Savage Sacrifice (The Devil’s Dires, #5)

Title: Savage Sacrifice -A Dire Wolves Mission
Series: The Devil’s Dires
Author: Ellis Leigh
Designation: Book 5 of Series, Novella-Length Standalone, No Cliffhanger
My Rating: FIVE SINFULLY DELICIOUSLY STARS*****
Oh my! We have a new Dire Wolves mission and a swoony new hero! Ellis Leigh totally rocked my world – AGAIN with Savage Sacrifice, the fifth riveting release in The Devil’s Dires, and folks, this series just gets hotter and better! I’ve been a diehard fan since Leigh began her writing career almost five years ago and her passionate, all-consuming prose still takes my breath away. For anyone familiar with Leigh’s work, you may be asking yourself: Why does The Devil’s Dires sound familiar? Well, there’s actually a very good reason. The Dire Wolves were first introduced as secondary characters in Leigh’s Feral Breed Motorcycle Club Series, so we’ve known of the existence of this small select group of wolf shifters for quite some time; we just didn’t know a whole lot about them other than they acted as the Cleaners for the Blassius ‘Blaze’ Zenne, president of the NALB (North American Lycan Brotherhood). While the Feral Breed MC members act as the enforcers or police for the NALB, the Cleaners are an elite strategic group created by Blaze as a cover for the seven-member pack of Dire Wolves, a dangerous breed long thought to be extinct. And folks, these wolf shifters are tougher than tough, badder than bad, meaner than mean, and better than the best. They live hard and fight harder. But after a lonely millennia of existence, none of these wolf shifters have ever found their mates – until now.

Series Premise:
The Dires are all handsome, sexy wolf-shifters, but unlike other wolves, the Dire Wolves are a breed among themselves, one shrouded in mystery and now almost extinct with only a small group of seven known to still exist. And all seven of their pack make up an elite team of soldiers, trackers, and hackers who are by far the biggest, baddest, and toughest of any species known to man or wolf. They are better than the best, called upon when the talent and skill of the Feral Breed’s finest fall short to successfully accomplish the mission. The Dire Wolves submit to no one yet choose to work for Blasius ‘Blaze’ Zenne, President of the North American Lycan Brotherhood, the ruling power over all shifters in the country. Their breed owes their loyalty only to each other, but these Dires do hold in high regard one man outside their seven-man pack, and that man is Blasius Zenne. They are loyal to Blaze, not the NALB. They answer only to him when he calls, not because they have to, but because they respect him, choose to bend to his authority and obey his orders. Their duties fall under the purview of Blaze’s Cleaners, a unit used to solve certain problems when unparalleled skill and lethal action are required. As the series progresses, we get to know all seven Dire Wolves with each book featuring primarily one member of the team as he embarks on a perilous mission, made even more complicated when he meets his fated mate, the one woman the universe created just for him. Each of these highly principled wolf shifters must face their destinies while their hearts battle between duty to their new found mates, and duty to their mission, as well as to their breed. One Brotherhood… One mission… One man… One mate… One fate… So buckle up, my lovelies, it’s a wild ride!

But, as always, I digress so let’s talk about Savage Sacrifice. The story is exciting, imaginative, compelling, fast paced, action packed, suspenseful, sexy, romantic and exceptionally well crafted and edited. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with perspectives from the two protagonists, stoic Dire Wolf Belphegor aka Phego, and lovely, kindhearted healer, midwife, and Omega she-wolf Michaela. The dialogue is smart, raw, intense, seductive, well executed and flows effortlessly. I love the premise for this series as well as the extraordinary world Leigh has created, but it’s the magnificent cast of characters who literally explode from the pages, demand my undivided attention, capture my imagination, and completely steal my heart. Leigh takes no prisoners in Savage Sacrifice, and I do mean that quite literally! I’ve been totally smitten with the stoic, silent Phego since he was first introduced in the series and have looked forward to reading his story. Phego always seemed so coldhearted and, more often than not, a complete jerk, but I knew there had to be a heartbreaking story in his past, and Leigh didn’t disappoint! Although it’s hard to pick favorites with any of Leigh’s books, Savage Sacrifice is my new favorite. (Yeah, yeah, I know I say the same thing every time.) All the storylines in The Devil’s Dires have been engaging, but Savage Sacrifice totally gutted me. Leigh not only tugged at my heartstrings, she ripped my heart right out of my chest. I was immediately drawn into this story by Phego and Michaela, and quickly became emotionally invested in the lives of these two remarkable characters. There are so many elements that make Leigh’s stories great, and she skillfully combines them all to craft a riveting paranormal tale filled to the brim with danger, drama, action, adventure, suspense, angst, passion, and romance.

Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! I loved the world building and the strong, courageous, larger than life characters Leigh created for this series. It can be read as a standalone but be forewarned, it does have an underlying interconnected conflict with recurring characters throughout the series, so to avoid spoilers, I highly recommend reading the books sequentially. I was completely hooked in the first few pages and quickly found myself totally immersed in the lives of the characters. Leigh is a gifted storyteller and skilled wordsmith – a true master of her trade, always giving readers the perfect combination of danger, action, suspense, humor, romance, and sex. And, of course, leaves us gasping for our next breath and begging for more! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain naughty language and explicit sex scenes. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I loved this story and the characters. I cried for them, empathized with them, laughed with them, cheered for them, shook my fists in anger as they fought their enemies…..and loved every single minute! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

Long thought to be extinct, Phego and his six Dire Wolf brothers have learned to be invisible by keeping their true identities secret from the world. Although there were a few shifters who knew their origin, including Blassius Zenne of the NALB, these seven Dire brothers only trusted each other. For thousands of years, they had suffered a lonely existence, knowing they were the last of their kind. But for some unknown reason, one completely unwelcomed by Phego, fate had decided to intervene in their lives. Four of his DIre brothers had recently found their true mates, and all have been Omegas, sister she-wolves they’d sworn to protect. Unfortunately, it had turned his four pack brothers into lovesick fools. But not him! He wanted no part of the lovefest and he certainly didn’t want a mate. He was happy for them. No, really he was, but that life wasn’t for him. He’d given his trust once and it had almost cost him his life. He would never again trust anyone other than his Dire Wolf brothers. But you know what they say – never say never! A man haunted by his past and convinced he was incapable of love… A woman determined to prove her loyalty and gain the trust of her mate… An enemy from the past hell-bent on revenge… A date with destiny. One man…one mission…one fight to the death…one fate… Who will live and who will die? We’ll see!

I love this book. I love this series. I love this author. I seriously can’t get enough of these Dire Wolves.