Arctic Bite

N.J. Walters

May 2020 · Forgotten Brotherhood Book 2 · Sold by Entangled: Amara

About this ebook

Being immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die. It just means you’re damn hard to kill.

When Alexei Medvedev joined the Forgotten Brotherhood—a group of paranormals hired to assassinate other paranormals—he knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk. But his next target is one of Death’s own Reapers gone rogue. For the first time since he started this gig, “damn hard to kill” feels damn near impossible.

Everyone in the Brotherhood knows the first rule: don’t fall for your target. But when Alexei tracks Cassie Dobbs to a remote bar in small-town Alaska, he finds the hot-as-hell Reaper casually serving drinks as if she doesn’t have a bounty on her head from Death himself. And now he’s dangerously intrigued.

But Alexei soon has bigger problems to face than an unexpected attraction. They only send assassins after those who deserve to die—or so he’s been told. Now that he’s met Cassie, he’s not so sure.

Because what if everything he’s been told is a lie...and the person he’s been sent to kill is the only one who knows the truth?

Each book in the Forgotten Brotherhood series is STANDALONE:
* Fury Unleashed
* Arctic Bite
* Burning Ash
* Bjorn Cursed
* Ancient Desire
* Hunter Avenged

Ratings and reviews

3.5 stars — This book was definitely entertaining, but it was missing just…something to make it a true hit for me. I’m still having problems concentrating, so maybe I *gasp* need to take a break from reading. *sigh* Honestly? I actually really loved Alexei. I don’t know if he’ll be many people’s favourites, but he was this beautiful sensitive soul dealing with some HUGE internal struggles, and he just melted my heart. I loved how humbled he was by Cassie’s attention, how he would blush over his feelings. I ached for what he went through in his past, and how everyone had basically betrayed him. He was just completely NOT what I was expecting from this book, and for me that was a huge PLUS. He alone is why I will be rounding up. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t perfect. And sometimes he felt a bit too good to be true…but in general it was all love. I especially loved how he loved being playful because of his bear side…that was adorable as heck. Cassie was pretty easy to like in general, though because she was holding on to so many secrets about who she was, it was a bit harder to connect with her. I thought her whole story was seriously fascinating, though I think I would have preferred to know some things earlier on, and leave just the big reveal towards the end. I still don’t think I fully understand what she was feeling that made her quit and run…because she spends so much time talking about how reapers don’t have feelings, I wanted a bit more…depth about what drove her to the edge. I get the sickle story…that was…just sad. I wish I knew more about that, but I wonder if that’ll become clear in future books. As for the two of them together? I enjoyed their banter and their genuine caring for one another…but their feelings felt a wee bit fast for me. I will accept that if there’s some supernatural reason, but it was mostly just good ole instalove. There were a LOT more steamy scenes than I was expecting. Which was okay, but I wasn’t super invested in them…I was missing some spark there I think. The world seems intriguing. I will admit that it doesn’t feel super standalone, because I know I missed a lot of hints and things for the overarching plot from the first book, and I know some of the answers I want will come in later books. And unfortunately I’m not sure it grabbed me enough to keep me reading more books. But if I was invested in the series, I would appreciate all those little subtleties that tie together, if that makes sense. All in all it wasn’t the miracle non-contemp I was looking for to pull me out of the slump, but it was fun and different.

I'm hooked! Like I normally seem to do I dropped into this series a touch late. It is okay though as this was a standalone. It does however interconnect with characters from the previous book - it is also only the 2nd in the series. Where to start? The world-building I believe would be a good place. This was an enticing mix of lore and myth and a touch of magic There was a bit of shifter magic, some vampy visitors, some deities and a visit from a possible omniscient presence of powerful but unknown origin (so not giving this away) I possibly quite literally wanted a bit more of this side of the story but alas I will have to temper my greed for now This story spotlighted our two main characters but it also gave us small tastes of some of the 'other kind' that were creeping in the shadows as well as a bit of the running backstory of which there were a couple of different story lines. I definitely will be adding this series to my must-read list. It was fun and engaging with a bit of suspense and a whole lot of heat. Alexei is investigating the culpability of a contract. He may be an assassin for hire but as a Forgotten he doesn't kill the innocent. Make no mistake he is a monster but he also knows that there are worse monsters out there than him. Better to give your darkness a direction. As soon as he scents his target everything gets flipped upside down. But he knows enough not to get personal with his kills. Or maybe not? Something is different with her. Is she hiding her darkness? Is this a trick? Cassie was a refreshing mix of vibes from the bad-arse heroine to the sweet as pie girl next door - both worked well for her character. Just wait till her secrets are spilled - Her skeletons are plenty - Some even she wasn't aware of. Alexei- what a snuggle bear - He has secrets too and a back story that leaked a few tears from me. As for our couple - insta-lust followed by a solid build to their relationship. Again, I have to say I do wish I had more time with this couple. I was a bit surprised to hear the truth behind the contract and even more shocked at the turn of events. I'm hoping as this series continues we will get some of the mysteries left unsolved ... well solved. Until then? Watch your back

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/20/20 Cassie had decided to take time off from her job – possibly permanently. The problem is, she’s a reaper and what she’s done has never been done before. In taking a sabbatical, she’s also put a target on her back. You don’t just get to stop being a reaper and a precedent must be set. If all reapers were to abandon their positions, imagine the chaos if no one was there to lead the souls to where they are meant to be. Now she’s got one the most elite assassins standing right in front of her, but rather than avoid him, she’s drawn to him. Like a magnet. He says he will protect her with his life, but can she trust him? Despite all odds, she feels like she can. And that attraction … it’s only getting stronger. There are things Alexei hasn’t told her about himself and likewise for Cassie. There’s even a little bomb of information Cassie doesn’t even know about herself. But the connection that they have is beyond her comprehension. She knows she loves him, but admitting that out loud is a vulnerability she isn’t willing to expose just yet. Even so, she risks it all and places her trust completely in him. She’s either going to survive or die trying. Either way, she’s done with reaping. And if she ends up getting reaped herself, then she’ll go out on her own terms and make sure she indulges in a bit of Alexei first. Who is she kidding? She’ll indulge in as much as she can get until her fate is determined. With more assassins breathing down her neck and fellow reapers hot on her trail, it looks like time is rapidly running out on her tiny vacation from … well, life as she knows it. Or knew it as the case may be. Alexei senses something off about his new target. As a member of the Forgotten Brotherhood, they are trained to investigate their marks before accepting any contract. For one, he isn’t immediately able to identify her supernatural species. Odd given his abilities as a polar bear shifter and vampire. But he also can’t get to the source of who took out the contract or why they want her dead. Every instinct he has tells him to protect her and so he does. At least until he determines if the contract should be carried out. But it isn’t long before Alexei realizes there is something bigger at play here and reaches out to his leader, Maccus, for help. With information seemingly impossible to dig up and Death now involved in this mess, Alexei goes completely on the defense in protecting Cassie – until he discovers she may be more dangerous than he is – something he’s seldom admitted, let alone come across. But still, he’s got her back and that is something neither of them has had before. With so many secrets between them and each only giving information in small increments at a time, neither is entirely sure who the other is. All they know is the raging desire between them that doesn’t seem to be diminishing one bit – the knowledge that they love one another despite the reluctance to vocalize the truth their hearts already know – and that fact that Alexei knows he’s in the presence of his mate. One of the foremost rules within the Brotherhood is to not get involved with the target. Alexei may have sealed his own fate in doing so, but deserting your mate once found isn’t exactly an option. It’s a long shot with so much working against them, but with a bit of luck, these two may have stumbled into a most unexpected place, but also exactly where they were meant to be. Who knows what level of potential they could achieve and even exceed if working as a team?!?!?! And it just gets better. I can only imagine what Ms. Walters has planned within this series. I can’t say that any of my questions were answered from the first book to the next, but that the web of deception runs deep. Do we have any idea who is behind it? Absolutely not! But given that insightful little epilogue at the end of FURY UNLEASHED (book 1), I am left to assume it is Lucifer. I did know going in ...

About the author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.