Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Cold Moon
SERIES: Wolf Moon Rising Book 4
AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 225 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 8, 2021
BLURB:
An alpha torn apart, his heart stitched back together by the gentle hands of one sweet doctor’s assistant…
Dante Reid has never fit in with his pack of feral, dangerous alphas. He hates his own nature, and his monster of a father makes him question his very DNA. When the Reids leave him bleeding out at the edge of Grove pack lands, it’s their sweater-wearing leader who saves Dante’s life, but in the bright eyes of Doctor Grove’s assistant, Skye, he sees hope for his future, and a place he wishes he could belong.
For all his life, Skye Johnson has been treated like he’s made of china. As the only omega in the Grove pack with a chronic case of the mysterious Condition, his pack is fiercely protective of him. When a strange new alpha arrives in the clinic, the pack circles to keep him safe, but Skye can see more in Dante Reid than his name. And for once, it seems like an alpha might see Skye clearly too, for all that he has to offer and not for his chronic illness.
The condition has already torn apart Skye and Dante’s childhoods, but now the source of that threat rears its head, and wants to take what little they have left. Can they stop the Sterling Corporation and its master before it’s too late?
Cold Moon is a hurt-comfort werewolfy romance with one sad packless alpha searching for himself and a place to belong, one sick omega who’s even more sick of being underestimated, and all the breakfast sandwiches two wolves can eat, even if they are (blech) healthy, in a non-mpreg ABO world.
REVIEW:
Cold Moon is the fourth book in Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes’ Wolf Moon Rising werewolf shifter urban fantasy romance series. It delivers a story even better than the three terrific series entries that came before it. This story centers on the romance between Dante Reid and Skye Johnson.
Before I go any further, I need to give a quick PSA. You need to read this series in order. In my review of Book 3, Hunter Moon, I suggested you could read that book as a standalone, even though I recommended you read the books in order. Having now read Book 4, I am solidly of the view that Cold Moon should not be read as a standalone. This series has a continuing storyline. Cold Moon, in particular, ties back to events that happen in Books 1 through 3 (especially Book 1, Black Moon). So if you haven’t read those books yet, you may want to stop reading here and then return once you’ve caught up.
* * *
At the end of Book 3, Hunter Moon, Brook finds Dante bleeding out on the forest floor, holding on to life by a thread. Dante is the son of Maxim Reid, the competing Reid pack’s alpha. I won’t divulge how Dante came to be lying on that floor dying. However, I will say that the opening scene of Cold Moon is shiver-inducing and absolutely heart-breaking. Dante’s own pack, his family, left him for dead. So now he’s packless and, ironically, being rescued by Dr. Linden Grove, the pack alpha of the Reid’s rival pack, the Groves.
When Dante finally comes to after surgery in the Grove’s clinic, the first thing he sees is the sky blue eyes of Skye, who assists Linden at the clinic. We’ve seen Skye all throughout the series. He is an omega who was born with the Condition so his health has always been a challenge. He diligently follows a dietary regimen developed with Linden and he generally feels well. However, for twenty years, the entire Grove pack has fussed and fretted over him. They treat him like he’s as fragile as an eggshell. They restrict his autonomy. Further, they’ve (perhaps unintentionally) trained into him a belief that he is “defective”. Worse yet, he’s taken from that message that no one would ever want him as their omega.
Dante and Skye have a beautiful romance. These two men are broken and alone in their own ways, but they find strength and commonality in each other. The attraction between them is visceral and undeniable, but they both hold back because of their own emotional scars.
Dante is probably my favorite character of this series so far. The authors continue to spin out these well-written stories with dynamic, multi-dimensional characters. But there’s something about the layers that make up Dante and the trauma he has suffered that makes you want to wrap him up in one of Linden’s hand-knit sweaters and hug him hard.
Skye is an endearing character as well. He is determined and opinionated and utterly tired of being written off as weak and useless. His internal monologuing, while self-deprecating, is written through witty commentary and sarcasm which helps lighten some of the more serious content. The romance between him and Dante is adorable and breathtakingly sweet.
Cold Moon is the most emotionally impactful story of the series so far. A major component of the plot is found family, and that has always been one of the strongest aspects of this series. The authors continue here with excellent world-building and they finally move their creative “Condition” mystery plot forward towards a resolution.
Overall, Cold Moon delivers an engrossing story that will tug on your heartstrings as you fall for two endearing characters in this colorful A/B/O universe. I’m happy to say there is at least one more installment in this series. Bidding farewell to the Grove pack will not be easy so I’m glad to postpone that for as long as possible.
RATING: 
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