to reading the next book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first in a series. That being said, there is literally no backstory or explanation. I almost think that this should be the 2nd book and Sabrina's book should be first. This is predominantly a shifter romance. It is an interesting story, and I liked Kane alot, and was saddened that he could not speak, Brooke seemed fairly superficial but she did grow on me. There are some holes in the plot but it is okay. For me, this is 3 stars. I am sure many paranormal romance readers will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC copy of Captive Wilderness by J.E. McDonald.

This is a shifter romance, and for what it is, it was pretty good. I'll confess that shifter romances aren't normally my thing, but I did enjoy this one. It didn't have much in the way of backstory or character development and it was inst-lust between the main characters. Having said that, the book was well written with loads of good smut ;). Warning, it is a series, so the story line is not resolved by the end.

If you're looking for a quick read without a lot of investment, check this one out.

3.5/5

Captive Wilderness
Goldenlach Ridge Shifters, Book 1
by J. E. McDonald

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a high steam contemporary suspense shifter romance. Themes of shifter heat/mating/biting claim/mental mate bond. Open door. The middle of the book is a lot of these activities so If that’s not your thing steer clear. The ending is what I would categorize as a partial cliffhanger. Our leading couple in this book comes to an HEA style understanding but the overall mystery/suspense plot will continue into the next book presumably starring our heroines sister and I’m going to guess one of the hero’s bffs. It’s alluded to that the bff “came back from the military different”. Personally a fan of the scarred hero trope in my romance so I am here for it. Trigger warnings - kidnap/abduction/being drugged, uncontrollable rage, unknown father, mom who moves from man to man.
Set primarily in Canada. I don’t see that terribly often, the scenery sounds gorgeous. Happy reading! 5/5

This book was a solid mix of suspense and paranormal romance. Brooke is kidnapped from a club and escapes from the plane carrying her and her sister mid-air. She lands in the middle of nowhere Canada with nothing but her nightclub clothing and a drive to survive. Finding Kane's cabin is definitely a miracle towards her survival. Brooke is a shifter - but the people who kidnapper her put her in a collar that keeps her from shifting and rigged that collar to explode if she tries to remove it.

Kane is definitely a cinnamon roll guy - but wrapped up in a very growly exterior. Likely literally growly in this case. He's withdrawn from the world because he doesn't feel that he is safe to be around others. But in finding Brooke everything changes quickly. Kane is very scarred - both internally and externally. He lost the ability to speak around the same time he withdrew to his cabin in the middle of nowhere.

This book was definitely a great start to a series. It had the right balance of world-building and plot - so even though it was clearly the start of something, you didn't get so lost in the world. Both Kane and Brooke are great characters - and the way they change as people really worked well in the context of the short timeline of the book and their relationship.

Overall - I recommend especially for fans of Shifter romance!

I received this as an ARC through NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

It's been a little while since I read a shifter romance and this book has made me want to read more - not to mention impatiently waiting for the next one in the series. The book had me from the first chapter and you experience the story as it unfolds. Both MCs are shifters and it's angsty and steamy. The level of angst varies through the book, and you get breaks you didn't know you needed. All in all a book I recommend if you like paranormal shifter romance with heat.

This was a good read that gave exactly what it stated a shapeshifter romance ... that was all romance and steam and not much else, However I like spice so I didn't mind this but some may be put off by this. I liked the writing style and the characters. Overall a good quick and easy read.

Three and a half
I do enjoy a shifter romance now and then and this caught my attention with its atmospheric cover. The story begins with Brooke being kidnapped and she wakes up on-board a plane in a cage and wearing an electronic collar that prevents her from shifting into her Bobcat form . With help from her sister she escapes but she lands in an inhospitable wilderness with only a huge, mute male for company !
Kane cannot control his inner Bear and has retreated to the wilds of Canada to stop himself from hurting anyone else. When he finds himself protecting the lovely Brooke he knows he has to keep his distance no matter what. Trouble is she's about to go into heat and neither man nor beast is prepared for that !
This had a very intriguing overall plot but sadly for this reader there was so much steam and bedroom antics that it just felt unbalanced. I prefer sex to be used to enhance a story not direct it. There is a small amount of action but it is over very quickly which felt somewhat unsatisfying. I did like the characters and Kane in particular had an interesting background story. This is a happy for now ending which obviously leaves the reader needing the next book which catches up I'm guessing with Brookes sister.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Shifter romance that caught my attention. Brooke and her sister are taken from a bar, collared so they can't shift, and loaded onto a cargo plane. With her sister's help, Brooke is able to escape and winds up in the middle of nowhere. Kane can't trust his bear around others. When a strange woman appears, he wants to help but tries to keep his distance. That doesn't work out when danger shows up.

ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.