By the time I walk through the doors of the academy, where the born shifters of every pack are trained to fight and lead, I’m famous. Infamous? One of those. I’ve already fought a battle or two. And my family’s complicated relationships with magic, which has been long forbidden to wolves, isn’t popular with all the packs.I guess I should’ve said this is the place for born male shifters. There … male shifters. There aren’t a lot of shifters like me, with flat irons and skinny jeans packed in their bags.
There’s quite the welcome committee waiting for me.
My cadre, who want to break me down and build me back up again.
My bullies, who just want to break me.
My patrol, who rises or falls with me.
They don’t expect me to make it to graduation in four years.
But I know I will.
Who’ll be standing with me at the end?
Their Shifter Academy is a new reverse harem romance series, set in a military academy for shifters.
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Finally we get Maddie’s story!! It is going to be a doozy too if this first installment is any indication. She is finally all grown up having been raised lovingly by Piper and her men. Finally old enough to start at the Academy she gets ready to go though she does not want to leave Piper right now as she is hugely pregnant with twins. Assured Piper was being taken care of she agrees to go but once there she just may change her mind. It seems like everyone from the Dean down is out to get her as the only female in the entire school. She is bullied, harassed, and pretty much just treated horribly even by those that are supposed to have her back. It makes for a very stressful time at school where she always seems to be in trouble as she attempts to defend herself. Full of drama, action, and surprises to kick off this start to a new series. I cannot wait to see what happens in book two. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
I am so excited to see where this series goes. Maddie is such a strong character. She has everything to prove and doesn’t want to be seen as weak. The only thing that really annoyed me throughout the book was how entitled she acted and how she constantly got away with things. But other than that I loved her and all of her guys. I truly enjoyed how all of her men were there own people and came from different packs and backgrounds and were seen as the misfits in the academy. I also enjoyed the witch background arc that is rarely talked about but will probably end up driving the rest of the series because of the mystery behind it. I can’t wait to start book!
This continues from “Their Shifter Academy (Prequel Novella)” in the summer before the school year starts. Lex has come to visit Maddie and is staying at Piper’s house. The romance continues: breakfast waffles or wild sex is a hard choice for Maddie. Instead, she and Lex have to dispatch three vampires feasting on a girl. And then they break up. At the academy, Maddie is unwanted by almost all of the students, despite her best efforts to fit in. A few of the students do accept and befriend her; but most are “out to get her”. There are feelings of attraction between several of the students and Maddie; it seems she is already attracting a reverse harem, even at the tender age of 18 and as a first-year student. A student who tried to rape her is is violently torn apart in the woods; the question is by whom or what. There is a lot of sexual attraction and tension, so if this isn’t your “cup of tea” you should skip this series – I predict lots more sex, which I’m looking forward to, is coming. By the end of the book, Maddie has been sexually intimate with Lex and Penn in some really hot scenes, uncensored and very explicit. Who’s next on her agenda in Book 2?
Oh my gosh that ENDING!!! That was a fantastic book! I felt so many emotions in this adventure. I cant wait for the final book it will be epic! The amount of action and drama in this series is amazing, I can’t find anything better then reading what May Dawson writes!
A great read with a lot of action and drama.
You are bound to hate the academy and all the freaking bullies, but some might not be the bully they show… I can’t wait to follow up on this story. I’m off to book 2! Will Maddie get her temper under control and be able to prove her worth? Will the bullying ever stop? Will all mates surrender to the lure of their princess?
Her sister’s harem is big, will Maddie’s be just as big? So many questions – so little time to read.
This is a great story. It is well written and the characters are beautifully developed. Maddie at times was a mix. She was bad a** at times then weak as a kitten at other times. The guys are great and their personalities are fantastic. You have mystery, suspense, lots of drama and some sexy scenes at times. It does end in a cliffhanger but it is most definitely worth reading.
4 stars for Unwanted by May Dawson. This is book 1 in Their Shifter Academy Series. This is a slow burn (kinda) reverse harem. Maddie is heading to Shifter Academy, a place where females are not wanted. She has fought battles already and is a bada**. “Rule one of fighting monsters: everything dies when you cut its head off.” She is at the academy, where her ex-boyfriend/ first love Lex is her teacher. Not only is she dealing with those feelings she is also being bullied. She is an awesome character and I am loving her. I can not wait to see what the next book will bring. I am going to pause reading because the last book is not out yet. I do not know if I can handle waiting. Great work May Dawson. YOU have me hooked.
Series review up to book 3:
My one negative is that Maddie is more bada$$ then that rape attempt. She has been through so much and been trained by her sister and her sisters mates. I understand this let her form a connection to one of her mates and see a different side to him besides his just being a jerk but it was a little off putting.
Looking past this I loved this series. It was a great spin off the Their Shifter Princess series and it was great to see glimpses of those characters in this one. This series mad me experience several emotions reading it and I loved it. May did a great job writing it out and describing everything. I could play this as a movie in my head. I would recommend this series and encourage others to read it. You will not be disappointed.
May is an incredible author! So much emotion and angst in everything she writes! She is a must read author!!!
This was a great read. I had a feeling there was going to be a connection between Maddie and Jensen and also with others from her patrol and can’t wait to see how these relationships play out. I really can’t wait to know more of the story regarding her father and where Silas fit into it. Can’t wait to read what happens next!
A suspense filled academy RH read
Maddie is a first-year student and the only female at the Shifter Academy. She and Lex, cadre at the Academy, have split up due to her omissions and Academy rules; while her attraction to her classmates is just as taboo as her continued love for him. As the story progresses Maddie’s circle of friends increases beyond her family, her pool of enemies expands, and danger is to be found wherever she looks. May Dawson’s Unwanted is a suspense filled supernatural urban fantasy, reverse harem academy read. I look forward to reading about what more Maddie, Lex, Penn, Silas, Chase, Rafe, and Jensen can stumble upon. Reader discretion advised due to dark subject matter and/or possible triggers.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
I love a good academy read and this is a great one! A reverse harem romance series, set in a military academy for shifters, full of action , magic, Mystery, intrigue, some sexy shifters and an addicting storyline what more could you ask for? An exciting story with great characters I am looking forward to reading the next book!
Book one is pretty awesome, for me my interest was immediately picked up. There is a good amount romance but also storyline which I like. I look forward to more of the story to unfold.
Poor Maddie is having a rough time at the academy. Being bullied is hard for anyone to deal with but she shows that she has a backbone and stands up for herself. Should be interesting to see where this leads! This was a whole lot of fun to read. I loved it!
*Spoiler Alert*
Maddie (FMC) has had her mind set on going to the shifter academy all her life so she can learn how to protect her sister – Piper and now her babies too. Except the academy is not as welcoming to her mainly because its a male orientated place full of alphas who think female shifters are only good for one thing – Breeding but they also have a problem with Maggie because of her last name and her sister. Who was a hunter herself at the same academy until they got rid of her. Bullying, Pranks, a sexist, a***hole Dean, Hunter/instructors Rafe and her Ex Lex and hot roommates – Chase, Silas and Penn as well as a murder. It all adds to the beginning of a pretty good series. Loved Maddie’s character especially with all the crap she had to put up with. Im interested to see if some of the idiots change their attitudes in the next book. Ill definitely read it
Okay, people, let’s get real here and put things in perspective. Yes, this is an academy read about shifters and also includes witches, magic, and possibly other surprises and it is centered on a group of young adults, eighteen to early twenties. This academy is a school – for learning – but also for fighting and defense – where you learn to hone your skills to protect not only yourself, but your pack, your race, and especially those you love during the times of war. It is a school that is for male shifters – major testosterone central and lots of hostility, especially for Maddie, the young shifter princess, who is striking out on her own to learn to be her own person without the protection of her sister, Piper, the Queen of Shifters, and her sister’s mates and their pack.
Maddie has always been cared for and coddled so to an extent, she is a bit naïve in ways but she has powerful magic locked away which makes her special (and it’s a secret) and can kick ass with the best of them thanks to the training from her sister’s mates. She is still, however, a young girl starting fresh on her own in a hostile environment. The school, so far, is all males and she is definitely unwanted. Some see her as a problem to eliminate, some see her as a challenge to dominate, some see her ruining the reputation of the school and what they are trying to accomplish, others are openly curious, and then there are the few that see her as a beautiful young girl they need to protect. So, just like a regular school – made up of everything. And just like a regular school, there are the bad guys – the bullies – who think they are superior and just want to make life hell. In this case, there is a little more involved because there are separate agendas going on in the background that center around Maddie in one way or the other. I will insert here (as I am sure you have read from other reviews) there is some bullying in this book. I do not like reading bully books and usually stop reading when I come across it; however when you put everything about this book in context and really think about it – the characters, the world building, the dynamics of the school and the students, what they are, what they can do and how they were raised and Dawson provides a look into the complex thoughts of the main bully well,…all that kept me reading. There are a lot of surprises and twists thrown in that make this a really interesting, engaging read.
Maddie is a powerhouse of emotions, she is brash and lashes out without thinking and it gets her in trouble (a lot) and she is also emotionally reeling from being dumped by her first love (who is also a house mate and instructor at the academy) which makes her a little more reckless and unsure of those around her and causes a lot of complications. Her house mates are an interesting mix and since this is the first book in the series and their characters are still being developed, I am extremely curious as to the outcome of her relationship with each of them. There are definitely some subtle sparks flying and lots of flirting and fun banter but what will come with each of them, only time will tell. I do hope that they all stick around and form their own motley pack with Maddie. Even the root of most of her problems, the baddie bully behind the scenes, seems to be drawn to her and her to him, so maybe even an enemy to more scenario here. Learning some things about him in this book, he has a twisted way of trying to do what he thinks is right for everyone and to protect Maddie so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. A challenge is definitely thrown out at the end and it ends on a cliffhanger. I am looking forward to seeing how Maddie grows, how she handles things going forward, and how her relationships evolve with her house mates in the next book.
Overall, the main characters (Maddie and her guys) are great, the storyline puts a different spin on shifters, magic, witches, and academy life. There is plenty of emotions, danger, action, witty banter, flirty context, sexy times, bonds forming, suspense, and mystery in this engaging read.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author. This is me leaving an honest and volontarily review.
In spite of some bad reviews, i wanted to give this book a try nonetheless and i’m so glad i did. The story kept me interested till the end. I liked the military set for this academy. Yeah there is some bullying and some “i love you but can’t show it so i have to be mean to you” vibe but overall, i did enjoyed my read. This was my first May Dawson read, so i didn’t read Piper’s story but i will in a near future.
I liked Effie Bradley, i think she did a great job bringing life to these characters. Will gladly listen to more books narrated by her.
I love all of May’s books. But something about this one just drew me in and now I can’t wait for the other books to come out.
A darker, shifter bully academy story that didn’t quite maximize its full potential but still had me hooked. I liked the darker feel of the story and the military angle of the academy (refreshing break from academics only). Its inclusion of so many tropes is like a dessert buffet and I’m still not entirely sure who all she is going to choose, despite several yummy choices. It took a couple chapters for me to become engaged and I felt there were lots of questions left unanswered. Despite these holdups, I still found myself lost in the story, wanting to know more and falling in love with the characters. A solid, enjoyable academy read with strong promise for the next book!
This is the first May Dawson book that i have read and wow what a book! I don’t get some of the reviews that have dissed this book as i think its brilliant, I love Academy books but the ones aimed at more of an adult audience as this one is and thought the storey line was brilliant, Yes there is bullying which i am not a fan of but its to a level that makes sense for the book and shouldn’t offend anyone. I love the twists and turns and i loved the way that the relationships are developing some faster than others and some that i think will creep up on you as book 2 progresses. I found this book hard to put down and really want book 2 as soon as possible to see where the storey leads and to see how her friends/boyfriends hopefully turn into their own misfit pack.