A Reign of Malice by Heather Renee

 This book finished off the series beautifully. I would say of her series this one & Luna Marked series are tied for favorite shifter series. And Heather writes great shifter books! In this one Sloane finally gets a shot at romance. Her kingdom is dying & no one knows why. Each day things get worse. She's a strong queen who thinks outside the box. She is a brilliant leader but with her island dying she's running out of options. Does she split her pack up among the other kingdoms or marry King Aeson. If she does the latter, she can still rule her people on different soil. If she lets her pack split up then she isn't a ruler anymore & feels like she failed them. She decides to do a trial run & go to King Aeson's island. The problem is King Aeson isn't her mate. And if she finds her mate later she will be unable to stop the pull that will drive her to him. King Aeson is nice. He says & does all the right things but her instincts are telling her something is off. SPOILER ALERT! I don't usually do this but I want you to choose if you want to read further. She signs the agreement but shortly after discovers what her wolf was trying to show her. Her mate is trapped under that castle by dark magic. Now she needs to find out who knows about it , who did it, and how can she get him out. She can't physically go there. She can only spirit walk. And who does she trust on this new island besides the small amount of her remaining pack that are with her? Of course, if you've read the rest of the series she has to call on the other kings & kings to help her. On top of that they have to figure out how to get through the dark magic to get him out. Two hundred years fighting to stay alive to meet a mate you've never seen. Jullian is an amazingly strong Alpha he was just brainwashed into believing he couldn't be the Alpha. That he'd be terrible for the people. The happily ever after ending is so good. But I would still love to see more from this world. Maybe follow any future children the couples have, etc.

A Crown Of Fates by Heather Renee

 This book was so good. And Estee was not my favorite character from Crown of Shadows! I loved Isla more. However, Estee really grows up in this book. Her compassion for the orphans in the pack of Selaris is so heartwarming. With the last life she lived she understands what these children are going through. At least Isla & Estee had foster parents. These kids only have each other to rely on & a ruined building for shelter. Until Estee learns about it. I also love how she instantly forms a friendship with Drea. Those two were meant to be friends. I feel so bad for Theo! He’s been through so much. And no one understands because he’s afraid to confide in anyone. Plus the god that’s tormenting him won’t leave him alone. He’s made Theo into a puppet to do the god’s bidding. Theo has lost everyone he ever loved & cared for. All so this god can manipulate & control him at his lowest point of his life. His pack is suffering because to Theo he’d be better off dead than their king. In his mind he didn’t earn it. But Theo needs to learn that this god isn’t telling him the truth about everything. On top of that Theo doesn’t realize his own strengths. Theo just needed some people to trust & his mate. When it’s time to tackle this god they get a lot of help. Queen Sloane comes to help them plan it. I love her character because as a single queen she is rare but fierce. And Elyn the elder wolf plays her part again. The mystery of her grows because we learn she knows Aurora. In fact, Aurora gives Elyn some of her powers. There is an interesting dynamic between the two that will leave you guessing. I love that once again the king & queen don’t follow normal customs when it comes to bonding. There is a happy ever after but it will leave you wondering, at what price?