Big Bad Wolf

By: Suleikha Snyder

Narrated by: Shiloh Gray

Joe Peluso has blood on his hands. But lawyer and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia is determined to help him craft a solid defense...even if she can't defend her own obsession. She knows Joe took out those Russian mobsters for good reason - they were responsible for the death of his beloved foster brother. But those six bad guys were part of the ruthless clan of bear shifters who control Brooklyn's Russian mafia, so Joe’s vigilante justice has earned him countless enemies in New York's supernatural-controlled underworld and no friends in a government that now bends to Russia at every turn.

Joe knows that creatures like him only deserve the worst - darkness, solitude, punishment. But meeting Neha makes him feel human for the first time in forever. He's never wanted anything in his life like he wants her, and he'll break almost any rule to spend another minute alone with her. But when the Russian mob attacks the jail for payback, Joe and Neha are forced to escape. Before long, they're on the run - from monsters who want him dead and from their own traitorous hearts.

©2021 Suleikha Snyder (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Not For Me

***1.5 stars***
As many of the other reviews stated, this was disappointing. I wish it wasn't because I love urban fantasies and paranormal romances. But I disliked this from chapter one. It wasn't what I was hoping for.

I didn't love how the whole relationship was just "the world is terrible and so let's bone." The overtly sexual imagery from the very beginning was a bit much for me. I wanted a bit a more of a build up. The love story wasn't much of a romance. It was was just lust. And despite this, I found little to no chemistry between them. There wasn't enough emotional substance between them for me to buy Neha risking so much for him in the short amount of time she knew Joe. Joe's constant vacillating between "I'm the worst/you deserve better/I'm a killer, etc." and "I want you" were sooooooooo exhausting. Add that to the fact that Neha is just reduced to hormones over and over again despite the fact she's suppose to be so intelligent and logical, etc. They don't actually solve anything. It was repetitive and didn't really show any relationship growth.

The saving grace for this is the world building. I loved how the world was crafted. That being said, I found the political messages, which I understand and support, to be very heavy handed and very in your face. It wasn't an escapist read and I read to dive into stories that have nothing to do with my day to day life. I won't be continuing the series.

(Also the audiobook was annoying...I hated the narrator's different voices for the character's. And that she mispronounced "Ramirez" [she said it as "Ram-er-ez"] while talking about Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker... One of the most famous serial killers in the United States. Not to mention the name Ramirez is fairly common...) Also the accents she tried to do were all fairly horrible....

This book was recommended to me by TBR (Tailored Book Recommendations).