Aggie McClure is heir to the Manhattan pack. Her father is divorcing her mother in a bid to produce a male heir but in the meantime, Aggie must get married. Hoping to choose her own mate, she is shocked to discover her father has arranged a marriage for her. Victor seems OK and at least he indulges Aggie’s fondness for food but things soon change once they’re married and all Aggie’s freedom is taken away.
“But when bitter disenchantment sets in, there’s no place to go but out.”
Bitter Disenchantment is a prequel to Coveted and explains exactly how Aggie came to be at Natalya’s door. The Manhattan pack has an outdated and misogynistic attitude towards the female members. I got a bit annoyed with Aggie at how quickly she went from pissed off at the situation to accepting…but when the marriage turns sour she turns back into a more modern day woman. I think her pack were a bit too obvious in their dominance over the female werewolves. They become the villains rather than complex characters you can really relate to.
I enjoyed the second half of the story more though. Aggie hatches a plan to help both herself and her mother. She starts sneaking out and connecting with others. Having read Coveted, I knew the overall outcome but it still had me turning the page. It’s a decent length novella at approximately 156 pages and worth a read if you’ve been enjoying the series.
I thought it might shed a little more light on Aggie’s eating problems but it did seem that she just enjoyed food. Her werewolf metabolism means she burns it off and she’s not bulimic, yet in the rest of the series, where Natalya suffers from debilitating OCD, the two met because they were sent away to sort out their problems. A werewolf having a healthy appetite does not equal eating disorder; I really didn’t understand why her family sent her away. Other than her father is controlling and selfish, of course.
Bitter Disenchantment is self-published by Shawntelle Madison and is available in ebook and paperback editions. Thanks go to the author for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.
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