ALPHAS ARE NOT BORN, THEY ARE CALLED.Ryan, aka The Chief, has his hands full. While he would love nothing more than to lose himself in his new mate, an alpha’s job is never done.He has to remind himself daily why killing his ex-best friend is a bad idea.That damn cat shifter is still strutting about his turf, calling his crew to war.He’s suddenly playing host to a pack of wolves who arrive … a pack of wolves who arrive unannounced for a BBQ.
And to top it all off, his sassy mate is keeping one heck of a secret, leaving Ryan no choice but to torture it out of her in the most pleasurable way.
With the ghosts of his past getting tangled up in his future, The Chief is left wondering … Why did he even agree to be alpha of The Phoenix Crew again?
Becoming The Chief (Book 1.5 of the Phoenix Crew) is a full length novel (approx. 73k words) and written for mature audiences (18+ only please!) It includes explicit sex scenes, frequent cussing, and hot growly alpha males bumping up against sassy, female heroines who can hold their own.
Get ready for firefighting bear shifters, phoenix shifters and pyro-kenetic, psychic powers, oh my!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: While the Phoenix Crew is a paranormal shifter romance series with lashings of suspense, magic and steam—and strong urban fantasy influences—Becoming The Chief is an origin novel designed to fill out the backstory of how the Phoenix Crew came to be together under their alpha. But don’t fret, book devourers, I’ve packed plenty of steam and heart-throb into these pages too! The dual-timeline also allows us a sneak peek into the weeks following Mackenzie and Ryan’s explosive mating (see what I did there?!) and the turmoil of crew life after the troubling events of Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright.
READER BEWARE. This book is a continuation of the series so it contains spoilers. Best read in series order:
Book 1 – PYRO, PYRO, BURNING BRIGHT
Book 1.5 – BECOMING THE CHIEF
Book 2 – DOUBLE THE PRIDE, DOUBLE THE FALL (coming soon!)
What readers are saying about Miri Stone and her debut PYRO, PYRO, BURNING BRIGHT:
“Wow, what a debut novel… truly magnificent! If I could give her more than 5 stars I would—5 STARS!”
“This book is not good, it is excellent. Shook me to the core—5 STARS!”
“We have a hard time believing this is the debut novel of this author … There is so much depth in this book and really allows the reader to escape and feel as if they have become part of the storyline. You are left at the end feeling so satisfied with what you have read, yet yearning for more—5 Stars” Coffee For Two Book Review.
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Miri Stone nails it AGAIN with Becoming the Chief! Don’t let the “1.5” designation fool you, this isn’t a novella or short story at all. BTC is a full length action packed dynamo of a novel and incredible addition to the Phoenix Crew series. Stone is a prime example as to why fantasy is, and always will be, my favorite genre of book to read. Her stories are entertaining with characters that are fantastic and varied.
Not only is Becoming the Chief an origin novel but it also provides a wonderful segue into what is officially book 2, “Double the Pride, Double the Fall”. I loved getting Ryan’s backstory and seeing exactly how he became “The Chief”. We also get to know more about Brock and the twins. Brock is a moody, man of few words brooder, but I’m more than a little bit in love with him. His character is so stable and grounding, a great counterbalance to his Alpha, Ryan.
I highly recommend you read this series. You won’t be sorry!
Miri Stone has become one of my new Favorite Authors. Her imagination with the shifter world that she writes is so fresh, her characters are so colorful and astonishing.
Miri brings us the origin story of Ryan”Chief” of the Fire bears crew where the past and present meld into a story that takes you all over the place. Where Ryan thought himself weak he finds strength in what he knows is family and what this family has to overcome and battle just to survive.
I can’t wait for more in the Phoenix Crew Series.
LOOOOVE IT, Love it, love it, love it. I loved sharing Ryan´s road on becoming the chief and also to see them prepare to wait and defeat the enemy. I got very mad at him at a point but he stopped being and AH and I loved him again. My favorite part was seeing my dear Nick making amends and getting back on the right track, cant wait for Book 2!!!! Miri, you rock
We come into this story from where we left off but we revisit the past. It was great to know where Ryan came from to where he is now. You know there was tragedy in his life and most of the crews and even the towns, but this story gives you all the details with still a little mystery left in there.
I am so invested in all our characters and I am like well when do we find this out! I know some of the characters deserve good smack upsides the head and really some of them get it!
As in the first this story will bring on some tears, make you laugh and definitely make you want to hug the crew for all they have gone through and what is to come.
I am so ready for more of the Phoenix Crew!
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC Becoming the Chief – book 1.5 of the Phoenix Fire Crew Series in exchange for an honest review.
In a nutshell – go read this NOW. If you haven’t read Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright, start there (you’re in for a great read, I assure you).
I adore Stone’s style, her debut Pyro, Pyro, Burning Bright was masterfully written, and Becoming the Chief just solidified my love of her storytelling abilities.
BTC meets us where PPBB left, bridging to the next books in the series we all eagerly anticipate, but it also weaves in an origin story of how Ryan became The Chief three years prior to the event of the book.
The entire novel is told from Ryan’s POV, no complaints there, he is officially my #1 book boyfriend of 2019, I love this growly bear and his spitfire girl and their crazy entire crew, really. I can’t wait for the next installments telling their stories.
I admit I was a bit wary going in, I’m not a big fan of origin novels, knowing what’s going to happen next always seems to damper my emotional and intellectual investment.
But Stone just grasps you with a clever, heart-wrenching story of fear, friendship, family and a fate that calls us even as we try to ignore it, and doesn’t let up the entire read sending her readers on a roller coaster of emotions.
If in PPBB I was in awe at how a paranormal shifter novel can be so realistic in its human interactions, BTC has reduced me to a puddle on the floor with raw and intense emotions.
One of my best reads for the decade, not just the year
Absolutely loved Becoming The Chief. Though this book tells of how Ryan becomes the Chief, it’s important to read this series in order because it is also a continuation of book 1. Very good shifter read; highly recommend. Looking forward to book 2 in the Phoenix Crew.
Another great story by Miri Stone! Loved it as much if not more then Pyro Pyro Burning Bright! Definitely looking forward to more of this series!
Where do I begin? Becoming the Chief was an amazing follow up to Pyro Pyro Burning Bright. I knew the second I read the first book that I was going to love any books that followed.
As we get a glimpse into Ryan’s past and we get to understand the relationship he has with Nick and his fire bear the joker. It’s clear just how much he loves Nick as a brother, and how hard it was for him to let Nick go. While there are many surprises in this book it captivates you as the story flows easily and the characters are amazing. The back-and-forth flashbacks from past to present are easily followed. Learning how he becomes the chief and everything he went through prior to meeting McKenzie all of the heartache and sadness he suffered was palpable.
I’m so looking forward to much more from this author I can’t wait. Go get lost in this read tonight!
Another great read by the talented Miri Stone.
Becoming The Chief is Ryan’s story.
Great storyline and characters.
The pressure to keep his ex-best friend alive verses killing him.
The wolves arrive for a barbeque, are they there to cause trouble or request a truth between them.
Ryan’s mate keeps a big secret from him.
Learning more about Ryan’s past and his trouble life and why his nightmares continue.
When I have time, I will be placing this book back in my TBR pile, I want to read it again and again. Enjoyed the whole book.
Recommend to anyone who enjoys reading about bear shifters.
This book is an adventure. Around every corner it seems there is someone lurking, waiting for the guard to be lowered. The story is one of trust. How can you trust your new mate isn’t holding back on you and can you rebuild a trusting relationship with someone who has let you down time and time again? The mystery and suspense Miri Stone builds throughout the story leads to so many unanswered questions from the first novel in this series, Pyro, Pyro Burning Bright being revealed. And yet, I am still quite ready for the next book in the series to come out to guide me to an ending for the evil waiting around the corner. This book is full of fun characters both shifters and human alike. I love the dynamic and crossover between the two seemingly separate worlds. Read this book and get lost in the world Miri has created for you.
Miri Stone has left me speechless again! This book is so fantastic I can’t even put it into words. I was a bit worried that since part of the book was set before PPBB, that this book just would have the excitement that the first one did. I was worried it would be more informative and just filling in the details. I needn’t have worried. This book was just as good and action packed as the first one. Miri gives us some more history of the Chief and how the crew formed and progression in the current time line. I cannot wait to read more from Miri Stone.
BTC is the follow up to Stone’s first novel Pyro Pyro Burning Bright, telling the origin story of the new Fire Mountain Crew, and how Ryan took up the mantle of not only becoming the fire chief, but also the Alpha of the crew.
It’s the perfect follow up to her first book, giving us new insight into each of the characters, and delving deeper into the crew that we all came to love in the first book.
Jumping back and forth from the pat to the present, you can really see how the Ryan has grown as a character, and into his rolls. It’s a moving and emotional take, and absolutely worth the read. I can’t wait for the next book in this amazing series!
My love for Ryan and Mackenzie continues!! Love this book.
This novel brings the reader back into the warm world of Stone’s creation. I feel like I’m visiting with all the friends I know and love. I love stories like this— stories that make me feel like I’m returning home, in this case, to a paranormal motley crew of heroes.
I love that each character’s personality is so individually woven: Mackenzie, Sara, Lucy, and Pins hold their own as a female crew creating a fierce complement to the men of Fire Mountain.
It also shows the reader that even in the midst of great challenge there is still joy to be found.
We get to see more closely into Ryan’s past and his journey back to Bear Falls. Stone also teases us with the future— The Collector, who threatens to lay waste to everything Ryan has fought to create, shows up giving the reader a taste of what’s to transpire in book two of The Phoenix Crew Series and I can’t wait.
Love this book by an amazing author. Great writing style engrossing character. This series is quickly becoming my favorite.
“I voluntarily received this book for an honest review”
Wow! I really love the first book in this series and didn’t think it was possible to love this second book more, but I do! Miri Stone delves deeper into these characters that were already so amazing! If possible, I love them even more after reading this book! Sara and Mackenzie are two bad ass bitches! The Chief is just plain amazing! The Irish twins, I want! Brock, I want for my very own brother and protector! The storyline pulls you in deep with its uniqueness, entertainment, and sexiness, and doesn’t let go until the very end. A must read for sure!