Reviewed by Nikyta

TITLE: Scent of a Wolf
AUTHOR: Draven St. James
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
BLURB: Jace Shaw is one of the few survivors of an extraordinary, rare wolf pack. He spends his days on the run and his nights in another world with a man he’s only dreamed about. To sleep is to feel his dream man’s hands on his body and hear his wicked whispered words. But when the sun rises reality crashes in: the evil that destroyed his birth pack hunts his kind down in search of a way to control their power.

Merek Wahya is an alpha dealing with all the issues of being newly appointed, but they all fall away when he closes his eyes at night. Then, a man with moonlit hair and mercury eyes crawls into bed with him. When he wakes it’s to a painful arousal no one can satisfy. When Merek’s wolf catches Jace’s scent he knows he’s found his mate, and he soon learns their nocturnal meetings were only foreplay. The joy of this discovery is shadowed by the trouble that follows Jace. Merek’s mate is embroiled in a battle between two ancient packs, a war Merek must now fight. If he fails he could lose Jace forever.

REVIEW:

Jace Shaw is a rare type of shifter. A descendant from the Pack of Light, he’s one of the purest wolves out there and has way more abilities than regular shifters. He’s been through a lot in his life, including losing his parents to a power hungry alpha, Erikson. Now, he spends his days running for his life while spending his nights dreaming of his perfect man. Merek is the new alpha of the Northwest Pack and has way more to deal with than he wants to handle especially when he’s plagued with such intense dreams starring Jace. Neither of them think the man in their dreams is real until Jace appears on Merek’s pack land looking for his grandmother. Unfortunately, he’s found way more than just his mate when he gets ambushed by feral wolves who work for Erikson. Now, they’re both in a world of trouble but the question is, will they be able to become mates before Erikson finally gets his hands on Jace?

One of my weaknesses when it comes to characters is when one of them seems weak but turns out to be very strong. This is the case with Jace. He comes across, at first, as someone who can’t hold his own but in reality, he’s fierce, possessive and very confident. He can stand up for himself and has not just the power but the ability to back that up. Merek is the typical alpha male who’s possessive, sometimes demanding but oh so hot! I absolutely adored him but what I loved even more is the fact that while Merek is the Alpha, he just melts for Jace when it comes to the bedroom. The secondary characters are a mixed bag. There were ones that I adored (like Cory and Sean) and then there’s ones that I hated (like Pricilla).

I really liked this story because it had so many layers to it with unique factors such as the “pure” wolves and what they can do. I also liked the fact that this world had so many “clinical” aspects to it. By that I mean the fact that there’s research testing being done to those with the Light in their blood. There’s also this concoction that Jace takes to smother his scent as a wolf that I found extremely fascinating. The world, in general, is complex but easy to follow and I found it very interesting.

At the same time, that’s also what I had issues with. Not necessarily the world but how deep we go into it. Since this is a novella, it doesn’t go as deep as I would have liked. For instance, we get brief details on who and what Jace is but I still have a bunch of questions about the Pack of Light but most of all, I’m still left wondering why Jace was unable to sense or speak with his grandmother, which ultimately prompted him to seek her out. Then there’s the whole chemical Jace shoots up with that has me curious. Beyond that, while I enjoyed the story, I felt like it got very predictable and the ending was too fast. I would have liked to explore things further before they came to the conclusion they came to.

All in all, I actually really enjoyed this story. It starts off unique and shows shifters in a slightly different light but then it gets predictable. I really did enjoy the characters, though, including the secondary ones. I sincerely hope there is more to come of this series because I would absolutely love to see Jace’s brother and Merek’s friends finally get their mates. Definitely recommended for those looking for something fun and quick to read.

Nikyta rates it –

BUY LINKS: Loose Id