THE COYOTE’S CHANCE (Masters of Maria #4) by Holley Trent-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 18, 2017

It’s a literal fight for love in this fast-moving shifter tale in the popular Masters of Maria series.

For coyote shifter Blue Shapely, becoming the new alpha of Maria’s pack is his long-awaited chance to be his own man and eliminate chaos from the town. Unfortunately, the pack’s patron is thwarting him at every turn.

After being magically attached to the Coyote group for more than a century, demigoddess Willa Matheson has a soft spot for them—even the dangerous ones threatening to expose them to humans. She may have hired Blue to rein in the pack, but the two constantly disagree on strategy. She doesn’t want to upset anyone, whereas he’ll do whatever it takes to get his Coyotes in line. And to make things worse: all signs point to the anxious demigoddess being his mate.

But developing a tenderness for Willa will be an obstacle to Blue’s determination to be as ruthless as he needs to be. If the duo can’t find a way to retract their claws, and soon, it may be too late to protect the pack’s secret—and their own hearts.

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REVIEW: THE COYOTE’S CHANCE is the fourth instalment in Holley Trent’s contemporary, adult MASTERS OF MARIA paranormal, romance series focusing on a large group of supernatural citizens who call Maria, New Mexico their home. This is coyote shifter Blue Shapely, and demigoddess/middle school music instructor Willa Matheson’s story line. THE COYOTE’S CHANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Blue and Willa) THE COYOTE’S CHANCE follows an opposites attract/ enemies to lovers building relationship between coyote shifter/ reluctant alpha Blue Shapely, and powerless demigoddess, patron of the coyote shifters of Maria, Willa Matheson. Maria, New Mexico’s coyotes are out of control, and Willa Matheson struggles as their patron goddess, a position assigned by her father, a god whose dislike of his daughter has been measured by our heroine’s years of suffering and pain. As the coyote’s patron, Willa is ‘magically’ attached to a group of shifters who see her as a push over; a woman who doesn’t have the ability or power to control. Enter Blue Shapely, coyote shifter, reluctant and temporary alpha, the man Willa ‘hires’ to rein in the wild coyote shifters of Maria, New Mexico. What ensues is the building romance between Blue and Willa, and the potential fall out when Blue comes face to face with a god who has the power to return our heroine’s supernatural abilities-for a price.

The relationship between Blue and Willa is slow to develop as our heroine has entrusted the coyotes of Maria, New Mexico to a man whose own life is beginning to spiral out of control. Promised to another, Blue’s attraction to Willa is more than just physical but a visceral and primal need to claim a mate but Willa’s dark and heart breaking past finds our heroine, pushing away the man with whom she is falling in love, in order to protect both of their hearts. Willa’s past is rife with emotional, physical and tortuous abuse that has shaped our heroine into the broken woman we see today. The $ex scenes are intimate, seductive and passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including numerous coyotes, supernatural beings and humans from Maria, New Mexico; Tito Perez (The Demigod’s Legacy #1), Tamatsu and Noelle (The Angel’s Hunger #2), Ben (The Wolf’s Joy #3), as well as Blue’s sister Diana; his lieutenants Kenny and Lance, and his father Randall Shapely aka O.G.

THE COYOTE’S CHANCE is an emotional story line where one woman is unable to move on from her past, and one man struggles between his head and his heart. The premise is entertaining, dramatic and emotional; the characters are colorful, spirited and somewhat tragic; the romance is captivating.

Copy supplied by Netgalley for review

Reviewed by Sandy