Discouraged Secret Wolf (Shifter Wolves of Pleasant Valley #1) by Serena Meadows

Discouraged Secret Wolf (Shifter Wolves of Pleasant Valley #1) Reviews

• 
  Kristiej

  3.5
  
  This is the first book of the series with an ongoing mystery. Jessica is driving, trying to locate her business partner who left her behind when they were supposed to do a business proposal together. She's barely makes it to an auto shop in a small town when the car gives out completely when her car breaks down. Matt, the owner is less than thrilled when she pulls in. He's about to close and then take a much needed small vacation when Jessica shows up. He reluctantly arranges for a place to stay and says he will check out her car the next day. He's attracted to Jessica almost against his will; he's fine not having a woman in his life, but this is a fated mates story and he can't buck fate. He also has what he thinks of as magic which manifests itself as the fact he's a wolf shifter. Most of the town has this kind of magic to one degree or another. It's rather odd but the fact he's a shifter doesn't factor that much into the story.
  
  Jessica is attracted to Matt, the fated mates things don't you know and she is grateful when he agrees to help her locate her partner. As they work together, they become closer and Jessica is slowly accepted by this quirky community.
  
  This is more of a novella so a lot of things aren't delved into that much but still I enjoyed it and I'm sure we'll learn more the further into the series. I got this as a bundle and I plan to keep reading, a sign I'm enjoying what I'm reading.
• 
  Dana Busenbark

  Who is Matt? Where is he from? What does he do for a living? Why? Who is Jill and how does she know Matt? Who is Jessica, where do we find her, and why? Why is she trying to get in contact with Stewart? What has he done? I really liked Amanda! Jessica's intuitiveness about Matt and his job were really fun for me to read. What happens when she is at the Diner waiting for his return from a phone call and she starts doodling on the menu? What does this end up turning into for her? How does she go from being a pariah to being wanted? Who is Carter and what does he order Jessica to do? What happens at and after the town barbeque? What happens when Stewart shows up and turns the story on it's proverbial head? Read and see what happens!
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/25/2023)! 🎁
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Jessica and Matt's Story . . .
  
  Jessica Powers’ business partner Stewart stole her ad campaign work and disappeared. She is broke and hunting for him to get her work back before he takes credit for it. She had been driving for 12 hours now and her eyes were burning. But when her car started sputtering and needs to be checked out, she stops at a small town and the resident townspeople are not very welcoming. Even the mechanic, Matt Gardner, is rude and doesn’t want to help her until he feels guilty seeing her tears. He had told her they were closed all week for the festival, and she was overwhelmed in misery. There was nowhere else to go and no one to call for help. Then he was holding her tight as she cried on his shirt. Then she asked how to get to the next town for help, only to be told that there was not a shop within 200 miles that could even work on her little sports car.
  
  Jessica and Matt seem drawn to each other, despite the fact she is leaving town soon. And Matt is not sure how she would react to his secret. Will he resist her to avoid the awkward situation? Or will he tell her his secret and see if she would be willing to start something more permanent? And when he hears her story and offers to help her find Stewart, will their partnership go well? Will she get back all that Stewart stole? And even more amazing, will her insight into his pain over his father leaving begin to heal his heart?
  
  There is more going on in the town with ranchers losing cattle and a strange corporation unexpectedly nearby. So grab your copy and see why these mysteries are coming up and who is behind it.
  
• 
  Angie Barnes

  Serena Meadows has written a 5-star book. This is the story of Jessica and Matt. Matt is the owner of the gas station/store/garage in the town of Pleasant Valley. He has been the owner since his father walked out on him and his mother ten years ago. Jessica had been talked into doing a project with Stewart off company time and now he has done her wrong. They were supposed to go together and present it to the client but Stewart left her. Now she has a good idea of where he is but she is not for sure. She leaves L.A. and drives to where she last knew him to be. When she gets to Pleasant Valley, her car breaks down. She gets it to the garage but things don't go well for her. She meets Matt and he tells her that she has to take it somewhere else since he is closed for the coming week. They have words and Jessica starts to walk off. He asked her "Where are you going?" She tells him to the hotel. He said that she couldn't stay there and he knew of somewhere she could stay. He needed to make a phone call and he would be back. He takes her to Carter and is given a cabin for the week. Matt is in the garage getting ready to leave when Dominic comes in and they start talking. Dominic tells him that a few ranchers have lost some cows. Dominic knows that Jessica is in town and he wants Matt to keep an eye on her and find out why she is there. Matt tells Dominic that whatever is going on Jessica is not in on it. The more time that Jessica and Matt spend together the more he feels for her. Matt finds out from Jessica why she is in town after she tells him about Stewart and what he has done to her. Matt agrees to help her find Stewart. They need to go to the courthouse to see the town maps. They have to wait for a while but when they get there, Dominic and Adam are there and they start in on Jessica. She is told that Dominic had told Matt to keep an eye on her and she gets mad. She thought that she and Matt had something special but now she wonders about that. She walks away from Matt after telling him that he won't have to worry about watching her again because she never wanted to see him again. She goes back to her cabin and starts working on the menu for Marie and Heidi. When she finished the menu, she sends it to Marie. The next morning she is stopped by Carter and told that he is not her answering service. She needs to get her phone working or get a new one. He shows her the paper where she sees the menu she had done for Marie and Heidi. He also hands her a pile of messages from people who want to talk to her. She is told that she has an appointment with Taylor that morning and she goes into town for her meeting. The meeting is with Marie and Heidi and it is to sign the contract for her work. While at the meeting, Taylor hands her a pile of folders from people who want her to do work for them. Taylor tells her that he knows of an office there in town that she could rent. She can't believe what is happening. Matt has talked to his mother and has found out a few things that he didn't know before. He was told to go and fix things with Jessica. Matt goes to her cabin but Carter tells him that she is at a meeting with Taylor. Matt goes to wait for her outside of Taylor's office. When she comes out she is with Marie and Heidi. Jessica sees Matt and she walks up to him saying, " I think I just opened an office and started my business. Matt doesn't say anything and just goes on to tell her what he needs to say to her. After they talk, he takes her to get a new phone. When she turns it on, she has a bunch of messages from Stewart. The messages are not good ones. They are telling her that he is in trouble with the project and she has to help him save it. Each message gets worse until he is calling her a few nasty names. Jessica is leaving the diner and Stewart is there and grabs her. He wants her computer so that he knows what is going on with the project. She tells him that it is at her cabin. When they get to her cabin, she takes off running from him. He takes a shot at her and tells her that she is dead when he gets her. She remembers the gun she dropped when she found out about Matt when he had the run in with the bear. She gets to the gun and picks it up and points it at Stewart. She tells him that she is not going to help him and for him to leave her alone. He tells her that she is not going to shoot him, She points the gun at his legs and pulls the trigger, and shoots him.Stewart gets up and takes a shot at Jessica and hits her in the arm. Matt, Dominic, and Adam hear the shots and take off. When Matt gets to Jessica, he sees Stewart standing over her getting ready to shoot her again. Matt attacks him and then goes to Jessica and sees that she is bleeding. He tells her to hang on and that Dominic will be there and take care of her.
  Will Stewart get what is coming to him?
  Will things work out for Jessica and Matt?
  This was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone.
  
  I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Karen Voitik

  >Book Review – Discouraged Secret Wolf
  
  >I am an independent reviewer. This book is the 1st in the Shifter Wolves of Pleasant Valley series and ends in an HEA, but the plot continues. This book has the bones for an awesome story, but it just falls a bit short. The book itself is very short. Jessica is a city-girl whose car breaks down in a small town. Matt lives in the small town and owns the garage there. Sparks fly when they meet and insta-love happens in 3 days.
  
  >The story is told in the POV of Jessica and Matt. Matt never once thinks about his inner wolf. He mentions his magic once or twice, but never says his wolf recognized its mate or anything. When he wolfs out, no description is given as to how it all happens. Do his clothes appear intact as he shifts back to human? The reality in this book has shifters hidden from humans. When Jessica sees Matt shift, she has no questions and is not shocked. I felt her reaction was not at all realistic.
  
  >This book is appropriate for an adult audience. I am giving this book 3 stars. Neither character is fully developed. The idea of the small town is challenged when Jessica goes shopping in town and there is a phone store & a lingerie store. The town was first described as just having a grocery store, police dept. and a diner.
• 
  Coastie Mom

  This is the story of Matt and Jessica. Matt is a wolf shifter in the small Texas town of Pleasant Valley. Jessica worked at an advertising agency in LA and ended up mixing business with pleasure and got screwed over by her boyfriend (Stewart). She drove to TX to see if she could find Stewart and her car ended up breaking down right around the garage that Matt owned. Because the town is about to shut down for the week-long festival, looks like Jessica is stuck. Matt felt sorry for Jessica so he made arrangements for her to have a place to stay.
  
  Matt and Jessica were definitely attracted to each other, but Jessica was not about to make any more mistakes when it came to men. Jessica got the cold shoulder in the small town and with some funny business going on in the town, the Sheriff thought that Jessica was sent there as a spy. Cute story filled with drama, action, deception, secrets and passion. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
• 
  WILMA from the Netherlands

  This is the first book in the Shifter Wolves of Pleasant Valley series and it is the story of Matt and Jessica. Matt is a wolf shifter in this small Texas town. Jessica worked at an advertising agency in LA with her friend. They were supposed to go somewhere else together to continue but was used by her boyfriend to run off with her ideas. Losing her last few dollars, Jessica is looking for the man who dumped her and stole her work. She meets Matt when her car starts to sputter and she ends up in his garage. It's steamy and so entertaining, I couldn't put it down. The attraction between them pffff.....so strong.
  I loved this book.
  I received this ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
• 
  Jesslan Rose

  Discouraged Secret Wolf
  By Serena Meadows
  
  The description of the book pretty much says it all, so I'll just leave my impressions of it. First off, the book is supposed to be about shifters however it's written like a non-shifting human book. Shifting isn't even mentioned in any way, shape, or form until chapter 16. I was starting to think I read the description wrong until I went back and double-checked. By the time it was finally mentioned it was to late to view it as a shifter story in my head.
  
  Second, the description makes it sound like Matt and Jessica hate each other with a passion. In actuality it's barely disdain for each other and they get over it pretty quick.
  
  Third, the plot behind the story of Stewart stealing Jessica's work takes so long to become an actual part of the story I barely remembered it was a part of it.
  
  Last, Jessica and Matt had NO chemistry and I saw them as a brother and sister, not as a couple. The story was so bland I finally quit reading at 89% and didn't even want to finish the last couple chapters. This was definitely not a book or series for me.
• 
  Tammy

  I’m giving the book 3 stars. The conversations are not very convincing and contrived. It read like an old school script or something. The lines from the bad guys were really not convincing. My biggest problem with the book is that the series name says Pleasant Valley but the book says Paradise Valley. Maybe a lot of people haven’t caught that but since I grew up in a city called Paradise Valley, it was hard for me to miss.
  
  Honestly, the book should have been twice as long so that it wasn’t so rushed. There needed to be more drama with Stewart. She was wearing a GPS necklace so that should have been tied in more. Stewart didn’t come into play until the last chapter or two which was boring.
  
  I read another series from this author and a common phrase is “You better do this or you’ll be sorry”. No one talks like that. It seriously sounds like a bad independent film. The concept or attempted plot line isn’t bad. It just needs a lot more work, especially on the dialogue, continuity, and definitely more twists and turns so that it doesn’t feel so rushed.
• 
  PepperP0t

  Trusting her boyfriend who swore he loved her but stole her portfolio to make money, graphic artist Jessica Powers can’t believe she let that happen. Following the boyfriend on a shared phone app, Jessica had car problems just outside Paradise Valley and surly mechanic Matt Gardner likes the attractive woman and manipulates the situation to keep her around.
  
  There isn’t much more to say without giving away whatever. This outing was a cute contemporary romance that would’ve gotten a higher rating but the shifter aspect is thrown in at 84% (really!), the conclusion to the boyfriend thread is an unnecessary mess and Jessica whose never heard of shifters just shrugs it off, the remaining leftovers are thrown into a rushed ending. Blech!
  Rating: 2.25stars
• 
  Trish

  This is the first book in the Shifter Wolves of Pleasant Valley series. Oh man I absolutely loved Matt and Jessica’s story. It’s steamy and so entertaining, I couldn’t put it down. Jessica’s down her last few dollars, searching for the guy who dumped her and stole her work. She meets Matt when her car starts dying and she ends up and his garage in Pleasant Valley. Jessica and Matt are drawn to each other. The attractions strong but they fight it, Jessica’s leaving town in a few days so what's the point plus Matt has secrets that may change everything. Can't wait to read Steve's story next.
  
  I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Raecharmed

  Jessica ends up in a small town as she is hunting for someone. Her car breaks down right as she pulls up to Matt's garage. At first Matt doesn't want to be bothered but its quick how things change for him. He offers to look at her car when he opens after the weekend. He even helps her find a place to stay. Jessica is stunned by how people treat her, but she brushes it off because she doesn't plan to stay long. Will Matt find a way to convince her to stay?
  
  This is a great story that will hook you in the first chapter. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to any book lover.
  
  I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  TRICIA

  When Jessica Powers’ business partner, Stewart did a runner taking with him all the work she had done on an ad campaign she decided to try and find him and get it back before he claimed her work as his. But after driving for hours her car broke down in Pleasant Valley. She's broke and desperate when she meets Matt, a wolf-shifter and the town's garage owner.
  
  Pleasant Valley, is a town primarily inhabited by shifters, and they don't like or encourage outsiders. But there's a connection between them so how will she a human fare? I enjoyed their story it has action, romance, and steam.
• 
  Stephanie

  Love these characters and the small town of paradise Valley.
  
  when Jessica's business partner Stewart leaves her high and dry she goes in search of him. When her car quit's on her she relies on the garage owner Matt to help her with her vehicle.
  Read this page turner to see what happens to Jessica
  
  There is suspense, mayhem, angst, and deception
  
  
  If you love Roxie Ray you will love reading books from this author.
  
  I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Savanna Wilkinson

  First of all I would like to start off by saying, it took me FOREVER to finish this book. It felt like I was reading a hallmark movie; there were subtle hits of the MMC being a wolf but it was never full out mentioned, and the FMC felt this “warmth” in her chest when she was around him but it never explained why and I was already 3/4 way through the book. Personally I would of lived to see more mentions of the wolf and more in detail connection of the main characters and the town and why it was “made sure” people stayed away from the town.
• 
  Karen Roma

  Discouraged Secret Wolf is the first story in Serena Meadows` Shifter Wolves Of Pleasant Valley with a well-written storyline, engaging characters and plenty of intrigue to keep the reader involved. I liked the flow of this story, and the plot and relationship were nicely developed and easy to follow. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
• 
  Lynnette

  Discouraged Secret Wolf
  
  Jessica is looking for her ex! He lied to her and stole from her! When her car starts to die on her in the middle of Texas, she cones across Pleasant Valley and garage and gas station! Matt is the owner is getting ready to close down for the week due to the upcoming festival! Will Matt help her? Will he tell her that he is a wolf shifter? Will they find true love?
• 
  Angela Griffin

  Enjoyable
  
  I really like Jessica; she doesn't wait for someone else to solve her problems, she's polite but no pushover, and she's warm-hearted. At first glance, Matt is like the rest of the townsfolk; surly, unwelcoming, and unlikable. The gradual shift (sorry, couldn't resist!) in the town's attitude is most welcome, as is the slight difference in shifter world- building, and there's a bit of a climactic surprise. This is a satisfying, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance.
• 
  Mary Jane

  I read this book cover to cover, I couldn't put it down. I love a great paranormal love story and Matt and Jessica s is a great one. Matt is down in the dumps and then Jessica shows up to shake up his life, in the best possible way, if only he would believe in love again. I enjoyed watching the love story unfold.
  
  I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.