I did it again.
I binged an entire series in a matter of days.
Two days to be exact.
I regret nothing.
For a while now I've been hearing people recommend The Wolf Hotel series by KA Tucker. They've said it's a good story, and quite steamy. So I cashed in some of my Ibotta balance, and downloaded the series. Since I had just finished reading a book, it was the perfect time to start The Wolf Hotel. Also, did you know that this series was originally called Wolf Cove, and was published under KA Tucker's pen name of Nina West? I did not know that until I went to review on Goodreads, and I was confused by my "current read" title. Thankfully a quick look at the reviews had me certain I was in the right place.
Before we jump into my review, allow me to share the tropes that are featured in this series.
Virgin Heroine
Age Gap
Billionaire
Workplace
Forbidden
Love Triangle
Opposites Attract
Proximity
I'm sure there are others, but those were the first that came to mind.
Now, onto my thoughts...
The first book in the series is called Tempt Me. It is here that we meet Abbi, and find out why she is applying for a job that would take her to Alaska. We also find out that she has very little experience outside of the jobs/volunteer positions that she held in her small town. Flash forward and Abbi's arriving at the hotel, only to find out that the position she interviewed for, and accepted the job for, had been changed. It was going to be looked into though. Later that night Abbi hangs out with her coworkers, and gets drunk. It is after that little party that she finds herself on the dock, where she is "saved" by a man. He pulls her back from the edge, and helps her back to her cabin. Turns out it's the owner of the hotel, except she doesn't find that out right away. It was quite the meet cute. Oh and she word vomited all over him that night, sharing some of her deepest thoughts and feelings, as well as that pesky little detail about being unexperienced in the bedroom.
Okay so my thoughts...This was an interesting book. There was a lot of build up, scene setting, and introducing of characters. Once that was out of the way though I found myself a bit intrigued. Abbi had my curiosity, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Obviously she was going to get into a relationship with Henry Wolf, but how was that going to happen? Then there's that little friend group that Abbi stumbled into, and they had my curiosity as well. Abbi was finding a new community of friends, and they were introducing her to a variety of topics and situations. Tempt Me ends with things unfinished. I don't want to call it a cliffhanger because it isn't this big to do, but you are left hanging. So have Break Me ready to go.
Speaking of Break Me, this book had me screaming. I was so invested in everything that was happening. Abbi's new job was perfection. Favoritism? Absolutely. Still though I could not get enough. There's so much that I want to say, but it would be spoiling things. While reading I was getting frustrated with Abbi's lack of confidence. She jumped to conclusions very easily when it came to Henry. Now Henry also irritated me a bit, and his actions didn't always sit the best with me. Also the things that Abbi did in this book seemed very out of character. However she's learning things. Is she going about it the right way? Difficult to say. What happened after the party was VERY steamy, and I found myself yelling at Abbi to NOT DO THAT! While I was yelling at Abbi, I was also thinking "get it girl". Then there was Ronan and Connor, um, was not expecting that. Not at all. But again, she's experiencing "things" and discovering preferences. I experienced such a variety of emotions while reading Break Me. From being happy for the relationship building, to irritation and frustration with our main characters, to being crushed because of what happened, to my jaw dropping from certain scenes, it was a gamut of emotions. That ending though. was not prepared. Not at all. It's what had me picking up Teach Me immediately after.
Surrender to Me is the final book in Abbi and Henry's story, and it was a wild ride. I loved the relationship that continued to build with our main characters. I loved how Henry continued to show his dedication to Abbi. I also loved how she was dropping everything to be by his side when he needed her the most. I was so glad that we were finally back in Alaska. It felt good to return to where this all began. There was emotional scenes in this book as well. I found my jaw dropping when those happened just because of the disbelief. Those emotional and dramatic scenes definitely helped this book. The return to Alaska also helped. Getting to see Abbi reconnect with her work friends was needed. Getting to see her interact with Ronan and Connor again was very much needed. Abbi wasn't as insecure in this book, and I appreciated that. It was as though she was finally getting confident, and comfortable with who she is. Oh there's so much I want to say, and I don't know how to properly convey it. From the family dramas to the return to Alaska, to the scene in the shed, to the situation at the Mine, to the hot tub scene (and what happened after), there was a lot that happened. I can't even begin to talk about it all. That hot tub scene, and the scene after that, had me blushing. oh. The ending of Surrender to Me though? WHAT WAS THAT? Where is my epilogue? I have questions that need answers. Seriously. I know I'm not alone with missing the epilogue as many people said that on Goodreads.
Let's talk about this series as a whole.
I understand why it has the hype that it does. It is definitely a steamy series. While there is a relationship between Henry and Abbi, this entire series really focuses more on Abbi's awakening than anything else. It's why there are so many watching scenes, and getting turned on because of it. She's learning about her body, her preferences, and having experiences as well. Some of those are with Henry, while others are without him. The steam was hot and heavy while not completely overpowering the story. However, I feel like there could have been a slightly better balance.
The relationship between Abbi and Henry was an interesting one to witness. From their funny meet cute, to the forced proximity, to the heartbreak, to the fight to be together and that reunion, to how forever happened, it was good. Do I wish things were a bit different? Yes. I feel like there was a lot of unnecessary happenings. Abbi's insecurity was just over the top in the first three books. I liked how Henry was able to read Abbi so easily. He knew when she was in her head, and having those thoughts. He was able to pull her out of it, remind her that he was here with her, and this is how it is. He was consistent.
Let's talk about Jed for a moment. Everything to do with this character did not sit well with me. Why was it perfectly fine for him to cheat on Abbi? Why was it looked at as a sign of weakness for him? Why was she supposed to wait for him? That was no okay with me. Then the constant pushing of him back into her life by her parents, his parents, and himself? NO! Abbi is old enough to know what she wants versus what she doesn't. She found someone new, she's moved on, accept it! The religious undertones here did not sit well with me either. Ugh.
Did I enjoy the series? Yes, to an extent. Part of me would have preferred that we were in Alaska the entire time, another part wishes the happenings in Abbi's small town were never included, and then part of me wished for more together time for our couple.
Did I like Abbi and Henry? Yes I did, but they frustrated me from time to time.
Do I recommend the series? Kind of. What I mean is that this is going to be out of the comfort zone for some people, and for others it might be a bit tame. So read the description for all the books, and see if it fits with your preferences.
Will I be reading other KA Tucker/Nina West books? Absolutely. I have my eyes on the Empire Nightclub series.
Have you read The Wolf Hotel series? If so, what were your thoughts on it? Did you feel that Abbi and Henry should have ended up together? Or were you feeling that Ronan was a better fit for her? I'm curious. (oh, and I think that she and Ronan had a good connection, but I see that more as a fling than happily ever after.)
Thanks for reading my thoughts!
Laura
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