Arctic Bite by N.J. Walters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*If we want to be really picky (which I always am!) then this is actually a 3.75 stars, but rounded 😉 *

SPOILERS AS ALWAYS

Let me just say I really enjoyed this book, which was a godsend as I have been plagued with quite some awful reads lately.

Cassie (the female MC) has been running for quite some time, trying to not be found by her ‘family’ and taken back to, she was sure of it, her death.
Alexei (the male MC) is a polar bear shifter/ vampire hybrid that is part of the Brotherhhood – a highly dangerous group of assassins that go around taking hits on equally dangerous people. Alexei saw the contract of the bounty on Cassie’s head, and he goes to investigate, for he doesn’t kill innocent people, only those evil enough to deserve it.
When he arrives in a middle-of-nowhere bar in Alaska and meets Cassie for the first time, every instinct inside him is telling him that she is definitely not deserving of being killed…




• The Good…

I’ve read many fantasy and paranormal romances, but this managed to be unique and different from the others, so it was a right bonus!

Alexei was also an adorable male MC (but don’t tell him this to his face, or you’ll be dead in two seconds flat…). He wasn’t a domineering, arrogant, jerk of an Alpha male that is found in 99% of other paranormal books (make no mistake, I am a right sucker for those too…) but he was a well-round, mature male that knew when to act and when to stay silent, with just a dash of insecurities that are rightly found in all of us, for no one is truly perfect. It made him a realistic character (as realistic as he could be, in a fantasy book!) and very likable.

“I’m different around you.” He dared to take her hand in his. “I don’t know why, but the demons that usually ride me are silent when you’re near.”

He also had an amazing, brooding sense of humour which I just loved!

Long ago, he’d been nicknamed the Russian Bear. Why? Because he was Russian, and he was a bear.

And I laughed more than I should have when he said this:

She confused him. He’d never had the urge to kiss any other target. Of course, all the others had been men, but that was irrelevant.

Or this little gem:

“Yes, I want to bite your neck. I want to taste your blood.” With his Russian accent, it sounded like a line from a bad horror flick.

• The Weird…
Hmmm, I personally found it a bit weird that when they kissed, Cassie would sometime describe the flavour… too much:

He laid claim to her mouth, his tongue sweeping inside to challenge hers. He tasted slightly of whiskey and, oddly enough, pizza.

He kissed her then and she tasted love. Bacon, too. A winning combination.

I mean, obviously mouths are used for eating too, so it makes sense food is tasted whilst kissing… I’m not complaining too much 😉 It makes it even more realistic, and who knows? Maybe if I re-read it another day, it wouldn’t look as weird…



• The Bad…

Alright, alright, I’m sorry, but I HAVE to release all my pet peeves, otherwise it wouldn’t be a review of mine without at least 1 critique! Let’s just say there wasn’t anything AWFULLY bad in this book, just some little bits that made me furrow my brows and sometime annoy me (the irritation didn’t last long though!)

– First of all, the first time they meet, Cassie is working at the bar. And then – cliche of all cliches – a rowdy group of men get too drunk, and start being more and more violent and nasty to her (of course, they do). Alexei steps in (duh) to offer support and help.
You could say shit like this happens on a regular basis at bars and other such establishments, so even if it’s a cliche, it’s more than realistic.
I would say: fair enough, that is true. But it is also fair enough I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes.

– Later on, she invites Alexei to crash on her sofa because she was worried of him walking back home so late at night. Cute, but let’s not forget they had only known each other for some hours by then. Thankfully, she knew herself that was a stupid decision (she’s not daft! Yay!), but she stuck with that decision regardless. Yes, she is strong and perfectly capable of protecting herself if needed, but that was besides the point…

– This is maybe something that only peeved me, but… hello? Condoms?? Any kind of protection? Because they just did it bareback every single time. Pregnancy and other stuff is not mentioned at all. Does that mean she can’t get pregnant? Does that mean sexual nasties do not affect paranormal creatures like them? Is it a plane? Is it a bird? We might never know…

– The ending seemed slightly rushed, and the main issue was resolved surprisingly… quickly. At least that’s how it felt to me.




But again, I loved the book, and those “bad” stuff didn’t really affect me. Too much. Looking forward to other books from this author!


I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book which was kindly provided through NetGalley by this book’s publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.




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