Instinct & Eternal (A Holloway Pack Story #0 & #0.5)

Instinct (A Holloway Pack Story #0)
J.A. Belfield

Publication Date: 1 January, 2012
Finish Date: 19 September, 2012
Format: e-book

From Goodreads: Werewolf Sean Holloway
treats the village marketplace like a sexual buffet, though his charm
does little to win over his latest entr e of choice. Whether because of
Jem Stonehouse’s unique scent, her headstrong nonchalance, or the fact
he is forbidden to see her by his pack’s rules, Sean wants her.When Jem
is nothing but flippant toward his advances, he pursues her with vigour,
stealing moments alone with her without a libido-driven agenda.The new
and heady experience for him drives their relationship beyond romantic
interest, and straight toward love.That is, until Jem learns the truth
about Sean’s heritage. Knowledge of the existence of werewolves leads to
only one outcome: death.In this prequel to Darkness & Light, we are
taken back in time, to the very beginning of Jem and Sean’s
love-across-the-centuries relationship.Did it end there? Or did Sean
defy his own pack to save the woman he loves?

I enjoyed this more then I
expected. After reading Blue Moon the second book in this series I
decided I also should read the prequels, which up so far I forgot about.
And I was surprised at how good and interesting the story was.

This
prequel is about when Jem and Sean meet in another time period, I am
not totaly sure which time period. I think this is the first time they
meet. The story is a bit predictable and I think they fell in love a
little bit too fast, but it was a very enjoyable prequel and I liked
seeing more of Jem and Seans past. Also this prequel is told from Seans
pov and I liked seeing his point of view. Be aware that this is a short
story, so it is short, but actually I didn’t really mind. I would’ve
preferred a bit more elaboration on certain point, but this prequel
tells the story it has to tell and there is another prequel that follows
this one if you want to read more.

Both characters are slightly
different then in darkness en light and Jem keeps formally calling Sean
Mr Holloway, it was fun. I liked seeing how they where different, but
also still the same persons. The only thing that really bothered me is
that I couldn’t get a good view of who was in the pack andhow they
related to each other.

I think the story could’ve used a bit more
world building. I was a bit confused if this really was the first time
Jem and Sean met (with this I mean if this was the first life in which
they met). And which time it was actually, it is in the past, but I
would’ve liked a bit more gluess and hint to sugest which time period it
was and what was considered normal in this time. There isn’t any
explanation about the werewolves, so I guess it is expected that you
read book 1 darkness and light first.

To conclude: a very
enjoyable short story. I liked seeing Jem and Sean in one of their other
lives and the differences and similarities in their personalities. I
was a bit confused about the pack and the personalities of Seans pack
members, but I guess this story is too short to go into that in depth.
Also I would’ve liked some more hints about which time period this was.
All in all a very enjoyable short story and a must read if you like this
series.

Eternal (A Holloway Pack Story #0.5)
J.A. Belfield

Publication Date: 2 July, 2012
Finish Date:
Format: e-book

From Goodreads: An unmarried woman living in a house of men breeds hearsay and lore. If only the villagers knew the truth.

It’s
not Jem Stonehouse’s marital status that brings unwanted strangers to
town. Rather, it’s that she is the only female werewolf in existence — a
prize to any pack.

Sean Holloway, the love of Jem’s life, has
gone to great lengths to protect her. As a new attack becomes imminent,
Sean realizes he must take greater measures with Jem’s safety or risk
losing her forever.

His first task must be to marry her, but a force greater than the largest werewolf stands in his way.

Her mother.

 I enjoyed this books as much as Instinct. I liked seeing more of Jem and
Seans past. Also in Book 2 the character keep referring to some events
and we actually get to see these events as they happen in this book.

This
short story is narrated by Jem and it is longer than Instinct. Also
this story takes place 3 years after Instinct. Luckily this is mentioned
in the book, so there is no confusion, but before I started this book I
thought it would take place sooner after Instinct than 3 years. The
story is fast paced and I wanted to keep reading. Although the story was
a bit predictable (also due to some events being mentioned in Book 2,
which I read before this one). It was a very enjoyable story and I
really enjoyed seeing more from Jem and Seans past.

In this book
we also get a better view of who the other pack members are, although
still not enough for my taste. I liked seeing how this pack operated in
comparison to the pack in book 1 and 2. There are many similarities, but
also some differences.

Furthermore about the world building I
have the same issues as in Instinct. The world of werewolves didn’t need
explanation, but I would’ve liked to know in which time this book took
place.

To conclude: I really enjoyed this story. It is a great addition to the series!