Growing up in one of the most blood purity conscious wolf packs in the US, Evelyn, a half-blooded wolf is subjected to abuse and torment on a daily basis. Trusting no one, Evelyn lives a lonely life of solitude, dreaming of the day when she can leave pack life and live under the radar with humans. But could a trip to the Wolfsbane pack in Oregon change everything?
My Review
I love how the author started the book by highlighting significant milestones in a wolf shifter’s life and why they are essential. I love how she includes some history of wolf shifters. This book needs a trigger warning. There is a lot of violence and bullying.
We learn that our character is a half-breed with no wolf yet. Her name is Evelyn, and she is very abused in high school and at home at her pack. She has some special abilities but not the ones she should have. She gets bullied because she is different even though she is part of the beta family.
The beta family heads to Wolfsbane, Oregon. It’s kinda amazing that she finds her mate and with it gets really shy. The new pack in Oregon seems to be extraordinary compared to her old one. Aiden, her new mate, is something else. I feel bad for the main character. She is so emotionally and mentally damaged from the years of abuse at her old pack. I do love how the author added in some new magic for her.
This book so far has been a YA romance, not much steamy anything. I love that it isn’t an instant love story; instead, the characters have their own reservations and thoughts and don’t let the mate bond control them. Of course, even in the new Oregon pack, the author included a character you love to hate.
A lot of twists happen once her story gets out to the Oregon pack. She also discovers her magic and a family she never had. This book is very intriguing.
The author does keep things very young adult. Even with the trigger items in the story, they aren’t overly described. This story gets interesting as justice is served, and she starts to adapt to her new life and mate. Even her family life improves. She becomes a real heroine in a time of need, and I’m surprised by the strength she shows. This book ends happily but at a heavy price.
I really enjoyed this story and how it developed. I love that our main character was broken, and it took a whole family plus some to help her overcome. I love that justice was served, but in the end, they still got to fight. I love that despite her past, she moved on to a better future, and yes, she embraced it slowly. I love how much Aiden is the perfect boyfriend, not pressuring her and truly loving her. I love that the author added other paranormal, so this wasn’t just another young adult mate story. This book does get graphic by the end for violence so beware it is coming even though the story seems to be very muted down. This book is about justice, healing, and compassion.
I look forward to reading more from this author. I did notice the next book has different main characters, so I will most likely skip it and go ahead and not finish this series as it drives me nuts when there are huge time gaps and different characters. But I did really enjoy the complexity of this first book and the originality of it.
If you would like to read Wolfsbane Evelyn & Aiden by Bethany Shay Porteous you can find it on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.
If you like this book and would like to find stories similar to it you can see a variety with these tags and categories Young Adult, Paranormal, Witches, and Wolfshifters.
Read-Love-Review 