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Dad Bod Monster #4

Dad Bod: Wolf Shifter

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Will she still want me once she finds out who I truly am?

PEPPER:

A handsome new neighbor moves in next door, together with his adorable twin sons, arousing my curiosity and other… feelings in me. Strangely though he seems to hate me, even before we actually meet.

Which is too bad, because my daughter Tiff is just as taken with his sons as me.

Things get even stranger when suddenly two wolf cubs appear in my backyard and Tiff begs me to keep them.

GAVIN:

A new town, a new start, a new life. That’s what I wanted, but my gorgeous neighbor is destroying the peace of mind I had hoped to find.

I wanted to give my sons a chance for a normal life, where all three of us can let our dark secrets out without fear of repercussions or prejudice. How was I supposed to know that next door was the home of the most delectable woman I had ever met? Destroying all the peace I was looking for.

It doesn’t help that my sons seem to adore her and her young daughter. But how can we be friends or have a relationship when I need to keep our secret hidden?

The world might know that shifters are real and live among them, but that doesn’t mean they have fully accepted us yet.

317 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2024

246 people are currently reading
279 people want to read

About the author

Bella Blair

54 books208 followers

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5 stars
410 (46%)
4 stars
282 (32%)
3 stars
148 (16%)
2 stars
26 (2%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
Profile Image for Mairi Swan.
519 reviews43 followers
March 2, 2025
This story has a lot of giggles (from the adults...), a helicopter that the interior is more like a private jet (I didn't even know that helicopters can have a separate room as bathroom, is that even a thing?), a yacht (well what decent billionaire doesn't have a helicopter, private jet AND a yacht?), a fast paced love story (like literally in one page he was resented her and the very next he was kissing her like tomorrow never comes).
Profile Image for Amber Gardner.
121 reviews
April 14, 2024
Okay so a yacht, a helicopter, a limousine, a penthouse... what did I forget? Gavin read like a little girl describing her dream man.
Cute story though!
Profile Image for Jesse Gleason.
224 reviews20 followers
March 16, 2024
Omg, Bella knocked it out of the park! I loved it so much! You would never know that this wasn't her normal niche. I am head over heals for Gavin 🥰 the town, the kids, the 'dream life', the fantasy parts, the cinnamon roll alpha, all wrapped up with real 'bodies', it just made it perfect. I'm so excited for the rest of the series!
Profile Image for Meagan Grauel.
704 reviews4 followers
September 4, 2025
This book was just so-so for me. I don't regret reading it and it was a cute enough storyline that I enjoyed it for the most part, but it was a pretty simple story with a simple storyline and there was nothing, no hook, for it to be really memorable in the long run.

It's a story about two single parents who end up living next to each other and eventually fall for one another to create a blended family. There is one catch, our single dad and his two boys are wolf shifters. The MMC is extremely wealthy and feels like he can throw that around in the beginning to bully his single mom neighbor into moving away so he can have all the land for himself and his sons. Even though the property has been in her family for a long ass time and it's paid off, but sure, uproot the mom and her daughter.
Eventually, he gets his head out of his ass and finds out that she's a decent person and they really hit it off and start dating. He hems and haws a fuck ton about how and when to tell her that she's a shifter, but eventually his son is the one who lets the wolf out of the bag during a sleepover. Unsurprisingly, everyone involved takes it well - since being a shifter doesn't actually change anything about how they are as people. So all that worrying for absolutely no reason and the book could have been like 6 chapters shorter. The book even says that some "monsters" are out and known to the world, so the fact that it was as big of a deal as it was seems weird.
So the kids are getting along, their relationship is going well, but at that point in the book, there had been no real conflict. So ... because the women in this book were mostly portrayed as simpering, drool over a man idiots, one of the mom's at their mutual kids' school becomes jealous and won't take no for an answer, despite trying to literally throw herself at the MMC even after the FMC and MMC go public with their relationship. She does some really shady shit and has a menty b and ultimately doesn't get punished but does get shipped off to a mental health spa or some shit. Her plan to get back at the two of them ultimately backfires because the couple ends up moving in together and lightspeeds their relationship forward. HEA, ta da.

Even though the kids and MMC are wolf shifters, it lacked a lot of common shifter elements. Like, his wolf being super protective and alpha-like when he's around the FMC. It even says he's an alpha, he just generally doesn't really act like it. And while I know that it's a different author and everyone will have a different angle on this, in every other shifter book I've read, it's pretty cannon that a wolf can't really be alone - they need a pack or they go feral. So him choosing to be off by himself seems weird. And it's never truly explained why he stays away from his mom and pack that he grew up with, other than some vague reference to a shitty dad. But they end up getting married on her ranch? So that's kind of a convoluted storyline to me.

Also - only like a 1.5/5 on the spice scale. Was anticipating more since there are definitely sex scenes in this book, but they are few and far between and the focus really is on the bland storyline.

Wasn't a bad way to spend my time, reading this book, but I probably won't read any others in the series of "dad bad" books. He didn't even really have a dad bod anyway ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lauren.
528 reviews3 followers
November 1, 2025
This book had some weird continuity errors that were a little distracting. Just in the first 20%: Pepper mentions she kept her exes last name to have the same name as her daughter. Then she’s referring to the men in her family as having that last name- her family members would have her maiden name not her married name. Then when Gavin is making burgers he realizes he forgot to get fries. However, when the burgers are too spicy to eat he suddenly had fries he could make with chicken nuggets to replace the burgers.
Also the wealth/helicopter thing was over the top and made him an unlikable billionaire in my opinion.
Profile Image for Hailey Nawrocki.
130 reviews30 followers
July 23, 2024
okay vibes: COZY CUTE I LOVE IT

other vibes: gavin is way too good to be true but this is fiction so i’ll allow it 😂
Profile Image for Jenn.
1,463 reviews26 followers
June 23, 2024
Eh...

So part of the problem was it was as if the story didn't really know what it wanted to be. Shifters are out but it's also a secret that nobody can know. He's a Shifter and a billionaire which he made by being an architect who grew up with no money?

They've got family land which she won't sell for any reason until she can build a house on a lake on the other side of town. She's got a farm with cows and horses but she never has to feed them and can take off whenever without having someone come care for them.

The friend group has people leaving and still there for the conversation with only 3 out of 5 friends even remotely distinctive.

Now let's talk setting the author doesn't specifically say where this occurs but give the impression it's small town upstate NY around a 3 hour drive from the city. Wouldn't you know I have spent most of my life in this exact vicinity and can say beyond a doubt there's no way the writer has just in the vernacular alone. Nobody who lives upstate ever calls it New York. That's the name of our state. NYC is just the city because in our minds every other city on the planet is a pale comparison or if someone is obtuse we use initials. The other "cities" in this state are referred to by place names because we know there's only one city. If you're anywhere close to Pennsylvania you never actually say the word Pennsylvania, is P.A. as in you say the letters not the state name. And the closer you are to our southern neighbors the more likely you are to call it over the border as if its the division between countries instead of just the state line. Distance is judged only in time and a good road trip is making it in less time than your neighbor did. If someone is using miles they didn't grow up here. Notice if you've actually read this book I'm not at all describing the way the characters within it spoke or behaved because while it's hinted at being upstate New York nobody acts like a real person from Upstate New York.

Upstate New York is filled with farms and cozy little towns and plenty of lakes however no little town in modern society behaves like they're Mayberry looking the other way for arson, assault and harassment without a hell of a lot of corruption which wouldn't be happening for long because the numerous checks and balances for government would be stepping in to fix it. Also little towns in this area don't have career firemen. We have volunteer fire departments where most people work another job and every holiday even had someone standing in the middle of a road with a fireman's boot collecting donations from every passing car. And in real small towns developers are the devil and we don't want chain anything killing the small businesses and charm of our towns no matter how many jobs it might bring in.

Besides needing editing it's like Blair skipped everything to do with write what you know and didn't bother to research what she didn't. It had the potential to be a really cute story. But it wasn't really ready to be released as is.
737 reviews1 follower
did-not-finish
April 13, 2025
DNF 5%. Overly insecure female characters irritate me especially when the author throws in an abusive ex as the reason for the insecurity. I also have a firm no curvy girl romance rule. One other issue is that based on the description of the male lead he doesn't have a dad bod at all unless 6 feet tall and built like a linebacker is what this author thinks a dad bod looks like.

5 pages into this book the female lead gets a picture of the male lead texted to her and thinks that he is exactly her type but he is apparently also exactly the type of a million other women much better looking then she is. This is where the author interjects that she only feels this way because her ex mentally abused her. We then get 2 full pages of the female lead's inner monologue detailing how fat and unattractive she feels, exactly how much weight she needs to lose, her unhealthy eating habits and her excuses for those unhealthy eating habits. Could have done without knowing all of this crap.

We also get several paragraphs about her ex, noting that his new wife is of course thin and had "born" him a son last year. Why this needed to be included I do not know. She doesn't make him pay child support and in return he limits his participation in his daughter's life. Apparently the female lead also stalks him on social media with fake accounts to keep track of him (not because she cares about him) and it took weeks of therapy for her to refer to him as "lousy ass" out loud.

I imagine that the author was using all this to make the main character feel real and relatable but that didn't really work for me. She feels like a caricature not a real person. Given that this all happened in the first 10 pages I am absolutely not going to continue with the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Laura Moylan.
1,545 reviews
March 21, 2024
Penelope, who goes by Pepper, lives on only part of the land that used to be in her family for generations. Times had been tough and they had to sell pieces off. Now, since her cousin Brenda and her husband had moved away from the house ‘next door,’ that land and house had been sold, to someone that seemed to have a lot of money. She was shocked that no one had told her that it had been sold. She didn’t find out until cars went by. So, curious, she grabbed her gardening gear and went outside. She is a single mother, who works for Dr. Norton, the local veterinarian. Tiffany, her daughter, was currently with her mother, so she could get some work done on her day off. Gavin is the man who brought Brenda’s house. He brought it because he wanted his young twin sons to get back to nature. The realtor didn’t tell him about the other house that was so close by. So he had his lawyer try to buy it. OMG totally hilarious. You’ll see. The reason he doesn’t want any close neighbors is because he is a wolf shifter and his preschool twin boys have trouble keeping to their human form. They can do it enough for school, but with everything they can play with in pup form, well, they are adorable. The twins are Liam, who is more sensitive than his brother Finn.

I really like how they go from almost enemies to falling for each other and how Tiff deals with everything. She is so precocious and precious. She made me laugh a lot. How she acts with the twins is just amazing. I had tears in my eyes from how beautiful their interactions were. I hope there are more books in this world.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ellie (On a break, mostly rereading).
797 reviews17 followers
March 21, 2024
Dad Bod: Wolf Shifter is the first book of the series Dad Bod Monster Edition, by Bella Blair. Because seriously, dad bods are hot and it is just so nice having a dad bod sort of guy to swoon for when reading a romance. Certainly makes the character more relatable and attractive to me.

Pepper (full name Penelope) lives in the small town where she grew up. She's a young, single mum to an adorable and outgoing daughter, whose ex is the very definition of dead beat dad. She lives in the old house that has been in her family for generations, along with much of the land surrounding the house. She's basically living in the woods and it seems so picturesque. Her new next door neighbour, Gavin, is a wealthy single dad who has twin sons, and their mother is also the very definition of a dead beat mother. Gavin wants a new start for him and his sons and this new town out near the woods is perfect. After all, he and his sons are also wolf shifters who need space to shift and run around a bit.

There is plenty of drama, it appears that there is someone out to get Pepper and add to that the fact that the group of single mums at the school are all drooling over Gavin. However, I really enjoyed how much we got to see of Pepper and Gavin getting to know each other, forming a friendship before going onto any more permanent kind of attachment. I also enjoyed how their kids interacted with each other, and with Gavin and Pepper. This is a really gentle romance that revolves around family.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Valerie.
71 reviews
April 20, 2024
Why are books with divorce always so bitter?

The story was ok. Every ex in the book was terrible in some way. It was like the author is incredibly bitter about divorce, which was off-putting. Pepper's ex being terrible didn't move the story along. Him showing up and being nasty was just added in unnecessarily and had no effect on the plot whatsoever. Gavin's ex being bothered by him and their kids being shifters made sense as a way to explain why she wasn't in their lives, but Stephen's reappearance could have been left out altogether. Or you know, a normal, healthy coparenting situation could have been written without hurting the story. What's wrong with having two loving dads?

I felt like the Maddie situation was just thrown in there as well. What purpose did it serve to move the plot along or build character development? None.

Basically, the whole story felt like a bunch of half-thought out, bitter ideas thrown together into one story, and I can't honestly say it was good. The twins are cute though, and I liked the portrayal of Gavin as a dad who loves his kids with everything and wants to do right by them but realized he'd made some mistakes.

I am confused why the cover art has him holding cats though. Those don't look like wolf pups AT ALL so I thought cats would play a bigger part of the story than they did. But it also seems like the author has never even seen a picture of a real wolf before based on her descriptions (an adult wolf is WAY bigger than hip high on a grown woman and they don't look like German shepherds).
Profile Image for Debbie Orazi.
1,755 reviews26 followers
April 11, 2024
This was a paranormal shifter romance.

I love this absolutely adorable story. The characters were realistic and relatable. The story was a heartwarming read. Highly recommend.

Penelope/Pepper Madena is a divorced single mother to 6 year old Tiffany. She works as an admin for Dr. Norton the local veterinarian.

Gavin Blackthorn is a divorced single father to 4 year old twins Liam and Finn. He is a wealthy architect and wolf shifter.

They met after he bought the house next door. He desperately wants to purchase her house so they can have more privacy. His lawyer makes repeated calls to her with larger offers as incentive to sell but she declines. Gavin acts cold towards her. One of the other single mothers, Maddie, decides she wants to date Gavin but he is not interested. Pepper's ex comes over asking her to get back with him and starts harassing her, Gavin shifts and scares him away. Pepper finds Tiff playing in the backyard with two wolf puppies and Gavin says they are his and must have escaped their kennel. Gavin and Pepper start dating and he pulls out all the stops. Maddie threatens Pepper accusing her of stealing her boyfriend and sets fire to Pepper's house. Pepper and Tiff move in with Gavin and the boys. Gavin gets involved in a local housing development and builds them a custom home. They get their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Curvy Girl Book Nerd   (Jen S).
4,657 reviews62 followers
April 21, 2024
Dad Bod: Wolf Shifter is Book 1 of the Dad Bod Monster Edition series. It's a steamy, OTT, enemies-to-lovers, age-gap, curvy girl gets her billionaire wolf shifter romance. Penelope (Pepper) is a single curvy mom in her mid twenties. She has a 6 year old daughter, Tiffany, and works at the local vet clinic. Gavin is a hunky wolf shifter in his mid thirties rocking a sexy dad bod. He is an architect and single dad to 4 year old twins, Finn and Liam. When Gavin buys the farm house next to Pepper's, he is determined to buy her out and own both properties. He is continually rude to her even though the two are clearly attracted to each other. But as they spend time together, the attraction grows, and he feels bad for initially being a jerk. Both had ex's who didn't want to be parents, but these two love their kids and are attracted to that in each other as well. They begin dating, and their chemistry is hot 🔥 hot 🔥 hot 🔥. But what happens when he tells her that they are wolf shifters? Will she stay or go?? This was such a sweet story. The two were clearly attracted to one another, and Gavin was totally swoon-worthy, showing Pepper what a queen she was. They were so loving with their children, and the families blending was beautiful. What a great ending! This was my first book by this author, and I absolutely loved it!! I can't wait to read more books in this series!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for bobamami.
253 reviews15 followers
May 10, 2024
This was alright.

Wasn’t as bad as the reviews said, I was scared tbh and kinda braced myself for the worst but surprisingly, it turned out to be pretty decent.

Everything was nice and I think the storyline flowed well with plenty of interesting and engaging details and events.

However, I didn’t really like how they went from being strangers/ semi enemies frenemies to sickly in love in the span of, idk, 5 seconds or so, definitely more but it felt so fast, way too fast for my liking.

Where was the tension? The yearning? The push and pull, cat and mouse game? I didn’t see any of that. The MMC started off as this brand new flashy mysterious single dad in a small town whose actions towards the FMC were either glaring or scowling, then suddenly bam he was all
“You’re so beautiful”,
“Can I kiss you?”.
Like I get that they were interested in each other but their interactions so far (up to that point) weren’t enough for them to reach that stage yet.

Moreover, there was a lacking of this whole paranormal shifter element, which, I’d say, played a pretty huge role in this book but was so briefly mentioned and explained, that I was a bit lost and confused here and there.

Overall, this wasn’t that bad but unfortunately wasn’t that good either. It was okay, quick and easy to read and I still enjoyed it a lot, just wish that there was more depth and the storyline was developed more.
Profile Image for Lisa H.
769 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2024
This book is SOOOO many feels. The ooey gooey smexy vibes, with heat, passion, heart, compassion, love for each other and kids, and a DANG good read!!

I loved reading the story that develops between Pepper and Gavin. These two are burning up the pages. They might be somewhat stand offish, but Pepper can't figure out why.

Gavin has good reason for wanting his space after moving to the small town and wanting a better life for his 4 year old sons. He also wants a place where he and his sons can learn to shift and grow in peace. At first he thinks he needs Pepper and her daughter to just move. He had no idea her family had been there for generations, and her family BUILD his house!

I loved how when they finally let a wall down, it was overwhelming passion, heat and heart. I loved as they got to know each other, both having such devotion to their kids first and foremost. They didn't rush into....well EVERYTHING, but took time to get to know each other all the time watching their kids get together.

I found the romance and sexiness in high dad bod top scorers of all time! this book gives you a little bit of everything, a touch a a few wolf shifters, and the people they grown to love them.

you will NOT regret picking up this book, and sinking into a chair that you can't leave until you finish!!!!
Profile Image for Carole.
2,094 reviews16 followers
April 10, 2024
Author Bella Blair has written a wonderful story that captures the essence of family love, and romance.
MMC Gavin Blackthorn, wolf shifter who along with his twin little boy shifters Finn and Liam have moved onto a farm property next door to resident Penelope (Pepper) Madena, and her young daughter Tiffany, onto land which was once owned by her family.
Gavin is a wealthy wolf alpha who gave up pack leadership to make his way in the human world, and now desiring a quiet place to raise, and enjoy his children where they can have the privacy to shift without dealing with any consequences.
Having relocated to the country he is now determined to own Pepper’s property too, wanting no neighbors to disturb his families peace. But Pepper isn’t about to sell her family home which causes some consternation between them though she isn’t yet aware Gaven is the one seeking to buy it.
It doesn’t take too long for attraction for each other to win the day as they circumvent a few speed bumps from outside forces stirring things up. Yet through it all their bond remains firm as it grows even when Gaven’s secrets are revealed.
Excellent writing with engaging characters that pulled out all the stops on emotional feels, both good and bad, this story was a very satisfying 10 star read!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Toni.
2,390 reviews24 followers
April 13, 2024
PEPPER js home when she sees a construction truck come by. Her cousin's old house must have sold. She was going to clean her house but decided to do some gardening to check out the new owner. Her friend texts her and sends a pic of the new owner. H-O-T! She is a single mother. She works for a vet.
GAVIN is an architect who has burned out. After taking a good look at his life he needed to make a change. He's the father of twin boys. His wife left him when the boy's were 8 months old. He had nannies until he realized that most of the pack nannies wanted to snag him. Once they realized he was an alpha without a pack and not in the market for another Mrs, they left. He has his realtor constantly calling Pepper offering her money and more money for her property. She isn't biting. He wants all the land near his property so he and his boys can roam as wolves when they want. He wants no near neighbors. But there is something there that has him unnerved when he is near her. Then he saves her from her ex as a wolf.
They start to get to know each other. This mostly from how Pepper responds to his sons. She can even tell them apart. When her ex comes by and starts to manhandle her he rescues her.
Will they get together? Why is his wolf so insistent on her?
A cute story!!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
3,025 reviews30 followers
March 27, 2024
4.25 stars. Pepper, the female human lead, is surprised to find she and her daughter have new neighbours moving into the property next door after it’s been vacant since her cousin moved out. Gavin, the male billionaire wolf shifter lead, is shocked to find a neighbour so close to the property he bought out of town so he and his boys could shift at will.

But they soon find they have chemistry, their children enjoy each other, and Pepper is not upset that Gavin is a wolf shifter. Now they just need other people to mind their own business and let them live the good life together.

This story is dual POV, well written, and a fun contemporary fantasy romance; a little off brand for the author but the story I have most enjoyed from her in a long while. I appreciated Pepper’s pursuit of a good life for her daughter in straitened circumstances, given her abusive ex’s abandonment. I enjoyed Gavin’s immediate and constant encouragement of Pepper, and the work he put into rebuilding her self esteem. I enjoyed their steamy intimate scenes. I enjoyed the way their children were an active part of their relationship and its development. I appreciated the setting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michelle Frater.
1,753 reviews20 followers
April 8, 2024
Straying from her usual sci-fi romances, Bella has decided to dabble in the paranormal genre, but with a refreshing twist. I loved the fact that Pepper had no clue Gavin was a shifter until way into the book, which gives her a chance to get to know the man (and his sons) before she realizes there’s more to him than meets the eye. Unfortunately, Gavin seems to resent her on sight, which both confuses and saddens her. I loved the slow burn as Gavin begins to see how great Pepper is with kids and animals, but he’s still worried about how she will react when she discovers his secret given the way he was rejected by his ex. Despite their shaky start, Gavin was a wonderful, supportive boyfriend with two adorable four-year-old twins, who hadn’t quite mastered this shifting business, which makes for some “hairy” moments. It was heartwarming how they bonded with Pepper’s daughter Tiff virtually from the start. I also loved how Gavin slowly built up Pepper’s self-esteem, which had been badly shaken by her ex-husband. The shocking move by Pepper’s (former) friend Maddie, who was jealous of her relationship with Gavin, left me reeling, though the outcome only solidified the relationship between Gavin and Pepper.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Karen Nastasio.
2,661 reviews19 followers
April 20, 2024
This was a brilliant book and I loved all the characters and the parts they played where well written and the storyline was perfect. Penelope Madena (Pepper) is a single mum to daughter Tiffany (Tiff) who has sold off some of her families land and now there is a new neighbor who is gorgeously hot moving in with twin boys that are so cute and tiff already likes them but there dad seems to be a bit rude and standoffish at first and this puts Pepper off. Gavin Blackthorn is a wolf shifter as are his twin boys Finn and Liam and wanted more for his boys so he left his leadership of the pack for a quiet life among the humans on a property that they can roam without any issues in there wolf form now they are moving in when he meets his new neighbor Pepper who is sexy as sin and her daughter Tiffany who his boys like straight away but all he wants is her land to have totally privacy but she wont sell. As they get to know each other and a relationship grows his secret and that of his sons comes out and now he is worried she will walk away. How does it all pan out in the end get this book to find out.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Bookish Bowen.
844 reviews10 followers
February 26, 2025
3.5⭐️
🌶🌶
Vibes
- Fine

Lone Wolf and his pups
I was with this book until the first time Gavin and Pepper had sex. It lost me at the word "loins" in the middle of a sex scene. I'm not someone that is usually fazed by the terminology used in sex scenes but that was a choice. Then I started to notice other things, like the inability to find a synonym for "nicest". I get that he's a wolf shifter and wolves are essentially big dogs but I wasn't here for the anti-cat propaganda (I am very bias about this) The ending was predictable The kids were cute and it was a decent enough read to turn my brain off for and evening.

Tropes
-Shifter
-Neighbours
-Single Parent
-Plus Size
-Billionaire
-Small Town
-Hidden Identity (sort of, she doesn't know he's a shifter)
-No 3rd Act Break Up
747 reviews4 followers
March 29, 2024
This was a great story! It was written with a different perspective than other shifter books. Gavin is a very successful architect who gives up big city life to start over in a small town where he can raise his 4-year-old twin sons with room to run and play. They move next door to Pepper, a single mom that works in a vet office, who has a 6-year-old daughter. The kids instantly bond first, which causes Gavin and Pepper to spend more time together. It is a beautiful story about single parenthood, merging families, slow burn love, small town living, dealing with emotions from the past, and of course, shifters.

The author does a good job developing the characters and the complexities of single parenting in a small town, the emotional aftermath of divorce, and finding love again. The reveal of Gavin’s family being shifters was unexpectedly funny. This was my first book by Bella Blair, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
92 reviews7 followers
April 15, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥
Darkness Level: 🤍
Heat Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Genre: Paranormal Romance
POV: Dual
Ending: HEA

This was such a great story! I really enjoyed the combination of tropes in this book. Small town romance, with both MCs being single parents, throw in an abusive ex and shifters (including 2 adorable shifter little boys), and it really was magic. I have read some of Bella Blair’s alien romance, and loved those as well, so I was not surprised by how much I enjoyed her writing in this book. The focus is definitely on our couple, but we get enough with all the side characters that the story really feels fleshed out. It’s sweet, but with some angst. Overall, just a great read and I highly recommend it!

I received a copy of the book from the author, but my review is entirely voluntary and honest.

My shelves/tags might be considered spoilers, so look at your own risk!

Tropes: single parent, neighbor, small town, grumpy/sunshine, jerk/hidden feelings, rich/poor
Kinks: n/a
TW: domestic abuse (historic), assault, pregnancy
Profile Image for Spinneretta.
2,874 reviews20 followers
April 21, 2024
Good

Pepper Madena is the single mother to a six year old girl. Her new neighbour, attractive billionaire Gavin Blackthorn, has a pair of four year old twin sons.
As a wolf shifter, Gavin wants privacy for his small family to roam in their furry shapes, so he’s not entirely thrilled at the proximity of Pepper and her daughter. That being said, he does find her attractive, and when spark fly he begins to wonder if she might just be the woman he’s looking for.

Pepper is a divorcée, and her past experience with me hasn’t been the happiest. Gavin is like a breath of fresh air to her, and she’s immediately smitten with him and his boys.
Likewise, Gavin has had a bad experience of his own, and Pepper is refreshingly different.
It’s an enjoyable read, seeing how these two fall for each other, and I liked the fact that the romance was sweet and without too much internal dramatics! There’s still some steamy encounters, but for the most part this is an enjoyable, light-hearted romance.
It’s a fun read for monster hero and PNR lovers.
624 reviews8 followers
April 24, 2024
Not good

H: Gavin Blackthorn
h: Penelope Madena Aka Pepper
Gavin is a lone alpha with twin 5yrs old boys. He decided to spend more time with them by moving from the city to a farm. Thinking that they would have plenty of privacy. He was never told that his next door neighbor shared the land. Pepper is a single mom with a 6yr old daughter. Gavin wanted her land and told his lawyer to make it happen. The lawyer kept harassing her into selling. So  few things I stopped reading at 65% and nothing really happened. Gavin finally gave in to his needs and is following it through. Pepper is just too perfect other than their constant talk about their weight (both of them) but not doing anything to make a change. So she finds out that it was Gavin that tried to buy her out of her house and she forgives him, then the next day she finds out they are shifters and she is "okay" with that. This story is just too nice. There is no obstacle for them to pass through. I will stop right there. 
Profile Image for Evelyn Dotson.
2,071 reviews16 followers
April 11, 2024
Pepper is a single mom living on the ranch she grew up in. Her ex was a controlling man who made her confidence spiral downward before leaving him. She watched as a new neighbor moved into the house next door that used to be in her family. Gavin is a single father and wolf shifter of twin boy shifters. He is an architect who made his goal early in life. He wanted the property next door so they could have privacy, at any price!

When he finally meets Pepper, he is rude to her. When her ex pops up one night coming on to her, Gavin saves her. Here is where they finally get to start getting to know one another. They hit it off instantly and start to date. One of her lifelong friends is very mad about his fact. Between the ex and her mad friend, things will start occurring that could ruin a potential relationship. What about the fact Gavin still has to tell her about his family’s secret? Will they stay together in the end?
Profile Image for Leah.
182 reviews28 followers
March 18, 2024
( ARC Review )

I am a huge fan of shifter romances they make me all warm and fuzzy inside!!

This was too sweat not to read! At the beginning it really does give you grump/sunshine vibes.
I really enjoyed the plot.. it flowed so nicely! It had smut which, hello, yes please.
Such a good contrast, the shifter aspect wasn’t overly dramatized but I actually loved that. It wasn’t solely focused on the fantasy side.
You get to enjoy the relationship building and the storyline whilst having a little bit of fur involved!!

It really stole my heart in one of the scenes with the twins.. I just aww. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, definitely a nice comfort read.

Brilliant read! Quick and just so enjoyable. If you’re looking for something with fantasy, but that isn’t dark like most. This is the book for you!
Profile Image for Shandra.
36 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2024
Solid 4 1/2 stars
This was my first read by Bella Blair, and I'm happy to say that I found another paranormal romance author to follow. Gavin was a big jerk at first, but his behavior can be forgiven because Trying to protect his 2 little boys. Nice DILF energy. 😂 Pepper just wanted to protect herself and her daughter from poor relationship choices. I was really happy that I didn't figure out what was going to happen beforehand. It was nice not have a totally predictable story line. I don't think it's a spoiler addressing the fact that her ex is an a-hole and causes problems for everyone. Ignoring the fact that Gavin is a wolf shifter, the story wasn't ridiculously unbelievable. The side characters provided depth to the story.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Deb.
398 reviews2 followers
April 8, 2024
This was Gavin and Peppers story and I found both characters quite likeable and well suited for each other though they did start out somewhat as enemies and Gavin as kind of an less likeable character when he was trying to purchase Peppers land. It took a bit for them to warm up to each other and trust each other. Gavin is a well to do wolf shifter/architect looking for a place to raise his two young sons where they would be close to nature and can shift. Pepper is a human with a young daughter living in a house that has been in her family for generations and doesn't want to sell. She has an abusive ex that pops in to cause problems as well a a "friend" complicating her developing a relationship to Gavin as well. I found the story quite engaging and well worth reading. I suggest you check it out.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
9 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2024
"Dad Bod: Wolf Shifter" is a fun and spicy read that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last. Pepper and Gavin's story is a rollercoaster of emotions, packed with humor, steamy moments, and a touch of mystery.

Pepper's sassy attitude and Gavin's brooding charm make for a delightful dynamic, while their kids add an extra layer of chaos and cuteness to the mix. The banter between the characters feels genuine and relatable, drawing you deeper into their world.

The overall plot is engaging and keeps you eagerly turning the pages. Whether you're a fan of paranormal romance or just looking for a light-hearted escape, it delivers the perfect blend of romance and supernatural intrigue. So grab a copy, cozy up with your favorite snack, and get ready for a wild ride!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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