Frostbitten: Women of the Otherworld, Book 10

From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal RomanceAt A GlanceYay. I love any book with Elena and Clay in it when it comes to this series. I just wish I got to see more of their twins.The GoodAs many of you know, Elena and Clay books are my favorite and this one is no exception. Frostbitten really tied up some loose ends for me, especially with the couple's relationship. We know that Elena and Clay don't always communicate well and even act like children sometimes, but since they had their twins, I see a huge change in them. They are more mature, more responsible, and closer than ever.This is really Elena's book where she considers her past, present, and future. We get glimpses of Elena's past and how she dealt with the horrors of being a foster child. We also see her for the woman she is today: a loving mother, supporting wife, and kickass werewolf. We finally see her as a true future alpha with responsibilities she can now easily handle. Clay too faces his past and proves to be the best father ever and comes to truly embrace his partnership with Elena. I can finally see the happy ending they so deserve and it makes me smile.The Alaskan setting was a nice change up and the plot was intense. We encounter some really effed up werewolves who eat humans. That's a big no-no, so Elena and Clay are sent to investigate while trying to save this one rogue Mutt from getting into deeper crap than he can handle. The mystery about the "creatures" was awesome. I always love learning new supernatural mythology.We get some intense life or death situations and heart-pounding twists that I didn't see coming. Frostbitten is fast-paced and full of action. We don't see too many of the other characters we know from the series, but that's okay. All I need is Elena and Clay and I am content.The BadI was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Clay and Elena's twins. I wanted to see them interact together but we only got a few scenes with them and I felt jipped. This is Elena and Clay's last book in the series, it would have been nice to see them as a family more.The SnugglyWe get a couple love scenes that are well done but not overly explicit.Final ThoughtsThis is a quick read that will keep you glued to the pages. I love that we delve even deeper into both Elena and Clay as individuals and as a couple. Armstrong is really great at characterization. That's what keeps me reading. Highly recommended.Quotes"Next Clay gave the house rules for living with the Sorrentinos, which sounded a lot like the Ten Commandments. Thou shall not lie, steal anything, kill anyone, disrespect your hosts or covet any of Nick's girlfriends. And if you break the rules, you'll get your ass kicked and handed to you in pieces--a part I suspect God left out."*****"Did you use a chainsaw?" Joey said. "I seem to recall you like chainsaws.""There wasn't a power outlet." Clay turned to me. "That's what I want for Father's Day, darling. A gas powered chainsaw."Women of the Otherworld Series:Book #1: BittenBook #2: StolenBook #3: Dime Store MagicBook #4: Industrial MagicBook #5: HauntedBook #6: BrokenBook #7: No Humans InvolvedBook #8: Personal DemonBook #9: Living with the DeadBook #10: FrostbittenBook #11: Waking the WitchBook #12: Spell BoundBook #13: ThirteenSimilar Reading:Mercedes Thompson SeriesChicagoland Vampires SeriesNight Huntress SeriesKate Daniels Series

Eleventh book in the Otherworld series; tenth book on the women. The focus of this story is back on werewolves Elena and Clay and that aspect alone would have been enough to get my attention.Elena is chasing a mutt (werewolf not in the pack) across the country trying to save his life while he runs from her believing he'll be killed. The chase takes her to Alaska where a friend of Jeremy's appears to be missing, some men have been killed by wolves and three women have disappeared.Clay struggles with a new generation of werewolves who no longer quake over his reputation, something cemented long ago when he tore a werewolf apart and took pictures for others to see. That one act kept a lot of mutts from challenging either him or Jeremy. Will he have to do something like that again to keep from having to fight all the time?Elena is facing two struggles. One deals with memories of being helpless at the hands of a foster father and the other is Jeremy's plans for her. As the only adult female werewolf she's got to be that much tougher and show no weakness if she's to be accepted in her new role.It's good to get back to Elena and Clay and see how much has changed for them and their relationship. Many years have gone by for them and their twins are now 3-1/2 years old. We have dialogue with them over the phone. They are the first children born of two werewolves and no one knows yet what they're capable of. So it's not known by the readers if the sometimes more mature talk and actions of the twins is a result of their heritage or if the author is unfamiliar with children of that age.The story contains a lot of action and we get to meet another type of creature and some more werewolves. I see a future story with one of them. All members of the pack make an appearance in this book.This book can be read as a stand alone, but it is suggested that you at least read Bitten, Stolen, Broken and Men of the Otherworld for a better understanding of some things mentioned.

Finally, Elena and Clay are back! Even though I like the other characters in the Otherworld series, the werewolves are my favorite. (Does that have something to do with having a "wolf" kanji tattooed on my arm?) It was also nice to see Clay and Elena fully at peace with each other. While they make appearances in the other books, having one completely devoted to them in their new station in life was a nice change.The majority of this novel takes place in Alaska. After following an Australian mutt outside of the continental US, Jeremy asks them to check up on old pack members and some human-wolf attacks. While getting in contact with the mutt and looking into the murders, they uncover a plot that traces all the way back to Russia and the Ukraine. Further, they are also being chased/terrorized by a strange creature that seems to have stepped out of Clay's professorial papers on shape shifters.This book did not disappoint! It was an awesome comeback for the werewolves! After the previous books, this one did not hold back on the punches -- literally! It was nice to get back into some of the physical aspect that the wolves present: fighting, running, etc. She was able to balance the action and the smuttier sections of the book without toppling and making one far more overpowering. After having the twins, I was afraid that they would dominate this book in a bad way. However, she was able to include them with the right amount of cuteness. It was nice to see that the characters didn't remain stagnant while the series went on.All in all, the books about the wolves are by far my favorite in the series. I read through this book in a matter of days. It was engaging, had good pacing, character development, etc.

Elena Michaels has finally accepted her life as a werewolf after years of internal struggle so when she and Clay are sent to Alaska with the twin missions of tracking down a mutt and investigating a series of gruesome murders she expects a simple job. The truth is a lot more complicated and Elena soon finds herself forced to confront the horrors of her past while realising that there are other, older supernatural races hidden in the frozen terrain that may threaten her very existence.This is the tenth book in the Otherworld series (which started with  Bitten ) and not only features the return of Elena Michaels as narrator but also a return to form after a couple of less enjoyable books. If you are a new reader I'd definitely recommend beginning at the start of the series as this book is really the culmination of Elena's adventures over the last nine books.Coming back to Elena as a narrator means coming back to the relationship between her and Clay which has changed to a more balanced settled family status with their twins. The romance and passion is still there though. It also means that Elena's pre-werewolf past is revisited and she is given the opportunity to deal and move on, a task made more difficult by the revelation that Jeremy expects her to replace him as Alpha of the Pack. Clay is also struggling with the damage left to his arm from a previous installment and is left questioning if he is still strong enough to protect Elena.The storyline is densely plotted and packed with twists and turns, and the change of setting means that Alaska gets contrasted with the previous locations of the series. It is vastly different and the location is incredibly well developed and described, almost taking on a life of its own. The book is also fast paced and I was glued to the page throughout. I loved how new characters were gradually introduced and how Elena and the Pack formed new alliances, especially with the Russian Pack.The idea of other supernatural races that the main community doesn't know about has been featured in some of Kelley Armstrong's books (both her adult Otherworld series and her YA trilogies), but the introduction of a precursor race to werewolves is interesting. The creatures are quite scary in how they are introduced and it definitely adds a new layer to the book.All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to  Waking The Witch .Plot: 10/10Characters: 10/10Ending: 10/10Enjoyment: 10/10Cover: 9/10Overall: 49/50 BittenWaking The Witch

Elena and Clay are back and this time they are headed to Alaska.A young Australian werewolf has been framed and Elena is trying to help the guy. However whenever he sees her, he assumes her chainsaw wielding husband is not far behind and runs away to Alaska. Elena and Clay follow him there and use it as an opportunity to investigate some cases of missing girls that have all the markings or werewolf kills. Unfortunately the werewolves are Russian gun runners who also have a reputation for preying on women. As a former victim of abuse, Elena is forced to confront some of the demons from her past which have her doubting if she is strong enough to be the Pack Alpha. At the same time, the werewolves are confronted with an ancient legend in the Alaskan wilderness.I still really liked this book but it is probably my least favourite in the whole series despite it being narrated by my favourite character Elena. The story of Elena confronting her past in preparation for the position of Alpha was quite emotional and she really goes through a traumatic time. I think the only reason I gave this book a four star was because I didn't really like the story about the shape shifters. Other than that it is still a great story and as usual Elena is a great character to read about.

After the last book in this series which proved to be somewhat disapointing I was really hoping for Frostbitten to be good, and it didn't disapoint! In this book we return to Elena and Clays story. Whilst chasing down a 'mutt' in danger they are drawn to Alaska and soon discover a pack of mutts causing trouble. A pretty direct story line and theme at first glance, but inside it offers much more.This book is involved, interesting, detailed and continues with adding new elements to the supernatural world without distracting from the main werewolf theme in the plot. I also found this to be very difficult to put down in comparison to many of the recent books in the series. This book really does go back to the original series standard.Great new characters being introduced, exciting action packed plotline and a nicely wrapped up story. Great stuff overall, I hope the next in the series keeps to this standard.

As ever Kelley Armstrong weaves a plot that makes it hard to put the book down. In this book we see Elena and Clay heading up the wild northern state of Alaska. Interwoven to the central plot of dealing with rouge werewolves is Elena's fears from the past and the worries that should she become the pack Alpha her relationship with Clay will change. Any woman that has worked in a male dominated environment and been placed in a position of authority will empathise with Elena as she struggles to come to terms with what has been requested to her. Somehow it makes Elena even more real as a character.The only thing that stops me from giving this book five marks is the rather predictable way the pack of rouge werewolves is dealt with. Yes, there were some surprises in the plot, but I did feel it snaked it's way to an ending that was inevitable.But don't let that put you off! An enjoyable read, even if you have never read any of the other books in the series.

Lets begin by saying that Bitten is my 2nd favourite book of all time and its the book that started me off with my love and fascination of all things paranormal.I love Elena, she is a complex character who faced her own struggles to get where she has and this story is a continuation of that, i was not a big fan of the other women in the underworld series, and i am glad that Kelley has decided to focus on the Werewolves again.Im not going to create a storyline as what annoys me most about reviews is that people give away the plot and that winds me up, all i will tell you is that its a definite must buy, set in Wonderful brutal Alaska and let you make up your own minds.Hope you all enjoy it as much as i did!!