The Reader and the Wolf

by Keri Boberry

Iris came to Baltimore to attend the most anticipated event in the bookish community. In a room with talent artists, authors, and like-minded fans, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Declan hated being stuck indoors filling in for his cousin on the Supernatural Council. He would rather be anywhere but in this hotel. But when a surprising run-in occurs in the gender neutral restrooms adjacent to the convention space, they both discover that there's more than meets the eye.

The Reader and the Wolf is a M/F paranormal/monster romance in a contemporary setting where magic is real and supernatural creatures hide in plain sight. It features a human/non-human romantic pairing and multiple open door scenes.

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2026

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun novella that reads as a love letter to book con folks (and specifically one particular book convention). I don’t know if it has mass appeal but as the target audience, I was giggling and kicking my feet through most of it. I snort laughed at the Sabrina Cross cameo and just in general had a good time.

**I received an eARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. **

[Heather Close · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun! If you’ve attended or are planning to attend a certain book con in Baltimore around May, you absolutely have to read this! It captures the con atmosphere really well and answers the question of what happens if you met a wolf shifter in the bathroom 😂 Excellent debut and just a good time!

Thank you to the author, Keri Boberry, for an advance copy. All opinions are my own!

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable short and sweet novella! I loved the banter between all the characters and I especially enjoyed the MC’s inner dialogue. It was a bit of a slow burn for being under 100 pages but still really enjoyable and definitely worth the slow burn wait.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
MF (Shifter x human)
Scent match
Slow burn
Knøtting

Key words:
Shifter, mates, monster, spicy, convention, books, fate, fae, slow burn, novella, kindle unlimited

[Nymphie (Cynthia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the story is a cute idea. Wolf shifter meets human in costume and mistakes her for fae, chaos ensues. It’s cute and silly from the outside, but it doesn’t have much substance or chemistry. The writing style was also very basic, almost middle-grade.

[Kate Brasington · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨

AHHHH THIS IS KERI’S DEBUT NOVEL 😭😭💗💗
I loved how this starts at literally monster erotica con and how Sabrina cross is the fairy smut mother in this book as well as the FMC’s guide to what’s going on
Imagine finding out shifters are real and this guy persuing you is a wolf shifter?! That’s what happens to our FMC. And then it is up to her to decide if she is ready to be “In the Know” of paranormal folks in the human world.
I loved how the MMC was so patient with the FMC!! This is a sweet and spicy novella! If you are looking for a shifter romance to add to your TBR The Reader and the Wolf releases March 1st! Thank you Keri for sending me an early copy 🥲🥲

[Crawrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so sweet and funny.
The story is fast paced, easy to read and heartwarming. I really loved how patient and loving Declan is, and how Iris deal with everything. And I really liked the side characters. Love how they're so warm and helping, and I lost count over how many times I think they're sighing over Declan😂 Also loved he spice! It was good mix between spice, love and humour.

It was difficult putting down the book, and at the same time I didn't want it to end. I could've easily read 100 more pages!

I got this book for free as I'm an ARC reader, for an honest review.

[Kathryn Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an absolute delight to read! I had so much fun with this book!! I read it in one sitting, it had me hooked from the start. The story is fun and flirty with just the right amount of spice, but so down to earth and such an awesome tribute to the Romantasy/Supernatural/Monster book community!

[Batty Squeaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read!  A world kept secret from the mundanes but also sort of right in front of them.  People coming together in unexpected ways and a pesky who has a weird amount of power…


Has some very tongue in cheek jokes about readers and some of the thropes which I loved!


This is a quick read with fun characters and a bit of drama (will they/won’t they).  Pacing on it was great and the spice was smacking  


Loved this read! 

[Amanda Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iris and Declan

This is such a cute story and very well written. It is on the shorter side but it isn’t short on plot. The couple get a great relationship ARC with a HEA. There is a bit of spice thrown in as well for good measure. If only book cons could supply supernatural boyfriends in real life.

[BethAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story made me happy! I couldn't stop smiling and giggling while reading this book. I even saved the motivational speech Iris gave herself for myself later. Author Keri had her characters use unique and interesting decriptions in the book. "I'm a little sparkly (because I refuse to sweat)" Her characters felt so real and I loved getting into the characters heads thanks to the dual POV. If you're looking for a good, spicy supernatural love story, you've found it.

Please make sure to check the Trigger Warnings in the beginning of the book.

[balayageandbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok did I totally geek out when I realized that this book included a book convention in Baltimore…yes.
Was I kicking and squealing with joy when I realized that it was a “very close description“ of my favorite book convention I’ve ever attended…. yes, yes i did.
I seriously am in shock that this was this author’s first book!
The way she flawlessly entwined these two characters and their stories.
The FMC, is a true monster f—ker at heart and a total sweetheart that dreams of her very own monster sweeping her off of her feet!
The MMC, is a tall drink of wolf shifter who is a bit of a loner but is an absolute teddy bear when it comes to his scent match.
I loved all the little funny moments…. Whether it was a pop in from a very persistent fae friend or their internal monologues…I found myself cracking up.
And of course these two had such intense chemistry… I loved the scent match dynamic.
But I really just enjoyed how these two characters had this unique start to their relationship…despite being so drawn to one another they took this natural route and got to know each other outside of the primal aspect of being fated mates.
It made their chemistry that much more intense when they finally gave into their desire for each other!
And the fun mail the FMC received from their fae friend had me cracking up!
It was sweet and spicy… and a really fun little read!

*I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that the way this author has the FMC describe this little Monster loving community is so on point…
I have truly never meant a more supportive and kinder group of individuals!

[Puppets & Paperbacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ARC read

This is a shifter-romance story so please make sure you know what that means before reading. This is also a spicy story.

This is 100% a beautiful ode to Monster Erotica and all the authors who are part of the Sentient Object and Monster romance genre.

It has a beautiful Easter egg? Not sure that’s what it is, but…crossover? Also not sure if that’s what it is, but just know the authors of these genres will now be heavily questioned about whether or not they are human. That’s all I am saying.

If you’ve never gone to a book convention this would be a great book to read just to be in the vibe of one. If you’ve never been to Monster Erotica or if you’ve gone and want to live in that space again this book will also be one you’ll want to read.

It starts out in the book convention and then relocated to their respective house once the convention is over. It’s here when these two characters start to become more vocal about their feeling for each other oh and when Declan, the MMC spills about being a wolf-shifter.

This is a fated mates, HEA story that gets spicy and of course involves a knot 😏

It’s cute and Iris is a very experience monster romance reader, so don’t worry. She can handle herself when she learns the truth.

This is a quick, sweet read

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!

I've really been loving a book-con setting, and honestly it was so perfect in this story.

* Bookcon
* Knotting
* Slutty Little Glasses
*Sunshine x Sunshine
* Werewolf x Monster Romance Girlie

There's a conference for supernaturals happening at the same hotel as the book-con....so as you can imagine it's very hard to tell who is what, since all the book-con girlies are dressed up. This presents a very cute and entertaining mix-up between our MC's.

Honestly just the concept was so fun......'She's a monster romance girlie....is she receptive to....real life monsters?'

LOVED the casual Sabrina Cross cameo! And knowing low key everyone in the acknowledgements was kind of such a hoot.

The writing style was pretty simple, so don't expect flowery prose or anything. It's a novella, so plot is straight forward, but somehow despite the concept it retains some realism. The reactions and behaviors seemed pretty believable to me.

The MC's were both sweet, and the side characters (especially Sabrina!) were 👌.

I definitely want to read the sequel that she's planning.

If you want a nice easy palate cleanser with humor maybe look into this one ~

[Tonika · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolutely sweetest coziest quick read I have read to date. The plot is original, and not something I have come across yet.

Iris and Declan are adorably cute together, with a meet-cute of gender neutral washroom for a monster spicing convention. With the lovely intervention by a well meaning but pushy fairy Iris is able to come through it for the betterment of everyone involved.

Some of the quips in this book are legendary and will be added into my vocab immediately such as:
“b - itchT!ts”
“I’m a little sparkly (because I refuse to sweat)”

absolutely glorious and made me question why I never said these before - missed opportunity for me.

And when Iris and Declan finally get together the spice was absolutely spicing.

Key points in no particular order:
- supernaturals
- werewolf MMC
- monster erotica convention
- Human FMC
-

[Keeks · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received an eARC copy and these are my honest thoughts**

This had such a fun premise: a book convention + supernatural council drama + monster romance? I was in immediately. I really enjoyed the concept of magic existing quietly alongside the human world.

The tone was light and playful, and it was a fast read. Iris figuring out the supernatural world (especially with Sabrina Cross involved) was one of my favorite parts. The trope commentary moments were cute and felt very genre-aware.

For me, personally, the romance didn’t fully hook me. It takes quite a while for anything to really happen between Iris and Declan, and even though I love a slow burn, this one felt a bit stretched. I wanted a little more emotional pull to really root for them.

Overall, this was a sweet, quick paranormal read. For a debut novel, it’s a sweet start!

[Nicole B West · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. I saw a Goodreads friend do an arc for it, so I looked up the blurb and was so excited to read it. Unfortunately it's not really what's promised. The first half is the blurb but the second half just drags. He tells her he's a super natural and she basically ghosts him for a month plus, just randomly texting him to ask a question or two and then leaving him on read. I wanted to like them but they had no chemistry and I found Iris rude. Also, they hadn't even so much as kissed at the 70% mark. I get that it's a short read, but come on. The single most interesting character in the whole book was Sabrina Cross.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC READER**
This was an adorable dream that I feel like all monster readers have tucked away In their mind! To go to a book con and come back with a possible partner with similar interests!

Declan is a hot werewolf filling in for his cousin in the very boring conference that happens to also be hosting Monsterotica! The place where monster book lovers thrive. There he meets Iris in a meet cute in the gender neutral bathroom at the hotel.

This is a fun, cute, short, mildly anxiety swirling read that you can eat right up.

[Lisa Kimbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review:

Going to a convention for monster romance smut and find your scent match monster in real life, what a dream come to life.

Love the story flow, how they slowly work out coming together, along with the funny fae author that likes to meddle.