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Alpha Instinct

(Moon Shifter #1)

Katie Reus (Goodreads Author)

3.75 · Rating details · 3,245 ratings · 293 reviews

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Sean Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising pro ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 341 pages

Published February 7th 2012 by Signet Eclipse

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Jan 06, 2012 Dija rated it it was ok

Shelves: feb-2012, childhood-friends-turned-lovers, uf-or-pnr, could-have-been-sooo-much-better, my-reviews, read-in-2012, meh, first-in-series, cotton-candy-fluff, second-chances

Alpha Instinct has all the elements that make up a typical urban fantasy novel:

1. An Alpha hero and an alpha heroine as main characters (which basically means that both are strong-willed, stubborn creatures, with the only difference in their rank being that the heroine decides the course of action and the hero executes it).
2. The main couple have been together in the past, but one of them broke it off due to unspecified reasons. Of course, ten years down the lane, their paths cross and they're s ...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Jen Davis rated it liked it

Ana has been serving as Alpha of her pack ever since someone killed off all the men and pregnant females. But she knows she won't be able to keep the job for long. Werewolves respect physical strength and even though she is a good leader, she would lose to a strong male in a fight. Her neighbor, Taggart, is already sniffing around, making it clear he wants her as a mate. So when Connor and his pack come with an offer to join Ana and her wolves, she barely hesitates to say yes.

Connor and his brot Ana has been serving as Alpha of her pack ever since someone killed off all the men and pregnant females. But she knows she won't be able to keep the job for long. Werewolves respect physical strength and even though she is a good leader, she would lose to a strong male in a fight. Her neighbor, Taggart, is already sniffing around, making it clear he wants her as a mate. So when Connor and his pack come with an offer to join Ana and her wolves, she barely hesitates to say yes.

Connor and his brother stayed with her pack many years ago. She had loved him and hoped he felt the same, until one day he just disappeared. Now that he's back, he offers no explanation for what happened, but it's clear that whatever they felt for each other before --never went away. Ana struggles with her attraction to Connor, fearing that one day he may leave again. And he only makes matters worse by refusing to open up to her.

All the relationship drama takes place amidst the backdrop of a killer targeting the pack. Whoever poisoned the men months ago is back and is picking off the surviving women one at a time. Is it Taggart? The bigots of the Anti-Paranormal League? Or is it someone else altogether? Ana and Connor need to get their act together and figure it out before any more wolves are killed.

I liked the premise, but I had some issues with the romance. My biggest problem was with Connor. He sabotaged things between himself and Ana over and over again by his unwillingness to open up to her and share in the decision-making. I know he's alpha of the pack now, but he promised her a partnership that he never delivered on. He hurt her terribly when he left and I understand why, but he never tried to make it up to her... unless you count sex as a way to do that. Granted, the sex was good, but it wasn't enough to make up for his poor judgement. Over and over, he lies or hides the truth or excludes her or orders her around and it frankly got old for me. I believed in his love for her, but it was frustrating to read. Frankly, I found myself much more interested in the secondary love story forming between Connor's brother Liam and his human mate.

I felt like there was a fair about of repetition in the book, which grated a little. So did the feeling that the females were second class citizens to the men. I know this is often a reoccurring theme in books surrounding werewolf culture, but even our "good-guy" wolves perpetuated the stereotype.

There were things I did like. The sex was good. The villain reveal was unpredictable. I'm interested in Matt, the Native American dreamwalker. And I enjoyed little glimpses of the romances between Liam and December as well as Noah and Erin. And, well, who doesn't love a baby jaguar?

I wish this book had been a bigger hit for me, since I like Katie Reus and have enjoyed some of her other work. I think it's more that this particular relationship didn't work for me. I will give the series another try when the next book comes out. 3 stars.

*ARC Provided by Signet ...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Julie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012

Posted at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Once in a while, there is a book that creates quite a bit of buzz a few months before it’s due to release. (Okay, often there is a book that creates some buzz, especially for us bloggers where all you have to do is whisper the words “new book” and we’re all a flutter, but let’s not focus on that right at this moment.) A little bit back, Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus’ cover and blurb was released and people noticed. This book popped up on many tbr lists and Posted at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Once in a while, there is a book that creates quite a bit of buzz a few months before it’s due to release. (Okay, often there is a book that creates some buzz, especially for us bloggers where all you have to do is whisper the words “new book” and we’re all a flutter, but let’s not focus on that right at this moment.) A little bit back, Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus’ cover and blurb was released and people noticed. This book popped up on many tbr lists and on many ‘can’t wait for’ blog posts. After seeing it mentioned a few times, I read the blurb myself and thought this was a book I would enjoy. So I put in my request for it and soon enough I was holding this pretty book in my hands. And sure enough, I was right – this was a book I enjoyed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a book I loved.

The premise of the book is good. There is a pack of shifters who recently suffered a terrible loss. All of the men and all of the pregnant females in the pack have been poisoned and died. This leaves the Alpha’s eldest daughter, Ana, to care for the pack and their ranch. After hearing of their troubles, Connor, a super Alpha (no, that is not what he is called but that is what I call him while drooling slightly) finds Ana and offers to be her mate and merge his pack – made up of mostly men and one woman – with Ana’s pack. She accepts, at least on a temporary basis because she knows that’s what’s best for her pack since whoever tried to kill the pack in the first place is still out there.

Quick back-story about Ana and Connor. (Now, keep in mind that shifters age much slower than human’s in Katie’s world and therefore, even at 100 years old, they still look young and fresh.) Fifty years ago, Connor met Ana. He loved her and she loved him but neither shared their feelings with the other. Then, one day, Connor up and left with no explanation or anything leaving behind a very hurt and a little miffed Ana. She is happy to see him again yet not because how can she trust that he won’t leave again. Connor and Ana have incredible chemistry. It jumps off the page. They make a good couple once Connor learns to be less of a ‘man’ and once Ana learns to speak up a bit. But more on that in a sec.

Being an Alpha, I expected Ana to be a stronger character. Yes, she has seen terrible loss lately, and even more in this book, but she’s just like a normal girl! No, that is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just not what I would have expected from an Alpha. She starts off spunky, but that slowly fades. It’s explained how men are ‘real’ alphas and she’s just almost an interim leader, but again, I just expected her to be more.

Connor was what you expect an Alpha to be. Strong, sexy, yummy and such a man, it’s unbelievable. He hides things from Ana thinking that it’s what is best for her but really, it’s not. He just ends up looking like a man who hides things. See? Such a man thing to do. Of course, that causes friction between Ana and Connor and doesn’t help Connor’s cause. He wants Ana to believe that he truly loves her and that he’s not going anywhere.

The rest of the pack is fine, the men more interesting than the women in my opinion. I really liked Connor’s brother Liam. His is the next book and I’m debating whether or not I’m going to pick it up because I see tons of potential in him and December, his HEA to be. December’s brother is the sheriff and he’s not a fan of shifters. That part of their story may prove to be a tad annoying, but we’ll see.

What didn’t work for me, other than the characters being okay but not fantastic, is that there was just too much going on. I found it very difficult to invest myself fully in one storyline because as soon as I started getting interested, it bounced to another. And there are a couple stories I didn’t really see why they were there. Yes, they showed how shifters ‘take care’ of things, but I think the story would have worked well even without those plot lines in them. There was the Connor and Ana story, there was a story involving Taggart – the neighbour pack leader and all out arse-hole, there was the anti-paranormal group plotline, there was the “who is killing the shifters?” storyline (that one was very good), there was the ‘why did Connor leave’ mystery (that ended up not being that dramatic after all), there is the Sherrif who is anti-shifter and the Dream-walker… Just a little much for my taste. If it were a little more streamlined, it would have been better for me.

Overall, this was a good book, but not great. The world is interesting and the men shifters are strong. If you like a story with lots of sub-stories to keep you interested, then I would recommend this book. As for me, I think I’ll wait until the blurb is released for the second book before deciding whether or not to continue with this series. I have a feeling that the anti-paranormal group is going to be playing a bigger role in books to come and I’m not sure I want to read about a hate-group that is constantly going to be trying to get rid of shifters. If they are not going to make a big appearance, then I’ll consider it, because, as I said, Liam and December intrigue me and I wouldn’t mind seeing how Ana and Connor end up after this book’s ‘the end’. ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Tynga rated it liked it

Ana Cordona, is the pack’s Alpha oldest daughter and her life wasn’t perfect, but damn close to it, until all the males and pregnant females of her pack died from poisoning. The culprit still hasn’t been found and with half her pack decimated, and both her parents dead, she has to stay strong for the females of her pack. It’s not easy though, Taggart, the misogynist alpha of the neighboring pack wants her – and her territory- for himself and nothing will stop him. But like it wasn’t enough, wome Ana Cordona, is the pack’s Alpha oldest daughter and her life wasn’t perfect, but damn close to it, until all the males and pregnant females of her pack died from poisoning. The culprit still hasn’t been found and with half her pack decimated, and both her parents dead, she has to stay strong for the females of her pack. It’s not easy though, Taggart, the misogynist alpha of the neighboring pack wants her – and her territory- for himself and nothing will stop him. But like it wasn’t enough, women are being attacked in town and naturally, suspicion falls on the Shifters.

I’ve been really excited about Alpha Instinct ever since I first saw the cover, and I have to say, the novel fell a little short for me. It’s not that it’s bad, because it’s not, but I was hoping for something along the lines of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series or Rachel Vincent’s Shifters series and Katie Reus’ first novel didn’t meet my expectations for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I can see where Reus wanted her characters to be. Ana is suppose to be fierce and strong for her pack. A real Alpha figure. Yet, she came out to me as kind of weak. Yes she is stubborn, yes she wants to protect her pack at all cost, but the way she handled things felt a bit childish at times. I liked Connor though, he left her 50 years ago and came back to protect her when she needed him. He is strong-minded, fierce and commanding – all the right qualities. The interactions between the two though felt off sometimes. He wants her, yet he is very clumsy about it (which is fine, really) and she wants him but she’s scared he will leave her again and refuses to see what’s right in front of her eyes – he loves her to death. Really, Ana is an ostrich. You’ll tell me this a pattern we see often in romance novel, and yes you’d be right, I don’t really have anything against the pattern per see but the execution needed I little more polishing I think. On a more positive note, I really liked the relationship between Liam (Connor’s little brother) and December (a human female). It felt real and the awkwardness between the two of them was just the sweetest things and I wish we saw more of them.

Another issue I found was how slowly and I’ll dare say boringly, the plot progressed. I know it' sounds weird to say the plot was boring, because there is actually a lot going on, what with poisoning, sabotage at the farm, Taggart treats and illegal activities, human females attacked and whatnot but I never felt a trill with the action, the excitement of the chase or fear for one of the characters. All of Katie’s ideas were good, but I didn’t really feel immersed in the story. I wanted my heart to pound, my palms to sweat and have the urge to throw the book when crap happened, but it just didn’t work out.

The third element that baffled me, and it’s not the author’s fault, is the cover. I was attracted by this strong female image, yet Ana is nothing like it. She is not a badass, she would never wear an outfit like that and her tattoo is also at the wrong place. I know the art department wanted to draw readers to the book – and it worked for me – but it doesn’t really reflect to book so it just added to my disappointment.

All that being said, Katie Reus’ Moon Shifter series as potential. She sets a world where great things could happen, has great secondary characters and if she can polish the main characters and make the action as real as it gets, then the Moon Shifter could become a great series. A couple of things didn’t work for me, but I think you should give it a try. Maybe borrow it from a friend, the library or at least read an excerpt before you buy it because you might like it. I started this novel with high expectations, so maybe it’s my own fault I was a bit disappointed. All in all, I don’t plan to read the second book unless I read raving reviews about it once it’s been released.
...more

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Mar 02, 2019 Lover of Romance rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: writing-style-1st-in-a-series, writing-style-page-turner, character-shape-shifter, character-alpha-hero, genre-paranormal-romance, theme-kick-ass, theme-laughs-and-giggles, cover-color-blue, character-alpha-heroine, pub-2012

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Alpha Instinct is the first book in the Moon Shifters series and I have NO idea why I took so long in reading this book here. Now Alpha Instinct was a freebie on Amazon a couple of years ago and it was one of those surprise freebies and lately I have been wanting to go through my kindle and read the books I have forgotten about and that was the case with this book. I had totally forgotten I had this one and I always love a fun shifter roman ...more

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Mar 01, 2020 mysticofworlds rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 20, 2011 Crystal ➳ Reading Between the Wines Book Club rated it it was amazing

Shelves: rating-4-5-stars, request-author, best-of-2012, genre-paranormal-romance

4.5 Stars

Alpha Instinct is a wolfishly sexy read that will leave you howling for more!

Ana Cordona is the Alpha of the Cordona pack after all the males and pregnant females were mysteriously poisoned, and though her pack respects her leadership, Ana knows that she won’t be able to hold it for long. With no Alpha male to lead, her pack is easy pickings for the more aggressive males of the breed and vulnerable to take over. Ana’s neighboring Alpha, Taggart, has already proven what lengths a wolf wi 4.5 Stars

Alpha Instinct is a wolfishly sexy read that will leave you howling for more!

Ana Cordona is the Alpha of the Cordona pack after all the males and pregnant females were mysteriously poisoned, and though her pack respects her leadership, Ana knows that she won’t be able to hold it for long. With no Alpha male to lead, her pack is easy pickings for the more aggressive males of the breed and vulnerable to take over. Ana’s neighboring Alpha, Taggart, has already proven what lengths a wolf will go to to claim her, her pack and her lands.
When Connor Armstrong walks back into Ana’s life offering much-need protection Ana would be a fool to turn him away, despite how he walked away from her fifty years ago breaking her heart in the process. But can she accept the terms he has set in exchange? Because Connor wants more from the beautiful she-wolf than just her pack, he wants all of Ana – body, mind and soul.
The stakes are high but they soon turn deadly when more shifters turn up dead and humans are thrown into the mix. Who is trying to destroy Ana’s pack and can Connor protect them? Or will he lose in more than the game of love?

I absolutely loved Alpha Instinct. So much so, my poor book is looking rather abused from carting it everywhere I went while reading. It felt like a crime to put this down for even a minute!
Author Katie Reus is a wickedly talented writer, providing vivid details giving depth to not just the amazing characters but the world that she has created around them as well. Ana was an intriguing leading lady; she is tough but also sensitive, caring and protective towards her family and pack. Her feelings towards Connor are complicated; there is still that spark of attraction between them but she is weary of letting her feelings deepen for him because of their past. The sexual tension between Connor and Ana is palpable from the pages and a rather frustrating journey until they finally give in. But that didn’t mean their problems were solved, Ana and Connor’s ride was full of pot holes and I believe that makes them more relatable to the reader. Connor was a sexy hero with a hint of a Scottish brogue which was super hot. He’s extremely protective and comes off as pushy at first but as you read along you understand his reasoning’s. The story grows right along with the characters.
Mystery and suspense is woven into the romance with three nasty villains, one of whom is an unknown until the very end. The story builds and builds, with plenty of twists and turns, until it reaches a heart pounding climax that will keep you turning the pages. There were also some heart breaking moments that caused my allergies to act up (lol) and the secondary characters were all enamoring. I especially enjoyed the sub plot and romance of Connor’s brother, Liam, whose story will continue into the second novel, Primal Possession (September 2012). My only complaint for the novel would be the repetitiveness when it came to describing a few character traits, a minor issue really in such a great story.

Alpha Instinct is a promising start to the Moon Shifter series and I am eagerly anticipating the next installment! ...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Rebecca rated it liked it

Y’all know I love a good shifter story. Alpha Instinct is the first book in the Moon Shifter series and I enjoyed reading it.

Ana Cordona has been taking care of her pack ever since her father, their pack leader, and all the other men in the pack died of poisoning. I liked Ana’s character for the most part. I felt for Ana, she has had to hold up her pack and stay strong for them through her parent’s deaths. Being a pack alpha is not what Ana was made to do, but she will do whatever it takes to ke ...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Janina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, shifters, a-z-reading-challenge-2012, arc-for-review-blog-tour, netgalley

Ana, who survived with some of the female members of her pack after the males and pregnant females where poisoned and killed, now how to try to survive with no Alpha Male. But not only that, she also has to watch out for the devious Alpha Male Taggart, who wants to claim Ana by force and take her ranch. When Conner Armstrong back up, he offers her a chance to become his mate and protect her from the coming dangers. Taggart is not the pack's only problem, humans are targeting shifters, which may Ana, who survived with some of the female members of her pack after the males and pregnant females where poisoned and killed, now how to try to survive with no Alpha Male. But not only that, she also has to watch out for the devious Alpha Male Taggart, who wants to claim Ana by force and take her ranch. When Conner Armstrong back up, he offers her a chance to become his mate and protect her from the coming dangers. Taggart is not the pack's only problem, humans are targeting shifters, which may threaten Conner and Ana's relationship and the lives of their pack.

I receive this book via Netgalley.com. I loved this book. It contained all the elements I look forward to in a book. The characters were amazing and so was the plot.

Ana and Conner deserve five thumbs up! I loved their relationship. I loved the fact that when they reunited, they didn't automatically just into the I love you's, even though they loved each other in the past. I could understand Ana's attitude and how she felt about the situation with their past. I was like Conner, would you tell her already. If you talking to a book you know you like it. I like how Conner was caring and protective of now just Ana but everyone in the pack.
Another thing I loved about Ana and Conner, is when they connected in the most intimate of ways, that those scenes in the book were not rushed. You could feel the connection that they have with each other as you read it and that is a major plus!

Liam and December was a great side romance you get to experience. I though it was a great idea. I really like Liam, he and Conner act so much alike and don't even realize it. And the cubs were too adorable! Vivian was an added splash of sunshine to the book. I really like her. But you didn't see to much of the boy cub. I hope he gets more moments in the next book.

Taggart, I don't like. He was an jerk. Those type of people I cannot not stand. But his character made for a great bad guy. You just knew he was always up to know good, always plotting. I want to know more about this "Enforcer" guy also. He seems interesting........

The action was great. Not as much as I'm use to but just enough to satisfy my hunger for it. When the action happens, sometimes its so unexpected. For example, when Ana and Vivian was in the car....I was like, what? Surprised me.

The ending, shocked the mess out of me. I so did not see that one coming!!! Even the reactions of the pack shocked me. Oh, and there was some unfortunate evens in this book that I did not like. Like some deaths and I will not name names, but just know Katie Reus that I am not happy with one of those.

But overall, the book was amazing. A page turner with great romance that will make you blush and some action that will have you on edge. For all you paranormal romance lovers, you should check out this book! ...more

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May 01, 2012 Mara rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: pnr

1 or 2 stars

While reading I couldn't decide whether I didn't like this novel at all or if it was a meh read only. Then I finished and thought about it.

This novel has only a light world-building and what it is there is fucked up. Sexism wins the day. Women and men are separated and only a lip-service is given to this (when the heroine whines about it). But basically all the plot is based on women being and doing separate things, you know, like cooking vs checking the border. Oh, and being weaker ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Lauren rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, second-chances, wolf-shifter, racism

Alpha Instinct
3 Stars

The world building is very similar to other series' focusing on wolf shifters (and other supernatural creatures), particularly Jennifer Ashley’s Shifter’s Unbound. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, the writing is repetitious, the hero and heroine are not particularly likable and the plot is convoluted.

Connor is a sexist jerk even for a dominant Alpha - he claims that he wants Ana as a partner when in reality, he wants a bedmate and little else. He never fully op ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Feminista rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I have been wanting to read this book for ages. But I had the wrong idea in mind.

I thought it was an Urban Fantasy novel. Probably because of the cover of a female. But it is a paranormal romance.

As far as paranormal romances go, this one was pretty average to me. It had it's ups and downs. One of its ups was that, I liked the hero's fidelity to the heroine for all those year.

One of the biggest downs was: I didn't like how submissive the heroine was. She was supposed to be an ...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Dee rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vampires, wolves, shifters, nbrc-serious-readers-challenge-2013, 100-in-2013, author-katie-reus

I have been on a bit of a Katie Reus trip in the last week or so and left this one until last.....I was a little apprehensive about it as I thought it would be leaning more towards UF rather than PNR. I don't tend to read UF very much as the romance is an important element for me, but there was enough in there to keep my interest. I will say that the plot wasn't a lot different from anything else I have read before in the PNR genre but I enjoyed it and I am gonna go ahead and buy the rest of the ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it it was ok

Shelves: adult, pn-shapeshifters, read-2012, skimmed-or-unfinished, pnr-urban-fantasy, 2012-publication, dnf

Definitely more PNR than UF. Even so, this is not bad, but not really something I got too excited about. My guess is that my friends who read more PNR than I do will probably like it more than I did.

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Jan 10, 2012 Coucher de soleil rated it did not like it

Shelves: godawful-worst-ever, urban-fantasy-read, worst-of-2012

NB: As a general comment, here is a link to a more general complaint of mine regarding romance novels (this novel was cited as an example of the problems I discuss in my complaint).

I really did not care for this book. It was pretty darn godawful, actually, and I had to pinch myself when I saw that it was written by a *woman* (I explain this below).

Good points: I did like several of the characters. Some elements of the world building were interesting, such as the idea of a weakened shifter pack s NB: As a general comment, here is a link to a more general complaint of mine regarding romance novels (this novel was cited as an example of the problems I discuss in my complaint).

I really did not care for this book. It was pretty darn godawful, actually, and I had to pinch myself when I saw that it was written by a *woman* (I explain this below).

Good points: I did like several of the characters. Some elements of the world building were interesting, such as the idea of a weakened shifter pack surrounded by enemies. These were unfortunately overshadowed by other not so good elements.

Bad points: I have rarely read a book that is more *sexist* than this one -and I do not use this word lightly. Every woman in this book seemed to: (i) cower in a corner waiting for the men in her life to protect her, (ii) perfer doing 'female' things off in her corner with the other females, (iii) accept a general separation of the sexes where men were the warriors and women... did not do much of anything.

For example, the main character had become the leader of her pack when all the males of her old pack were killed. The nasty leader of a neighboring pack tried to take over their pack and land and she therefore accepted a 'takeover' of the pack by a bunch of unknown males led by an old (male) flame of hers. In exchange for this protection of the 'little females' by the new males, she agreed to become the fellow's official mate. While the main character stated that she was not part of the lupine shifter race's 'warrior class' and therefore was not suited by temperament or ability to be the leader of a pack, it was revealing to me to see that all the new 'warrior class' wolves who had shown up to protect her pack were MALE.

Most of the story felt like a truly bad romance novel, featuring the familiar trope of the 'big hulking male' being tamed by the 'little woman', with a small degree of variation in that it was not only the main character but also his brother and the other men trying to learn how to deal with the new 'little women' who had them wrapped around their little fingers. And for a novel written by a woman, another aspect which struck me was the extreme separation of the sexes where the women had their own houses and did their own things under the watchful eyes of their male protectors. Apparently female shifters like things this way -when the main character found out that one of the newly arrived wolves was female she proposed that said female stay with the rest of the females in their house. While this new female had undergone some trauma and while I could understand a certain level of instinctive fear and discomfort on the part of a woman has been raped and abused with regards to men in general, this whole notion of 'female space' is carried to a ridiculous extreme in this novel. Another example of this is that there were two cubs/children who were brought over with the male wolves, one of which was female and the other male. Both were quite young and cute, but guess which one was essentially (and later literally) adopted by the main character? You guessed it: the FEMALE. The possibility that a young male child might benefit from having a female maternal type presence in his life was not even considered because, of course, he was MALE and was therefore better off with the men.

There was one female who was eventually revealed to be a member of the warrior class and who seems to be a pretty good fighter -but she came across to me as so anomalous as to almost be a token 'tough female' presence in the novel.

Ugh.

Second, the plot was silly, IMHO. One particularly annoying cliche of mystery novels is to have an unknown killer terrorize a populace, only to have the killer turn out to be the best friend of the narrator or the narrator themselves. IMHO this is the easiest cop out in the book for a writer writing a plot which involves a mystery, since it usually implies that the author does not want to have to worry about pesky annoying details like *building* a suspense. In other words, rather than subtly hinting at the killer's motivations and/or identity, they can just spring the fact that the narrator was the killer all along and presto! Instant surprise. This is a very *cheap* effect, IMHO. Unfortunately, this is the type of plot element which is present in the book with regards to the main villain causing problems for our characters. In fact, I had named the killer at the beginning (unlike our dopey characters!) because I could sense this was not going to end well, as far as the book was concerned: I had thought to myself that if one was to go for an 'easy out' with regards to this aspect of the plot, it would be this character who would be the killer. Unfortunately, I was right.

Third, the author did a lot of TELLING, rather than SHOWING. In one particular example, we were *told* that the main character and her new love interest had been close at one time, that they had been best friends, etc. We are never *shown* this and in fact the two characters never attain any meaningful level of communication in the novel. For example, the main female character is utterly touched because, at the very end of the novel, he takes one of her suggestions. Of course, this is a very minor suggestion and is the only instance in which he even listens to her or considers her opinion in any meaningful way (because he is such a *dominating* alpha male that of course she would have nothing useful to contribute other than the fact that she had planted pretty little flowers that day). The characters are never shown to lean on or rely on each other for advice, guidance, or a sympathetic ear (this would IMHO be a prerequisite for a successful relationship/couple). Therefore the main romance is utterly unconvincing, boring, and trite. I will also spare you any descriptions of their love/sex scenes, which are just as bad.

Fourth, there were a lot of grammatical mistakes throughout the novel. Does no one edit books these days?

So... One star. Barely. ...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Jo rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013, books-i-own-print, books-i-own-kindle, pnr, read-in-2016, vbc-reviews, read-in-2018

Reread: 28/03/16
Rating: 4.5 stars

Forgot how much I love this series.

Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

When all the males and pregnant females in the Cordona pack are poisoned, Ana steps up as temporary leader. Though she was born an alpha wolf and can take care of herself, she knows the pack will not last long without a true Alpha to protect them. When Connor Armstrong walks back into her life she has little choice but to accept his offer of prote Reread: 28/03/16
Rating: 4.5 stars

Forgot how much I love this series.

Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

When all the males and pregnant females in the Cordona pack are poisoned, Ana steps up as temporary leader. Though she was born an alpha wolf and can take care of herself, she knows the pack will not last long without a true Alpha to protect them. When Connor Armstrong walks back into her life she has little choice but to accept his offer of protection, particularly with the sadistic neighboring Alpha Taggart breathing down her neck.

Connor comes with a renegade pack of loner wolves, ready to settle and willing to fight for the Cordona pack. Part of Connor’s deal with Ana, however, is to become his mate. After having had her heart broken once by him, Ana isn’t sure she can recover from that again. When members of the pack start getting sick and human friends being attacked, they realize even with the new additions the threat isn’t over. With Taggart hell bent on destroying the new pack and a sinister human hate group, the Anti Paranormal League, determined to cleanse the supernatural community, Ana and Connor must fight to protect those they lead.

I’m a huge werewolf fan and the world Katie Reus has created made me a very happy reader. It’s an open world, where the human population has been aware of shifters and vampires for more than 20 years, with varying states of acceptance on both sides of the fence. There is a great sense of layering in this world building, with degrees of intolerance, dominance and even, to a certain extent, love. Though the cover might suggest this is along the urban fantasy vein, I would say this more in the paranormal romance category. It definitely has a lot of action and mystery but the romance between Ana and Connor is pretty central. It isn’t a smooth ride though, as you would expect from a romance read.

While Ana has spent the last 50 years doing her best to forget about Connor after he up and left without an explanation, he has been doing everything in his power to become “worthy” of the old Alpha’s daughter. This means they enter their reunion at very different points emotionally, best demonstrated by Connor’s demand to permanently bond almost immediately. Well, Ana isn’t having any of that! She may have to temporarily mate with him to secure the safety of the pack, but she isn’t ready to offer her heart (even if he does look damn good without a shirt). Publicly they do very well at presenting a united front, but privately it’s a bumpy road with plenty of trust issues, near misses and sexual tension.

Much of the book is told from both Ana and Connor’s points of view, but there are other character narratives as well, both from the good and bad side. As a reader I always enjoy being privy to the antagonists plans before they affect the main characters and this book had several. My favorite character has to be Liam, Connor’s brother. Funny and sexy, his growing attraction toward a local human woman is a major subplot and I can’t wait to see how it pans out in later books.

With a mixture of romance and action I think Alpha Instinct will appeal to fans of PNR or UF with a strong romantic thread. Also to anyone who likes sexy werewolves, which to be honest is everyone, right?!

Sexual content: Graphic sex ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Carla-Book Monster Reviews rated it really liked it

Alpha Instinct is the first book in Katie Reus' MOON SHIFTER series and a great beginning to a new series.

Ana Cordova is the Alpha of the now all female Cordova pack since the pack members were poisoned and all the males in the pack dies, along with all the pregnant females shifters. Her father and intended mate were also amongst the victims of the poisoning. Now Anna is trying to protect the rest of her pack and make sure her sisters and cousins are safe, which is becoming harder and harder by Alpha Instinct is the first book in Katie Reus' MOON SHIFTER series and a great beginning to a new series.

Ana Cordova is the Alpha of the now all female Cordova pack since the pack members were poisoned and all the males in the pack dies, along with all the pregnant females shifters. Her father and intended mate were also amongst the victims of the poisoning. Now Anna is trying to protect the rest of her pack and make sure her sisters and cousins are safe, which is becoming harder and harder by the day. Sean Taggart, the pack Alpha living on the land next to Anna's wants to take over Anna's pack and claim Anna as his mate. Only problem is he's a drug dealing lunatic and willing to do anything to claim Anna. Right when he's about to attack Anna, Connor and Liam Armstrong swoop in to save her. And boy is Anna shocked to see him. He left her 50 years ago without a word and broke her heart.

Connor Armstrong has known Anna was his mate ever since he laid eyes on her the first time. He's suffered the last 50 years without her and now that he found out that all the males in Anna's pack dies and she's unprotected, he will do anything to protect her. Even offer her protection and the safety of him as the new Alpha of her pack. If, she agree to be his mate. He knows he's going to have to work at regaining Anna's trust but he's willing to do whatever he has to to make her love him again. But the problems are much more than Connor knew. Someone is still trying to take out Anna and her pack and won't stop until every last member of the Cordova pack is dead.

I really enjoyed this book. Anna is a strong female heroine that will do anything to protect her family. She's loved Connor for years and was brokenhearted when he left her. Now that he's back she willing to mate him to save her family but she plans to keep her out out of it. Yeah right!
Connor is the epitome of the male Alpha wolf. He's strong, dominant protective of his pack.

I also loved Connor's brother Liam. His story was secondary is this book as he finds his mate, a human named December. Connor is trying to get to know December but she is weary of Liam. She is drawn to him but scared because her father was murdered by a feral wold shifter. It's only her and her brother, who also happens to be the sheriff in town. And her brother wants no one near his sister, especially a shifter. But now that a gang of human activists that hate shifters has targeted December, its going to take more than her brother to help protect her.

I am looking forward to the second book in the series, "Primal Possession" which will be a full length novel and the story of Liam and December and is scheduled to be released on September 4 2012.

There is also an enovella, "Lover's Instinct" scheduled to release in August 2012.

I can't wait to read more about the other members in Connor's pack that were introduced as well.

I give Alpha Instinct 4 out of 5 stars.
...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, request, 2012, shifter

When readers first meet Ana her pack has been drastically reduced in size by an attack via poisoning. This has left her and her fellow pack mates vulnerable. The poisoning only took the lives of the males, pregnant females, and the mated females who could not go on without their mates. Ana knows that this is a very bad situation to find herself in. She knows that if she goes to the Council for assistance they will just send a male pack her way to take over. She is also getting threats from a nei When readers first meet Ana her pack has been drastically reduced in size by an attack via poisoning. This has left her and her fellow pack mates vulnerable. The poisoning only took the lives of the males, pregnant females, and the mated females who could not go on without their mates. Ana knows that this is a very bad situation to find herself in. She knows that if she goes to the Council for assistance they will just send a male pack her way to take over. She is also getting threats from a neighboring pack Alpha who is all too eager to step in and take over. Taggart is so eager that he actually attacks Ana.

Connor and his brother Liam had lived amongst Ana’s pack fifty years ago. After hearing about the poisoning he quickly returns to her with an offer of protection. He has established himself as a strong Alpha to a pack of warriors in his time gone. He can offer her the protection that her pack is in dire need of. This will also allow Connor the opportunity to pursue the woman he walked away from fifty years ago.

Ana and Connor made for an interesting romance. He comes off way too pushy in the beginning giving her doubts about his motives. I loved the chest pounding Neanderthal that Connor could be at times. Those types of Alphas always make for an enjoyable read. Ana’s a strong heroine and once she reaches her limit with Connor she shows her own Alpha side.

The main conflict between the humans and the shifters is a very real conflict. The shifters stay away from the human population as much as possible due to hateful discrimination. The humans have known about shifters for twenty years, but most still have negative feelings for that which they do not understand. Of course you have the supremacist types that have taken the hatred to the extreme and have begun attacking. I liked this added conflict to Alpha Instinct. Hate crimes and discrimination are a very real problem. It made connecting with the characters so easy. They are dealing with a threat that could affect anyone, not just the characters in a fictitious book.
Reus sets up several future books for this series. She introduces many characters that have important roles within the pack. Readers get to eagerly wait for the attractions and turmoil to pan out in books to come. I am certainly looking forward to more books in this series. Alpha Instinct has a great mix of action, conflict, and sexual tension of future couples to assure that I will buy the next book as soon as it hits the book store shelves.
...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Mandapanda rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance

3.5 stars. Solid shifter romance about Ana, the leader of a wolf pack and ranch who recently lost her parents and male pack mates to a poisoning attack. The remaining female shifters are at risk of being annexed by a vicious neighbouring pack. At the last minute Connor arrives, a man she loved in her youth. He demands they mate in return for his protection. The story follows the assimilation of Ana's pack with Connor's group of warriors as well as the misunderstandings and obstacles on Ana and C ...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Ren Puspita rated it liked it

Shelves: alpha-hero, e-books, favorite-cover, family-theme, paranormal-romance, annoying-chara, abused-character, sadistic-psycho-chara, steamy, shapeshifter

Hmmm, not bad. But not good either. Just okay (lol, its already explained on my stars rating! X) )

While the suspense and world building is the plus, the romance just feel so -so. Sadly I can't feel chemistry between Ana and Connor. Their more like "I'm Tarzan, you Jane. When I don't want to talk why I left you fifty years ago, just accept it.".

Yeah, how romantic. Opps, just let my sarcasm out ;p.

Not bad for the first book in series. But its just feel okay for me. If you want something new in par ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Shelves: adult, dys-fantasy-pnr-scifi-altreal, second-chance, action-adventure-mystery-suspense, part-of-a-series, safe, stars-2, 2018, not-finishing-this-series, romance

I wanted to like this one, but couldn't really get into it. As other reviewers have stated, this is not really urban fantasy since it definitely lacks the world building details associated with that genre. It's paranormal fantasy, for sure, and therein lies its downfall. Neither element, the paranormal nor the romance, was all that compelling. The beginning grabbed my attention right away, but the story fizzled out and devolved into a lot of telling (repetitively) and not enough showing. ...more

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Dec 25, 2017 Joana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance, werewolves, cheesy, why-do-i-do-this-to-myself, annoying

Thank god it’s over. RTC.

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Dec 16, 2011 Kt rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-for-review, hardcopy

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

When all of the males, and many of the females of her pack were poisoned, Ana knew she had to step up to protect the remaining members. But no matter how strong she is, without an Alpha male, she won't be able to hold her family's lands for long. The malicious alpha of a neighboring pack has set his sights on having both Ana, and her land for his own. Ana would do almost anything to avoid that fate, so when Connor comes back into her life, s Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

When all of the males, and many of the females of her pack were poisoned, Ana knew she had to step up to protect the remaining members. But no matter how strong she is, without an Alpha male, she won't be able to hold her family's lands for long. The malicious alpha of a neighboring pack has set his sights on having both Ana, and her land for his own. Ana would do almost anything to avoid that fate, so when Connor comes back into her life, she knows she must accept him into the pack, even if it risks her heart, as he already broke it once. Connor may have left, but not without reason, and now he is back to claim what is his. But with her wariness and threats coming from all angles, his work will definitely be cut out for him.

Alpha Instinct had one of my favorite elements for shifter novels, bonding/mates. It just feels natural, and quite powerful whenever something so primal and permanent is thrown into the mix. I have an easier time getting behind the "instant" love when it stems from this type of connection, as it seems deep than mere infatuation. That being said, I did have a hard time feeling the "love" between Conner and Ana. Yes, there was an incredibly strong connection between them, as well as some pretty heavy lust. Don't get me wrong I really felt that they belonged together, but at times it felt more like a biological need rather than an emotional connection. Perhaps a lot of that was due to Connor's insecurities, and his inability to open up. Whatever the reasoning, it made it a little harder for me to get truly attached to the romance part of their bonding. As far as the physical side of things, well let me just say there weren't any complaints there. Whew! Talk about hot!

The mythology behind Alpha Instinct is quite interesting. While the focus was on the wolves, there was at least one other type of shifter mentioned, as well as vampires. I'm curious to see whether the future installments stick strictly to the wolves, or if things will branch out into the other races. I'd love to learn more about the rules for rest of them. Although the lupine shifters live in an "open" world they are still pretty archaic and secretive. They live for a very long time, and are very vulnerable to silver. The lupine women, despite their strength cannot expect to hold anything with out big bad male shifters to protect them. While this really isn't anything new for a shifter novel, it still was disheartening to see how easily the women accepted that fate. Then again, I really shouldn't blame them for accepting Connor's gang into their fold considering everything they have gone through. They knew they would constantly be under threat of take over from other packs, so it did seem only wise to accept help from a known source. It just disheartened me to see them backed into a corner.

I have to say that what really made this book a page turner for me was the foreshadowing of the different threats. The danger came from all sides, and we got glimpses into all of the "bad guys'"heads, some obvious to their identity and others not so much. It was the ones that weren't named that had me most intrigued, and kept in suspense, as it was frustrating in such a good way to figure out the culprit. I really enjoyed the fact the while a lot of the focus was on the main couple, there also was a clear plot, as well as a set up for another couple in the next book. I very much prefer a new couple's relationship to start in a book prior to their "feature" as it allows me to get attached to them, and makes the switch in focus easier. All in all, I was very impressed with this first installment with the Moon Shifters series, and I recommend Alpha Instinct to anyone who loves a good (and hot) shifter romance.
...more

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Mar 10, 2013 KarenF rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal, romance, own

There are some 3* reads that for me are 3* because they are fine books. Nothing that I love, but nothing that I really didn't like either. This isn't one of those books. This is a 3* read where it averages out to 3. There are thinks I really liked and things that didn't work so well for me.

I enjoyed the world building in this one. The Shifters have been out and known in the wider world for about 20 years and although things were OK at first there is now backlash against them starting. I liked h ...more

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Oct 20, 2013 Danielle (Danniegurl) rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance-read, wolves-shifters-read

So I apparently started this before and couldn't finish it. I tried again and had difficulty once again getting into and finishing the story. The synopsis is really good, you think the whole story is about Connor and Ana, but we get so many other POVs that it detracts from the story for me, which also made me not finish the book the first time around.

We had about 5 possibly more POVs, it was too much for a simple story. We had Ana, Connor, Liam - Connors brother, some guy named Chuck, Taggart, a ...more

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Dec 18, 2014 Jamie *Gypsy Smut-a-teer* rated it really liked it

Shelves: hea, kidnapped-shootings-danger-oh-my, other-paranormal, suspense, sexy-bad-boy, protection-needed, wolves-and-shifters

I love me a good shifter story. Conner and Ana's story was no different. I loved both characters. They were strong, brave, and let's face it I love a chick who will stand up for herself. I know that they always will submit a little, even if it's only in the bedroom, but I totally love a chick that won't let a dude just walk all over her.

If I were to say anything I didn't like as much about this book was it seemed to repeat things every now and then. I totally get that it is a first book in a s ...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Meg Kinch rated it liked it · review of another edition

The book ended up being pretty good. I admit that I had high hopes for it, but it didn't quite meet those hopes. I think there was a bit too much going on in the book. One of the plots could have been kept until the next book and I guess one was, in a way. There were three villains in this book with some minions. I also admit to getting a little irritated with the characters. The heroine going back and forth about does she love him, nope I need to keep my distance, why did he leave me long ago.. ...more

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Nov 20, 2015 Denise Hallauer rated it did not like it

Review can also be found on my blog.

This book is a hot mess. It is a paranormal romance trying to be an urban fantasy but ends up with just too much underdeveloped stuff going on. There is the poisonings, the problem with the other pack, the stuff wit the APL, the relationship stuff with Connor and Ana, the conflict with the sheriff who doesn’t like them, and lastly the relationship stuff with Liam and December. It’s all just too much for one book, Reus did not devote enough attention to each di ...more

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Sep 01, 2018 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, paranormal, shifters, mystery, thriller, suspense, b-n

Thrilling suspense and racy paranormal romance!

Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus marks the exciting debut of her Moon Shifter series. The wolfishly sexy series features passionate, protective lupine shifters and the stories are teeming with thrilling suspense and racy romance!

I’m unintentionally reading this series out-of-order and am seriously thrilled to have finally found the time to jump into the series’ introduction and thus fill in the back stories of some of the characters who have appeared ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Jac K rated it liked it

Shelves: second-chance, shifters

Blame in on the full moon, but I’m craving shifters… I picked up a few freebies last week (this was .99) and by coincidence; so far (4th in a row) have an Alpha either abandoning or rejecting his mate… I can’t catch a break!!

First, some quick setting info… These shifters are the type that live hundreds of years; I can’t remember her age, but he’s 110. I liked that they were older and mature, and this has zero YA feels to it. Also, the mating/bonding is a little different; there isn’t really a t Blame in on the full moon, but I’m craving shifters… I picked up a few freebies last week (this was .99) and by coincidence; so far (4th in a row) have an Alpha either abandoning or rejecting his mate… I can’t catch a break!!

First, some quick setting info… These shifters are the type that live hundreds of years; I can’t remember her age, but he’s 110. I liked that they were older and mature, and this has zero YA feels to it. Also, the mating/bonding is a little different; there isn’t really a true mate… I see you and know you’re the one kinda thing. They basically pick who they’re attracted to and have two choices: to mate (which is more like a marriage) or to bondmate. (forever type) I had mixed feeling about it... choices are good, but part of the reason I read these is because of that “you’re the one” type of connection.

In Alpha Instinct, Ana’s pack has recently lost all the men and pregnant women from poisoning. She’s attempting to serve as Alpha, but she needs a male mate to strengthen her position. Enter Connor, her former love (potential mate) after leaving 50 years earlier without even a goodbye. There’s a lot going on, with several subplots, and sometimes felt overwhelming. We have a crazy neighbor with a meth lab, a sheriff that hates shifters, attacks on humans in town, feral wolves, humans attacking shifters, dreamwalking, the original poison mystery, someone killing random pack members, and the introduction of next book’s couple with his own POV. It’s a lot, and took away major page time from Ana and Connor’s own romance. I get that it’s the first book, but IMO it should have been spread out…like why did we need the other couple’s parts if the entire next book it there’s?? The secondary characters are all very likeable, so things could improve with the following books.

Bottom Line- It was ok, but I won’t continue the series. I never really felt “engaged” in the story, because just when I was getting into it… it would switch to the next thing…then the next, and at almost 350 pages of that… I got bored. **Safety- attempted rape, (twice-I think) couple separated for 50 years (no relationship…they loved each other but never even kissed) we do not get his history, but she has tried to sleep with a few beta men.
...more

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Who's Your Author?: September BOM: Alpha Instinct	16	39	Sep 22, 2013 03:30PM
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About Katie Reus

Katie Reus

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Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Redemption Harbor series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom's stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn't always know she wanted to be a writer. After chang ...more