She vowed she would never be mated. He claimed her anyway.Ava Rhys has always chafed at submitting to the authority of her pack’s alpha, but when he tries to sell her body in return for money and influence, she decides she would be better off on her own. Ava’s plans to live as a lone wolf in the backwoods of Maine are thrown into turmoil, however, when the local game warden makes it his business … makes it his business to take her in hand, and the battle-hardened former Army Ranger soon proves to be just as fiercely dominant as any alpha shifter.
Declan Collins knows a woman in need of a man’s firm hand when he sees one, and it isn’t long before Ava is kneeling naked at his feet with her well-spanked bare bottom on display. Once he has taught her a better use for her sassy mouth, she quickly finds herself screaming her helpless, shameful submission into the bedsheets as he claims her so roughly and so thoroughly that she is left in no doubt that she belongs to him and there is nothing whatsoever she can do about it.
With each passing day he masters her body ever more completely, never hesitating to punish any hint of defiance before using and enjoying her in ways more humiliating than she could have ever imagined. But when instinct causes her to bite him in the throes of yet another intense, desperate climax, will she lose him forever or will she end up mated to an alpha shifter after all?
Publisher’s Note: Claimed and Mastered is a stand-alone novel which is the sixth entry in the Wayward Mates series. It includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book. Also note that Claimed and Mastered shares its setting with Adaline Raine’s previously published books Marked by the Alpha and Rules of the Pack, and it was written only after receiving Adaline’s permission and support.
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4.5 stars
First impressions can be so wrong, and that was certainly the case with Ava. I loved the back story Ms James created for her, I would have loved for it to be explored in a little more depth, though overall it was a good balance and worked with her pack not realising how she felt. I also enjoyed how Bethan, who has briefly appeared in other books, had hidden depths, she wasn’t the mild, wishy-washy character I’d expected and proved a good ally to Ava.
I loved the twist of a human male with an alpha-born female, though don’t expect the power dynamics to be any different to usual! Ava still finds herself facing a bare bottom spanking when she misbehaves. I really liked both Ava and Declan, their connection and passion was easy to believe in. Ava retained her strength even when she submitted to him, in fact she seemed to gain from the situation. She really struggled to totally let go, and whilst this was a strong feature of the plot, and relationship as a whole, it didn’t lead to unnecessary or easily avoided angst. It enriched the story and made it easier to relate to the main characters, especially Ava.
For fans of this series there was a welcome appearance of Roz and Oliver. Roz shared some extra insight into what the previous female characters are getting up to, and how they aren’t as passive or under the thumb as we might presume.
I for one am happy to recommend this book, though you do need to be ok with scenes of power exchange and spanking. I’m also really looking forward to reading the next one!
When we were first introduced to Ava, she was not a loved character. But, she spoke to the author and her story was written. It turns out she is just misunderstood!
Ava wants a love, but she doesn’t believe in fated mates. When she escapes from her pack, she goes to the United States and starts over. But, fate is keeping an eye on her and she meets Declan. Their story is wonderful and I love how the complications are resolved!
This series keeps getting better. I can’t wait for the next book!
Wow, what a hot read! Declan and Ava are complicated people with even more complicated situations. She wants to start anew and runs right into her destiny! Love the detailed backstory and the well developed characters. I am voluntarily reviewing this ARC.
When I first met Ave in book 4 of the series I thought that there might be more to her than it seemed. Thanks Delta for giving her a wonderful story of her own, for introducing us to Declan, for letting us see a different side of Bethan and for the humor as Oliver and Declan have “the conversation”. I love this series. It’s well written, has great characters and gets better every time.
This talented author has written a wonderful, fascinating shifter romance, it is the sixth book in the series “Wayward Mates” There are character crossovers from previous books but this book is complete & standalone.
The plot is excellent, well-thought out & written, it definitely keeps the reader’s attention. The characters are well-developed & entertaining with definite individual personalities, which occasionally results in verbal confrontation and/or verbal conflict; at times they entwined fairly well with each other, and react with varying emotions feelings to the various situations they found themselves in.
There is: a feisty female alpha wolf shifter & loner (Ava Rys), a domineering human alpha male Maine game warden (Declan) wolf shifters, packs, humans, twists & turns, drama, intrigue, some suspense, adventure, secrets, deceit, pack issues, friendship, fated mates, discipline, spanking, domination/submission, dubious consent, defiance, confrontations, discovery, a passionate bait, emotional turmoil, verbal banter, contentment, love, explicit steamy scenes & a well-deserved satisfying ending.
I enjoyed reading this book & would recommend it
Hot hot hot
Oh my my my, loved this. This was the first book in this series that I’ve listened to. I hope someday I can get the rest of it.
The narrative brings the story to life. I definitely will be listening to it again.
This audio book was given to me for free at my request from the publisher or author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
I love Ava and Declan’s story. It is full of angst, passion, dominance, and all the sexiness I expect from this author. I love how strong and independent Ava is, and the way that she submits to Declan. These stories are closer to DD/lg stories than just BDSM, so be aware of that. If you don’t have a problem with men who take care of, protect, and aren’t afraid to punish to keep their women safe then you will love each of these books. I still struggle with the whole calling a guy “daddy” thing sometimes, but I love the nurturing attitude. These stories are perfect because I get the elements I want without having to deal with that one word.
She does not want to be mates so when her alpha tries to sell her and so she decides to run but she is taken the n hand by the game warden. He will take her in hand and punish her when needed before taking her to his bed. What will happen when she bite the mating bite? See how he will deal.with it
Delta James does it again! A story that keeps you riveted from beginning to end! With Ava, shifter born she-wolf, who is determined to live her life on her terms and Declan Collins, a human alpha male, who knows what Ava needs to subdue the fiery nature but support the strong female that she is.
Ava is a shifter born she-wolf who wants to make decisions for herself and not be controlled. She runs away to Maine from her pack in Wales to start a new life. There she meets Delcan, a human alpha male. Ava feels Delcan’s call but sees too many obstacles to overcome for there to be anything permanent between them. Delcan quickly realizes that Ava needs someone strong to guide her and he is the one to do it no matter her secrets.
I really like the twist of a human male being turned! Not something we have seen in detail but was mentioned about another supporting character in previous books. Delta does a great job of connecting the dots with Delcan’s work background as a game warden so that the quick acceptance and understanding of shifters and their traditions doesn’t feel unbelievable. Claimed and Mastered is the 6th book in the Wayward mates series. The story line has continually progressed forward and has not fallen stagnant! Overall another hit for Delta! (less)
Ava has been a reoccurring character who could be difficult. Finally we understand why. And Declan is such a perfect match for her. I love how this series keeps evolving.
The blurb pulled me in! I read the blurb, I didn’t pay attention to who wrote the book, I (again) didn’t check GR to see if this was a standalone. I read this blurb and thought “this sounds like a good book”. You don’t often find that the h is the wolf and the H is the human that has no clue, so for me I was a bit excited to read this. This is like book six of a series, the others should be read before reading this. I didn’t and so I ended up reading people having conversations about stuff that I had no clue about. Declan is the typical alpha male, that has discovered in his journeys that he likes a bit of dominance in the bedroom, and sometimes out of it. When he goes home and ends up running into his new tenant, the urge to spank her and then claim her comes over him. Declan decides that “Lizzy” will be his. Lizzy/Ava ran from her pack after she sort of made a fool of herself and then was punished for it. Determined to do things her own way, she flees Wales and ends up in Maine where there are no wolf packs around. Things are going just fine until the moment Declan bumps into her life. The two bump heads a few times, and the final straw for Declan is when “Lizzy” disobeyed his orders, he will now show her just who the alpha of this situation is…. but what happens when Declan finds out there is just a bit more to this situation than he ever thought?
This was an ok story, with some hot naughty bits. Ava rubbed me the wrong way, and so I spent most of this book trying to like her. There isn’t really any danger or angst, just the drama of Ava hiding who she really is. I give this 3.5 stars.
This book is one of those hidden gems in my opinion. I was expecting a book where they see each other and hit it off right away. With a great deal of hot steamy sexy times. That the hero was into having control. Well, he is but not the way I thought. What I got was something more. They have great chemistry and attraction. I also got heavy drama, I would recommend this to anyone!!
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”