Kept is the sequel to Coveted and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous book.

Werewolf Natalya is settling back into her life after the fight with the Long Island pack and training for the trials which will allow her to re-enter her own when her father goes missing. When she learns of his moon debt, she travels to Atlanta and asks to re-pay the debt herself. Struggling with her anxieties, no one believes she is up to it and she’s not so sure herself. Not to mention the looming marriage of her ex, Thorn.

Nat’s one of those characters that can come across a bit unreasonable until you remember that she suffers from OCD and then everything falls into place. That she is constantly over-thinking things fits so well with her illness, what could be a sign of an awkward narrative actually works. I prefer the elements of the story when she’s with her therapy group as she seems to be much more natural and herself. I think the pack and all its restrictions aggravate her condition.

I really struggled to connect with Thorn again. Her attraction to him seems a little shallow because the development of their relationship is all back story. Nat goes on about how he was the one and she can’t let go, but really there is very little in the writing that endears me to him. He is an alpha and that must be enough for us to want them to be together. Nick on the other hand, is a wonderful warm character who obviously cares for Natalya. Shawntelle puts barriers in place for both men, but one seems to fall far too easily when the other seems trivial under the circumstances.

The pack dynamics annoy me a little. Nat is supposedly at the very bottom of the hierarchy, an outcast and weak by the pack’s terms. Yet she repeatedly acts like a dominant wolf. This in itself is good but the way the pack deals with her and her reactions are all a bit too human and petty. It’s all a bit sexist too, even Natalya wishes for nothing more than to be a married home-maker and churn out babies. The female wolves of the pack all seem to think the males should do the tough jobs.

However, Kept is overall a fun and easy read. If you enjoyed Coveted, it’s worth a read but maybe it wouldn’t work as a standalone as you need to know Nat’s circumstances.

Kept is now available in the UK as an ebook through Piatkus Entice. It’s due to be published in the US by Ballantine Books in paperback and ebook formats on 27th November 2012. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley. You can also enter to win an ebook copy here.

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