Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: What is Not in a Name
SERIES: Wolves of Stone Ridge
AUTHOR: Charlie Richards
PUBLISHER: eXtasy
LENGTH: 113 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2022
BLURB:
Out of the Cage: When a law officer moves to a small town for a new start, the last thing he expects is coming face to face with the mystical.
If Goliath Dickman hadn’t had the most loving and supportive parents he could ever imagine—and he’s seen plenty of depravity during his years on the force—he would have thought his parents hated him. After all, how could they have named him what they did? Goliath would never tarnish the memory of his beloved mother by saying such a thing out loud, however. So when the opportunity arises, he transfers to a deputy position in a small town.
After losing his temper on the first day—thank goodness they’d been understanding guys—Goliath asks the others to call him Ollie, and he settles in at his new place in his new town. He runs across Earl Raukus at a local restaurant and finds himself enamored with the pretty, brown-eyed blond. Unfortunately, Goliath spots Earl laughing and chatting with a black-haired guy across the room, and his hopes are dashed.
Imagine Goliath’s confusion when Earl continues flirting with him. Uncertain, he switches to his default—he clams up, responding curtly. Confused by the hurt that fills Earl’s eyes, Goliath tracks him down… and discovers something the town can’t possibly want getting out. Could the world of shifters truly be real, and what would be his place within it?
REVIEW:
Note: While this is number 60 in this series it can be read as a stand alone.
Poor Goliath! Stuck with what sounds like a fake porn star name, he’s anxious to start over in Stone Ridge after a dozen years on the force in Nashville. His fist day doesn’t go so well thanks to someone making a crack about his name. So he asks everyone to call him Ollie. He just can’t deal with the teasing.
Ollie is out to dinner and he’s very attracted to his waiter, Earl. He’s thinking of asking him out, but then he sees him being all cozy with another patron at the bar and wrongly assumes that the man is Earl’s boyfriend and that he’s just a flirt 🙁 He acts all cool to Earl afterwards, which really disappoints Earl, because Earl is a shifter and he knows Goliath is his mate.
Goliath realizes that he may have misread the situation and so he decides to track Earl down and apologize. One his way to do that, he seems something amiss. He discovers what he thinks are poachers with a tranquilized wolf, but then as he watches, he sees the wolf is much more than a wolf – and that it’s Earl! Surprisingly, he remains calm and waits for backup since he’s already called Declan, the head “Park Ranger” to tell him about the poachers 😉
Needless to say Earl has a lot to explain to Goliath. Goliath is a bit skeptical, but he definitely is feeling the mate bond. However, there is some trouble with one of Earl’s coworkers who is intent on getting Earl fired and getting Goliath for herself – despite being told that he is with Earl. She can’t leave well enough alone and it seems she is trying to make trouble for Goliath too at his work! Of course the pack is having none of it 😀
This is a fun addition to this series. I laughed out loud several time at Goliath and his experiences with his name. As someone who went to school with classmates named Spencer Tracy, Tom Sawyer, Sandy Beach and Violet Blossom, I can imagine the hell he went through. I was impressed that he stayed so calm in being introduced to the paranormal world 🙂 One tine glimpse of Prier/Jared – I always want more! The drama llama got what was coming to her, so that made me happy too! If you’re a fan of this series, you’ll enjoy this quick read and story of these fated mates.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
eXtasy