When I found a pod to help me with my first heat, I thought I’d found my forever.
How wrong I was.
They disappeared off the face of the world, and no one has seen them in ten years. Try as I might, I can’t seem to forgive or forget the men who feel like they are a part of me. And, trust me, I’ve tried.
When they make a sudden reappearance, I want nothing to do with them. I won’t give them another chance to break my heart. Even if they continue to show up everywhere I am, begging me to hear them out.
As if there’s anything they could say that would allow me to forgive them for ghosting me…right?
Heatwaves is a why choose/polyam paranormal second chance aquatic shifter romance that includes MM, meaning that no one will be choosing between their love interests. This book is intended for readers 18+ due to language and content.
When you meet the people you belong with and they disappear right after
Lila is a whale shift and they only go through one heat a year and this year is her very first. That means she must go to the gathering and find men willing to help her through it. Unfortunately for her she isn't a people person and this sounds like a terrible plan.
After dodging all the men practically begging to be in her bed she manages to find an open area away from the chaos. When she does there are three men there but they are not acting like the others and she finds herself in easy conversation with them. When they exchange numbers and plan to meet for her heat they find they really enjoy each other's company and are excited to see what happens. Unfortunately after her heat is over and they talk of continuing this connection they suddenly disappear.
Well Lila never could get over that and it greatly changed her. She became bitter and refused to let anyone in. She has like 2 friends and her business. Except suddenly the men who ghosted her 10 years ago have sudd nly reappeared and are desperate to talk to her. Can she get through all the hurt and betrayal to actually listen? Well maybe with her best friend helping she might be able to listen.
This story is beautiful and tragic. One magical heat and your life changes only it ends up not being like you expected. Knowing she can't allow anyone close enough to hurt her again will she ever be able to let anyone close again?
I'd love to have a story from the boys POV about what they went through during those 10 years to really feel complete but this book was really good and I give it a 4.5 rating. Plus it's super spicy just the way I like them.
Aquatic shifters omegaverse! Yes, you read that right! I was thrilled to find a book about unusual shifter species. One enchanting story about the strength of the first feelings, the devastation of being cast aside without a word, the pain and the memories of this unforgettable betrayal that shape one Omega's life choices further on, creating ripples and shockwaves in the delicate fabric of her very existence and the people she lets closer. Or doesn't! Because a first heat is something special. But for Lila it ended with a deep soul scar. The story is wonderfully written, keeping the reader glued to the very end. There is a strong emotional charge that heightens the reading experience and shows how hard is the healing after such kind of trauma and how difficult is to build a bond of trust when it's broken. The polyamory aspect is naturally implemented as an organic part of the life of aquatic shifters and I loved how the polycules in this fictional realm are formed, reinforcing the feeling of inclusivity and harmonious balance between all partners in the group. Additional bonus are the existence of all kinds of paranormal creatures, even though they aren't the main focus of the story. But there is one very important one that brings a heap of spice, and the lingering sensation of extraordinary friendship that offers support, stability and understanding on profoundly deep level. I am talking about Wyatt, the incubus, of course - behind his cheeky, friendly facade and sharp witt is hidden so much more and he won me over indefinitely with his intuition, intelligence and sensitivity.Aidan, Carter, Ty, and Oliver are currently holding the first place in my reader's rankings for shitty mates and poor choices and I can't wait to see will there be another group to dethrone them. They definitely deserved all the grilling and "special" treatment from Lila and I think the grovelling aspect could have been even more intense. It was definitely a logical consequence after the way they left. A new to me author who delivered one hell of an amazing surprise!
Enjoyed this one a lot. They author made me fall for ALL the characters from the beginning. The minute they met they got along amazingly. They felt really comfortable and the chemistry was there.
Lila and Wyatts relationship was everything. Them being friends before becoming a couple just strengthen the bond/connection they have. Everything with him felt easy and flowed really well. He always knew what she needed and never hesitated in giving it to her or just being there for her physically and emotionally.
Her relationship with the other guys was a little bit more complicated but no less real. They all had love for one another but life happens. They knew they messed up (literally had no choice) and were willing to be patient and give her the time she needs to be able to forgive them. I do love the fact that she didn't forgive them that fast. She was hurt and just bc they had a valid reason for doing what they did doesn't take away the pain she's feeling.
They gave her time and space while still groveling a little bit. They showed her that they always thinking about her and that they genuinely care/love her. Since their first meeting they had good chemistry and they seemed really into each other. That stayed true after she gave them another chance.
I liked the relationship she had with her parents and how realistic it was. She had an easy going one with her dad. They got along amazingly and I loved their bond. Her and her mom had a little bit of a complicated one. They clashed a lot but it was obvious they still loved each other. It was just not everyone is going to have a personality that gets along with everyone no matter how much you love them. As the book went on though they were able to understand each other more which definitely helped them get along better or at least have more patience.
A quick warning before we begin: If you’re the prude type who shudders at the thought of anything even remotely explicit, do yourself a favor and close this tab. Heatwaves is not here to be subtle. Oh no. Miranda May dives headfirst into a sea of sexy, spicy smut—and not just one-on-one kind of heat, darling. We’re talking every shade of smut, in an ocean of deliciousness. Yes, you read that correctly: oceanic shifters. Omegaverse. My eyes are still wide from the unexpected ride.
The plot? A little more fantastical than I imagined—a lot more—but honestly, who cares when the characters steal the show? Lila, our FMC, could be a little� much. She’s had a rough past, and while I understand the scars (literally and figuratively), at some point, we need to stop dramatic sighing and get on with it. Put on your big girl panties, Lila, and let’s move on, shall we?
But let’s talk about the real star of this show: Wyatt. Oh, Wyatt. The cheeky incubus with a heart of gold and enough magic to make me seriously contemplate selling my soul for a taste. This man is a gem—honestly, I want him in my life. No contest.
Now, the pod—Aidan, Carter, Ty, and Oliver—are fine and all, but let’s be real, they feel like a hodgepodge of characters I’ve seen in other books. They’re cool, but they’re not Wyatt-level hot.
What really stood out in this book was how Miranda May tackled the poly aspect. It wasn’t forced or awkward. It was natural, seamless, and handled with an elegance that you rarely see in stories like this. It was refreshing, and frankly, it made me root even harder for Wyatt (I’m team Wyatt all the way, don’t fight me on this).
I’m eager for the next installment, because if this book is any indication, the world of oceanic shifters has a whole lot more to offer, and I’m hooked.
I can't tell you how excited I was to find out this book is not only an aquatic shifter book, but an incredibly uncommon shifter species at that. I love shifters. But wolf, big cat shifters are widely used. So I was so ready to read this one. And it was worth it!!! I finished this in a little more than a day, which, for me, is a huge accomplishment for a 400+ page book. I didn't want to put it down. The story itself was captivating. Add in the characters and spicy scenes, and this book was damn near perfect. I love that there wasn't just one set of shifter species. The main group alone was all different aquatic species. Plus, add in the Incubus and Hello, good times! I was curious how the book would play out, seeing as something happens, and the 4 MMCs leave Lila for 10 years. 10 years!!! Then, just pop back out of nowhere. How do you even begin to mend those bridges? But the spicy scenes? Masterpieces. Figuring out a way to have everyone participate and not be left out had to feel like a chess game during the writing process. But it paid off big time!
The ONLY reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because towards the end, i started to dislike Lila. A few chapters seemed repetitive with how she was acting with the men. I get she was hurt, but she was also being incredibly childish. It's not a major thing at all. Plus I think the spicy kind of makes up for her attitude. 😏
The paperback is already live, and the ebook is set to release on April 9th.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A Solid Read, But Not My Favorite Miranda Book"
Miranda always delivers when it comes to emotional, high-stakes romance, and this book was no exception. The premise? Absolutely heartbreaking. Our heroine thought she’d found her forever with her pod, only for them to vanish without a trace. A decade later, they’re back, full of apologies and excuses—but is there anything they could possibly say to make up for what they did?
The angst was delicious. The tension? Off the charts. And the push-and-pull dynamic between the heroine and her long-lost mates had me flipping pages like my life depended on it. Watching her stand her ground and make them work for a second chance? Loved that.
That said, while I enjoyed the emotional depth and second-chance romance, this one didn’t hit quite as hard as some of Miranda’s other books for me. Maybe it was the pacing, or maybe I just needed more time to really buy their redemption. Either way, it was still a solid, engaging read—I just didn’t love it the way I wanted to.
If you love reunion romances with a hefty dose of heartbreak, groveling, and found family, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Another great read from May involving an interesting group of shifters - honestly, I LOVE that she chose something more unique - which in the end created the most amazing polycule of emotion, romance, love and a sprinkling of humour, with a whole heap of grovelling and second chance action.
As mentioned above, I love that we have some new and diverse shifter forms present in these pages, and I really love the mystery behind the disappearance of the pod shortly after Lila's first heat. I enjoyed how May kept teasing about the bigger picture, but we never found out the truth until Lila did - and honestly, I did not see that coming.
May gives us some fantastic world building as well as character building in this story, and I enjoyed that each character not only had their place within the polycule, but each was so distinctly unique - not only with shifter/supe type, but with personality, and emotional response to drama.
As always, May brings the spice when things heat up; I'm pretty sure the scene between the boys is going to live rent free in my head, as well as the "forgiveness" scene, so not to give too many spoilers.
Definitely interested in checking out the other books in this world that May has created, too.
Thank you to the authors and Dragonfire Teams for the eARC opportunity. These are my honest thoughts that I have provided voluntarily.
Lila is dragging her feet. She’s knows she needs to do this, but she’s really not looking forward to it. But her first heat is coming up and she needs to meet others in order for her to be able to go through it without any issues. But, her mom is being so pushy right now and that’s not helping either. Will she meet anyone? Will they already be part of a pod? Will her first heat go well?
This was a fun story. It does connect to the Secrets of Sorlphi series. You don’t have to read that series before this one, but if you enjoyed this one, you should read the series. I like the world building and character building done in this book. Lila is very smart and knows what she wants. Wyatt was also a fun character that I really enjoyed. Overall this book was good and it went by so quickly because I was pulled so completely into the story. I can’t wait to see what other stories will come out of this world.
I’m going to start this off by saying this book will be for some people. I just don’t think I was that person this time. I was intrigued by the whole whale shifter thing and being in pods instead of packs. Our fmc also ends up with an incubus and a walrus shifter in her pod. We have a second chance, fated mates situation going on. I think I struggled when it came to the fmc being so fixated on her own anger and issues with the guys and their disappearance that she couldn’t have really cared less about how it was effecting those around her. And even after she finally listened to them, she understood why they disappeared and knew they were fated mates but still felt like they didn’t deserve her forgiveness. The guys do, do some things to try and win her back for a bit but they also don’t really follow her request for space. They just show up randomly at places she’s at so they can see her. And then all the sudden she finally actually recognizes they’re fated mates and they should be together. This one definitely missed the mark for me.
I loved this book so much. I was not sure whether to laugh, cry, scream at the author or all of the above. After drawing you in with a feel good story about Lila finding the perfect pod for her first heat, Miranda May (in her amazing wisdom and devastating cruelty) has them vanish and picks up 10 years later after Lila has started to pull her life back together.
With a myriad of multi-dimensional characters, a stubborn AF FMC, lots of new lore, world building and a smorgasbord of sexy men to pick from, this story was amazing. I devoured this story, wanted to both hug and yell at the FMC and was cheering for and simultaneously cursing the men.....except for Wyatt, he can do no wrong.
Very much enjoyed all of this story, cannot sing its praises enough and no one writes a group scene like Miranda ;-)
If this beautiful cover doesnt grab your interest, then let me tell you that this story definitely will! This book starts ten years in the past when the FMC Lila meets a pod of whale shifters, to share her heat with her. Everything goes swimmingly and then they disappear for ten years. In the present Lilah has her gorgeous incubus friend with benefits, Wyatt and she is still struggling with a broken heart from all those years ago. Then the guys return and everything gets complicated! This story is steamy and full of angst and complicated feelings. I found myself getting quite frustrated with the main characters and their disconnect with communication - but thank goodness for Wyatt, he manages to try and pull them all together. It was so great to dip back into this universe and i loved these new characters and their families too! (Especially Lila's parents!)
Heatwaves is based in Ms May’s Fae Realms series that gave me the vibe of 'I need to check out that series.' Lila meets 4 guys to help her with her heat and then hears nothing from them for 10 long years, which makes this a fascinating second chance romance. It was well written and caused so many feelings that tug relentlessly on your heart strings. Your heart goes out for Lila and for the guys. The back story on the guys is where it gets fascinating. I wish this is where the Fae Realms series could offer more back story of what happened to them and why. For now we at least get a glimpse. Thankfully we get to find out if Lila will get her happily ever after. I will say this: I love how it ends with all the feels being satisfyingly happy.
What a beautifully heart warming and subtly angsty read this was.
Lila, a whale shifter, experiences her first heat with a pod consisting of Ty, Aiden, Carter, and Oliver. However, as soon as her heat concludes, they vanish from her life, only to reappear a decade later.
Lila is such a tender-hearted character; she’s both spirited and introverted, and it’s heartbreaking to witness the pain caused by those boys. Left to navigate her feelings alone, she finds solace in her best friend Wyatt, whose unwavering support for Lila is truly heartwarming and uplifting.
If you enjoy stories about shifters (this is my first encounter with whale shifters, and I absolutely loved it), along with themes of heartbreak, healing, and a touch of redemption, then this book is definitely for you.
This was a short and spicy shifter romance featuring Lila, Carter, Aiden, ty, Oliver and Wyatt. For lilas first heat she was forced by her mother to go to the annual meet and greet to find a pod to endure her heat with. Little did she know she'd meet the most amazing whale and walrus shifters. The 5 of them hit it off, but when they disappeared right after her heat, Lila believed the worst. Ten years later and they're suddenly back, but can they repair the damage that was done? If you love spice, shifters and poly romance this is definitely the book for you. It's fast paced and set in the same world as miranda sorlphi trilogy. I'm so glad to finally get these guy's story! It was all kinds of hot and sweet. Absolutely loved this one.
I took my time reading this one. I absolutely loved Lila. I related to her need to not just sit in the status quo and do what everyone else it doing. Her and her days relationship felt a little like mine with my grandfather. It warmed my heart. Her mom left a sour taste in your mouth at the beginning but grew on you once you saw things from her point of view
Wyatt, Ty, Carter, and Aidan�. These men melted my heart. Ty broke it and then Wyatt put it back together with his loyalty and open heart! There was groveling, tears, heats, and so much spice. It was *chefs kiss*
This was an interesting read! I really loved that the shifter types were different too! It made me super excited to read this. This book was well written and caused me to have a lot of feelings.
I liked Lila and the guys although it annoyed me that it took so long for the men to come back. I will say when they finally do get their HEA I was happy with how it ended. We got to see Lila get her HEA she deserved.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was different than most shifters used. I can’t wait for more by Miranda. I really enjoy this author’s stories!
We meet Lila and we learn that she is a whale shifter about to go into heat needing help with it. We then meet Aiden, Ty, Oliver, and Carter who have great personalities. Things quickly change and we learn things are not all as they seem. Finally we meet Wyatt, who I absolutely adore, he has so much caring and giving in his soul. We feel the pain and heartache at times throughout the story. It is extremely well written and developed. The emotional journey with them is one that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The ending was beautiful and I throughly enjoyed the story.
This is an excellent read. Very emotional read. The storyline is wonderful and the deep emotions from Lila and her mates. This made the story feel more like real life. I also enjoyed that this was an aquatic shifter romance. Very unique and uncommon. This book is very well written and I loved all the characters. Very spicy and the HEA topped off the story nicely. Lila's story is a rollercoaster with the ups and downs. I was pulled into this story immediately and could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book. Miranda is an excellent author. Must read for all your Shifter lovers
Love the uncommon shifters and this is that for sure. Now this is with aquatic shifters and yes girl! Need more of them for sure. Any kind of uniqueness I love. Also be prepared to read a while as this is a longer book and I'm all for that. It doesn't focus on one set of shifters either so it is so surprising. After the heartbreak Lila doesn't see the guys for 10 years. Thinking they had forgot all about her. They do what they can to mend it but can you after all this time? The journey is amazing. Though at the end Lila is slipping a bit for me but still overal a good one.
This was such an amazing book. First it looked like it would be a pure smut but between the smut there were such deep and emotional moments. It fitted perfectly together and both parts balanced each other. It was yet again something unique and even though it’s a PNR book it dealt with everyday problems like depression. I loved Wyatt so much, I just wish he stayed only Lila’s. But I know that’s not how Miranda’s books work. I have a feeling I will be rereading this book many times.
This was a great story. Lila meets 4 men (Aidan, Ty, Oliver, and Carter), her first heat who ends up helping her through it. Afterward, they disappear without a trace, only to show up 10 years later, wanting to explain where they have been. Lila at first wants nothing to do with them as they hurt her when they disappeared, but with the help of Wyatt, her best friend with benefits, they end up getting her forgiveness.
I’m glad I got to read this unique shifter story. I haven’t ever read one about ocean mammals before, and I enjoyed the fresh experience. You get to know a little bit about each of the characters and how they fit together. I liked the multiple POVs. I will say that there was too much angst/indecision for my liking, but that is completely a “me thing.� Please check TWs before reading as there is a heavy subject matter discussed.
Whale shifters, pods, heat, and abandonment. Just as Lila and the guys were getting to know each other, they disappeared. So much pain. Thank goodness for Wyatt, her best friend. A love story full of spice, angst, anger, disappointment, and forgiveness. Miranda knows how to drag our emotions out and gently give them back to us. She is an amazing storyteller.
WOW this was my first book by Miranda May and I have to say it will not be my last. I read this book in 2 days and that is something as a busy mom of 2. Lila the FMC was a little infuriating at times but I understand why if I had gone through what she did I would probably be the make way. Thank the stars for Wyatt cause there would probably not be a HEA without him.
This was a really good book. I understand why the guys had to go away for 10 years but I also hate how hard it was on Lila. I'm just so happy that she was able to forgive them and that she ended up happy with all of her men. This was a really good shifter book and it was my first ocean shifter book.
I truly will read anything with ocean related shifters or monsters so this was right up my alley. I loved Lila from the beginning. She really made her guys earn their place by her side. I love it when the guys have to grovel to get back in their gals good graces. Also, the spice in this book is just so good. If you like RH shifters and all types of love you should read this book.
Thank you for taking us back to the land of Fae, and I can't wait to read so much more in this shared world! I loved Lila and the guys! The smut was on point and I loved seeing our FMC have a backbone with the guys but also getting to the point that she saw what was right in her stubborn face. Ty broke my heart, and Wyatt was everything! 5 star read in my book world! Bravo
Wow! This was a fantastic read. I've been waiting for Miranda May to write another Fae Realm and this story was an amazing revisit. I was hooked start to finish. I lost bed the unique shifters. Lila and her men give us one emotional and spicy ride. I can't wait for more stories from this world.
A beautiful romance featuring aquatic shifters. An incredibly emotional story as Lila is reunited with the four shifters who helped her through her first heat, ten years ago, who then disappeared. She was very bitter and mistrustful as they grovelled. You could feel the pain the characters felt and I loved how Wyatt helped them all through. Absolutely loved this story.