Genre: Paranormal, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
He’d rather fight enemy wolves and rogue humans than face his own heart.
When Aaron took down a violent, power-crazed wolf and inherited half a pack, he knew being Alpha wasn’t going to be easy. A week later, he’s finding out what an understatement that was. Other werewolves are calling for the extermination of his pack’s gay wolf, or for Aaron’s own death, and the risk of exposure to humans is growing.
Aaron can’t afford to let his long-suppressed sexuality escape his rigid control. When one of his younger wolves is in trouble, it’s simply Aaron’s job as Alpha to help and protect him.
But keeping a cool distance from a young man who appeals to all his senses could be Aaron’s toughest challenge.
This is a rerelease of the 2012 original with light editing. Content warning for substance abuse.
The Review
The second book in the Hidden Wolves Series deals with Aaron, the new alpha to the West Pack, and Zach, a lower wolf. It describes their growing attraction to each other, and what Aaron can do to protect his pack from the other packs who do not accept that a gay wolf should be allowed to live.
The gay wolf in this case is Simon, one of the main characters from Unacceptable Risks, the first book in the series. Aaron has to maintain peace within his pack and try to forge alliances with other packs who would rather the whole gay thing just went away.
As a result of his communications with the packs, Aaron is ‘forced’ to put Simon and Paul, his mate, on the line to prove that a wolf can be in love with a human male and not put all werewolves at risk of discovery. To do this, they must convince the packs that their bond is real and strong. Whatever the outcome, Aaron is sure it will not end there.
The fear of being outed to the human population is another plot linethat Harper covers well in this book. Simon is kidnapped and tortured by a human who is trying to unlock what makes a werewolf tick. How both these issues are resolved creates both allies and enemies for the West pack, if no actual friends.
There’s a lot going on in this book, but it is in no way rushed. The writing is great, and the characters are well developed and believable. I was dying to start on the next book in the series, even before I sat down to write this review. A great addition to the series.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.