Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: The Reluctant Wolf 

SERIES: Cloverleah Pack #1

AUTHOR: Lisa Oliver

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 458 pages

BLURB:

Kane Matthews, Alpha of his small wolf pack in Cloverleah has been raised to believe that mates are not possible for gay men and has lived his life accordingly. Kicked out of his home pack years before because of his sexual orientation Kane has built a solid and comfortable life for himself in the small town of Cloverleah.
Imagine his surprise when an unscheduled visit to the small town’s diner unleashes a flood of emotions in the man he didn’t think possible – not least of all, lust. But finding out it is possible for wolf shifters to have gay mates is just one of the things that Kane has to overcome if he is to have the forever future he has been hoping for.

Shawn Bailey never expected to find his mate. He is just too different – an “Other” who has the power to instill fear in any other shifter. After spending ten years on the run from his Alpha father he spends most days just trying to stay alive. When a
chance encounter brings him face to face with his mate Shawn has to decide if the man in front of him is worth staying for.

But with hunters, Alpha challenges, Kane’s parents and a smitten Alpha from another pack all interfering in Kane and Shawn’s budding romance, not to mention some surprising answers about Shawn’s own unique talents can these two true mates find the happily ever after they are looking for?

Warning: Some people may find the content of this book objectionable. Includes m/m, graphic sexual situations, a short BDSM scene, strong language and shifter/magic themes.

REVIEW:

I am a fan of wolf shifter books, and underneath some questionable editing, The Reluctant Wolf has a decent story.

Kane is a big bad alpha, but he’s gay. So he’s left his own pack and started a very small pack for gay werewolves. At the beginning of this story there are five of them, living in a small town and running a motorcycle and car modification business. Kane heads to the local diner for dinner one evening and smells the most amazing thing…. No it’s not the beef stew, it’s his mate. He calls for backup and Griff, his best friend comes to see what’s up. They come up with a plan on how Kane should treat his skittish mate. This backfires a bit, and Kane’s pack ends up saving the life of Shawn, a very unique werewolf.

Shawn is not strictly a werewolf, he has some pretty amazing powers. But he also has some enemies. His uncle Xavier would really like Shawn to be dead. Partly because he’s gay, partly because he’s got some serious magic, and partly because he has a claim to his home pack, since he’s the son of the alpha. Xavier has been after Shawn for ten years, Shawn has been on his own running anytime Xavier gets too close. Shawn hopes he has a new home in Cloverleah, but doesn’t realize there are wolves already there. But he gets a sniff of Kane and realizes not only are there wolves nearby, one is is mate. This may be enough to send him running again. Until he gets shot by some hunters and rescued by Kane’s small pack.

So what we get here is a very long drawn out story about the bonding of these two alpha wolves, and the their fight against Xavier. Kane is your typical alpha werewolf, he’s slutty, pig-headed, and a loner. Shawn is also an alpha and has all sorts of powers. He can heal, make just about anything appear from nowhere (food, clothing, etc.), he can move people and himself from place to place, and he is a BDSM Master. There is a fair amount of drama, Kane being a slut, Shawn being a virgin, there are misunderstandings and arguments, and miscommunications between them. I liked all of that just fine. The sex between them is hot and plentiful, and they switch occasionally, and get a little kinky. Also all fine. I loved the other characters, especially the members of the Cloverleah pack, they are few but mighty. I liked the basic story, gay werewolves fighting against homophobia and hate, struggling to be free. I liked Kane and his stubborn strength, and Shawn was just a cool character all around.

But. This is Lisa Oliver’s first published book and it shows. There are serious editing issues, and it’s very clear she is not living in the US. It’s also too long, and needed to have some extraneous stuff cut out. The BDSM aspect didn’t work for me at all and was more of a distraction than anything.  A couple of good beta readers and a good editor would have turned this in to a fantastic book. All of that being said, I liked the story. I liked the characters and the world she has created, and I am curious to see what happens with the other pack members. I have read other books she has written and they do get better, but still have the same problems that could be solved by an editor. Her more recent stories are much shorter and tighter, much less rambling, but still need to be edited. I think she has the potential to be a very good author, especially with these various shifter books, and I hope to read more from her!

If you can get past the issues with this book you should find a good story at its heart. If you are a fan of werewolves with a magic twist, give this one a shot. Just be patient and ignore some stuff!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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