Wolf Hunger

Dragon Heat #3

by Ella J. Phoenix

When the last box of deadly bullets is stolen, the hunt is on and the Vampire King’s band of fighters is set for the challenge of recovering it. But Yara, the shifter-witch, has other problems to face. She must help her leader to overcome the strange illness that has befallen her before it’s too late. For that, she must go back to the only place she swore never to return – her home land.

Rafe is a typical lone wolf who spends his nights earning his bucks in the fighting ring. When he was offered a pardon for his debts in exchange for the Vampire King’s head, he didn’t even blink, thinking it would be a hard mission but not impossible. He just wasn’t expecting the saucy shifter-witch to cross his path and ruin his plans. Now, he can’t get her out of his mind and the clock is ticking for him to make good on his word.

This is the third novel of the Dragon Heat series – a paranormal lover’s delight with vampires, shifters, dragons, witches and much more.

***Warning: this novel contains hot, steamy, descriptive sexual scenes. Enjoy.***

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance

435 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2014

About the author

I discovered I was additcted to the paranormal when I was quite young - I blame it on the super heroes. Damn you, Wonder Woman! That passion led me to a number of amateur theatre productions in my home town, then ultimately to a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts.
It wasn't very cool to spend five years working my ass off for no money. But, I have to say, it was then that I made my first attempts into the literary world. The first ones were writing children’s plays for my family’s language school. After a couple of blunders, I decided to translate Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream into a dancing and kicking play. It was so much fun that after that, let’s just say that I caught the bug.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! So much action, so much passion, soooo good!

WOLF HUNGER, book three in the Dragon Heat series by Ella J. Phoenix is a character driven, passion-filled, action-packed, bad guy getting his comeuppances, paranormal romance that will leave you begging for more. At the end, I actually sighed and said, “oh come on, Ella, you can’t leave it there.” Rafe and Yara are animalistic passion with slight undertones of BDSM that will have your imaginations running wild with thoughts of them taking things to higher levels when they let their animals loose.

I love the way the cast of characters from the earlier Dragon Heat books remain strong in their appearances as the series progresses. In WOLF HUNGER, we get a taste of the world of the wolf pack and I have no doubt we will be revisited by members of Rafe’s pack in future books but this one’s all about the animal heat that exists between alpha characters of which both Rafe and Yara are. We discover Yara’s past, her secrets, and her fears. We’re introduced to the world of the water witches and suffer some heartbreak when a new character digs into our hearts and then we lose her.

I won’t say anymore, I’ll just highly recommend that you read WOLF HUNGER by Ella J. Phoenix if you’ve read the first two, or are trying out her books for the first time. It’s best to read this series in order but if you’re like me, you may just fall in love through this one and then be compelled to start at the beginning and experience it all again. If you’re a fan of TRUE BLOOD, and Alcide then you’re going to want to experience Rafe – he’s all wolf and so sexy, you’ll find yourself possibly howling for his attention.

***eARC provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

[Lucy Dosch (EBookObsessed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wedding of the millennium has taken place. There are few alive who remember a time when all the supernatural species got along in harmony, and now the vampire king has taken a dragon bride, bringing hope that their world can truly return to a time of peace. This should be the beginning of something wonderful but when Zoricah suddenly becomes ill, the only thing that can help her is an herbal concoction that Yara learned as a young witch. Unfortunately, most of the ingredients can't be bought at your local supermarket.

Yara will need to return to the jungles of the Amazon and try to get reach the herbal gardens which the Water Witches keep just outside their secret world. The Water Witches are a tribe of female warriors. As a young girl, Yara chose the love of a man over her warrior sisters. She lost everything she knew to be with a man who only wanted to use her magic.  As a banned and forsaken witch, Yara's sisters would not be happy to find her robbing their gardens so she will need to be very careful.

Meanwhile, the forces that are working against a vampire/dragon alliance want to make sure that Zoricah doesn't get Yara's concoction and they have sent the wolf shifter, Rafe, to follow her and stop her. Rafe failed to killed the vampire king, more like he decided he wasn't interested in starting a war, so now he is being pressured to "pay up" or lose everything.

Rafe starts to get too close to his target and now those same powers want Rafe to stop Yara permanently. Rafe has to quickly figure out how to get out from under their control because his wolf has finally realized that Yara is his and he will need to risk his pack and everything he has built to save the one woman perfect for him.

While Rafe plays cat and mouse, or wolf and panther, with Yara, Zoricah is getting weaker and Yara needs to get back to the vampire compound before it it too late.

THOUGHTS:
This is a very enjoyable series. We were distracted from the prior storyline of finding secret experimental laboratories in this book since we were quite busy with Zoricah's illness and Yara returning to the Amazon as well as setting up the romance with Yara and Rafe. Truthfully, it wasn't missed at all since there was so many other things going on to focus on and there was plenty of action and romance.

We know from the prior novels that Rafe was the one who took the dangerous Nuke bullets from the lab and that he is trying to sell them on the black market. While he is smart enough to know that Yara is going to be more than just angry that he had them and he hasn't told her, he is still willing to risk his relationship to get the money that he needs instead of telling Yara and maybe selling them to the vamps. Stupid move wolf because we know that Yara has trust issues with men, especially growing up in an all-female society.

My one complaint which I have complained about before, it makes me crazy when the language doesn't to match the characters. Yara goes back to the jungle and of course, has an encounter with her former friends. My issue starts when Yara is fighting her cousin, the cousin says "Bring it." I doubt a tribe of warriors deep in the Amazon jungle are saying "Bring it." Nor, when one returns with Yara to the U.S., should that witch jump right in making cocktails for the group. Where would she have learned cocktails? The closest dirt village is quite a hike away from the witches and I doubt the witches go there to have drinks and watch American TV to be up with the latest slang. If you want to call it "Hiad" instead of "Hell", I'm with you on the world building. But American slang and references should not be part of their speech if they are a hidden jungle society.

The next book in the series appears to be a flashback story to Tardieh's father, the prior vampire king, and I am guessing this will give us the real reason why the vamps and the draco originally went to war. I already have a review copy of Book 5 which is Dyam's story. Right now my interest is going forward rather than looking back and I think I am going to cheat and come back to the flashback story afterwards.

This review was originally posted on EBookObsessed

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Wolf Hunger in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one series that I can honestly say gets just a little bit better with each installment. Dragon Heat introduced the series, the characters and the world of Dragon Heat. Zoricah and Tardieh were also the most obvious place to begin. Sam and Hikuro were next in Vampire Thirst and their story continued the momentum. Wolf Hunger not only brings more players in but builds up the suspense. Even though the previous characters aren’t front and center, their story continues and they’re developing right along with the plot. I love it when that happens. ;)

I have to admit that there were times that I wasn’t quite sure about Rafe. I knew he had good intentions, but I also understood why Yara didn’t quite trust him. Mostly because I didn’t for a good portion of the book. Yes, he had his reasons for doing what he did and he also had his reasons for not caring one way or another what happened to Tardieh. The problem was that I did so therefore Rafe had a lot of work to do to finally win me over.

The banter and interactions between these characters is one of the things that I like most about this series. These ‘families’ have melded together in a unique way. In a short amount of time Zoricah’s ‘family’ and Tardieh’s ‘family’ have become one. I love the way that they have come to both love, respect and support each other. One character in particular tugged at my heart in this book and it wasn’t Rafe or Yara. Their heart wasn’t simply broken, but pretty much crushed and I want them to get their HEA sooner rather than later. *sigh*

There was a lot more going on in Wolf Hunger than the hunt for the bullets and who was targeting the King. Some pretty amazing stuff actually, which unfortunately, in the interest of keeping my review spoiler free, I can’t talk about. This story is far from over… for any of the characters. The story arc between Rafe and Yara came to a satisfying close but readers were left with a lot of unanswered questions. For a lot of reasons I can’t wait for the next book in the Dragon Heat series.

[M.L. Rosado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually when you read a series you always fall in love with the first book and the sequels just develop the story but they never top that first book that got you hooked. On this case, in the Dragon Heat Series, Book 3 is just as good as one and two. Ms. Phoenix has created a world and characters so unique that each book can stand alone and be an amazing read. On this case we have my favorite female character of the whole series, Yara. She is a hypnotizing character full of sex appeal, strength, loyalty, beauty, sassiness and simply bad-ass confidence. She is a water witch from the Brazilian Amazon that was cursed to be a panther shifter... WHAT! She is not your typical "Oooh I want to fall in love" leading characters, she is a POWER HOUSE! Her counter part and Mr. Hottie is a white werewolf and super hot-six-pack-boxer-hunk, Rafe.

This time around, Yara and her friends, Zoricah and Sam with the help of the Vampire king and his super hot male warriors are still on the look out for a new weapon that got away from their last mission. While all of this is going on, our main characters from the first books are growing and developing their relationships, while Yara is still holding on to the past. An important predicament makes her go back to the Amazon and with it came the clashing of her present with her past. Here is when the story flies and took me into a journey in the jungle with Yara and the glorious world of the water witches.

This is when you know that a book is well written. I felt the heat of the jungle, the energy from the lake and got lost in it. Yara crashed into her past not knowing that in that process, Rafe was being enchanted by her. The chemistry between them is raw and real. Their animal instincts bonded perfectly and as a reader, I loved how their unique personalities jumped off the page and bit me! New characters, surprises, the wolf society, and the witches are all introduced in this book not leaving behind the characters that we loved from the previous books. It has action, romance, and outdoor-kinky-rolling-on-the-grass-care-free-SEX! Come on! Get your copy today!

[Books Laid Bare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not normally a champion of the paranormal but this series is brilliant and has me hooked!
It has it all in bucket loads but please read the previous two books before you begin this one – you will get so much more from being completely immersed in the story. But hang on tight for an action packed adventure that is full to the brim with passion and intrigue and an ending that will have you shouting out loud!
The characters from the previous novels are prevalent in this but primarily it is Rafe and Yara that are the mainstay of our attention – when they are together the sky is the limit – and when they finally let loose the possibilities are wild!
This book lets us into the world of the pack and shows us what lies behind Yara façade, her past is fascinating and her secrets are hidden well.
But when she journeys back to the Amazon and we get to see the world of the water witches unfold – it is enough to take your breath away.
Old characters remain integral to the story and we pick up some new ones along the way, some not staying with us for too long.
Rafe is the epitome of sexy assed wolf if there ever could be such a thing and Yara, well she is the most beautifully, feisty water witch you will ever read – she will make you take notice of her – in fact she demands it! The bond and chemistry between the pair of them is electrifying they are sizzling together.
The book is beautifully written, vividly descriptive and emotionally charged – everything the discerning reader could possibly want when settling down to find her escape!
And with Rafe and Yara, escapism is available by the bucket load- with more to come I can only say that as a convert to the genre – Ella Phoenix – Thank You !

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is my form of crack! Ella J. Phoenix has repeatedly hijacked my attention, emotions, and imagination with her spellbinding creativity.

I was elated to receive Yara’s story and this author delivered with a stellar cast and exemplary story line!

Yara’s backstory is my favorite of the unusual paranormal family involved here. I admit that I’m partial to witches, but her beauty, toughness, demeanor, and loyalty scream super-heroine. Following her quest to save Zoricah was a heartbreaking adventure, but very exhilarating. I simply love her interaction with Rafe! He’s very similar to Yara as far as attributes go, but he’s less willing to believe in fate. Entertainment ensues as the carnal beings realize they’ve met their match.

There are several wonderful elements that make this novel whole. Phoenix has delivered a paranormal hierarchy that mirrors medieval times, has skillfully made her own version of “The Fates” from Greek mythology, and has balanced every emotion strategically.

True to form, she’s left us with a cliffhanger so I’ll be impatiently awaiting my next fix!

[Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot express the infuriatingly brilliant feeling this book has left me with. Initially skeptical at the start of book 1, Z, Tardieh, Sam, Hikuro, Dyam & Naiah have taken me on a journey and converted me to fantasy romance fiction. None more so than Yara and Rafe. I was looking forward to the Panther/Wolf story in particular when the teasing of it were coming through in book 2, Vampire Thirst. The spellbinding descriptions of the backdrop and settings have you feeling and wishing you were there. The writing is brilliant. The story is brilliant. I can't praise it enough. I sincerely hope there's a number 4....
Ella has written this book in three parts which pleased me immensely. I think it works better having longer installments and definitely kept me completely compelled for The three days it took me to read it. My children probably feel neglected, as does my housework. But I'm telling you, its totally worth it.

[Eva Millien · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle against evil continues to rage in this intriguing paranormal world that is thrilling and mesmerizing. The author keeps anticipation high with lots of intrigue and surprising twist that no one sees coming. I was totally caught up in the story from the very first book and I actually enjoyed this one a little more than I did the others, it introduces us to new characters and adds to the complexity of what’s happening in this war that rages around them, but all the characters from the previous stories still play their parts as well. I can’t wait to read the next one especially as the author loves to leave little teasing clues that really arouse my curiosity.

4 ½ STARS

See my full review at:

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Rev...

[A.R. Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to stay strong and packed with action, fun, heat and thrills! A great read for any fans of the genre looking for a new paranormal romance series to read. PLEASE, just make sure to start from the beginning. It's so much fun how everyone comes together!

We get to see how Zoricah and Tardieh have progressed in their relationship (woo hoo) and how the others are dealing with it and some other changes. We also get a bit more personal with Yara and her past. She's one tough cookie that I truly admire. Paired with Rafe and...WOW! Hot, steamy, sizzling chemistry with a side of awesome :)

Ella continues to keep my interest in the series. I look forward to where she'll take us next. I'm actually at the edge of my seat! Bravo Ella!

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of Wolf Hunger and it's one of the best prizes I've ever won. Ella J Phoenix writes a great story with vampires, witches, shifters and dragons. Paranormal romance is not my usual first pick when deciding what to read next, but from now on, if it's got Ella J Phoenix on the cover, I'll happily dive in. I love the characters and the story and that dash of spice.

[Maria Lazarou · Rating 4 out of 5]

****I received this arc in exchange for an honest review****

This series just gets better and better.

The writing is fantastic, the story flows beautifully and it's was a good read.

Sexy males oh how I love them.

There is a cliffhanger and I'll be waiting for the next book

[Natasna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Nicole P · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2 ½ stars. A little bit too much information that made this book drag on and on. The beginning of the book could have been left out, considering how the story went. Yara was exactly what I thought she would be: strong, independent and sharp. The story focused mostly on her, and the build up between her and Rafe was slow. Interesting world the author has created and I'm hoping the other two vamps, Joel and Dyam, get their own story.

[Laurie Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love the later BDB books then you’ll love this series. I enjoy the characters and the paranormal elements, but I tend to me more of a Romance main focus reader, meaning. I like for the hero and heroine to be the main focus of the story not the side characters and story first, but there are some readers that like the focus of all kinds of characters like in the later BDB books. These books reminds me of more Urban Fantasy then romance because you don’t have the main focus on romance nor on the main couple.

I really hate to sound picky but I read Zoricah and Tardieh story in the first book and loved it, I didn’t like them coming back and having their story told more in-depth. I wanted to read about Rafe and Yara. I know their story entwined some but there was too much depth for Z and Tardieh. Then there was the villains POV which was great but you also got a lot info on Dyam, Naiah and more, so this made for quite a bit of different POV’s going on. I do have to hand it to the author at least she kepts them separate and they all focused on the story at hand, so there is nothing crazy like head-hopping which is great for the readers. The reason why I’m rating this a 3, as a romance reviewer I have to look at the main focus on the main romance because it comes first.

Now, since there is focus on quite a few characters that took away from reading Rafe and Yara background. You get to read a little about and them, but it wasn’t enough for me to really get to know them more. By the time they finally got together the book was over. Shame too because I really liked Rafe and I wanted to know more of Yara powers and how she could work them. I wanted to know why these two connected and what really drawled them together. There had to be something more than just the, oh I want you. I could feel their pull but just wanted to know why a wolf was drawn to a shifter that is also water witch and cursed.
The story is very fast pace and you get some really good paranormal element, then you also get some really good lines like this one.

“Rafe couldn’t story his mind from bowling over. They were the opposite of each other- one was panther, one wolf, one feline, one canine, one black, the other white, but Rafe had never felt so close to another imam before…”

If you like the idea of reading a book with some hot sex and you don’t have to have the main romance focus then please give this series a try, this author is very talented.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yara can't believe that she lost the atomic bullets but she's determined to finding them no matter what. After witnessing Zoricah and Tardieh's wedding, Yara realizes how alone she really is. She also discovers a deathly pale Zoricah hiding out in the bathroom. Yara does everything that she can to help Zoricah using a mixture of herbs to make a shake. It's a race against the clock to find the atomic bullets before they end up in the wrong hands. Rafe's job is to find out what Yara is up to and report back to Philip with his findings. Rafe thinks something fishy is going on with Philip's newest job. He's determined to figure out what it is for his own peace of mind. Rafe can't stop thinking about Yara and it's affecting the job. Rafe has alot of people counting on him and trying not to let anyone down but it's an incredibly hard. Who will win the race for the atomic bullets? Will Rafe let his desires get in the way of his job? Your answers await you in Wolf Hunger.

I've been so curious about Yara since her introduction in Dragon Heat. Yara and the other female lead characters are really strong and can hold their own against their male counterparts. Rafe is a dreamy and hot alpha male hat doesn't mind a strong willed female with curves he really digs. I found that the story is completely driven by the characters from first page to last page. definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 3 of the Dragon Heat series brings more light to the wolf character introduced in Vampire Thirst. Rafe has it bad for Yara but because he seemingly works for the other side he cannot claim Yara for his own. He has to defeat the bad guys and get Yara to forgive him and trust him.

I liked these characters. I like how the different communities of the supernaturals are shown coming together but you never know who the enemy is nor who is your friend. There is a lot of action and adventure as the fight continues over the bullets and who will lead and who will follow. I like how the different communities start working together but I still have some questions as to why the original war started and how was it started. The ending of this book looks like the next book may give me those answers but maybe not. Time will tell.

The story was good. I liked the addition of Naiah. She has some pointed things to say. She also had to teach some of the others to see differently and to open their minds. I like how Zoricah's group and the vampires have each others' backs but there is still opportunity for others to join with them--not without problems but they do find a way to work it out.

I am looking forward to seeing what comes next and if I'm right about it.

[Amy Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Wow!!!!

Full on action from start to finish, characters you can connect with from the beginning.

So much going on but you can keep up with it all, from vampires, dragons, wolves, witches and shifters.

This book concentrates on a Rafe a wolf trying to save his pack from his alphas debts and Yara a witch who was cursed to shift into a panther.

This is her story to find the one that stole the last box of bullets out of her hand in London. But is she prepared to find out that the one who has them will be the one to break her apart.

Throughout the book you see Yara take care of her queen as she is sick with her pregnancy. But in order to help her Yara has to go and face her own demons by going back home.

Will Yara come out stronger than ever?
Will she find her HEA?

One way to find out and that is to read the book :-p I can't express how good this series is.

Be warned there is a cliffhanger at the end if this story but that has to do with the King and Queen


Thank you for letting me review this story and congrats in an amazing book!!!!

[Myra Espino · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
Wolf Hunger, nice story.
Interesting set of characters and the story is good.
The way Wolf Hunger started is good.
I love that the characters lives from books 1 & 2 still continued in this book.
The characters, Yara and Rafe are great.
They are easy to love and like.
Yara is my favorite character among them all.
I love how bad-ass she is.
She doesn't give a shit to others.
Rafe, a bad-ass wolf!
Despite of being a lone wolf, he is doing everything
to earn and to live.

The story, it's great.
I love that the other characters' stories are still there.
The concept is interesting and I was curious on what will happen if Rafe's mission will ruin what he have with Yara.
Interesting ending and I loved it.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Zoricah falls ill it is up to Yara to make her better but she must return to the one place she vowed she would never go, Home, to the rainforest and her family that renounced her so long ago. Of course there is another quirk that just keeps getting closer and closer to Yara and if he doesn’t stop she’s going to kick his butt. Yara now has to contemplate her ability to go home and retrieve the herbs she needs to save Zoricahs life and possibly put herself in danger. With a new member of the stories, Rafe, a lone werewolf that is in debt to his eyeballs with the draconian senator because his pack is near bankruptcy. Though all is well in London and Yara must return to her Amazon home land the end is not what really counts here.

[Chrissy Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Wolves, panthers, witches, dragons, vampires and babies, oh yes!!! I love the way this Trilogy always starts off the next book exactly where it ended. This Trilogy is a paranormal/romance lovers dream!!!

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, almost gave it 4 stars but the writing was uneven at the beginning however the plot took off with plenty of action ...Perhaps if I had read the previous books in the series I would rated it higher but but I don't much like reading about vampires.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf Hunger

OMG!!! You did it again. This story was gr8. I cried near the end, & I rarely ever cry. It's a weakness I don't allow. Plz keep the stories coming, I truly enjoy them. Now off to read the next. I recommend this read 5 Thumbs up