Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Warrior Wolf and His Little Lamb
SERIES: Pariah Pack #3
AUTHOR: Susan Laine
PUBLISHER: Siren Publishing
LENGTH: 110 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 23rd, 2016
BLURB:
As an epsilon, Rhys Gunner represents his werewolf pack’s law and order. He’s an ex-military man with a straightforward style and strong values to offset his beastly nature. One day his alpha tells him to search for new land to annex into their pack’s territory in order to accommodate their growing numbers.
On a nearby farm and bakery, Rhys meets a flock of sheep shifters. One of them, Heath Sheppard, turns out to be Rhys’s mate. But the black sheep of the family is not so keen on becoming a wolf’s mate—and he’s got a girlfriend, so he’s not gay.
By ancient werewolf law, a mate’s land becomes the property of the wolf pack. That would mean that the Sheppard Farm and Bakery belongs to Rhys’s pack. When the flock learns of this injustice, a feud ignites between wolves and sheep. Ranks begin to crack as loyalties get divided. Is all really fair in love and war?
REVIEW:
I’m going to be completely honest here, I read this blurb and felt my face settle into a look of judgmental disbelief. Sheep shifters? Seriously? Could there be a less sexy animal? They’re round, greasy, purportedly stupid, and can often be seen with poopy wool hanging below their butts. But this request for a review came through at just the right time, because I’m currently on a cheesy shifter book binge, so I figured that I’d give it a go.
So now I feel the need to apologize to Susan Laine, whose books I have enjoyed in the past. I stand by my first impression that this story could easily have turned ridiculous, but instead, the author produced a well written novella, the only cheesiness in sight being the abundance of wolf and sheep jokes used throughout the story.
Rhys is part of the Pariah Pack, headed by Alpha Max and so named because they are made up of wolves who either didn’t fit with their birth packs or were rejected by them for one reason or another. Rhys’s role in the pack is basically to ensure that law and order prevails, and he’s damn good at what he does. While out on a mission to locate available land for the pack to expand into, he pays a visit to his favourite local bakery, which is owned by a flock of sheep shifters. The flock and the pack have happily existed in proximity for years, although visits to the bakery are pretty much the extent of their mingling. But on this particular day, Rhys smells something much more enticing than pies and pastries. He smells his mate, whom he tracks down and discovers in bed with a female. A girlfriend. And from this point the drama begins.
I liked the way that the author wrote the two main characters in this story. From the title I was expecting a big strong wolf and a timid little lamb, but both of these men were either more than that stereotype, or not even that at all. While Rhys is physically huge and strong and intimidating, his personality tempers that image with thoughtfulness and kindness. He’s perhaps too loyal to the pack that is his family, but when it comes down to it, he acts in a way that he believes is just and fair. His patience with his mate added further depth to this character and I enjoyed reading his sense of humor. On the other hand, there was nothing “little lamb” like about Heath. Strong, proud and stubborn are probably the first three words that come to mind. He was written as a perfect partner to Rhys, but still, the author didn’t make it too easy for them.
Considering this book only came in at just over a hundred pages, I think Susan Laine did a great job of really developing both of her main characters, giving us a bunch of interesting secondary characters and still providing an attention-grabbing plot, which was rather fast paced, but wasn’t missing any important details.
There were a couple of niggles that I feel worth a mention. I mentioned the wolf/sheep puns previously. A couple are funny, but after a while, enough was enough. There really were just too many included, especially during the sex scenes. Also, I guess it is an editing problem, but I’d randomly find words missing from sentences. Usually I wouldn’t bother to mention it but it kinda pained me because I absolutely loved this line – Guess he was about to find out just <how> gay he could be with his male mate. And the “how” was missing. If you’re going to deliver a notable line, then you need to ensure that all of the words are there.
This is book #3 in the Pariah Pack but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. That’s how I read it. But I think now I really need to go back and read the first book, because I want to find out how the big bad alpha met his bunny mate.
RATING: 
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