A Den of Howls & Discontent: A Spicy Why Choose Romantasy (Lunaria Realms Book 4)

Joleen Erb

Your next Why Choose Shifter Romance!

"Great LGBTQI+ representation! Den of Howls and Discontent completely pulled me into Alex Frost’s world even without having read the original trilogy first. While it’s connected to the author’s previous series, this story absolutely stands on its own and made it easy to become invested in the characters, relationships, and emotional stakes from the very beginning. At its core, this is a deeply character-driven why choose shifter romance, and that’s exactly what made it work so well for me. What really stayed with me was Rynn’s emotional journey. She feels everything so deeply, and that sense of alienation and wanting somewhere — and someone — to truly belong to was woven throughout the entire story. There’s such a raw loneliness to her character at times, and it made the emotional connections hit so much harder because you could feel how badly she wanted acceptance, safety, and people who chose her fully. The relationship dynamics were easily the highlight for me. Every love interest felt distinct and important to Rynn’s journey instead of blending together, and each connection brought something different emotionally. The chemistry felt natural, the tension was addictive, and the quieter moments of vulnerability and comfort carried just as much weight as the bigger dramatic scenes. And Bastian? Easily one of the best MMCs I’ve read in a long time. He had that perfect balance of dangerous, possessive, and deeply devoted that makes a character impossible not to obsess over. Every scene with him carried so much intensity, but underneath that was genuine care and emotional depth that made him stand out from a lot of typical shifter MMCs. He completely stole the show for me. But Ryker’s devotion to Rynn honestly wooed me too. There was something so tender and unwavering about the way he showed up for her emotionally that balanced out some of the harsher edges of the story perfectly. His loyalty felt steady and earned, and those moments where he prioritized her comfort, safety, and emotional wellbeing made some of the biggest impact on me while reading. Alex Frost also creates such an immersive atmosphere with the pack dynamics, emotional tension, and underlying unrest simmering beneath everything. Even though the fantasy and shifter elements are compelling, this story really shines because of its characters and the emotional depth behind every relationship. And now I’m already desperate to see where Alex Frost takes these characters next, especially Cade, Warrick, and maybe even someone else? If you love character-driven why choose romances with protective shifters, found family, yearning, emotional healing, and messy but meaningful relationships, Den of Howls and Discontent is absolutely worth picking up. ["

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May 18, 2026 Verified Purchase

Raechel

Read this now (but after the first 3 books)

"Thanks to the author for an eARC of this book. This review reflects my honest opinion. What I loved: Rynn is complete chaos and I am here for it. Is she also the most stubborn lycanthrope I’ve ever met? Absolutely. Rynn’s snark, both her inner monologue and external dialogue. All the MCs have emotional baggage and some of them use it like a weapon. A visit with our faves from Samara’s story (the first three books) Notes: There is a little bit of hate $3x in this book, but I expect the spice will pick up in the next book. This is Book 4 of the Lunaria Realms series and you MUST read books 1-3 first. These books are WHY CHOOSE where the boyfriends will be boyfriends. Not yet, but they will be. Ends on the hangiest of cliffhangers. ["

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May 20, 2026 Verified Purchase

Anon

Great start to Rynn's Trilogy

"I've been desperately wanting more of Rynn's story with the Alpha pack since the first trilogy, so when I managed to my hands on this, I blew through it in a day, and what a ride! The author described most of the members of the Alpha pack as a bunch of walking red flags, and boy, ARE THEY. Unlike Samara from the first trilogy who mainly only had to deal with two members of her future harem actively hating her/nearly killing her, Rynn's story starts off with a bang with some very hot hate smut scenes. So let's run through the members of the pack first: I've got to start with Bastien, a feline shifter who is all smiles and manipulation and cruel words hiding a traumatic past and what feels like some deep self-worth issues. He shares a decent number of similarities with my favorite love interest from the first trilogy, Draven, which is fitting since they absolutely despise each other :DDD His relationship with Rynn is the trickiest due to the bet he's trying to win about getting her to stay in his bed, and even in his own POV, where the lies stop and the truth begins as he and Rynn genuinely start to grow closer from pretending just to be friends and normal packmates, I'm not sure even he knows. Next there's Ryker, youngest and most feral of the Alpha pack who is the one that started the aforementioned hate smut with Rynn but also starts to develop feelings for her. Their relationship is one of fights that almost always inevitably leads to smut but also a fierce protectiveness and the fact that Rynn is one of the only people besides the rest of the Alpha pack who doesn't fear Ryker. I feel like there should have been more conflict within Ryker about choosing Rynn over the Alpha pack, but it was sweet. Then for the two members of the pack who didn't get much screentime this book, but hopefully will get more later: Cade, the stolid and serious bear shifter who refuses to get close to anyone now because his past two loves all betrayed him, and Warrick, the vicious eagle shifter who seems a lot like Vail from the last book. Cade is reserved, and there's obvious respect between him and Rynn, but in terms of actual chemistry, you only get a little bit of that from other POV's about the two of them. He is the catalyst for the bet made with Bastien, which seemed a bit juvenile coming from him, but oh well. Warrick only shows up in the last 20% of the book, but given how Bastien constantly mentions him in his own POV, he feels a bit more fleshed out. Very excited to figure out Bastien and Warrick's past, and hopefully the two of them will reconcile and cement that dormant mating bond of theirs! And then there's the new female member of the Alpha pack, Selene, who has been rejected from five previous packs for being asexual. She also doesn't get much screentime since she also shows up in the last 20% of the book, but she's a good counterpoint at least in an Alpha pack that badly needs someone else who's calm and level-headed. And last but not least, our main character, Rynn: she works so hard and so desperately wants a place to belong, but she's constantly being told that she's not part of any pack, and so she's trying her best to accept that while negotiating between the different packs and the Moroi Blood Sovereign and investigating the mystery of the Unseelie Princes. She's not the political powerhouse that Samara was, but she is effective in getting things done and doggedly pursuing her goals, and I look forward to seeing how she'll grow in the next books of the series. (And hopefully more smut scenes with the rest of the cast because while there is some between her and Ryker, and one with her, Ryker, and Bastien, sort of, that's it for now) As for the plot itself, we get more clues as to the conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie courts and the world of Lunaria as a whole. I was glad that we got to see how Samara and them are all doing (and Kieran and Draven showed up!), and Cali shows up as well to give some context to the Fury side of things. All in all, this is a great start to Rynn's trilogy, and I can't wait for the next book! ["

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May 20, 2026

BB & Her Shadow Kissed Chronicles

Read the book... and thank me later

"OMG... I genuinely don't know what Alex Frost put in this book because I could not put it down. I don't think I've ever read something that fast while being completely immersed in the story the entire time. I kept telling myself, one more chapter, and suddenly I was way farther into the book than I intended because I absolutely needed to know what happened next. While you can read this without reading the first three books in the series, I highly recommend reading them first. I went into this one without having read the earlier books and immediately wished I had because I know it would have made the experience even better. I absolutely loved Rynn. My heart hurt for everything she has gone through and the way she's been treated. Once she gives someone her loyalty, there are no limits to it, and after everything she's endured, she deserves every single thing she wants and then some. And Ryker? Definitely a favorite for me. Not that I had any doubts about him throughout the book (because I really didn't), but his choices toward the end completely cemented his place for me. Now Cade, Bastian, and Warrick... I see groveling in their futures and I am going to need every second of it. Especially Warrick 👀 Also, I am very intrigued by Selene and already need books two and three immediately. This book gave me a little chaos, hot characters, banter, secrets everywhere, and constant "what's going on?!" moments. And can we also discuss that monster creature near the end because I already know that thing is about to live in my head and cause me nightmares for at least a week. If you're in the mood for an epic fantasy why choose romance with spice, banter, tension, and chaos, I think you'll absolutely love this one. - Tropes & Themes - Epic fantasy romance Why choose Forced proximity Rivals/enemies to lovers Slow burn romance + fast-burn spice Shifters, vampires & furies Only one bed Political intrigue Mating bonds Banter Multi first-person POV ["

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May 17, 2026

HighLadyPitty

A Den of Howls and Discontent

"This novel is a continuation of the Lumaria Realms Series from Alex Frost. This trilogy follows Rynn’s journey into the Alpha pack of shifters who are not thrilled that she must join them. Because of a deal her birth pack made with the Alpha’s she is forced to join. The Alphas inherently mistrust her because they are convinced she is a spy for her father and Uncle. I am so happy I read the original trilogy before reading this instalment. I was already very familiar with the world building and nuances of the Moonblessed factions that include Moroi (Vampires), Velesians (shifters) and Furies (bat-like creatures with enormous tempers). All of these Moonblessed former humans were created by spell to combat the violent and harsh creatures of Lumaria. Rynn is refreshingly different from most FMCs in the way that she is not confident in where her path lies or herself. I admire Rynn’s close friendship with Sam and Cali despite being from different Moonblessed species. Rynn is constantly at war with herself because she does not know where she truly belongs. She starts an oh-so steamy secret relationship with one of her pack members. I adore Rynn’s love of smutty books and her desire to be alone but yet have community around her. Rynn’s relationship with the Alpha pack had me laughing out loud so many times. She does not hesitate to put the males in their place by breaking a bone or giving them a beat down when they are pissing her off. The Alphas have an odd mix of protectiveness and hatred toward her and are thus reluctant to completely accept her as a true pack member. I feel like the males in this book need to get over their egos and just let Rynn into their pack which will ultimately benefit the whole. This book is full of push and pull between multiple relationships and I eagerly anticipate the next instalment! ["

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May 20, 2026