An Everlasting BIte by Stacey Kennedy

An Everlasting Bite
Stacey Kennedy / Paranormal Romance
Book One of The Blue Bloods series
Liquid Silver Books /  November 2010

Review written for The Romance Reviews

A vicious werewolf attack in Plymouth, Minnesota leaves a young woman violated, bitten and now, transformed into werewolf. But Rynn Murphy doesn't have to face this transformation alone—she has her mate by her side. And the charming Briggs--Beta to the Patriarch, Valor--is eager to ease her into this new life and mend her battered soul.

With only weeks to adjust to her new fur, Rynn, follows Briggs while he assists in locating the daughter of the Montana's Alpha, who was abducted from her home. But this journey is not without danger. And soon, they discover the ones who have taken this young wolf do not want her found and will stop at nothing to keep her hidden. Or so it may seem, as bodies begin to drop around them, the murderous attempts start to appear more as a hit than a smoke screen—leaving only one question, who is the intended target… 


I absolutely, hands down, irrevocably, head over heels love, will forever be sighing over this book. AN EVERLASTING BITE was a highly anticipated book for me and after counting down the days until its release, the very second I got the book in my hands, I was ready to devour it. I knew it was going to be a great read because I loved the author's other series, The Magical Swords, but nothing prepared me for the instant connection or just how much I would love it. This, in my opinion, is by far the author's best book to date.

AN EVERLASTING BITE is a series that branched off from the Magical Sword series, taking the characters Rynn and Briggs and giving readers the opportunity to look closer at their lives. The story picks up after the brutal rape and attack on Rynn that leaves her traumatized and now a werewolf. The moment she meets Briggs, an instant connection happens and they realize they are each other's mates. Not only is this something the new couple needed to work through but as the Beta to Valor, the Alpha over the werewolves, Briggs had responsibilities that threw him and Rynn into danger. Someone had kidnapped the daughter of a neighboring pack's Alpha and to prevent a war, they needed to discover where the girl was.

The story is fast-paced, filled with action and had me so involved I didn't even want to take my eyes of the pages. I loved the characters of the story and how they each contributed to an amazing read. All through the book, I tried to figure out what was going on, who was behind the kidnapping and when it was finally revealed, I was totally blown away because I never saw it coming.

After getting a quick glimpse of Rynn in the other series, I was interested to see what would happen with her and how she would respond to her new life as a werewolf. Being brutally attacked and turned, I wondered how the author would write Rynn that would help her overcome the trauma of it but also explore her relationship with Briggs. You need to know that the author did an amazing job.

I automatically connected with Rynn and loved watching her slowly settle into her role and regain her confidence. I loved watching her take her experiences and use them to make her a stronger person, someone who wasn't afraid to share her thoughts amongst those in power within the werewolf community. She didn't stay forever in the shadows, afraid. I understood her struggle with Briggs and the growing need she had for him as her mate, but dealing with the aftermath of her attack left her vulnerable and hesitant to let him in. She was an incredible character to read and I couldn't help but cheer for her throughout the story as she developed.

*sigh* Briggs. This man made me purr! I don't even know where to begin in sharing just how much I loved and adored him. He was this strong and sexy werewolf who had this confidence about him that made him instantly likeable. He had this real feel about him that told you he was a powerhouse character and I just loved that he had swagger. This alone had me excited to read him but as I read and watched his interaction with Rynn, I was so completely entranced by him, I willingly handed him my heart and told him to keep it. The sensitivity of this man, the gentleness, the complete patience he had with helping Rynn through her pain while she learned to trust him was breathtaking. Where it would have been his right to demand certain things from her, he gave her the space she needed to become accustomed to her condition, even at the risk of his own authority. His focus was on her, her need to feel safe his top priority and when the situation finally came that their mate bond had to be established, he was incredible with how he handled it. He touched my heart with how protective he was of Rynn and how he was willing to do whatever it took to see she was happy.

I loved the way he enjoyed seeing her regain her spark for life and discover talents she never thought she had. He was attentive all the while being this powerful werewolf and defender of the pack. There was a beautiful balance that I love seeing in the men I read about who can be incredibly masculine and fierce, but be putty in the hands of the women they love. Without a doubt, Briggs has found himself amongst my all time favorite book crushes. Sorry, Kyden, but you need to move over for Briggs LOL

I think what made this story so amazing to me, what drew my emotions so completely into the story was the sensitivity the author had when dealing with such a delicate subject. Rape is an ugly thing, one that leaves the victim with an incredible amount of pain that they need to work through to get their life back. I was interested to see how the author would go about doing this while moving the story along and she did it perfectly by giving Rynn the strength to overcome her fears and making Briggs the type of man who could provide the kind of environment she needed. I love that the author didn't just throw Rynn into the book and her trauma be damned. She showed that you can survive an attack and become a stronger person because of it. She showed that with the right kind of support, Rynn was able to put the attack into perspective, realizing it wasn't her fault and that she could still enjoy a loving, intimate relationship with someone. *sigh* I don't know if I'm explaining this right, all I know was I was deeply impressed with how it was written because it gave hope that life could get better. It was a great message to read in the midst of all the action and romance.

Without a doubt, this is a book that I'd HIGHLY recommend. For those who haven't heard of Stacey Kennedy, do yourself a favor and find out more about her. She's an amazing author with a real gift for storytelling and pulling the reader into her stories. Her characters are well thought out, with great appeal that show a lot of heart. This book will have you hooked and dying for the next installment of the series and all I can say is "Write, Stacey. Write!!" Happy reading!

 
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