Marked for the Hunt – Leah Chiasson

Release date: 18 December 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★ – 9/10
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Marked for the Hunt (Diana Warren, #1) blurb:

After witnessing her father’s murder, Diana Warren chose the life of a lone female Faoladh, werewolf, and promised herself that she would never go back to Wolf’s Head. Nearly eight years later she finds herself on a plane back home to attend her grandfather’s funeral.

Diana doesn’t realize that she is heading into the middle of a werewolf civil war, each side led by the very people who betrayed her all those years ago. With her Grandfather, the previous Clan Alpha, gone, no one is set to inherit the title.

Two wolves, father and son, struggle over who will become the next Clan Alpha. On one side is the man that brutally murdered her father in front of her. On the other side is the friend that held her back when it happened. Diana refuses to acknowledge their battle, but when an old friend is found dead, it’s hard to ignore the truth.

Even if Diana doesn’t want to pick sides, her Aunt and Grandmother are caught in the middle of an ugly battle and she must make a choice. Run and save her own skin or stay and fight for those that still love her. No matter what she chooses, Diana must face the very thing of her nightmares without becoming a monster herself.

I know that I sometimes go on a rant about how amazing so many independently published books are, and how I can’t understand how some trash gets published by actual publishing companies and these amazing books out there aren’t pushed by massive powerhouses… BUUUUT, if you’re adding one independently published book to your list this year, please add this one. Especially if you like werewolves and Fae and treachery and getting a bit steamy under the covers. Because it has all those things and more!

Diana ran away from her clan when she was young after a life changing incident, but she has come home. At least for the time being. She runs into some old friends and for about half a second it’s like she never left. Until bodies start turning up, ripped limb from limb. Diana has more going on than just proving who she really is, she’s about to find out who she can really trust.

I’m pretty sure I devoured this book in about 48 hours, in and around work and sleep. It was just that good! The plot had enough twists that it keeps you engaged the whole way, you’ve got plenty of opportunity to on the characters you love, and there’s just enough smut (nothing R rated – Leah is classy!) to make you blush (and wish for more).

But more than all that, Diana is (what I would consider) a morally grey character – and we all know how much I LOVE them. Diana is the badass chick who you would look at sideways in a seedy tavern, and hope that she didn’t see it in case she comes at you with a fist… or a knife. She’s definitely got a fiery temper, and she’s basically 100% animal at times, but she is so amazing and even when she is plagued with doubt and fear I loved her.

All the characters are amazing, from the would-be alpha who Diana might be getting under the covers with, to the lone wolf with a clan-less and military background, to the monster who destroys everything Diana holds dear, this book has it all.

Urban fantasy is amazing when it’s done well, and Leah smashes this. The legend around the wolves and Fae is fantastic, and the world building is on point.

Basically, get a copy of it, and read it now – it’s quick and it’s deadly and it’s brilliant.