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Cast the First Stone
Julian Hart is a werewolf hunter. The murder of his parents at the claws of a pair of rogue werewolves left him as guardian to his younger sister, Zoe. Grief and rage drove him to become a hunter and prevent other families from suffering the same fate. His latest hunt leads him right into Alpha Stone's territory, where his sister was turned against her will.
Werewolf protocol demands that he ask for permission before entering Stone's territory and continuing his hunt. That leaves Julian with an unwanted entourage and fighting an attraction to a man he shouldn't crave.
With Alpha Stone's people dogging his every step and Julian resisting his desire for the very man he's supposed to hate, his hunt uncovers secrets hidden within lies and a plot for vengeance that no one saw coming.
When the smoke clears, what Julian finds at the end of the trail will forever change his life and the lives of everyone he holds dear.
Werewolf protocol demands that he ask for permission before entering Stone's territory and continuing his hunt. That leaves Julian with an unwanted entourage and fighting an attraction to a man he shouldn't crave.
With Alpha Stone's people dogging his every step and Julian resisting his desire for the very man he's supposed to hate, his hunt uncovers secrets hidden within lies and a plot for vengeance that no one saw coming.
When the smoke clears, what Julian finds at the end of the trail will forever change his life and the lives of everyone he holds dear.
123 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2014
About the author
Katherine Halle
18 books24 followersThe nickname “Queen of Happy Endings” is an apt one for Katherine Halle. She firmly believes that no matter what the obstacles, what the struggles, or how much angst is involved in the journey that the ending should always be a happy one.
Katherine’s love of the written word started at a very early age with repeated demands of “read to me” to any who would listen. It was only natural that writing would follow. As a child, she could often be found daydreaming, thinking up fanciful stories and writing them down. Now she does it on a laptop. Much faster.
Katherine’s favorite animal is her dog. She likes books, movies, and quirky tv shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is a closet foodie. She has lived in both Europe and the United States and loved both. When she's not writing or plotting, Katherine enjoys spending her time listening to music, reading books by OTHER people, and being with her family.
Katherine’s love of the written word started at a very early age with repeated demands of “read to me” to any who would listen. It was only natural that writing would follow. As a child, she could often be found daydreaming, thinking up fanciful stories and writing them down. Now she does it on a laptop. Much faster.
Katherine’s favorite animal is her dog. She likes books, movies, and quirky tv shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is a closet foodie. She has lived in both Europe and the United States and loved both. When she's not writing or plotting, Katherine enjoys spending her time listening to music, reading books by OTHER people, and being with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 13, 2014
This story sounded interesting because it contains a couple of elements I really like—on top of werewolves, whom I find almost irresistible. Enemies to lovers fascinate me, and since one main character is a werewolf hunter motivated by revenge, and the other an alpha, it was bound to be good. The other one I enjoy is two stubborn men trying to impress, then outstubborn each other, and this story has that in spades. Add some great secondary characters, an evil werewolf out for revenge of his own, and a few twists and turns, and I am a very happy reader.
Julian is a tough guy, strong, and determined not to let anyone get the upper had. Rogue werewolves killed his parents, and anther rogue turned his sister Zoe against her will. Julian doesn’t just hate rogues though, with the exception of his sister’s new pack, he isn’t exactly a friend of werewolves as a whole. Having to ask Stone for permission to enter his territory so he can kill the bastard he is currently after grates. Julian has no choice, and when he meets the alpha and finds out how supportive he is, Julian’s walls begin to crumble just a little. The revelations as he keeps digging make him reel, and finding nothing to be as he expected unsettles him more than a little.
Alpha Stone is every inch the strong, possessive, and demanding alpha you’d expect running a pretty strong and somewhat wealthy pack. He needs to be in charge at all times, and as the story unravels it becomes clear which events have strengthened this need even beyond “normal werewolf standard”. Stone may be tough, and he definitely has standards, but deep down he is also a good guy. Contrary to everyone’s expectations he runs his pack with compassion and wisdom, and defends those who need it against any and all danger. His own past harbors some secrets even he isn’t aware of, and when the darkness is revealed, Stone is he first to want to set things right. His attraction to Julian is undeniable, and I suspect half of it is because Julian is just as stubborn and proud as Stone.
If you like werewolf stories with traditional packs, but somewhat unusual alphas, if two men trying to impress each other sound like fun, and if you’re looking for a read full of twists and turns and some very hot man-on-shifter action, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Julian is a tough guy, strong, and determined not to let anyone get the upper had. Rogue werewolves killed his parents, and anther rogue turned his sister Zoe against her will. Julian doesn’t just hate rogues though, with the exception of his sister’s new pack, he isn’t exactly a friend of werewolves as a whole. Having to ask Stone for permission to enter his territory so he can kill the bastard he is currently after grates. Julian has no choice, and when he meets the alpha and finds out how supportive he is, Julian’s walls begin to crumble just a little. The revelations as he keeps digging make him reel, and finding nothing to be as he expected unsettles him more than a little.
Alpha Stone is every inch the strong, possessive, and demanding alpha you’d expect running a pretty strong and somewhat wealthy pack. He needs to be in charge at all times, and as the story unravels it becomes clear which events have strengthened this need even beyond “normal werewolf standard”. Stone may be tough, and he definitely has standards, but deep down he is also a good guy. Contrary to everyone’s expectations he runs his pack with compassion and wisdom, and defends those who need it against any and all danger. His own past harbors some secrets even he isn’t aware of, and when the darkness is revealed, Stone is he first to want to set things right. His attraction to Julian is undeniable, and I suspect half of it is because Julian is just as stubborn and proud as Stone.
If you like werewolf stories with traditional packs, but somewhat unusual alphas, if two men trying to impress each other sound like fun, and if you’re looking for a read full of twists and turns and some very hot man-on-shifter action, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 22, 2017
In spite of the rather contrived pun in the title and the undistingushed, generic artwork, this is a surprisingly lively, plausible and fresh twist on the 'Alpha shifter meets his hunter of a mate' trope. One enjoys the straightforward tone in which this tale has been written: Julian, the mouthpiece of the author, has a no-nonsense approach to all things wolfy, from hunting to having sex with alpha Stone, that makes his adventures suitably pithy while at the same time displaying the sort of lack of understanding of matehood that is typical of a human hunter whose belonging to a pack solely rests on bonds of friendship with his alpha and brother-in-law (his old pal Zax mated with his sister after she was turned against her will). Julian's strength compliments Stone's, who turns out to be much more complex and caring of every people under his responsibility than his formidable front would leave one to believe. The two litterally make sparks when they meet then interact; their progression from acquaintances with minimal common grounds to mates deeply in love is beautifully depicted, with the kind of attention to psychology and contextual matters that utterly lacks in the usual shifter romance. There is no 'werewolf meets mate and they go bed hopping in a matter of pages' formula between those covers; on the contrary, the influence of the instant bond, so convenient to the Stakhanovs of shifter tales who seem unable to build up their pairings otherwise, gets cleverly downplayed by Mrs Halle :
"shaking my head in frustration, I tried to clear it of the haze of arousal and need. “Not you, specifically, from any wolf trying to use their pheromones against me.”
Understanding bloomed in his eyes and the hungry look returned, along with the maddening feeling of his fingertips tracing the mandala on my back over and over again. “Good.”
“Good?” I asked curiously, my fingers finding his own tattoo, the pack one on the left side of his chest.
“I'd rather have you feisty and in control every step of the way. But you should know those pheromones don't work how you think they do. They only enhance what's already there. They don't create feelings or desires out of nothing, except in extreme circumstances”"
(...)
"“I think you’re using your pheromones,” I said stubbornly.
“You can't compel the willing.” He turned, tugging me forward, while he walked backward out of the room.
“Our clothes,” I protested.
“Someone will pick them up. Your shirt was a loss, as were your briefs.”
As I followed him up the stairs, my frown deepened and I slowed down. “What do you mean you can't compel the willing?”
Huffing out a sigh of exasperation, he stopped moving. “For example, if we were having sex, I might use them to enhance your arousal, your pleasure. I could not use them to seduce you. Pheromones can be used to bend someone's will if they are on the fence about something, or force them under intense or punishing circumstances. That's why it's forbidden in my territory, by my wolves. If any of them are caught using their pheromones on someone, it's cause for immediate expulsion from the pack or death. There's such a fine line between enhancing and convincing that I decided for my pack that it's just not worth the effort trying to draw the line. So I forbid it. The only time it's allowed is in the middle of a territorial fight or claiming, and I don't really want to get into all the ins and outs of that right now when we have other more entertaining things we could be doing.”"
There are many happy ideas in this book that I have not seen anywhere else: the tatoos with silver in their ink that adorn part of Julian's back, or his pendant with a hidden flask of powdered wolfsbane, are but two cases-in-point of Mrs Halle's inventivity. The secondary cast, especially Eve, shines with a live of their own; it had been quite some time that I last had seen werewholes depicted as living a family life in their human skin with cars, house, and children while still displaying shifter behaviors, especially the constant sniffing (usually writers of this sort of story are content with the occasional non verbal gesture such as the baring of the neck; here you have variations in scent marking, and scent tracking, and appeasement through the scent of the pack or the one of alpha Stone). Even the villainous rogue shifter does not come out of a list of stock characters; if his motives could not fail to be somewhat clichéd, as he and Stone have very bad blood, he makes for a formidable foe, the kind that casts over the entire book a dim presence, thus contributing to the immersive quality of the story (it is by no means a mere tale of happy mating, even if every facet of the plot get neatly tied up in the end). A subdued yet genial comical element even surfaces here and there, just in time to defuse tension or provide a window into Stone's stern veneer: after all his compensating presents were returned, he had shipped two kittens named Hello and Dolly to Zoe as a gift for her having been bitten into his territority My only regrets with this book I assume as wholly idiosyncratic: that Cast The First Stone was not longer, with more of the utterly adorable Max and Zoe, and that it did not serve as the launching ramp for a series (a missed opportunity, when so many horrible shifter tales metastasize into rambling series). Decent suspense, a strong romance, multidimensional characters even in the supporting cast, and a sleek, strong world building despite the moderate length allowed by the publisher - what not to like here ? This is one of those very few werewolf romances in which one has little to criticize.
"shaking my head in frustration, I tried to clear it of the haze of arousal and need. “Not you, specifically, from any wolf trying to use their pheromones against me.”
Understanding bloomed in his eyes and the hungry look returned, along with the maddening feeling of his fingertips tracing the mandala on my back over and over again. “Good.”
“Good?” I asked curiously, my fingers finding his own tattoo, the pack one on the left side of his chest.
“I'd rather have you feisty and in control every step of the way. But you should know those pheromones don't work how you think they do. They only enhance what's already there. They don't create feelings or desires out of nothing, except in extreme circumstances”"
(...)
"“I think you’re using your pheromones,” I said stubbornly.
“You can't compel the willing.” He turned, tugging me forward, while he walked backward out of the room.
“Our clothes,” I protested.
“Someone will pick them up. Your shirt was a loss, as were your briefs.”
As I followed him up the stairs, my frown deepened and I slowed down. “What do you mean you can't compel the willing?”
Huffing out a sigh of exasperation, he stopped moving. “For example, if we were having sex, I might use them to enhance your arousal, your pleasure. I could not use them to seduce you. Pheromones can be used to bend someone's will if they are on the fence about something, or force them under intense or punishing circumstances. That's why it's forbidden in my territory, by my wolves. If any of them are caught using their pheromones on someone, it's cause for immediate expulsion from the pack or death. There's such a fine line between enhancing and convincing that I decided for my pack that it's just not worth the effort trying to draw the line. So I forbid it. The only time it's allowed is in the middle of a territorial fight or claiming, and I don't really want to get into all the ins and outs of that right now when we have other more entertaining things we could be doing.”"
There are many happy ideas in this book that I have not seen anywhere else: the tatoos with silver in their ink that adorn part of Julian's back, or his pendant with a hidden flask of powdered wolfsbane, are but two cases-in-point of Mrs Halle's inventivity. The secondary cast, especially Eve, shines with a live of their own; it had been quite some time that I last had seen werewholes depicted as living a family life in their human skin with cars, house, and children while still displaying shifter behaviors, especially the constant sniffing (usually writers of this sort of story are content with the occasional non verbal gesture such as the baring of the neck; here you have variations in scent marking, and scent tracking, and appeasement through the scent of the pack or the one of alpha Stone). Even the villainous rogue shifter does not come out of a list of stock characters; if his motives could not fail to be somewhat clichéd, as he and Stone have very bad blood, he makes for a formidable foe, the kind that casts over the entire book a dim presence, thus contributing to the immersive quality of the story (it is by no means a mere tale of happy mating, even if every facet of the plot get neatly tied up in the end). A subdued yet genial comical element even surfaces here and there, just in time to defuse tension or provide a window into Stone's stern veneer: after all his compensating presents were returned, he had shipped two kittens named Hello and Dolly to Zoe as a gift for her having been bitten into his territority My only regrets with this book I assume as wholly idiosyncratic: that Cast The First Stone was not longer, with more of the utterly adorable Max and Zoe, and that it did not serve as the launching ramp for a series (a missed opportunity, when so many horrible shifter tales metastasize into rambling series). Decent suspense, a strong romance, multidimensional characters even in the supporting cast, and a sleek, strong world building despite the moderate length allowed by the publisher - what not to like here ? This is one of those very few werewolf romances in which one has little to criticize.
November 26, 2014
*I received this book from Torque Publishing for a faor and honest review*
To see review in full please visit:
http://wp.me/p4WOaj-4r
Overall Impression:
4.5 * – I loved it. It was so refreshing to read a book in this genre where the typical experiences happened but with an amazing twist. She was able to weave a story with all the rules to the genre in it but change them to suit her needs and wants. This is the first book I have read by Katherine Halle but it definitely will not be the last.
To see review in full please visit:
http://wp.me/p4WOaj-4r
Overall Impression:
4.5 * – I loved it. It was so refreshing to read a book in this genre where the typical experiences happened but with an amazing twist. She was able to weave a story with all the rules to the genre in it but change them to suit her needs and wants. This is the first book I have read by Katherine Halle but it definitely will not be the last.
October 17, 2014
Enjoyed this book and hope for another one with these packs soon!
November 2, 2014
3.5 stgar review by Amber
This was my first story by Katherine Halle and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to branch off from the authors that I know and love just to try something a little different. So I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this read. The blurb was right up my alley. A revenge seeking shifter hunter trying to avenge his sister who was changed without her consent and an Alpha of all Alpha’s werewolf shifter; I was SOLD!
Julian is a rogue werewolf hunter. He’s the best at what he does and he is driven by the need to find out who changed his baby sister Zoe. He’s human so he’s underestimated a lot. It becomes very obvious he can hold his own against any foe. But against his better judgment there is an immediate pull to Alpha Stone.
Alpha Stone is the Alpha among Alpha’s. His reputation is everything to him. He is loyal and it’s obvious he loves his pack. His attraction to Julian is immediate and electric.
Unfortunately, it becomes very apparent that there is a huge secret or mystery between the two. And when it’s revealed I have to say that I expected it but was surprised also. You get the feeling that Alpha Stone would always be in control of his feelings and actions so when he succumbs to such a primal urge you’re shocked. Which I think added to the depth of the story.
What’s really great is the way they come together at the end. It’s so different and it leaves you satisfied, as well. If you love shifter stories that have enemies to lovers theme, then this is the story for you. A very satisfying, paranormal read.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
This was my first story by Katherine Halle and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to branch off from the authors that I know and love just to try something a little different. So I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this read. The blurb was right up my alley. A revenge seeking shifter hunter trying to avenge his sister who was changed without her consent and an Alpha of all Alpha’s werewolf shifter; I was SOLD!
Julian is a rogue werewolf hunter. He’s the best at what he does and he is driven by the need to find out who changed his baby sister Zoe. He’s human so he’s underestimated a lot. It becomes very obvious he can hold his own against any foe. But against his better judgment there is an immediate pull to Alpha Stone.
Alpha Stone is the Alpha among Alpha’s. His reputation is everything to him. He is loyal and it’s obvious he loves his pack. His attraction to Julian is immediate and electric.
Unfortunately, it becomes very apparent that there is a huge secret or mystery between the two. And when it’s revealed I have to say that I expected it but was surprised also. You get the feeling that Alpha Stone would always be in control of his feelings and actions so when he succumbs to such a primal urge you’re shocked. Which I think added to the depth of the story.
What’s really great is the way they come together at the end. It’s so different and it leaves you satisfied, as well. If you love shifter stories that have enemies to lovers theme, then this is the story for you. A very satisfying, paranormal read.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
June 10, 2015
Julian Hart lost his parents to a killer, a rogue wolf shifter. Later, life became infinitely worse when his younger sister was forcibly changed into a wolf shifter. Becoming the best Hunter was Julian’s way of coping with the tragedies in his life. Ironically he’s the Hunter for his best friend Alpha Zak, the twist was discovering that his sister is Zak’s mate.
While tracking a particularly nasty rogue in Alpha Zak’s territory Julian is forced to contact another leader when the trail leads him to Alpha Stone’s territory. Receiving permission to enter Alpha Stone’s lands is an eye opener. The alpha is known to rule with an iron fist, yet his people definitely respect him so he can’t be that bad. The immediate chemistry that sparks to life the moment they meet is a huge complication. Hunting a killer rogue is Julian’s right, falling for the sexy Alpha would be totally wrong on so many levels. Maybe even lethal.
Sensual heat explodes in Cast the First Stone when the Alpha and his human mate meet. From the start their sexual energy simply blazes and adds fuel to the suspenseful drama as Julian hunts a killer. Enjoy Cast the First Stone for the pulse pounding, erotic adventure that it is. Important twists to the plotline will keep readers on their toes. The sexy tension will keep readers fanning themselves.
This book was reviewed by Lisa for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.
While tracking a particularly nasty rogue in Alpha Zak’s territory Julian is forced to contact another leader when the trail leads him to Alpha Stone’s territory. Receiving permission to enter Alpha Stone’s lands is an eye opener. The alpha is known to rule with an iron fist, yet his people definitely respect him so he can’t be that bad. The immediate chemistry that sparks to life the moment they meet is a huge complication. Hunting a killer rogue is Julian’s right, falling for the sexy Alpha would be totally wrong on so many levels. Maybe even lethal.
Sensual heat explodes in Cast the First Stone when the Alpha and his human mate meet. From the start their sexual energy simply blazes and adds fuel to the suspenseful drama as Julian hunts a killer. Enjoy Cast the First Stone for the pulse pounding, erotic adventure that it is. Important twists to the plotline will keep readers on their toes. The sexy tension will keep readers fanning themselves.
This book was reviewed by Lisa for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.
March 6, 2015
I loved this tale. The language is succinct and to the point. The pace swift and efficient. The plot clear and relateable. And the sex hotter than a midsummer’s day during a heat wave. The characterization made sense, as in people had distinct personalities and behaved differently depending on their company. Jules has a snarky attitude, he's fearless, smart and strong. Stone is a wise leader but a man who's keeping many secrets that could ruin him. This novella succeeds in creating a believable alternate world where everyone knows about werewolves, but as long as they do nothing bad, they’re treated like everyone else. Nice change for the usual scenario of either side dominating or hiding.
October 10, 2014
this was pretty decent if not really short for me. I jusy wished there was more of a real connection between the two characters. I liked them both but would of liked to get more than one mc's pov. all n all short and very predictable it served as a pretty good light read. 3 solid stars. would like there to be another book on these two.
May 10, 2015
I was one of the crit readers on this story, as such my opinions may be slightly skewed :) So pleased to see it published.
June 1, 2015
Seems there hasn't been many werewolf stories lately and I like this author's style. A fun read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews