Stolen and Forgiven

Publisher's Summary

The first in a brand new dark and gritty paranormal series, Stolen and Forgiven begins a new journey with New York Times best-selling authors Alexandra Ivy and Carrie Ann Ryan.

Stolen

The first rule of being Alpha of the Canine Pack is to protect their secrets from the humans at all cost. One look at the dying human at his doorstep, and Holden Carter knows he will have to break it. The broken woman with no hope at survival is his mate. When he forces the change on her to save her life, he not only sets forth motions that could risk both their lives, but the lives of every shifter in the world.

Ariel Sands grew up in a post-Verona infection world and under the care of the very humans she thought had cured the disease. When they betray her in the worst ways imaginable, she finds herself not only mated to the Alpha of the very species she's been taught to fear, but the focal point of a traitor and path to destruction for everyone's way of life. It will take more than trust and a mating bond for Ariel and Holden to survive their enemies and burn of their own temptations.

Forgiven

Soren Slater is a Beta wolf who understands the duty to his Pack comes before his own needs. At a young age, he takes a position as a liaison between his Pack and the other species of shifters. He never expected his enticing flirtations with Cora Wilder, a Tiger Princess, would encourage her cat to consider him a potential mate. He's forced to walk away, choosing a partner among the wolves to try and strengthen his Pack.

Cora has no intention of forgiving or forgetting Soren's rejection. Not even when the Packs are forced to live together and she discovers Soren's former mate has died. But then, she's kidnapped by the SAU, and she has no choice but to work with Soren to escape. Together, they must put the past behind them if they're to survive the human's evil plot.

©2015 Carrie Ann Ryan, Alexandra Ivy (P)2015 Carrie Ann Ryan, Alexandra Ivy

shifters saved the world

I had not read this book so when I got this audio I was so shocked and happy with the story, shifters save humans from death but then get locked up by the government, silly humans not realizing secrets can not be kept and find their way out

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Sexy Shifters and Their Fight to be Free

The narrator's voice reeled me in! The story line was a different take on Shifter Romance.

It starts out with the wolf pack and the history behind the containment of shifters. When a human is left for dead Holden, the Alpha of The River Pack, knows he must save the woman regardless of the threat it poses if the SAU finds out.

I loved having two stories by two incredible authors in one listen. Aiden Snow's performance was exactly what I hoped a dark shifter romance would be. His voice is sexy as hell and perfect to pull you in to the shifter world.

I'm looking forward to the next installment of the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

4.5 Stars

Stolen

Holden and Ariel’s story sets the tone for the series while learn the ways of the pack. Dark and gritting, Holden’s choice sets a unexpected chain of event. Giving a nice twist for shifters. Hot, hard and in your face the Branded Pack is nothing to mess with.



Forgiven

Cora and Soren story is dangerous, sassy and sexy. Past lovers find themselves in each others path when the humans force the wolves and tigers into one compound. Sorens mistake of the past has him chasing after anything Cora will give him. Lust takes over and the humans butt in, sending a love struck wolf on on the chase for his mate.

The Branded Pack series has quickly caught my attention. From concept of the series to the plots of the individual stories are dark, dangerous and hands down sexy. Living within the rules while breaking the rules. Alexandra Ivy and Carrie Ann Ryan’s talent separately has had me reading them for years. Together they are phenomenal. From character development to world building and plotting, they’ve got it going on.

Aiden Snow makes Stolen and Forgiven come alive. His voice flawlessly takes this story to another level.

Audio copy provided for an honest review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A Must Have

I received a free copy of this audible eBook in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I absolutely love reading/listening to Carrie Ann Ryan's books. This is the first book that I've listened to with Aiden Snow as the narrator. I must say that he makes this book come to life. I couldn't stop listening! I can't wait to read/listen to more books by Carrie Ann Ryan and also books narrated by Aiden Snow! I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fantastic to listen to

I really enjoyed listening to these books. It is two stories in one that go together wonderfully. I loved the characters in both! I even enjoyed the narrators voice and didn't get thrown off by him doing the female voices like I do with some male narrators. Each story was suspenseful and romantic which I loved. They are stories that make you want to destroy the bad guys while cheering on the good guys.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Shifters, Mates and Major Steam

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

The stories of Holden, Ariel, Soren and Cora.
Holden is wolf shifter alpha of his pack. Caged by humans, discriminates against..like a prisoner of war camp. Ariel is tossed into their compound nearly dead after 'humans' have run tests on her. She's human and Holden discovers is his mate. Against the best interests of his pack he turns her to save her.
We meet Soren his Beta who thinks Holden is crazy to take the chance to change Ariel but supports them. Soren's is the second story. His mate is Cora a feline he abandoned to bond with a female in his pack for stability purposes as the alpha hadn't found his mate. The alpha had to find his true ,ate and no one else must. Soren's true mate is Cora, but he shattered her heart when he bonded with another, who died two years ago.
What I enjoy about these stories is what i read romance stories for, true love, fidelity, 'I'd sacrifice and die for you' and the squeezing the heart type of love and of course great sex! Also I really liked all the characters!
The narrator was PERFECT! There couldn't be a better narrator for this story, plus I will actively look for more audios by him. I will want the rest of this series
Worth the credit, the cost..if you like romance, fantasy and steam

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Branded Packs Book One

Branded Packs Book One.

Stolen:
When Holden Carter, Alpha of the River Pack wolves, finds a dying human planted within his compound, his wolf knows she is his mate. Ariel Sands has been kept captive by the SAU and experimented on for what seems like forever. She wakes up to find out she has been turned into a shifter by an Alpha who believes she is his. Now, both must deal with the consequences of Holden's choice. Can the River Pack survive the fallout?

Forgiven:
After the two shifter packs had been forced together by the SAU, Soren Slater knows this is his chance to be reunited with the one woman he was forced to give up before the plague. Cora, however, has no intention of letting the wily wolf back into her heart. When she is kidnapped by the SAU Soren cannot stand aside and wait for the two Alphas to find a way to save her - he goes on his own. What will the fallout be when the SAU learn about his escape?

If you're looking for a new series about a post-apocalyptic shifter world, this is it! The characters and the world will pull you in.

Audio Review:
Gregory Salinas narrates in the minimalist vein. He doesn't over-act the different voices, but keeps them more subdued. If you enjoy the less-dramatic approach to narration, this one will definitely work for you.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

GRRRREAT, GRRRRIPPING, GRRRRITTY & HOT TOO

25 years ago the Verona Virus was killing all humans so the Shifters, who were immune, came out of hiding to help and to help create an antidote. But how did the humans repay them? Propaganda and lies were spread about the vicious bloodthirsty beasts getting out of control. So, all over the people in charge split off the breeds then locked them up in Shifter Compounds where they would watch them constantly, have them branded, make them wear collars and, over the years, many Shifters would suspiciously disappear. It was Hell but they had to endure it because the SAU (Shifter Accommodation Unit) had Teams of armed Guards and they were all itching to pull the trigger.

One such Compound is the River Wolf Pack and their Alpha is the handsome Holden who cares deeply for all his Pack mates no matter where they come in the pack hierarchy..... he loves them all. But he was a restless angry and tired wolf, wanting to run solo at night, and that's when he came across a naked, bloody, cut up human woman who had been tossed into the Compound to die - which she was doing..... what was Holden meant to do? Perform a forbidden and secret act and risk his Pack or let her die? His inner Wolf made up his mind when he whimpered and started chanting "mate".

Brilliant story.... it had angst, drama, twists, suspense, tension, romance and lots of sex and, as their passions, feelings and bond develops so too does jealousy which leads to bitter and deadly confrontations and they would all be punished. That punishment came in the form of the Golden Feline Shifter Pack being moved into their Compound and the tension mounts.... especially for Soren the Beta Wolf of the River Pack because he had a sexual history with Cora the Pack's beautiful Princess. And she's not overjoyed with the situation but when she sees Soren again their history, the hurt, the heartbreak and the memories are all replaced by good old lust and sex.... Shifter style. But the SAU, and a greedy mad Scientist, has plans for her.... which again, leads to drama, bullets, claws, fangs, bloodshed and shocking revelations. And, once again, they're punished and the Compound is getting crowded.... because the Bears have now been moved in.

Worth a credit? If you like an entertaining, enjoyable, moving and hot Shifter listen with loveable characters who just don't deserve the life that's been forced on them, a couple of tasty sexy bossy Wolves, two feisty Heroines and a plot that grips you then you're in the right place and in for a treat. Because this delivered far more than I was expecting and blew me away. Dual (plus more) POV's and a gifted narrator who made two well-written, imaginative and worldbuilding stories, the characters and all the action come to life. Which turns a good listen into a memorable one. Very creditworthy.

10 of 16 people found this review helpful

I'm just going to say it...

I do not know what everyone else sees in this book. I actually put it down halfway through and cannot bring myself to pick it back up - AND I paid full price for it! That's unheard of for me.

First of all, the book is actually two separate stories in one. They are all parts of the same pack but I did not like the abrupt switch. It felt like it should have been two different books and the first, at least, needed more time. Admittedly I made it only a little ways into the second story but by that time I was so disappointed I just didn't want to listen any more.

There are some good themes here and I think that's the most disappointing part. The ideas are great but the story and the characters are underdeveloped. It leaves the story shallow so that all is left is sex and no sexiness. When you read (listen to) a romance novel you want to fall in love with the characters. There was nothing to hold onto here.

The narration was hard for me to listen to, too. It was over sensationalized. I get it, he's a wolf shifter, do you really have to growl when he talks? It just comes across as cheesy. He also tells the story with a bit too much flourish. I was already struggling to immerse myself in this story, the narration did not help.

The whole package was just too much for me to take and because of that I have to say it was a waste for me. I see promise in the writers so I'm being generous with my 2 star review but I doubt I'll ever pick up something else from them.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very good (if a bit disturbing) story :)

4 stars

This was a very enjoyable set of stories. But, the world this takes place in is disturbing so the story can't be enjoyed completely. Basically, imagine our world in the future...the Gov decides to try to weaponize a virus and it gets loose and caused an epidemic that seems sure to kill every human being in on the planet. Shifters were a secret but in an attempt to save humanity, they came out of hiding to give the human a possible cure (from their blood because shifters can't get diseases). It stopped the virus but then the Gov decide the shifters are a danger to all humans so the shifters are all captured, branded, collared and put in "encampments", surrounded by walls and armed humans that are part of a Gov branch called the SAU that is responsible for controlling the shifters (harshly). There are 3 different encampments, one each for canine, feline and bear :(

Stolen
Time 0:00-3:55

In Stolen, Holden is the alpha of the wolves and does what he can to protect them from their human captors/tormentors. Ariel is a human that the SAU experimented on and then disposed of by throwing her half-dead body into the wolf encampment. Holden finds her and realizes she's his mate and he can't lose her. It's dangerous but he changes Ariel into a shifter to save her life. Ariel grew up with the lies about the shifters being dangerous so she's freaked when she finds herself alive but mated to a shifter. It isn't an easy situation but she handles it very well and I liked her and Holden as a couple. Dealing with the consequences when the SAU finds out what happened is rough but the story does end with them together and as happy as possible considering their captivity.

Forgiven
Time: 3:55- 7:48

After the issues with Holden and Ariel, the SAU decides to make things rougher on the canines by forcing them to cohabitate with the felines. Since canines and felines don't mingle well, it's obvious that the SAU is forcing them together to attempt to start a fight between the 2 shifter types to kill off more of them easily. Soren is the beta of the wolves and Cora is the daughter of the Alpha of the felines. They've met previously and a heartbreak lies between them so when the wolves and cats are forced into cohabitation, they have to deal with each other. Their reunion isn't easy but Soren is determined to make things right between them. Just as things are looking good, the SAU decides to cause more trouble. It's dealt with as well but at the end, the shifters are still captives and things are getting worse. But as far as Soren and Cora, they end the story together and as happy as possible considering.

Overall, this was a very interesting story, even if it's a bit dark. I hate seeing what happens to the shifters...it just makes me want to shoot all the jerks responsible. The story is very good (if a bit disturbing) and I really like the characters and want to see them freed so I will be continuing this series and would recommend it. :)