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Ward & Weft
In this male/male paranormal historical romance, warden and wolf must reignite the magic that first bonded them together.
Wales, 1912
For generations, the magic wardens and the fierce werewolves combined forces to keep their enemies at bay. But when his family breaks longstanding ties to the pack that's been a part of his life since birth, warden Griffith Jones sets out on a journey to learn all he can of the magic that will reunite them. And reunite Griffith with the first—and only—man he's ever loved.
Llywelyn ap Hywel, son of the alpha, can't let painful—or passionate—memories of Griffith distract him. His dwindling pack is in trouble, reeling from loss and locked in a grim battle with a dangerous rival—a pack with a warden who hasn't abandoned them. A warden whose dark magic could destroy them all.
Up against enemies determined to steal their land and end life as they know it, Griffith and Llywelyn must fight as one to protect all they hold dear—their territory, their people and the fiery love they can no longer deny.
This book is approximately 33,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise!
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2017
About the author
Parker Foye
19 books27 followersParker Foye writes queer speculative romance and believes in happily ever after, although sometimes their characters make achieving this difficult. An education in Classics nurtured a love of heroes, swords, monsters, and beautiful people doing foolish things while wearing only scraps of leather. You’ll find those things in various guises in Parker’s stories, along with kissing (very important) and explosions (very messy). And more shifters than you can shake a stick at.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 16, 2017
After years of being gone, Griffith Jones has finally returned to his home in Wales. But it is not the same home as when he left. His grandmother, the last Warden of the local land, is dead and buried. The local pack, who had included his best friends while growing up, after suffering major loses has turned on Griffith. The magic in the land seems to have fled its place. No, nothing is the same. But it is the only home that Griffith knows, so he will fight to keep whatever is left of it, and hope to find a way to heal the land, the magic, and his old friends.
What originally drew me towards this book was the setting and the time period. 1912, only a few years before the start of the first world war, seemed like an interesting time to set this story. And in this world where magic appears to be common place, and where wolf shifters roam the land, I figured there was a lot of promise for this story.
But there was something about the writing style of this book that kept me at arm’s-length. I never really felt connected to this story in the way I would have liked. And what was barely 100 pages long, dragged on. Slowly. The writing was at time really descriptive and beautiful, but it didn’t draw me in. In fact it did the opposite.
The writing also didn’t evoke an early 20th century feel at all. And no, killing off several members of the old pack by having them be on the Titanic does not count. In fact that made me roll my eyes so hard. And despite the books attempts to say other wise (" They were travelling on the Titanic to the Council summit and—Details aren’t important. ") details are kinda important. And this book basically rests its whole setting on name dropping a few time-period appropriate events, and calling it done. Which is especially vexing because you have all this magic and shifter shit going on, and the reader can never really be sure where exactly this alternate history meshes with our own history.
There were plenty of intriguing elements–the magic here sounded incredibly interesting from what it explained–but for some reason it never wanted to delve too deeply into any of it. And what it did go into was explained just enough to make things confusing. At multiple points in this story Griffith says that magic is dying or dead. And yet, he uses magic throughout the whole book. We are never really given an explanation to help parse this. Is there a difference between the types of magic used in this book? Is it a matter of scale? Is it only in the UK that it is dying, or is it the whole world? Why is magic dying? I don’t need answers to all these questions, but some of them would have been nice. I was really interested in what we learned about the magic in this book, but with no real grounding for any of it, I was left more confused than anything.
The characters never really popped off the page. All the backstory with Griffith came across as rather cliche (especially in regards to his Evil Mentor) with hardly any attempts to make it stand out enough for me to care. Even the supposed payoff of that whole subplot at the end of the book lacked any teeth. Llywelyn–Griffith’s love interest and one of the shifters–is equally bland. After having read this book, I can’t even come up with anything about him that sets him apart from a hundred other shifter MCs. I liked that he wasn’t the Alpha of the pack…but that’s hardly enough.
I know that this review seems incredibly negative, but I’m mostly just sad that this book didn’t live up to the promise I could clearly see in the story. I think it was genuinely trying to do something here, but it just fell short more often than not. That is why I ended up going with three stars. I do like that it tried, and I think that people can get something out of, it just leaned a bit too hard on the “aren’t my words pretty” and a bit too little on “isn’t my story compelling.”
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
What originally drew me towards this book was the setting and the time period. 1912, only a few years before the start of the first world war, seemed like an interesting time to set this story. And in this world where magic appears to be common place, and where wolf shifters roam the land, I figured there was a lot of promise for this story.
But there was something about the writing style of this book that kept me at arm’s-length. I never really felt connected to this story in the way I would have liked. And what was barely 100 pages long, dragged on. Slowly. The writing was at time really descriptive and beautiful, but it didn’t draw me in. In fact it did the opposite.
The writing also didn’t evoke an early 20th century feel at all. And no, killing off several members of the old pack by having them be on the Titanic does not count. In fact that made me roll my eyes so hard. And despite the books attempts to say other wise (" They were travelling on the Titanic to the Council summit and—Details aren’t important. ") details are kinda important. And this book basically rests its whole setting on name dropping a few time-period appropriate events, and calling it done. Which is especially vexing because you have all this magic and shifter shit going on, and the reader can never really be sure where exactly this alternate history meshes with our own history.
There were plenty of intriguing elements–the magic here sounded incredibly interesting from what it explained–but for some reason it never wanted to delve too deeply into any of it. And what it did go into was explained just enough to make things confusing. At multiple points in this story Griffith says that magic is dying or dead. And yet, he uses magic throughout the whole book. We are never really given an explanation to help parse this. Is there a difference between the types of magic used in this book? Is it a matter of scale? Is it only in the UK that it is dying, or is it the whole world? Why is magic dying? I don’t need answers to all these questions, but some of them would have been nice. I was really interested in what we learned about the magic in this book, but with no real grounding for any of it, I was left more confused than anything.
The characters never really popped off the page. All the backstory with Griffith came across as rather cliche (especially in regards to his Evil Mentor) with hardly any attempts to make it stand out enough for me to care. Even the supposed payoff of that whole subplot at the end of the book lacked any teeth. Llywelyn–Griffith’s love interest and one of the shifters–is equally bland. After having read this book, I can’t even come up with anything about him that sets him apart from a hundred other shifter MCs. I liked that he wasn’t the Alpha of the pack…but that’s hardly enough.
I know that this review seems incredibly negative, but I’m mostly just sad that this book didn’t live up to the promise I could clearly see in the story. I think it was genuinely trying to do something here, but it just fell short more often than not. That is why I ended up going with three stars. I do like that it tried, and I think that people can get something out of, it just leaned a bit too hard on the “aren’t my words pretty” and a bit too little on “isn’t my story compelling.”
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
September 16, 2017
3.5 stars
This was really different. I liked it. The writing style is a bit quirky and I can see that it would not work for everyone. For me it added to the overall vibe of the story.
The plot revolves around two men< Griffith and Llywelyn, who were childhood friends and first loves. Griffith has been gone for some time to learn more about his magic powers and he's recently back. It's not a moment too soon as the werewolf pack he's suppose to protect is in danger from outside sources. The two men have to put aside past hurts and work together to save their pack and their land.
There is a mystical feel to the story and it incorporates some mythology and some history into the tale. There is a sweet romance and lovely second chance story.
This was my first time reading this author but I enjoyed this enough that I will definitely check out her back catalogue.
**ARC received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
This was really different. I liked it. The writing style is a bit quirky and I can see that it would not work for everyone. For me it added to the overall vibe of the story.
The plot revolves around two men< Griffith and Llywelyn, who were childhood friends and first loves. Griffith has been gone for some time to learn more about his magic powers and he's recently back. It's not a moment too soon as the werewolf pack he's suppose to protect is in danger from outside sources. The two men have to put aside past hurts and work together to save their pack and their land.
There is a mystical feel to the story and it incorporates some mythology and some history into the tale. There is a sweet romance and lovely second chance story.
This was my first time reading this author but I enjoyed this enough that I will definitely check out her back catalogue.
**ARC received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
September 18, 2017
Frankly, I am having a hard time figuring out exactly how to review this story. It didn’t work for me, but it was not without some positive aspects. So, let me go with what did work. The writing was poetic in descriptions, and there was so much potential here to be a unique take on this particular trope. The historical setting, with a real-life event from that timeframe contributing to the current Hywel pack’s situation, was pretty cool. It is always fascinating to me when an author can bring in something tangible, a well-known event that occurred historically, and can entwine that directly into the plot, then that thing having a direct effect on some of the characters. The story’s setting takes place in Wales and the town, Aberarth, is almost like its own character. The author created descriptive surroundings in which the weather seemed a direct reflection of the occurrences and feelings, and, as such, it was a significant part in each event that takes place. I always enjoy when scenes are set beautifully and I can picture what’s happening in my head. I was able to imagine it all, down the stones.
Now, for where Ward & Weft fell apart for me. Honestly, I felt like I was jumping into an already set series, as the world-building and explanations of how everything works was lacking. Like I was just supposed to understand the world I was dropped into, and how it all worked, with no foundation set. Maybe this story is a part of a series? Or, maybe it takes place in a world that was set in a different series? I double checked and it wasn’t listed as such, but if this novella is part of one, I am not sure which other books may have set the groundwork. I would probably have enjoyed this story considerably more if I’d understood how it all operated. Then again, Griffith didn’t understand himself, so maybe I wasn’t supposed to either. All I do know is that Ward & Weft left me confused, as I often felt like I was trying to piece together the exact situation and how everything functioned together. It became a struggle for me. I kept going back to try to understand the world better, or to determine if something had been explained elsewhere, taking me out of the flow of what was happening. Though I began to put together some things, it was not without substantial effort, and I still have a ton of questions in other areas which were left completely unexplained.
The relationship with Llewelyn and Griffith also felt incomplete. Their romantic designs seem to have a direct effect on the plot, and are essential for the progression of the story, but I never really got a true sense of the bond between the two, as it was largely based on their past where their connection originated, and it wasn’t described well enough for me to understand them as a couple.
For me, this story needed much more detail to fill in a lot of blanks. It feels half-finished and I remain confused, like I got a summary of a story rather than a full-bodied one. Sadly, this one was a miss for me.
Reviewed by Lindsey for The Novel Approach
Now, for where Ward & Weft fell apart for me. Honestly, I felt like I was jumping into an already set series, as the world-building and explanations of how everything works was lacking. Like I was just supposed to understand the world I was dropped into, and how it all worked, with no foundation set. Maybe this story is a part of a series? Or, maybe it takes place in a world that was set in a different series? I double checked and it wasn’t listed as such, but if this novella is part of one, I am not sure which other books may have set the groundwork. I would probably have enjoyed this story considerably more if I’d understood how it all operated. Then again, Griffith didn’t understand himself, so maybe I wasn’t supposed to either. All I do know is that Ward & Weft left me confused, as I often felt like I was trying to piece together the exact situation and how everything functioned together. It became a struggle for me. I kept going back to try to understand the world better, or to determine if something had been explained elsewhere, taking me out of the flow of what was happening. Though I began to put together some things, it was not without substantial effort, and I still have a ton of questions in other areas which were left completely unexplained.
The relationship with Llewelyn and Griffith also felt incomplete. Their romantic designs seem to have a direct effect on the plot, and are essential for the progression of the story, but I never really got a true sense of the bond between the two, as it was largely based on their past where their connection originated, and it wasn’t described well enough for me to understand them as a couple.
For me, this story needed much more detail to fill in a lot of blanks. It feels half-finished and I remain confused, like I got a summary of a story rather than a full-bodied one. Sadly, this one was a miss for me.
Reviewed by Lindsey for The Novel Approach
September 12, 2017
Griffith returns to his childhood home in Wales after the death of his grandmother. The years away haven't been kind to him. He is back and trying to heal, his dreams shattered.
He is unnerved to find out he is not welcome. The wolf pack his grandmother used to protect is worn down by troubles and his one time best friend, Llywelyn, is cold toward him.
In the face of trouble, Griffith rallies and insist on helping. He tries to build up pack defenses, and in the process starts to heal himself. The connection he always had with Llywelyn shifts and grows.
The strongest feeling I got from reading this book was confusion. First, I had trouble wrangling the sentences. Some of them were exquisitely crafted and brought the book's word forward in colorful flashes. But I was struggling to pick up thread of the story. We got both Griffith's and Llywelyn's POV but I was more than once left staring at pages in confusion. The character's motivations were complete mystery to me and it took away from the story. It has its own rough charm and the world created is intriguing, but the narrative left me floundering.
Part of it might be because foundations of their relationship are in the past and the information is sparse. Part might be that I expected something else from the blurb. This felt like part of a bigger whole and I didn't have all the pieces.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
He is unnerved to find out he is not welcome. The wolf pack his grandmother used to protect is worn down by troubles and his one time best friend, Llywelyn, is cold toward him.
In the face of trouble, Griffith rallies and insist on helping. He tries to build up pack defenses, and in the process starts to heal himself. The connection he always had with Llywelyn shifts and grows.
The strongest feeling I got from reading this book was confusion. First, I had trouble wrangling the sentences. Some of them were exquisitely crafted and brought the book's word forward in colorful flashes. But I was struggling to pick up thread of the story. We got both Griffith's and Llywelyn's POV but I was more than once left staring at pages in confusion. The character's motivations were complete mystery to me and it took away from the story. It has its own rough charm and the world created is intriguing, but the narrative left me floundering.
Part of it might be because foundations of their relationship are in the past and the information is sparse. Part might be that I expected something else from the blurb. This felt like part of a bigger whole and I didn't have all the pieces.
I received copy of this book in exchange for review.
The review is also posted on Gay Book Reviews
August 23, 2017
I spent large chunks of the book feeling lost. The lore was never explained and since this wasn't listed as part of a series (but it turns out it is) it took awhile to piece things together. Added to that the fact that you never feel as if these two characters have a real connection beyond a childhood crush that is-
once again- never fully explained. Topping it all off is this strange sensation I had that I was only skimming the book. That I was never really getting into the meat of the story and was only being offered the barest of bare bones version. I struggled to finish and if the book was longer I probably wouldn't have bothered.
once again- never fully explained. Topping it all off is this strange sensation I had that I was only skimming the book. That I was never really getting into the meat of the story and was only being offered the barest of bare bones version. I struggled to finish and if the book was longer I probably wouldn't have bothered.
September 14, 2017
I loved this, and I didn't find it confusing at all. The author managed to combine magic, werewolves, and classic Welsh mythology in a way I've never read before, without distracting info-dumps and asides. The pacing was great, and I loved that I never knew more than the characters; information was revealed as there was a reason to tell me, in organic ways that flowed with the story. The only complaint I have is I wish I'd gotten a bit more about the romance, past and present, but I still found this second-chance relationship believable, and I was rooting for the guys the whole time.
June 27, 2021
cw: descriptions/memories/vivid dreams of torture, graphic violence
fascinating world and magical system, some holes in character and plot (tho not of a sort that impeded my enjoyment). I wish that the blurb hadn’t done so much background fill-in but, even so, I’d definitely like to read more stories set in this au.
fascinating world and magical system, some holes in character and plot (tho not of a sort that impeded my enjoyment). I wish that the blurb hadn’t done so much background fill-in but, even so, I’d definitely like to read more stories set in this au.
September 21, 2020
A semi-sequel to Wolf In King's Clothing. Terrifically interesting, the relationships made sense, the world did too, the resolution of both was hugely satisfying. (And the magic makes sense and is real in a way other systems often aren't.)
Shelved as 'dnf'
October 9, 2022DNF @ 36% I'm having a hard time with the writing style and worldbuilding, the book feels dense and confusing for such a short read and it's making me uninterested in struggling to finish it.
November 1, 2017
Wolves and Witchy Wardens. Why Resist?
I enjoyed this story. I wish it had been longer. There was a lot of potential for an even richer story than we got, but what was there was worth reading. Shifter stories are prolific, I know. Shifters working in concert with human "witch" types aren't necessarily unique either, but this one struck me as being different ... in a good way.
The blurb tells you a lot of what you need to know about background, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that Griffith (the warden) and Llywelyn (the wolf) grew up together and have been in love with each other for years, despite a separation that left wounds behind on both ends. I wanted to know why Griff and Llywelyn never became a thing before. I wanted to know why Griff left when all evidence pointed to it being he who wanted to stay and Llywelyn who wanted to travel. For Griff, there was no one else, but what about Llywelyn?
These topics were never addressed, nor was there any discussion about past or future between the characters when they took their relationship to that long-awaited next level. I never got the answers I wanted, and for that reason, this one had to stay at the 3.5 stars mark.
I loved the story. I loved the characters. I connected with Llywelyn. I connected with Griffith. I cried with him 6% in, the descriptives were that evocative. I loved how the wolves were depicted even though I didn't get enough information about their society on a micro- or macro-level other than the fact that there were other packs elsewhere, they were ruled by a council, and a bunch of alphas died when the Titanic sunk. That's it. Sitting here now, I feel the lack. What world-building there was piqued my interest, so disappointment ensued when there wasn't more of it.
The book was well-edited and the chronology in the story wasn't overly rushed although I think everything took place within the space of weeks. The steam factor was disappointing. They had chemistry, but I expected more heat out of a shifter romance to be honest, thus my complaints about the length. I wanted more than what I got, even if what I got was good.
I would recommend this novella, absolutely. As long as you're not looking specifically for hot shifter sex, it's enjoyable. Actually, it was enjoyable without it but would have been better with it. I would even read other books by this author, or other books in this story arc should any come to be. I just won't be holding my breath.
Read other Goodreads reviews by NeRdyWYRM here
Galley copy of Ward & Weft provided by Carina Press in exchange of an honest review.
I enjoyed this story. I wish it had been longer. There was a lot of potential for an even richer story than we got, but what was there was worth reading. Shifter stories are prolific, I know. Shifters working in concert with human "witch" types aren't necessarily unique either, but this one struck me as being different ... in a good way.
The blurb tells you a lot of what you need to know about background, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that Griffith (the warden) and Llywelyn (the wolf) grew up together and have been in love with each other for years, despite a separation that left wounds behind on both ends. I wanted to know why Griff and Llywelyn never became a thing before. I wanted to know why Griff left when all evidence pointed to it being he who wanted to stay and Llywelyn who wanted to travel. For Griff, there was no one else, but what about Llywelyn?
These topics were never addressed, nor was there any discussion about past or future between the characters when they took their relationship to that long-awaited next level. I never got the answers I wanted, and for that reason, this one had to stay at the 3.5 stars mark.
I loved the story. I loved the characters. I connected with Llywelyn. I connected with Griffith. I cried with him 6% in, the descriptives were that evocative. I loved how the wolves were depicted even though I didn't get enough information about their society on a micro- or macro-level other than the fact that there were other packs elsewhere, they were ruled by a council, and a bunch of alphas died when the Titanic sunk. That's it. Sitting here now, I feel the lack. What world-building there was piqued my interest, so disappointment ensued when there wasn't more of it.
The book was well-edited and the chronology in the story wasn't overly rushed although I think everything took place within the space of weeks. The steam factor was disappointing. They had chemistry, but I expected more heat out of a shifter romance to be honest, thus my complaints about the length. I wanted more than what I got, even if what I got was good.
I would recommend this novella, absolutely. As long as you're not looking specifically for hot shifter sex, it's enjoyable. Actually, it was enjoyable without it but would have been better with it. I would even read other books by this author, or other books in this story arc should any come to be. I just won't be holding my breath.
Read other Goodreads reviews by NeRdyWYRM here
Galley copy of Ward & Weft provided by Carina Press in exchange of an honest review.
Read
August 20, 2017DNF @ 24%.
Bored.
That's all. Minor review to come
Bored.
That's all. Minor review to come
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews