Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Of Betrayal and Monsters
SERIES: Winsford Shifters
AUTHOR: Alice Winters
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 324 pgs.
RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2021
BLURB:
Quinn
I thought pulling my pack away from Winsford would save us. I never realized how wrong I could be.
After Rowan and I escape Mercer’s hold, we have to get the pack somewhere safe, but my only option is a pride run by a controlling alpha. With everyone safely inside the walls of Winterhaven, Rowan and I attempt to search for the truth, but we’re being hunted and driven further from the answers we need. I want to do everything to protect my mate, but as I learn more about his past, I realize that I might need to protect him from more than just Mercer.
Rowan
I never thought I could embrace this other side of me, especially when I’ve always been taught to hate it.
But Quinn makes me feel alive and happier than I ever thought I’d be after shutting away a part of myself for years. When he’s with me, I feel like we can accomplish anything, and figuring out why Mercer is targeting us is only the first step. However, we could lose everything if we make a single mistake. One thing I know about my mate, though, is that he’s the most determined man I’ve ever met. And I’ll be right by his side as we bring Mercer crashing to the ground.
Of Betrayal and Monsters is an action-filled romance with a dash of comedy. It’s the second book in a series with a continuing storyline and an HFN.
REVIEW:
Well this was quite a ride! I’m not sure what I can say, since the blurb is very very vague and I don’t want to be spoilery.
We get a sense from the end of the first book that Quinn taking his pack to Winterhaven is the lesser of evils. And boy that turns out to be the case even more than we can imagine. Apollo, the super weirdo alpha of the Pride of Winterhaven seems to have some strange ideas of what it means to be an alpha. He’s manipulative and controlling and really just kind of an asshole. He seems to try to bait Quinn repeatedly.
While Quinn and Rowan go out to chase down some leads, including Rowan’s family, they come across a lot of unexpected distractions. This includes a particularly unsatisfactory clash with Rowan’s father, a shifter attack, arrests and not a lot of leads on Mercer and his crew. Upon returning to Winterhaven, things go from bad to worse. Although there is one sympathetic human, Quinn’s pack is still not sure how they can keep Mercer and his “wrong” shifters at bay and figure out who is behind everything.
We meets past foes, Mercer’s army and family alliances are called into question. But above all, it turns out that nothing at Winterhaven is as it seems. Quinn and Rowan have no idea who to trust and neither do we. As things heat up, it’s obvious that someone at the highest level has betrayed Quinn, Rowan and both packs. But how will they escape as Mercer and his men tighten the noose around them?
So I seem to be in the minority on this series in that I struggle with a lot of things. I find Ari in particular just annoying rather than comic relief. I do love Rowan and his kitty-cat ways. I have a hard time with Quinn since his personality seems to change all the time – strong alpha, goofball, lover. I still don’t feel like I know him. I was happy to see some of the bad guys get what’s coming to them and I’m anxious to get to the conclusion of this series and see what’s in store for the pack. Recommended for lovers of the series who are awaiting a lot of answers!
RATING: 
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