I am continuing my audiobook listen of the Seven series by Dannika Dark. THREE HOURS is the fifth book in this paranormal romance series featuring members of the Weston pack. Once again Dark mixes romance, humor and darker aspects of the shifter world. Dark pairs Wheeler, a grumpy tattooed wolf and Naya James, an exotic kitty in this "haters to lovers" romance that had me listening into the wee hours.

While each of the books in the Seven series contain a suspenseful story and romance, I totally recommend reading these in order. The Weston pack, town, and others are woven throughout, and we learn details about the couple in previous books. Naya is Austin's mates best friend. She is a panther shifter, something she keeps secret. From the beginning of the series Wheeler has been standoffish and at times a little snarly with Naya. I love wicked banter, snark and bite and found myself all in.

Someone or something is kidnapping dancers at the club Naya works at as an exotic dancer. We soon learn at other area clubs are missing girls too. Naya and the girls take extra precautions, but when Naya is attacked outside her apartment on the human side of town, she goes to Austin for help. She needs a bodyguard. Austin first pick is Reno, but Naya has already secretly hired him to look for one of the missing girls and doesn't want to cause problems, so she begs for someone else. I giggled when he assigned Wheeler. Wheeler is a bit of an ass. Seriously but he makes me laugh. The pack is everything to him, but he holds back and lives on the fringes within the house. He doesn't hide his dislike of Naya either. No one in the pack knows what Naya's animal is, and everyone has a wager. Game on!

I absolutely adored Naya. She is confident, sexy and takes no bull. Wheeler can snarl all he likes because she bites right back. There were quite a few threads from the slow-building romance to the missing dancer. There was also some tension between Wheeler and Ben his twin which tied into some of Wheeler's issues. I loved how Dark peeled back Wheeler's layers and exposed his dark secrets, pain, fear and undeniable attraction to Naya. I wanted to hug him but also felt like whacking him on the back of the head a few times, particularly when it came to his brother.

THREE HOURS was a well-rounded tale delivering plenty of suspense, heat, and pack. Once again Nicole Poole narrates, and I could not imagine the series without her. Dark gave us both character's perspective allowing me to connect, laugh aloud and swoon.

“Every lock has a key, and all keys have jagged edges and crooked sides. No one is perfect, but we’re exactly perfect for the one person who matters.”

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Linda

Written on Mar 25, 2015

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Three Hours has become my new favorite Dannika Dark story! Very well done, great balance between fights, intrigue and romance, and the characters really showed me what they were made of!

Ever since the Seven series started, I have been curious about both Naya and Wheeler, and having them be the main characters in Three Hours was a real treat! Both are strong-minded, loyal to a fault and takes not bullshit from anybody else. Wheeler has always been quite mysterious, he never cared how others judged him based on his grumpy disposition and numerous tattoos. Even when his own pack and brothers would rather choose Ben over him, he let it slide, even if id didn't sit well with him. Being loyal to his twin was more important to him than making sure his pack knew and respected him the way they should.

Naya has always been secure in her sexuality, her intelligence and the way she acts. While she has been an exotic dancer for a while, this was never her dream, but a girl has to earn a living, and when the girl is a supe, she also needs to be able to save for many a rainy day. The character development in Three Hours is so well done, both Naya and Wheeler truly matured, were able to open up, and they showed me that they were even stronger than I had thought in the beginning.

There are several story-arcs in Three Hours, because two shifter girls from the club where Naya worked went missing, and so Naya took it on herself to try to figure out what was up. There was also the way Wheeler's past needed to be brought into the open, and the way he finally was able to share some of his burdens with someone was beautifully done. Once things started heating up, Naya was truly caught between a rock and a hard space, as she needed to find out who had caught her friend from the club, and making sure Lexie and her pack would stay safe - as well as staying safe herself, too. As the story went on, the pace became faster, and I loved every minute of it!

A great mix of romance, suspense and mystery, Three Hours was able to include all of the things I look for in a good book. There were some pretty intense fights, some fireworks in the way of smexiness, and, of course, the wonderful characters who just continued being awesome as the story unfolded.

Written in both first and third person, past tense, I got both Naya and Wheeler's perspective, and it was especially great to see their inner thoughts about each other, and the sticky situations they sometimes found themselves in. All UF / PNR fans should have this series on their shelves, it has everything we need to feel satisfied with a story.

After everything he'd given Ben to show his loyalty and love, he realized it had been in vain. And yet he still couldn't turn his back on blood, nor could he reveal to the rest of the family what had happened between them.

I smiled fiendishly and sat back, watching his gaze shift direction when I crossed my legs. he poured the wine so slowly that I thought it might turn back into grapes. I had to admit, I loved putting a blush on a man's cheek. That was in my nature.

Wheeler had an average frame with anything but an average build. Not an ounce of fat showed, just lean muscle. There was something dark and desirous about him I couldn't put my finger on, although perhaps it had to do with him being the opposite of every man I'd ever been attracted to.