Received a copy for review.

Interesting take on shifters and magic. A 2nd chance with fated mates and magic that needs to be stopped.

3.5 stars

Much like the first one, I really enjoyed this...but also got frustrated with it when the main characters both refused to even think they would have a future together for different reasons. I definitely liked how Juri and Triska already knew each other from when they were kids. Their interactions were believable and fun, and it was great that they acted like practically no time at all had passed since they last saw each other even though it had been over 100 years. These two worked as a couple because they already had the trust built from when they were kids and a bond that has connected them all this time.

Unlike all of the other Vulks, Juri was raised believing he was just a normal shifter. He was even starting to get mad that he hadn't gotten his pelt like all the other kids. It wasn't until he was in his teens that his mother took him from that village and he finally learned why he was different than the others. Perhaps because of how he grew up, Juri found it impossible to cut ties with his mother and his past like a Vulk is supposed to do. He's constantly returning to spend time with his mother and half brothers, as well as to try and catch glimpses of Triska whenever he can.

As (bad) luck would have it, while following Hoyt (who is no longer just a bumbling peon), Juri and Kyril overhear a secret meeting he has with another. What they hear sends Juri and Kyril rushing to the village Juri grew up in to try and beat Hoyt there. Hoyt has this grand idea of raising a mythical island and claiming it's power, and to do so he would need to drain the life force from the villagers. Let's just say the two of them fail to get there first. But that allows for Juri to have his reunion with Triska.

Now it's up to Juri, Triska, and an ex magic academy headmaster to get to the island and find the power source before Hoyt. It's a good thing Triska had some magic of her own that takes him out of commission in a way, and he also loses his scrying bowl during the fight. A bowl which is way more than that. The island was interesting. As well as the single inhabitant and his whole back story. Another fight with Hoyt has this group of 4 ending up in Peklo. Now, being there was cool and all, but considering this place is full of monsters and bad people, I found it kind of hard to believe that where they took refuge was so completely untouched just because it was a forbidden zone of a sort. But it kept them safe until Hans was able to save them thanks to his new powers as the King.

Back in the village, a plan is made for the next day that is going to be their make or break moment. And as it turns out, Triska has been keeping a huge secret from Juri this whole time. It's a secret that gives them the advantage they need to get to the power source and destroy it. But it's a gamble and it comes at a cost that Juri might not be willing to pay.

One thing that surprised me was just how little Hans had told his pack about his bond with Briony and the rune they shared that gave him back his soul. Considering what happens with Juri here because of his rune with Triska, it sure would have explained some things and made some things less complicated and frustrating.

So far this series has been fun and I'm looking forward to more.

Book Title: Fat Promised
Author: Jocelyn Montana
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Start Date: 01-30-2023
End Date: 02-05-2023
Pages: 337
Published: 01-22-2023 by H. Delaney Publishing
Owned/Borrowed: Borrowed from NetGalley
Format: Kindle E-book

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Thoughts:
I liked this book. This is the 2nd book in the series but you can read it as a stand-alone. Be aware there is a glossary at the beginning of the book for a lot of specific terms within the universe and I recommend you glance through it either before you read or as you come across each word. The world is very detailed and interesting with different types of mythical beings and lore. It definitely makes me want to read the other books in the series. I really liked the two MCs, Triska and Juri. Their conflicts on why they can't be together is really heartbreaking and you really just want to root for them. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would like to read more about this world and its characters. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Fate Promised is a fated mates, angsty, supernatural book where the male MC actually does look like that! This book follows Juri and Triska after they stumble into each other's lives again after over 100 years. Juri is a vulk, a soulless wolf-man sworn to pretend this land, but unable to take a mate or be in Triska's life the way he has always wanted to be. Triska is a non-immortal, but is hiding a secret that means she will never take a mate either. After a rune tells them to make a choice, they spend the next month fighting necromancers and spending a lot of time in bed until it's almost too late for them to save the world.
I enjoyed Fate Promised; it has an extremely interesting premise and is beautifully written. The angst and pining were--at some points--over the top a little bit and felt a bit unnecessary, but I still devoured this book in two days.
However, it did include my least favorite trope: where the main characters 'can't' be together because of arbitrary and ridiculous reasons (at least they felt arbitrary and ridiculous to me). A little spoiler coming ahead! From the beginning, we know that vulks actually can take mates because one already has, so that aspect of their plight seemed so frustrating. It was mentioned over and over again, yet Juri was still surprised when he found out that he could take a mate. Other than that annoying part, this book did a great job of exploring the conflicting desires and motivations of the characters. Plus, the smut was pretty dang good!

What a phenomenal read.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this arc.

Unfortunately, I did not read the first book of this series before this one, which was clearly a huge mistake. But only because I missed out on such an amazing opportunity! Jocelyn Montana does a beautiful job of world building without it being too overwhelming, all while creating one of the most loving stories I’ve read, probably ever, between Juri and Triska.
I am so excited to continue on this journey in this series and can’t wait to read Kyril’s story!

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought this book was okay. The characters seemed mostly fleshed out and their motivations made sense. I think where I got hung up was on the ending. I felt it was building up to some big battle or fight and it just felt lack luster. I wanted more to it than what there was.

The world is very well thought out as well. I think having the index in the front of the book is a little daunting though. Having that in the back might ease some people into this title more.

4.5/5 stars! Looking at this cover, I was almost certain this book was going to be a dud. I have never been more happy to be wrong. This book was phenomenal for anyone that loves shifter romance with a little bit of steam. I enjoyed the majority of this story. Triska was sweet and Juri was your typical werewolf just wanting to be with his mate. The sex scenes were well-written and very engaging. Some parts of the rest of the story well a little too flat, but I hope this picks up in future books.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This is such a great fantasy romance. I thought the world building was super thorough and loved all the fun creative characters. The romance between Juri and Triska was that of fated mates, which I totally have a weakness for.

Loved that Juri was the most dangerous protector and that he was a total cinnamon roll for Triska. And that Triska was just as strong her own way. Nothing like a girl saves the day story!

Really enjoyed this one!!

When I found this book and realised that it was the second book, I went in search of the first one, and let me tell you, I was so excited to find it on Kindle Unlimited. This series was a good read, and I am dying for more.

He is a monster to everybody but her.
There's a little spice, but I wished there were more, and the plot was pretty simple and easy to follow. But that does not mean it wasn't entertaining, and I enjoyed the read. I am grateful I read the first two back to back. It helped with understanding the world-building and character development, now please tell me that there is going to be more 🤞

I want to thank NetGalley, the publishers and Jocelyn Montana for allowing me to read this book and give it an honest review. All I ask now is that we can have more from this author!

Incredible book that makes sense even if you have not read the first in the series.
Starring a vulk and a selkie, fated to be together by a promise they made when they were just 10 years old. This book follows the uphill battle in their attempt to live happily ever after.

Not quite what I had in mind, but Quite the imagination non the less. Juri is a wolf, wolfwalkers turned vulk. Two childhood friends and one promised turned into claim of fated soul mates. Juri is wanting to comfort her friend Trisha before him and his mother leave to visit her old clan up north. But, This is the day of her mothers funeral, her father losing his soulmate is begging to drift away from his daughter. At the age of 10 they are both competitive, but not mean about it. If one wins I a contest they don’t brag to hurt their feelings. So, as they are alone in the woods, Juri tells her he must leave. But he gives her a promise ring stating when him and his mother returns he will marry her. She accepts, but he doesn’t return until 10 years later and in reality they are much older. Anyways, I sort of got confused with the story line. But, I got hunkered down and got it. Juri, learned he first year away he wasn’t a wolf walker like his mom, but a vulk. A higher form of wolfwalker that will not shift back to human for,, but will stay in wolf form and able to walk on 2 legs. But when trouble comes back to his old childhood town, he can’t stay away. He lurks in the shadows to make sure his friend is safe like he promised. But when threat of her life is presented he comes to Trisha aide. In order to save he they must travel to a ghost of an island, there secrets are revealed. Will they be able to stop the threat? Also, this island only accepts people in but never least them leave. Duh dun dunnn..

The hero is a werewolf sworn to protect Ulterra, with no mate or family hindering him from focusing on his duty. Yet he can't keep away from the heroine when she ends up in danger. Though he left the heroine before in the past, he can't help but want to keep her forever now that they are reunited. They have one month to make a decision: should they remain together or should they walk away from each other.

This is the second book in the Werewolves of Ulterra series. It features childhood-friends-to-lovers in a fantasy world filled with mythical creatures. The book provides relevant details of this fantasy world, which is helpful in understanding the world that the author created. As a standalone book in a connected series, I appreciated the provision of information within this book, since I hadn't read the first book of the series before reading this book. The story was engaging, and the characters were entertaining. The couple were strong individuals and together, they complemented each other quite nicely. I found the world interesting, and I look forward to reading more books from this series.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

This is my first book by this author and I was hooked from the start. The unique world building had me immersed in Juri and Triska’s story. Such a sweet, tender second chance romance within the overarching plot. I really loved that the author gave us a taste of their childhood feelings in this book instead of just telling us. It helped to see how refreshingly protective Juri was/is, even at a young age.

The attraction between Juri and Triska is undeniable and the spice was delicious. I mean knotted werewolves….yes!

“Every time I touch you, it makes it harder and harder not ro reach for you again.”

They are instantly attracted to each other, but constantly fighting it so when we get the hide and seek scene, it was *chef’s kiss*.

“I found you, and now you’re mine.”

They set off to solve a prophetic riddle that binds them and they have one month to do so. The adventure we are taken on is epic.

This is the second book in her Werewolves of Ulterra Series and with the glossary in the book I was able to jump right into this world of Vulk (werewolves), magicwielders, selkies, and more! It was fun getting to know some Vulk pack members, as well as other characters like Arrow and Koschei. This is full of adventure and I loved the balance of magic, action, and romance within this story.

The book was paced well and the writing was good with several twists I didn’t see coming. At times, some conversations felt info dumpy and I think I wanted a bit more character development to offset the heavy world building and well-developed magic system. That said, this was great and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author!

I love Jocelyn’s world of Ulterra and the underworld of Pelko. I need more of them all.

Juri and Triska might be one of the best childhood friends-to-lovers and second chance romances out there. Their story is the sweetest and they fell in love at 10 years old and made each other promises before Juri had to move away and become a vulk (werewolf).

Juri kept watch over Triska all those years without her knowing. He was still protecting her even though he was asked to forget his past life. But he couldn’t walk away from her.

Triska’s secret, I did not see that coming!

We got to see more of Hans and hear about his twins with Briony. And some more of his pack mates. We even got to meet some new friends in Pelko, which I believe are going apart of the new Immortal of Ulterra series.

This book (and series) is spicyAF and I just want more of all of them.

Thank you Jocelyn Montana and #netgalley for the eARC. These are my thoughts.

Fate Promised, second book in Werewolves of Ulterra series had me wrapped and I had a hard time keeping away from my story, the characters are interesting, story is very imaginative and the plot kept me entangled in the story line!.

The book was over all ok but not really my cup of tea. I’m willing to read more from the author but I honestly thing this particular type of romance isn’t for me. The writing was pretty good and the story was well paced.

Imaginative tale of vulk, sorcerers, selkies, and magic. Plenty of action and intrigue in an alternate reality rich enough to feel real. Smoldering romance provides an undercurrent for this fantasy adventure.