Half-shifter Shaya Critchley may hold a submissive role in her pack, but she’s done taking orders. After her Alpha wolf mate refused to claim her—but committed to interfering in her life—she took off. Now she hides from him, posing as a human in a town full of anti-shifter extremist groups. She thinks he’ll never find her again, and that suits her just fine. But she’s wrong.Nick Axton can barely … can barely control his feelings for Shaya, but he could never claim her—not if he truly cares for her. The degenerative brain condition he keeps secret would ultimately leave her with a burden rather than a mate. But when Shaya runs away, Nick can’t bear the thought of never seeing her again. After tracking her down, he discovers Shaya’s feisty and passionate side in the process…a side he’d never seen before.
Under the menacing gazes of territorial local packs and violent human extremists, Nick vows to finally claim the spirited Shaya…and despite her initial resistance, Shaya just might find his fiery determination to be the ultimate aphrodisiac.
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Flawed character, but he’s trying…
I wasn’t sure I liked Nick when he appeared in Book #1, but I liked him in #2. This book cemented my fan-club membership. I love a flawed character who is trying to improve himself, especially if it is for someone he loves. And while I was upset with the punishment of one of the baddies in book #2, I felt the punishment rocked for the baddies in this one!
I adored this one too! Shayla was awesome, even though I wasn’t sure that I’d like her as a submissive. That said, it’d be nice to see a true submissive in this series get a book!
I was surprised the author made me like Nick in this one. He wasn’t a favorite after the previous books, but in this one? Awesome!
Another great book!
Audiobook review
I had read this book about 3 years ago and really enjoyed it. I just recently listened to the audiobook and it was as good as I remembered. I felt the narrator, Jill Redfield did such a wonderful job with all the characters in this book.
Nick and Shaya’s story is so heartbreaking all around. Nick’s rejection was too hard for Shaya to take anymore so with the help of her pack she left and has been attempting to live a life without her mate. Nick had his reasons for not claiming Shaya and it was not for reasons Shaya thinks. But when Nick realizes that he will never have his glimpses of his mate, he is determined to find her and keep her. I loved Nick’s determination to finally claim Shaya, his reasons are still unresolved but he can not live without her, he even gave up his alpha position to be with her! But Shaya still does not make it easy for Nick but he is able to break through her walls.
Besides the drama between Nick and Shaya, there are also human extremists that are out to end them all. Like most of this author’s books, the battle scenes are nail biters. But the way everyone was able to pull together and was fantastic to see. I absolutely loved how Nick tried so hard to not be the alpha of any pack, but they all gravitated to him anyway.
It was so awesome to delve back into the earlier pack stories! I may need to re-listen to the rest of the books!
This is the 3rd book in the Phoenix Pack series. I wouldn’t consider these stand alone as each book builds off events from previous books. These are fairly formulaic and written in a style that I typically avoid – but I’m not going to mention that in the reviews anymore. Because, I’m hooked. I own the whole series on audio and I’ve listened numerous times.
I appreciated that the story line is a bit of a departure from the first two and I enjoyed it. It’s not my favorite of the series – likely because I enjoyed the secondary & tertiary characters more than Nick & Shaya. While this book is part of Wright’s Phoenix Pack series, it is the birth of what becomes the Mercury Pack. (see author’s website for how the two series intertwine) I think that’s also what makes both of these series compelling – while each couple has their own book, there are ongoing story lines and backgrounds for other characters that make the whole world that much more enjoyable.
Jill Redfield continues to be amazing. This is a HUGE cast of characters, male and female, young and old ~ and she gives them all unique voices and characteristics that stay consistent throughout the series.
Nearly a DNF due to the whiny, annoying heroine.
If not for the fact I had read book one in the Mercury Pack and wanted to know the back story, I would not have finished this book.
I started off liking, admiring and feeling sorry for Shaya.
By the half way mark I ended up thinking she really was an emotionally challenged idiot. Her continual woe is me, everyone leaves me and I’m not good enough for Nick attitude really got on my nerves by the time we were to chapter 8.
Her insecurities and Mummy issues carried on throughout the whole story. By the time her head was out of her a** at 95% into the story, I didn’t care and wished Nick could get a different mate.
Yes, Nick had been an ass and the fact he still hadn’t told her all the truth about why he didn’t claim her was annoying, but I nearly stopped reading when Shaya was playing with Nicks emotions, by deceptively and purposely going on a date with someone else.
Nick really was an idiot in not claiming Shaya but he had semi valid reasons.
He at least was really trying to apologise and prove he was serious about claiming Shaya and was quite honourable in trying to not tie her to a sick mate.
Shaya has some ridiculous twin loss emotional crap from when she was in the womb and uses the fact her first boyfriend, from 10 YEARS previously, was a complete user/loser to excuse her abandonment and trust issues.
She really had no valid reasoning for her behaviour.
She then pushes away her TRUE MATE, due to hurt feelings.
Thank goodness the other characters and the actual plot were entertaining.
We did get some other woman drama which was dealt with too easily and quickly. It was also easy to know what Amber had NOT been doing.The same with the two main baddies.
What was the deal with Shaya’s parents, her mother was nasty and neurotic, her father was plain weird.
Read through KU whilst also flicking and listening to the audible version too.
I started with this author reading the first Phoenix Pack book which was okay. Months later I picked up the 1st Mercury Pack book. I enjoyed that enough to start reading them in the correct order.
What Nick & Shaya have gone through to be together was painful. The rejection and Nick’s issues has caused them a lot of grief.
The way Ms Suzanne writes her book will get you hooked.
A great plot, amusing characters and a change in scenery…
Overall it was a good read…
Title: Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack #3)
Author: Suzanne Wright
Publisher:Montlake Romance
Edition: Kindle
Amount of Pages: 366
Genre: Paranormal, Adult, Romance
Date Read: 23-02-2019
Favorite Quote: “I’d ask how you’re doing and if you’ve been busy today, but these new binoculars work great—a “must-have” for all intense investigators.”
Review:
I didn’t expect to like nick that much. He really did a number on Shaya. Shaya thought she could run and hide from nick, that she could be happy and not get hurt again, but sadly she couldn’t.
I wished that Nick showed her some appreciation or something before he forced her hand and made her run away. It’s again a case of not appreciating what you have until it’s gone.
Nick has allot of groveling to do to get back into Shaya’s good graces.
One thing is sure, Suzanne really knows how to write her Alpha males. These guys don’t know how to stop when they see something they want. It’s a good thing thats she’s great at writing strong, no bullshit kind of woman to put those alpha men back in their place.
What is this book about:
This book focuses on Shaya and Nick. Nick is the alpha male (pack leader) of another pack. When he and shaye met during a visit at his pack territory they knew they where true mates. Normally that would be cause of celebration. But not when the bond gets rejected, and that’s exactly what Nick does. Not only just that one, but over and over again.
Enough is enough, Shaya can’t take it anymore. She can’t handle being rejected over and over again. So she ran. She hoped that she hid her tracks well enough to stay hidden. She didn’t expect Nick to bother tracking her down but here he is.
Nick is hell bent on proving to Shaya that he isn’t going to abandon her again. That he is over whatever held him back, that he does want her.
Shaya on the other hand is hell bend on doing the rejecting this time. She doens’t know how many more times she can make it clear that she doesn’t want him. That he ruined the chance he had. She isn’t interested in his excuses. But that’s proved harder than she thought it would be. Nick is relentless.
But even if she forgives him, there is still the issue of him being a Dominant wolf and she is submissive. Not that submissive and dominant wolfs cant be together but it’s more complicated when the dominant isn’t just dominant is also a Alpha, and submissive wolves aren’t well respected as alpha females. Then again, Shaya isn’t just any submisive wolf..
Rating:
4 1/2 I loved it stars
In this book we have Shay and Nick, who are both running scared from past problems. There was a lot of pushing and pulling from both of them and they both were too afraid to forge ahead with their mate bond completely. Though I completely understand both of their sides, I think it dragged on too long in my opinion. Again this story is filled with wicked banter, hot incredible sex, action and past characters from previous and future books. All in all a great read. I will say, that though Shay was being too difficult in forgiving Nick, I was glad that as the heroine she didn’t fold in too fast. Too often the hero messes up and you get the heroine willing to forgive him right away, I liked that she really made him earn his way back in her good graces. 4 stars!!!
‘Carnal secrets’ is the third book in the ‘The Phoenix pack series’ and I’m really enjoying this paranormal shifter world. I was very curious about Shaya and Nick’s story because after the way that Nick ignored Shaya in the previous book I wanted to see how Nick would convince Shaya to give him a second chance with her.
The writer Suzanne Wright wrote a great story here, she convinced me and Shaya that Nick was really sorry about it and that he had his reasons for doing it. I must confess that I was really surprised at the beginning of the book with the ‘big’ decision/choice that Nick had made but at the end of the story I could totally relate why he had made that choice. It was the best decision for both him and Shaya.
The story is told from both POV’s. I liked Nick’s character very much because although he and his wolf are really alpha, he wasn’t in any way extreme dominant in his relationship with Shaya. He respected her and her submissive wolf and never looked down on her. On the contrary, he was really supportive of her. And Shaya’s wolf may have been submissive but Shaya wasn’t. She was a strong woman with a good heart. I had fun with Derren (Nick’s bodyguard and friend) and the other secondary characters in this story.
I’m looking forward to reading Derren’s book next.
This series just keeps getting better!
This one had A LOT of emotions to go with the action, heat and wit of the other books. There’s some chest clutching moments in this story and I absolutely loved it. Going to immediately click book 4 and can’t wait for more of these delici0us werewolves.
Some of the best PNR I have read in a long time.
Shaya found her mate at her best friend, Taryn’s, mating ceremony and she waits all night for him to claim her. She is devastated when he leaves the celebration without even saying a word. She know that being a submissive wolf is a problem for him since he is an Alpha but he could have at least talked to her about it but instead he makes her life miserable. He doesn’t want her but makes it clear no one else can have her. Hurt and tired from the constant rejection she leaves her pack with a plan that keep Nick from finding her even though she is sure he won’t even try.
Nick can’t believe Shaya ran from him and although her pack won’t tell him her where she is, he will find her and when he does she will never run again. That is once he convinces her he is in it for the forever and not just to make her life miserable.
I have to say the out of the whole series I think that Shaya is my favorite character because she maybe a submissive but she has the heart and courage of an Alpha. As for Nick, I know his heart was in the right place and the he really wants his mate but he should never have put her through all that emotional torture to begin with so he deserved the baseball bat to the head. The character that you love to hate in Carnal Secrets is Amber and boy will you hate the two faced bitch from hell, who should have her healer’s license revoked.
The bedroom scenes were not I steamy or detailed as I expected them to be with Nick being an Alpha male but there was definitely some ‘rockin’ don’t come a nockin’ moments they just didn’t leave me wanting a cold shower.
I really loved Carnal Secrets story line and sub plots, it made for a very busy as well as entertaining read so I really think this particular book in the series is officially my absolute favorite for the series. I also think it deserves the five star rating it will get.
This review posting contains the body of the review, which is only a portion of the original review which was originally posted here http://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/08/carnal-secrets-phoenix-pack-3-by.html
Great series