Author: Danielle Annett
Publisher: Coffee and Characters
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Coffee and Characters (thank you!)
Cruel Wolves and Devious Deceptions is an interesting paranormal romance. It’s the story of Meiying and
Desmond – and their feelings for each other. Meiying is a Weretiger starting college and trying to learn her place in her own life after moving away from the pack. Desmond – her brother’s roommate and longtime friend – is the bane of her existence, and she can’t stop thinking about him romantically even though she hates him.
Desmond is one of those jock guys who plays the cutthroat game Infernum at Hellbound University, and who can’t stop thinking about his best friend’s little sister.
Cruel Wolves and Devious Deceptions is a fairly quick read and moves at a quick pace. There’s just enough background in the book to keep you interested, but I feel like it could definitely use more. I’m not sure if there are previous books about this group of friends, but I think we could use more history for them. Some of what we get is just a hint, and my curiosity wasn’t always satisfied.
The characters are pretty good, Zheng was the most interesting (again, I wish I could learn his backstory) some are two-dimensional and don’t seem exactly relevant to the story besides filler characters. That’s okay though, not all characters have to be front and center. I wish some (like Jordy and Rafael) had more story time because I loved the “little sister to my friend” relationship they had with Meiying.
There are some fairly erotic scenes in the book – which were well written and not all awkward like some of the books I’ve read. I was fairly uncomfortable that for some of them Meiying was only 17 – which we were reminded of a couple of times by Desmond’s inner (and sometimes outer) monologue.
I do wish we could have seen more of the shifter behavior and paranormal side of the book. It talked a little about Meiying shifting near the end, but the dual personalities of her Human vs Tiger was really interesting and with that I could have read more of the shifting aspect of it.
All in all, it’s a pretty quick read and a good one if you are looking for a love/hate relationship between the characters. Strong main characters, really interesting story line and a fun read!
3/5 stars
Until next time!
The Bashful Bibliophile 
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