Alpha Instinct is book 1 in the Moon Shifter series. This series was originally published by Berkley and the rights have been given back to the author so since it has been years, I decided to reread it. While I enjoyed it, I find my taste have changed over the years and I didn't love it as much as I remember. I still loved the connection between Connor and Ana and all the wonderful side characters, but I found the overall story too long and repetitive. Since I am a fan of this authors books, I do plan to finish the books in this series that I haven't read yet.

First I would like to thank Author Collective 20 for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Ana Cordona, female alpha lupine shifter, who after losing all of the males and pregnant females in her pack is being pressured by the neighboring alpha to join his pack. When she gets in a precarious situation with that alpha she is saved by Conner, the alpha who left her have a century ago and man she never thought she would see again. After Conner saves her he asks if he can become the alpha of her pack and demands she mate with him. As the two try and figure out who is trying to harm their pack they also have to re-learn how to trust and communicate with each other.

What I Loved:
- The Cordona pack, after losing so much the woman of the pack had to step up and carry on without the normal protections of males I love that they are close and support each other but also love to give each other crap when necessary
- The pups, when Conner's pack joins the Cordona pack they have a lupine and feline pup and I love having the "kid" dynamic in the middle of Ana and Conner's relationship since Ana has a strong connection to Vivian (the Jaguar pup)
- The mating bond, I just laugh so hard when Connor's "wolf" can't handle itself around other males and anything/anyone who even thinks or looks at Ana but also their ability to communicate after bonding sounds like a unique ability I haven't seen in fantasy books before
- Second Chance, I love a second chance romance and as you learn more about why Connor left Ana in the first place it just breaks your heart a bit since they lost that time together
- The "twist", throughout the book they are trying to figure out who killed the males/pregnant females and who is killing others in their pack and when they eventually figure it out I was a bit surprised as to the who
- Underlying threat, there is a group that is introduced in this book and I believe will play a bigger part in the series and I'm excited to read more and see what eventually happens

Overall this was a refreshing change to my typical romantic suspense reading, with unique shifters, small town drama, mating bonds the cause havoc and a second chance romance that I couldn't get enough of. If you are in the market for a shifter romance with unique paranormal elements, great characters, suspense and an overarching big bad then I would absolutely recommend this book.

I really loved this story. The world building is great without being overwhelming. The large cast of characters are interesting. I loved Ana and Connor. Their romance is sexy, sweet, steamy, and realistic. I was also invested in Liam and December. There is a lot going on and a couple of shocking reveals. This book definitely sets readers up for the series. I can't wait for the next one!

Alpha Instinct is the first book in the Moon Shifter Series by Katie Reus. This is a re-released book that has been updated and revised. I found that I had read it several years ago when I was just first discovering Katie Reus as a paranormal author. Both main characters are strong-willed, determined and goal oriented. Ana and Connor have a past that shows what happened in the past does not stay in the past. Feelings are still strong.

Ana unexpectedly became Alpha but needs help. Connor and his pack come in to help. The danger is still there. The attraction is still there too if they all survive. An action-packe thriller that is also a hot romance. Paranormal Fantasy fans cannot go wrong with a Katie Reus book. Start reading Alpha Instinct today to see why.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m sorry to say I didn’t love this. I’ve read a lot of shifter books in my time and this unfortunately had nothing new. To those new to this genre then I suspect you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did.
It’s well written and I liked the characters for the most part. Although I did have several small issues but I won’t get into them.
I think if I’d read this 10 to 15 years ago then I would be writing a different review.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Ana has been de facto Alpha of what's left of her pack since someone poisoned the males and pregnant females of her pack. Now she, her sisters, and assorted cousins and packmates are left to take care of their ranch. Their skeevy neighbour Taggart has eyes on more than Ana's land and he's willing to break ever shifter law to get what he wants. Neither of them factored in the return of Connor.

Connor has put off returning to Ana for long enough. Now he and his pack of warrior wolves are ready to settle down and after hearing of the decimation of Ana's pack, he's more than ready to take out whoever dared to attack her.

Connor and Ana have to navigate the hurt of decades of separation and the lies that Connor tells himself, and Ana, to smooth the way for his oddball pack to integrate into the Cadrona pack.

There are plenty of enemies to choose from between Taggart, the APL, the wary human townsfolk and the anonymous poisoner. Ana and Connor are a fair match - they are both strong willed, stubborn and willing to do what needs to be done to save their packs. Connor is all for combining the packs but he's not exactly forthcoming about why he left, where he has been and where the "little ones" came from. He clearly loves Ana and wants to keep her safe but sometimes goes beyond protective and into bossy a-hole status! The girls may be Alphas and Betas but Connor and his Warriors are like Uber-Alphas and as such they tend to make the females look like second best when they are just as capable of defending pack and person - they're just not a shifter soldier!

I enjoyed seeing some of the other possible pairing for future books and Matt, the Dreamwalker, was a great addition. I really enjoyed working out who the big bad was and can't wait to see what happens next.

WOW! You Won’t Want To Miss This Read!

He was back to claim her but could Ana trust him again after disappearing from her life years ago!

This time Connor was back to stay, he’d made a decision years ago to protect her but this time, he was here to stay and to claim his mate but first he had to get to the bottom of all the killings and danger all around her to protect them all.

A second chance shifter romance with an amazing storyline, lots of action, twists and turns around every corner, fantastic characters and a mystery to solve.

There is so much going on with the storyline taking you in different directions, it keeps you on your toes and engages you page after page.

A sizzling, engaging read you won’t want to put down!

Highly Recommended!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved how this relationship started when they were younger! Connor has always wanted one thing that he couldn’t have. Now fifty years later he is back and ready to claim what he couldn’t long ago. Not only does Ana still wonder why Connor left long ago but she also wonders why he is back. Connor is willing to take over Ana’s pack and he demands she become his mate. Will Ana be willing to let him take over not only her pack but her life? I was given a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

★ ★ ★ ★ //5

Alpha Instinct
by: Katie Reus

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Yes AND YES! Multiple POV, Second Chance….you snagged me! This book was such a beautifully written book and the way Katie made you feel all the things in this book, relate to the characters, you felt as though you were in the book. I love Annas character and related to her in so many ways. Connor and Anna were perfect throughout this book. I loved all the twists and turns that this book took you on and I never saw the ending of this book coming. I cannot wait until the second book to this beautiful series is released so I can get more of my Moon Shifter fix. HUGE FAN of Katie and will always look for her books!

Wow! This book was amazing! I am a fan of shifter stories and Wolf shifters in particular. The storyline was so expertly written that I was swept right into it. I felt all the emotions. Ana and Connor are perfect together and the other characters are interesting and relatable. I can not wait for the next book in this series!
I will review on Amazon when available.

Anna is the leader of her pack after all of the males where killed but she knows she isn't physically strong enough to defend the leadership and other packs re already circling. So when Connor and his brothers who lived with the pack years earlier offer to join and help protect it from encroachers she doesn't hesitate even though he broke her heart when he left the last time. Now with Connor as the leader of the pack Anna is worried she will get her heart broken again because not only is he unwilling to explain what happened before but he is keeping her out of the decision making which wasn't there agreement and as more wolves are killed they will have to learn to work together if the pack and their relationship is to survive.

Thank you to NetGalley and KR Press, LLC for the ARC of the rerelease of Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus. I would recommend readers stop here for potential spoilers (though I'm trying to keep this as vague as possible).

When I see something described as a shifter romance I'm interested to read it, and I'm ready to accept a character driven plot.
Unfortunately, this book was very difficult for me to read.

I would like to let other prospective readers know that many of the female characters are threatened with or only narrowly escape multiple attempts of sexual assault. The potential for rape and its related trauma is used as a plot device multiple times throughout the book.

That, in addition to the recent murder of half of Ana's pack and the discrimination of the shifter population as a whole by humans, offer what is actually a really bleak and depressing storyline.

While there is romance, I didn't understand why any of the characters would be like, "Yes, let's have sex now that X tragedy has happened" - there was no in-depth character analysis or growth from the pretty extensive trauma being caused all within a very short time frame. Ana and Connor also could have easily solved their past issues with one conversation when he first returned, but instead the storyline focuses on how Ana wants to hold off on consummating their relationship and Connor just wants to convince her to have sex with him instead, even though 1) She asked to wait and 2) in the first chapter she is literally about to be sexually assaulted by someone else.

I also didn't expect to have so many alternating POV - it helped to show how Reus will make this into a multiple book series with different characters, but it also felt like it limited reader time to truly know any of the characters outside of their immediate impulses and motivations. There were some parts I liked of seeing the larger world for these characters and the potential for future romances, but, honestly, it was all wrapped in such a dark setting that this does not feel like a light or happy read for me

Any book by Katie Reus is likely to be good, and Alpha Instinct is no exception. This novel is apparently a revision of a book Reus wrote about a decade ago, BTW, so I suspect the content may be familiar to some.

Anyway, I enjoy the occasional PNR, especially with shifters, though, generally I think the whole fated mates concept is used as an easy-out substitute for character development. Here, though, it's a little different. Ana and Connor met half a century ago and were on a path to mating when Connor suddenly left. He's back, now, and ready to claim her as he should have 50 years before.

To complicate things, there are an inordinate amount of baddies that Ana has been dealing with. Ana has been filling in as pack alpha since all her pack's males and pregnant females were poisoned to death a few months prior, and the threat has continued. There's also a shifty shifter next door who wants both Ana and her land. And don't forget the humans in the nearest town who don't fully trust shifters, not to mention a local chapter of a hate group springing up nearby. Most of the baddies are named to us; we even get inside a head or two in the occasional chapter told from a bad guy's POV (third person). There's only one anonymous voice (that of the poisoner), and honestly, it's pretty easy to figure out who it belongs to. Most of the baddies meet a grim end, but not always. In fact, how each one is dealt with is a little uneven.

Ana and Connor are good together, though I kind of wish there was a little... more? Fifty years apart is a lot, even for shifters, and I guess I needed a stronger reason both for why Connor left and why he stayed away so long. A secondary romance between Connor's brother and a human has more potential, as did a few additional teased storylines, but it doesn't get far. I suspect it'll be a story told later in the series.

Overall, I liked the book. I'm not sure what changed from the previous version, but I suspect any differences are for the better.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!

Alpha Instinct (Moon Shifter, #1) by Katie Reus
I love this series and can't wait to read more. This is a shifter second chance romance between Conor left fifty years ago, he did it for Ana, but he couldn't tell her why. He is back with his brother and his pack to protect her. There is evil, haters, angst, danger, misunderstandings, forgiveness, loss, tears, some laughs, mystery, more than one, romance and steam all to get us to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Unpredictable Great world building Wonderful characters Entertaining Tragic Easy-to-read Page-turner Scary Twisted Witty Informative Happily Ever After Tear-jerker Romantic Action-packed Steamy.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always liked Katie Reus. This one centered on Ana and Connor. Ana was the alpha of her small group of female wolves as someone had poisoned all the males and pregnant shifters. Connor had known Ana 50 years ago and left with no notice. She was upset when he left and upset that he came back. It took quite a bit of time for him to tell her why he had left. He had always wanted to mate her and now he has the chance. In shifter world, you need a strong Alpha and warrior to lead and keep the council from taking over. She loved him but didn't quite trust him. There were quite a few misunderstandings between them because he just did things and didn't tell her. She was supposed to be his mate and 2nd in command, and he ran roughshod over her all the time.. There was the issue with a mean and sadistic local alpha and someone that was killing shifters or people who had been with them. Lots of drama and some heartbreaking deaths but finally they solved the local cases. This was a good start to the series that I will enjoy.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Ana's parents and all the males and the pregnant females are poisoned, leaving her the Alpha. When Connor, an Alpha who wanted to mate with Ana years ago, returns to help and be her packs Alpha. He wants to mate with her because he has always loved her but Ana is skeptical because he left without a word years earlier. She agrees but wants to keep her heart out of it.
While Connor and the pack tries to figure out who is poisoning their pack mates, a crazy psychotic wolf tries to take their land and he wants Ana too.
This was a fantastic book with Alphas, a little she-cat, sexual tension that will singe your eyebrows. It really did keep me on the edge of my seat.