Andromeda's Fall

a friend loaned me this book awhile ago. I liked.

I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
'Andromeda's Fall' by Abigail Owen is book one in the "Shadowcat Nation" series. This is the story of Andromeda Reynolds and " A.J". Andie is running from a alpha male who wants to mate with her for more power. Andie goes to the compound where AJ catches her 'breaking' into his compound. There he agrees to let her see his 'alpha' but she has to past some test first. Andie knows that their alpha is possible the only one that can keep the male alpha that is hunting her down from her though marriage and mating. But the more Andie does these test and gets to know AJ she know he is hiding something. I did enjoyed this book and can't wait for book two to read about the next couple.

I received a copy from NetGalley via Backlit PR in exchange for an honest review.

In Andromeda's Fall you are introduced to a concept of Cougar shifters in which they live in Dares, instead of being loners. They are still establishing these ruling bodies and have some kinks to work out, including bad Alphas. Andromeda, or Andie, is on the run from one such future alpha who tried to force mate her. Her one hope is the Keller Dare at which she hopes to apply for asylum and ask the alpha, Jaxon to mate with her, in hopes of dissuading her previous alpha and his son Kyle.

Andie is used to being underestimated but she is no ordinary female, she packs a wallop and proves she has talent when she almost sneaks into the compound before getting caught by A.J. Andie has a ton of secrets at first but then so does A.J. and Jaxon. Watching them unfold is a ride on the shifter side you wont forget.

This book was a complete hit for me. Ms. Owen made Andie a tough as nails female who could take care of herself and others, but still was able to appreciate the same trait in others. I loved her fighting skills and that the Keller dare let her prove them and use them. No one treated her different than she wanted to, and she earned it.

The love story between her and Jaxon was well paced and fun to read. While Ms. Owens doesn't give you all the information at once, there's clues to how it will turn out, and the H and h are honest with each other when they should be. The action was well paced and there is more to learn in the continuation of the series.

Ms. Owen made me a fan and I cant wait to read more of her series. If the rest are as good as this I will be hooked. Way to Go ShadowCat Nation and the strong alphas that define it...

Reviews posted to Goodreads as BookWorm Ali and Amazon as AliB

Thanks to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press for the ARC for my honest review.

First time reading this author...and I loved this book!! I am a huge fan of paranormal romance especially cats...so I am probably a tad biased. Entertaining, did have violence...some kick butt fighting, sex, and suspense. Something for everyone..

If you are a fan of paranormal romance this is a great author for you to try out. I am going to hunt down her other books. Enjoy!!

*I received this book from netgalley in exchange for a honest and fair review. This is a pretty good book.

I will say I was grabbed right from the first page. There is action and excitement, love and risks. One of the coolest aspects of this book I thought was all the different shifters, their different names, and personalities. By personalities I mean how the shifters act. Wolves were more pack orientated and Cougars kept with being solitary animals.

There is kinda inst-love which is meh to me. It wasn't pushed too much so, I didn't mind as much but, the whole Fated mates seemed so contradictory to what it seemed cougars were like. I still don't understand how people know they are Fated unless a Seer tells them. And being Fated doesn't seem to do anything for the pair, except give them a right to challenge people? But, again... a seer has to tell them. So, it is confusing.

I did enjoy the characters. The sequel seems to be about Zac, who I was forming a bias for, so I might have to read the next book. I did want to learn more about Jaxon's Commanders and Protectors more but, I'm assuming that would come in later books when they find their mates, who will probably be fated. Andie, was super badass and amazing at fighting. Very loyal and strong, her is a great female lead. I didn't always understand her running away or what she was thinking but, that's just who her character is.

Would I recommend this? Yeah, probably. If the person was already a fan of this type of novel-- the shifters who find their soulmates and fight. There does seem to be something lacking to me (which is why 3 instead of 4) but, I can't place my finger on it. Perhaps it is my want for more information to bring me further into the world. What is special about Fated Mates? Who are these other men you'll want us to like? What are Commander and Protectors roles exactly? Humans weren't mentioned at all except for truckers really so, do they know about all this shifter fighting? Or are they kept in the dark somehow??

Abigail Owen is an author that is new to me. I had no idea what to expect but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The story was well written, enjoyable and engaging but it did have a couple of issues

Being the first book in the story, I understood the need for world-building, but there was a lot of it. The author has created a world where the shifters aren’t united but warring against each other for territory. This meant the species like the cougars, who tend to be loners, ended up getting brutally picked off one by one by the shifters that run in packs. This forced those species to band together for protection which isn’t as easy as it sounds since their instincts make them want to fight for dominance rather than work with each other for safety reasons. I thought this was an interesting way to go, but I did wonder how they kept the real world from finding out about shifters with all the fighting going on.

Andie finds herself on the run from her cougar Dare (what the cougar packs are called). The Dare itself had lots of issues and when the alpha’s son tried to force a mating with her, she fled. She had plans on where to go and who to get to help her but before she is able to act on them she has to win a place with the new pack.

I really liked Andie. She was one badass little cougar who was strong, smart and loyal. Raised to be a fighter and protector she had no problem taking care of herself and others. Her decision making was based on what was best for everyone else but there were times when she took this too far and found herself in trouble. What I didn’t like was her wishy-washyness and hesitation when it came to following through on her choices. This drove me freaking bonkers, especially as it’s what she wanted in the first place.

AJ was all alpha male. A born leader, he was decisive and strong. He pushed all my buttons in the right way. AJ had to win Andie, not force her to marry him. Andie would only consider mating for life if it was for the right reason– she wanted love, not duty.

One of my major problems with this book was the communication breakdown between AJ and Andie. Nobody was talking to anyone else, except for some mysterious seer who seemed to make matters worse. This is not a trope I enjoy. Add to that the fact that some of their actions made no sense to me, especially during the showdown at the end. There were events that appeared to be included to set up the next book.

There was lots of shifter politics and action that kept me turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. Because of this even with the issues, I did enjoy the book and read it in one sitting.

4 Enjoyable Stars

The description is what capture my attention, but it was the well thought out plotline that sold me on this story. Andromeda’s Fall was a great story. With characters that drew you in and begged you to stay awhile.
Andromeda Reynolds is being hunted and the only person she knows is strong enough to help her was Jaxon Keller. But when she breaks into the Keller Dare it wasn’t Jaxon she falls prey. Unbeknownst to Andromeda “Andie” Reynolds, everything is not what it seems to be.
What I liked about this book were the main characters. They were both strong willed and Andie was one tough shifter that could handle anything that came her way. Jaxon was tough, then again you had to be if you were an alpha of a cougar dare. Yet, he was sweet and loyal all at the same time.
With this being the first title in Shadowcat Nation Abigail Owen is off to a good start. This series is one that I would definitely follow to see how it all plays out in the end.