I always enjoy this series but this book was especially great. The dynamic between Elena and Clay has come so far since the first book of the series, and Kelley has perfectly captured their partnership as well as what it's like to be doing this jobs as well as being parents of three year old twins. The book was dramatic, emotional and still so funny in places. She also added in some different forms of mythology and ideas that were really interesting to read and I hope she continues to develop these ideas in this series. ( )

Frostbitten
3 Stars

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead***

Elena Michaels and her husband, Clay Danvers, travel to Alaska in pursuit of a young werewolf. Soon they run afoul of a gang of rogue Mutts with their own agenda. If that weren't bad enough, there is something ancient, unnatural and disturbing loose in the dark forests of the Alaskan wilderness.

Despite several engaging characters and compelling plotlines in the first few books, Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld has been hit or miss for me, and the last couple of books have been DNFs mainly due to their focus on bland and uninteresting secondary or even completely new characters. Unfortunately, Elena and Clay's return in Frostbitten dashed my expectations for a return to the series initial appeal as there are several problems with the story.

To begin with, the intriguing premise of an ancient supernatural being haunting the Alaskan wilderness devolves into a ridiculous Goldilocks and the Three Bears meets The Hendersons scenario. The tension and suspense inherent to the threat posed by the mysterious creatures vanish completely when their true identity is revealed.

Second, the rape trope is an infuriating and unnecessary plot device. Its inclusion contributes nothing to either Elena's characterization or the rogue Mutt narrative. This might be harsh, but using this trope is an overused and lazy method for adding drama and angst to the conflict, which would be better served by not undermining the heroine's strengths and skills with this cliché.

Third, the last few chapters are a repetitive mess of catch and release situations as Elena is repeatedly captured, escapes and is recaptured - seriously?! Did the author need to fulfill a page requirement?

Finally, the blurb hints at a conflict between Elena and Clay with regard to the future Alpha position in the pack. However, this never materializes in the book itself as the issue is resolved quickly with a simple conversation. So why include it at all?

Overall, this is a disappointing addition to the series and I can only hope that the last three installments focusing on Savannah and her powers will be better. ( )

Frostbitten follows Elena Michaels to Alaska, following up on Pack business, and as usual, stumbling into a larger thriller/mystery. Elena's past is further addressed, and she prepares for leadership as Jeremy seeks to pass on the Alpha reins to her, and she contends with new potential pack members. Elena is my favourite character of the series, so I love every time she is the narrator, so it is no surprise that this is one of my favourites of the series! ( )

It has been ages since I’ve read any of Armstrong’s books. I think I sorta faded away from them with Broken. But that was way back in 2006, she’s had four more books in the series out since then, as well as some YA books in the ‘verse, not to mention the ooodles of short stories. And while these books are pretty far removed from the cannon there is something so enjoyable about them.

Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2010/02/23/frostbitten/ ( )

Listened to audio narrated well by Jen Taylor.

I started reading this series many years ago and had a hard time keeping up. It was difficult finding a proper reading order list at the time, with so many short stories and novellas and I hate reading books out of order. In saying all of that, I wanted to go back to that world and started where I had left off.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the lives of Elena and Clay, even when they are on a hunt and things get ugly it's always a worthwhile read. This book will be hard for some as it flashes back to Elena's sexual abuse and she is hunting rogue werewolves that are raping women and killing humans. It also has these fabulous cameos by the children that are huge scene stealers.

This story starts with Elena trying to save a mutt from himself and ends up in Alaska, reconnecting with old pack mates, solving murders and encountering new creatures in the Alaskan wilderness that could eat them! All of that while Elena works through issues from her past and a big decision regarding her future and the pack. A lot going on, great narration and I can't wait to start on the next book!

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

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