Her empire died over an avocado. Her comeback began with a wolf.

Sera Quinn was once untouchable—sponsored posts, brand deals, millions of followers. Then one meltdown at Target turned her into the internet’s favorite punchline. Now broke and desperate, she stumbled into Hollow Oak, a town whispered about for its mist, its folklore, and its ability to chew up influencers whole.

She expected rustic vibes and maybe a story worth filming. What she got was Dr. Maddox Thorn — wolf shifter, folklore professor, and the grumpiest man alive, unless you counted the phoenix that hissed every time she opened her mouth.

He wanted silence. She wanted redemption. Instead, they got a fated mate bond, a monster with antlers crawling out of legend, and a federal agent insisting Sera was basically a weapon of mass destruction with good hair.

She brought a camera. He brought claws.

Titles in the Hollow Oak Mates series include: Love at First Roar ~ Mate Night Snack ~ Claws for Celebration ~ Unbearable Attraction ~ Whisker Me Away ~ The Right to Bear Claws ~ Furever Bound ~ Collar Me Crazy ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Furever Bound
Series:  Hollow Oak Mates #7
Author:  Kala Aster & Milly Taiden
Published:  September 4, 2025
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Furever Bound is the seventh title in the Hollow Oak Mates series, featuring Sera, an influencer who’s spectacularly imploded live during a stream, and Maddox, a wolf shifter and historian.  And, Elena, a nasty bureaucratic piece of work who just might be more dangerous than the actual “monster” that is endangering Hollow Oak.

Sera is seeking peace and content authenticity soon after a meltdown on camera, in front of her thousands of followers.  She’s made a huge mistake, huge.  And is trying to hold herself accountable for her actions by researching folklore in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which has led her to Hollow Oak.  She’s scrapy, inquisitive, and determined to change the course of her life to something more authentic, never realizing her latent abilities or the danger her presence would bring to this small, magical town.

Maddox is a loner, a professor of folklore who has made his home in Hollow Oak.  One brief touch showed him that Sera is his fated mate, yet the influencer is asking questions that shouldn’t be answered.  Still, her research will coincide with an event that historically has been catastrophic for this community.  Perhaps Sera is exactly where she needs to be, at the right moment in time.

We’ve briefly run into Elena before, and she shows her true colors now as she tries to enforce a government takeover of this town, wrecking more havoc than the ancient monster who threatens the future of this community.

I enjoyed this couple’s story so much.  With passion, determination, and some help from a community we’ve come to know well, Sera and Maddox will show the true meaning behind compassion and compromise.  If you love a well-written paranormal romance, with steamy and tender moments, a couple to root for their happy ending, an involved community, and putting a bureaucratic henchwoman in her place, then you’d love Furever Bound by Kala Aster and Milly Taiden.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

If you love this author’s work, be sure to visit our Kala Aster page or our Milly Taiden page for reviews of other series, or just to discover series you might have missed.

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)