Review // Secrets of Shooting Star Lake by Susanna Strom

"My happy place. My safe place.
But more than that, you're my home."

──────　♔　──────

Secrets of Shooting Star Lake by Susanna Strom

My Rating - ★★★★
Standalone - Black Rock Guardians #1
Release - June 27, 2023
Genre - Paranormal Romance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive with a few scenes
Format - eARC provided by the author
Length - 326 pages

Fighting primal instinct is not for the faint of heart…

Adam
All I needed from the wickedly smart pastry chef was the land that would give my pack an advantage in the upcoming war.

I never expected to need her.

But Marit Hagen is my fated mate. Every fiber of my being is telling me to claim her.

It doesn’t matter that it’s forbidden. It doesn’t matter that choosing her could cost me everything. Even my life.

All I know is what I feel in my soul.

She’s mine.

Marit
I thought the isolated cabin would be a perfect place to recover from my latest romantic disaster.

I was wrong.

Turns out the woods are full of supernatural creatures who want something from me. And one of them wants all of me.

Sexy werewolf Adam Landry says I’m his soul mate.

Puhleeze.

I’m willing to accept the existence of shifters and a potential paranormal war. But I’ll never believe in eternal love.

No matter how much he makes me wish I could…

My Two Cents

I love when a new-to-me author gives me a book that seems to check all of my boxes!
❥ instalove/fated mate vibes
❥ Protective hero and compassionate heroine
❥ lovely side characters
❥ Tons of love and heat

At first, I found Marit to be a bit abrasive, despite understanding why she was rude and aggressive with Adam, however, she quickly grew on me. Once she gave herself a break, her character showed me she was full of such strong emotion, more than capable of being an equal to Adam. And Adam… I wasn’t even surprised by how much I enjoyed this character.

The author did an amazing job of weaving together the new connection growing between her characters, a sense of doom for the pack, and a bit of mystery. I was able to answer some of my questions pretty quickly, but I did not expect some of the twists and I loved that. I appreciated being surprised, especially when I thought I had things all figured out.

There was so much warmth between all of the characters. I found the expected spice between Adam and Marit, but their relationship, no matter how quickly they got there, was also full of so much heart. And the side characters, including her cousins and his, made me want even more. I’m hoping they each get their own story and that the subplot gets resolved in the books to come.

The Author

With the publication of Pandemonium, Susanna Strom is branching out into an entirely new variety of romance. Susanna loves to read—and write—stories full of complex characters who find love, hope and connection while navigating through a challenging new world. Pandemonium is her first foray in apocalyptic/dystopian romance, but it definitely won’t be her last. Susanna lives in the beautiful Pacific NW with her husband and two very spoiled cats.

Visit https://susannastrom.com for more information