Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, #1) - Kelley Armstrong

453 pages

Rating: 5 + + / 5

This book has the distinction of getting me hooked from the first line itself. I didn’t need to wait a few pages for the story to pick up and get absorbed into it, Bitten did it from the get go.

I have to.
I've been fighting it all night. I'm going to lose.My battle is as futile as a woman feeling the first pangs of labor and deciding it's an inconvenient time to give birth. Nature wins out. It always does.


Bitten is about Elena - the only female werewolf in the world. Not by her choice - she was bitten by her lover and forced into this world. That’s one of the reasons she's so determined to live as a normal human away from it all. That’s where this story beings - with Elena and her experience undergoing the Change into a werewolf late night in the streets of Toronto - not an ideal place to change. She's living with Philip, a nice patient human guy and another attempt to integrate into the normal world.

Elena is no ditzy character. She's sarcastic but strong-willed and determined. She tries to be grounded in reality- as much as a bitten werewolf who's rebelling against the werewolf lifestyle can be. I liked her sense of independence - she didn't need someone else to come save her. As much as she rebels, eventually, when they need her help, she returns to the Pack, and to the man who bit her.

I kept looking at the number of pages and gleefully anticipating what would happen next and how the troubles facing the werewolves would eventually end - because what this book is filled with is one action packed situation after another.

What it is also filled with is Clay.
Oh Clay. When Elena kept fighting with him I really wanted to tell her to settle for Phillip and leave Clay for me.
He figures up there with Bones from the Night Huntress world and Adam and Charles from Mercy Thompson world for swoonworthy heroes for me. Must I say any more?
I think I should
I've never liked reading a man calling a woman darling as many times as Clay did in this book. I loved all his conversations with Elena. He has a single minded-determination to get what he wants; and also say what he wants - which is Elena.

"What the hell do you want?" I said.
His smile turned to a grin, white teeth flashing. "You. What else?"
"Where? Right here? On the floor?"
"Nah. Not that. Not yet. Just the same old thing I always want. You. Here. For good...I'm glad you're home, darling. I missed you."

And i won't even begin to talk about all the romping-around-the-jungle sex these two had..they're always ripping each others clothes out and while I don’t usually like reading such 'frenzy' cause the authors never makes it believable, I wished I was Elena many times in this book.

Then there's Jeremy - the Alpha of the pack - with his amazing self control and quiet strength of character. Another character so full of awesomeness. The world building in this book is brilliant. The characters are well-drawn out so you feel like you've know all of them for a long time and you want to be their friends. (well, I did and I'm sure you will too)

This one is definitely up there among my favourite reads. I read it more than thrice already and each time I tried writing a review I'd go back to check some part I liked and end up reading it all over again. What that should translate into for you is to stop reading my rantings here now and go find yourself a copy to keep. Don’t borrow. Buy