Pack Ebon Red: The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf, Book 1

Pack Ebon Red was a fantastic start to a new reverse harem (one girl, many dudes) series - with werewolves! As a fan of reverse harem novels, I'm always looking for The Next Great Read and I was not disappointed with Pack Ebon Red.It's original, inventive, and captivating.Zara is the next in line to lead her pack, following in her mother's and grandmother's footsteps. To lead the pack, she must go through the requisite rituals including the pairing process where she's presented with several options (7!) for a mate. Add in the wolf she loves, the wolf her mother wants her to choose, the wolf from her childhood who lost an eye after a kiss with her, and several more wolves and Zara's got herself a tough choice. Luckily, she has plenty of time to make the decision.After the pairing process, Zara and her seven mates take on the challenge of figuring out what's happening to her missing pack members and in the process uncover something far more dire.I loved Zara. She's a strong female character (and I love strong female leads!). I thought that I might get overwhelmed by so many suitors, but I like the idea of (what I think the author is doing) focusing on a different wolf with each book (Nic was focused on in Pack Ebon Red because he's from that pack). I loved getting to know some of her guys, too! I really look forward to reading how Zara gets closer to each of her mates.I had been looking forward to reading this book for (what feels like) forever and especially after seeing the gorgeous cover. Pack Ebon Red is the kind of book that kept me up well past by bedtime and in my opinion, those are the best kinds of books. I crave books that have me so enraptured that I forgo sleep to live in that world a little longer, to see the plot unfold, to witness the connections the characters make. It had the right amount of steam, romance, suspense, magic, mystery, and wolves. I highly recommend Pack Ebon Red to anyone who likes reading about werewolves, paranormal romance, supernatural, reverse harem... so pretty much everyone. Yep, I recommend this book to everyone. ;)

Pack Ebon Red is the first book in CM Stunich's The Seven Mates of Zara Wolf. It does not grab you immediately like her Rock-Hard Beautiful series, but it doesn't take long before you are fully immersed in this wonderful new world.Zara, the Alpha-Ki of the Ebon Red pack is in line to become the Alpha of all the North America Packs. First however, she must follow tradition and prove her worth. She must accept her potential mates, fight and defeat all challengers, and conduct a successful hunt. The pairing ritual usually involves just one Alpha-Son, but since the packs are uniting, each pack has sent a son. Her own pack also has a representative, so she has 7 suitors. The pairing will last a year and at the end she will choose her mate. During the year her and her potential mates will fulfll a Contribution. The chosen Contribution will be to discover the answer to a mystery. Werewolves from every pack are missing. They are to locate the missing werewolves or find out what happened to them.Zara is a kick-ass female lead. She's smart, clever, strong, kind, and she's certainly no coward. She also has unknown potential to restore the werewolves to their former power. Her men are distinct and diverse. The only quality they seem to share is their hotness. Nic, Anubis, Silas, Monty, Jax, Tidus, and Che. She loves Nic, the Ebon Red, but is sexually attracted to each of the guys. But no insta-love. These will be true pairings. There is underlying tension of all sorts that you know is going to get much worse during the next year.There is a great deal of suspense; with the missing werewolf investigation, with the formal ceremonies, and with teenage best-friend angst. The attention to detail for the ceremonies is remarkable. This was written in a spectacular fashion. It's a complete and complex were world. So Awesome! The supporting cast is richly developed as well. The Alpha Queen Nikolina is formidable, the Grandmother Alpha Majka is one part terrifying, the other hysterical. Her Croatian insults were fantastic! Zara's youngest brother Hugo was every bit as adorable as her younger sister Avita was awful. The other non-humans; Vampires, Fae, and Witches also had developed characters and histories that added layering to the story.This is such an elaborate, intricate story with wonderful characters. The balance between romance, action, and mystery is well done. This is such a compelling dynamic with all of the changes in the lives of this mini-pack. They have to learn how to best live and work together. They have to explore their attractions, how best to serve the packs. I can't wait for book 2!!