Review: Coveted by Shawntelle Madison

For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.

Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it’s enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.

Review:

I’m not quite sure what my feelings are on this book. I liked it overall but there was just several things that bugged me that I’m not sure I know how to word.

First off, I was often annoyed with Natalya.. I’m having a difficult time coming up with a word that fits my opinion of her. She was dealt a blow when her boyfriend at the time, Thorn, left town. Now 5 years later she left the life she had established for herself in New York to move home, she has been kicked out of her pack, and is struggling so much with her OCD and hording that it has consumed her. She is so submissive and so down that she doesn’t stick up for herself or what she wants. Thorn all of a sudden comes back to town to help protect the pack from another werewolf pack wanting to take them over. This adds more upset for Natalya, as she also learns that he is promised to be with someone else, so the idea of them rekindling their relationship is non-existent. I supposed if I didn’t know it before, this book just confirmed that I prefer the heroines of books I read to be more kick ass. Now don’t get me wrong, there are positive points to Nat and she definitely grew throughout the book and even had some kick ass moments, but overall, not a fan.

It pissed me off how poorly the pack, especially that her family, treated her. No wonder she has such low self esteem. But this does lead up to probably my favorite part of the story. Nat decides to finally do something about her disorder and seeks out therapy and gets involved in a group therapy with a diverse group of other supernatural beings that have some of the same struggles. I enjoyed this quirky group of individuals and I enjoyed the friendships she start to form, especially with a wizard, Nick.

Now as I enjoy romances, I kept trying to figure out who/when Nat was going to hook up. But romance is a pretty minor part and I was disappointed by that. Although there were many things that bugged me, I did enjoy the progress Nat made in growing as a person and I liked the world where the supernaturals are just a part of everyday life, they may not be completely out in the open to humans, but they aren’t hidden either.