Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Wolf Around the Corner” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Wolf Around the Corner

Aidee Ladnier (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · Rating details · 25 ratings · 14 reviews

Tom Davidson ran away from family obligations to be a Broadway star. If he could make it there, he could make it anywhere…but he didn't. Trudging back home to Waycroft Falls, he finds his sister Annie and her hometown bookstore in danger of folding. Her solution: open the upstairs of the historic building as a performance venue. Putting on a play should be a piece of cake ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 184 pages

Published November 13th 2017 by Loose Id LLC

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Wolf Around the Corner, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Wolf Around the Corner

Lists with This Book

The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish

November 2017 MM Releases

161 books — 242 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-45

Average rating 3.76 ·

Rating details

· 25 ratings · 14 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Wolf Around the Corner

Jan 25, 2018 Joyfully Jay rated it really liked it

Shelves: kenna

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

I love Beauty and the Beast stories! Of course, you all already know I love wolf shifter stories too. When I saw the blurb for Wolf Around the Corner, my heart skipped a beat. A combination of both? YES!! I was not disappointed. This was a lovely book with lovable characters (except that dick…Dick), a plausible plot…ok maybe that whole shifting into a wolf thing…but I can certainly see a town coming together to save an historical building, and a sweet and sexy roman ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Nov 30, 2017 BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tale-retold, paranormal-romance, werewolf, m-m

Tom Davidson learns the hard way how being a big fish in a small pond does not translate to being a big fish in a large pond. Tom left podunk Waycroft Falls as quickly as he could so that he could make it big in New York. After a few years of not making it, even if his sister thought he did, he returns home at her request to help her out. Tail tucked between his legs, he keeps wanting to confess to his sister how much he failed. Lucky for Tom, the opportunity never comes.

This story is unexpected Tom Davidson learns the hard way how being a big fish in a small pond does not translate to being a big fish in a large pond. Tom left podunk Waycroft Falls as quickly as he could so that he could make it big in New York. After a few years of not making it, even if his sister thought he did, he returns home at her request to help her out. Tail tucked between his legs, he keeps wanting to confess to his sister how much he failed. Lucky for Tom, the opportunity never comes.

This story is unexpected for me. It takes a sensitive topic in a plausible manner, that is if being a werewolf was real, and creates a lovely solution. There are a few conflicts in this story and all but one are resolved in a manner I found satisfactory. First, Tom is trying to decide if he can really continue being a failure in New York. Even of Waycroft is in the middle of nowhere, his talent can shine here and he can bring more revenue and education to this little town. Second, Tom's sister, is fighting to save not only her livelihood but preserve a historical building. In today's age where strip malls and on-line mega book stores are the business du jour, her little store is a dying breed quickly meeting extinction. Third, ms. Ladnier attacks the social stigma of being different and how education can make a difference. This point is the one which makes me enjoy the story and perhaps rate it higher than I would normally do.

From a character perspective, none of them really pulled me in. Most of them were annoying. I did feel pity for Frank who is a werewolf. In this world, it is a recessive genetic curse that is a luck of the draw if both parents carry the recessive gene. Frank does and when his mother dies and father remarries to a pure bred human, he's kicked out. He becomes persona non gratas which just kills me. My heart broke for Frank. What the town does through a reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast with Frank as the featured Beast, is beautiful. How this play is used to educate people on this medical condition really made me smile. Whilst I appreciate Ms. Ladnier's bittersweet ending for Frank, it does leave me a bit miffed at Frank's asshat family.

This paranormal romance is recommended for m/m readers who enjoy angst with a bit of fairy tale ending.

* Review copy provided via Reading Alley for an honest review. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2018 Duncan Husky rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m-paranormal, m-m-romance, m-m-shifters, m-m-werewolves, made-me-cry

Wow, now this was something refreshingly different from the (entirely too many shut up quit looking at me like that) werewolf books that I have read. Here, lycanthropy, called “Galen’s Syndrome,” after the ancient physician who discovered it, is a recessive hereditary gene that only manifests when the parents share the gene. There’s a bit of hand-waving with a bit of magic involved but that’s less important. It’s a very rare condition, and one that is not well-known to the general public.

Galen’s Wow, now this was something refreshingly different from the (entirely too many shut up quit looking at me like that) werewolf books that I have read. Here, lycanthropy, called “Galen’s Syndrome,” after the ancient physician who discovered it, is a recessive hereditary gene that only manifests when the parents share the gene. There’s a bit of hand-waving with a bit of magic involved but that’s less important. It’s a very rare condition, and one that is not well-known to the general public.

Galen’s aside, this is a very sweet story of a shy, thoughtful guy who’s dealing with a lifetime of rejection and small-town boy who went off to New York City to find his fortune and fame and is ashamed to admit that his most notable role was Guy in the Chorus #6 and that he sleeps on his friends’ sofa because he can’t afford even a crappy apartment. Tom is a smart, funny, and charming guy who is great at putting on a good front – hey, he’s an actor, right? Frank is much quieter, an introvert who has had a rough life and is only just starting to find friends and self-confidence again. He’s sweet and gentle, yet has been told over and over that his wolf is dangerous, whether that’s true or not.

What follows is the typical push and pull – big-city guy falling for small-town guy, guilty secrets, the dramatic tension of whether they can make the play work. This is well written, and I was cheering for Tom and Frank all the way. There’s easy parallels to be found between homophobia (which is also present) and fear of Galen’s syndrome, but Ladinier doesn’t make too much of them.

The one place where I think the novel fell down a bit was in pacing. In any romance story, there’s usually the will-they-get-together-or-won’t-they (spoiler: they always do) but that got a little drawn out here. Also, I never really got a sense of place for Waycroft Falls, which given the role that the town plays toward the end of the book is sort of surprising. For some reason, I spent the first half of the book thinking it was in upstate New York, but later it’s stated that they are in the South, with vague references to Atlanta.

This isn’t high drama, but a lovely small-town romance with likeable characters and a unique view of werewolves. I definitely recommend this one! ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2018 Ali rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. Tom is escaping his not to glamorous life in New York to visit his sister back home and she asks for his help to save her store. Frank has been on his own ever since he had to leave home and know that deep down all he is is an animal and not worth anything.

I felt so bad for Frank with how he was treated by his family and those in his home town but he has made a nice quite life for himself in Waycroft Falls, I unde ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2018 Alexis Woods rated it liked it

Shelves: read-for-review, shifter-wolf, profession-actor, profession-writer, urban-fantasy, m-m, google-playbooks

This book was received free in return for an honest review via Goodreads Don't Buy My Love review program.

So this was certainly an interesting take on a shifter book. Something along the lines of the wolf who’s not a wolf. Frank suffers from a genetic mutation caused by a curse that has given him Lycanthropy, which allows him to transform into a wolf and the half shifted form of a werewolf. At the tender age of 18, Frank finds himself in a little town, working in a little book store. When the o ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 30, 2017 blub rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read, mm-romance, m-m-family, shifter, acting-actors, read-for-review, relationship-issues-i-e-breakup, story-with-kids

Unique modern werewolf tale

Tom Davidson is an aspiring actor who lived in New York. He returns home when his sister's livelihood is threatened to help her raise funds by putting on a play.

Frank Braden is Tom's neighbor. He's been alienated and turnout by his family because he was unfortunate to inherit the family genetic werewolf curse, known as Galen syndrome. He works in the bookstore that Tom's sister, Annie owns. When the plan to put on a play is decided; Frank is roped into writing the scri ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2018 Penumbra rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-shapeshifters, genre-novella, genre-fantasy, genre-mm, genre-romance, reviews-dont-buy-my-love, 151-to-200-pages, angst-low-level, character-actor-entertainer, character-gay

I received Wolf Around the Corner from the ‘Don’t Buy My Love’ program on Goodreads for an honest and unbiased review. The MCs in this book are Tom Davidson, an unsuccessful actor, and Frank Braden, a young writer who has Galen’s disease that causes lycanthropy. The story is told in third person from both Frank and Tom’s pov.

(view spoiler) I received Wolf Around the Corner from the ‘Don’t Buy My Love’ program on Goodreads for an honest and unbiased review. The MCs in this book are Tom Davidson, an unsuccessful actor, and Frank Braden, a young writer who has Galen’s disease that causes lycanthropy. The story is told in third person from both Frank and Tom’s pov.

(view spoiler)[

I’ve read a few books by this author before and I enjoyed them, like I did this one. The blurb gives a good description of the plot but I’ll give a short summary. Tom returns to his hometown when he gets a call from his sister, Annie, to help save her bookstore from being torn down to make room for more modern shops. Tom moved to New York to make it as an actor but hasn’t been successful. He also hasn’t been truthful about his failure, so when he returns home, people think he’s a success. Frank suffers from lycanthropy caused by a genetic curse placed on one of his ancestors. Tossed out of his home by his father and stepmother, Frank has settled in town and Annie gives him a job at the bookstore. Both Tom and Annie convince Frank to write a story that can be turned into a play to help save the bookshop. Tom will produce and direct.

I liked the characters Frank and Tom. The author conveyed the different personalities well, and the changes they both went through as the story progressed. The romance pace was slow, which some readers might not like. There was instant lust, but it wasn’t acted on immediately. I did however, have problems with how lycanthropy was explained. It’s stated that Galen’s Syndrome is a genetic curse, which puts this story into a Fantasy/Paranormal genre even though it feels ‘normal.’ The story mentions repeatedly that people who are cursed are not animals. Frank even states he has his own mind when he shifts. But, here’s where it gets confusing. Throughout the story, the wolf inside Frank is emphasized as a separate being with its own personality and desires/fears/wants. Frank doesn’t just shift, which to me would be the DNA genetic curse affecting just his body, he actually has a creature expressing emotions living in him, and something he needs to control. That’s not just DNA manipulation, that’s another entity entirely. It’s a wolf, and Frank becomes that wolf. That’s where this story didn’t work for me. It kept emphasizing that Frank wasn’t an animal, that he wasn’t a wolf. However, every time the wolf inside expressed emotions/desires or lost control, the story mentioned the wolf’s feelings. The story didn’t mention that the wolf ‘represented’ Frank’s feelings, it was a being itself. Frank as a wolf didn’t lose his human mind when shifted. Just like the wolf didn’t lose its wolf emotions when Frank was in human form. So sadly, this attempt to explain lycanthropy didn’t work for me. Frank is a wolf shapeshifter.

One other thing I definitely don’t like is the cover. I’m guessing the author didn’t have a say on the cover. I’m hoping at some point that she has a chance to get it redone because it’s bad and doesn’t convey the characters at all. We’re told that Tom is handsome and blond, possibly in his late twenties, so I’m guessing the person on the cover in the background is Tom. Frank has auburn hair and is about twenty-two years old! The man in the front looks wolfish, so I’m guessing that is supposed to be Frank. That model looks like he’s at least thirty-five to thirty-eight years old. Who chose the cover models? Because the Frank model is not representative of Frank in the least as described in the story. The author had Natasha Snow remake her Clockwork Kraken cover and it’s gorgeous. I hope the author considers redoing the cover for this book because it seriously needs reworking. Covers are rated in my book reviews even though I know covers don’t matter to some readers. For me, they matter a lot.

I enjoyed the relationship growth between Tom and Frank in Wolf Around the Corner, but the discrepancy between the story saying Frank wasn’t a wolf, but then creating a wolf that lived as a separate entity within Frank didn’t work for me. The cover also ruined it for me. I did however enjoy the plot and the pace. Therefore, I give this book, 4 Stars despite the two big issues I have with this story.

(hide spoiler)] ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2018 MariF rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I've got this book as part of the free book package for signing up to QueeRomance Ink (www.queeromanceink.com) site and newsletter, maintained by the nicest host - Scott Coatsworth with his husband Mark.
I wanted this book badly because I love shifters and fairy tales and here we have a modernized spin on Beauty and the Beast, with a staging of that same fairy tale as the main plot point.
It was a very different take on shifters, described as a rare medical condition that can be passed only by bot I've got this book as part of the free book package for signing up to QueeRomance Ink (www.queeromanceink.com) site and newsletter, maintained by the nicest host - Scott Coatsworth with his husband Mark.
I wanted this book badly because I love shifters and fairy tales and here we have a modernized spin on Beauty and the Beast, with a staging of that same fairy tale as the main plot point.
It was a very different take on shifters, described as a rare medical condition that can be passed only by both parents being a carrier of recessive lycanthropy genes.
Most people are not even aware of Galen's syndrome and have a predictable negative reaction to anything out of ordinary.

Frank has lost his own family at a very young age because they were scared and ashamed of having such an oddity among them.
Tom, the Beauty of this story, is an unsuccessful actor who comes to visit his family in a small southern town and to help his sister with saving the bookstore, which is also a historical building, that a local villain, aka local real estate mogul Dick, wants to destroy and make a parking garage/new mall out of it.
Tom loves his big sister and wants to help, not to mention that staying in New York without a steady job is very expensive and he needs to wait out until a casting call will come his way.
Somehow everyone is thinking that Tom has made it as a Broadway star and Tom is not in a rush to disabuse them of this opinion.
He agrees to stage a charity play on a shoe-string budget, right in the store building, to help the store and, luckily, Frank who is a bookstore manager, is also a writer who agrees to write a play based on original Beauty and the Beast tale (not a Disney version).

Tom and Frank are instantly attracted to each other and despite Tom's freak out episode when he learns of Frank unique condition, he is quick to realize that Frank is more than his Galen's syndrome, and he has a perfect lead for the Beast that can make this play a success.
He also convinces Frank that this play will be a great vehicle to educate general public of this rare medical condition, despite Frank's stage and safety fears that such exposure will bring.

I liked how the town came together to save their historical building/bookstore and how most people have accepted Frank's condition and supported the endeavor.

Of course, there were some setbacks to romance progression due to Tom's temporary stay in the town and Frank's unwillingness to risk his heart to a person that will follow his dreams which don't include Frank as part of them.

Overall, it's a sweet fairy-tale story that I liked but it was slow-paced at times and felt longer than it should. Thus 4 stars. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2018 Tara Hall rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 16, 2017 Susan Anne rated it really liked it

I’ve been reading paranormals for many years and thought there were no new twists on werewolves or vampires. I’m happy to say Aidee Ladnier proved me wrong. In Wolf Around the Corner, we meet Tom, a less-than-successful actor on Broadway, and Frank, who meets the definition of werewolf. They come together on a play, but what elevates the story is two things. The first is Tom’s initial natural response to meeting a werewolf and then overcoming that response. The second is the author’s very clever ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2017 E. rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, m-m, paranormal, romance, small-town

Turning a curse into an asset...

“Wolf Around the Corner” by Aidee Ladnier is a paranormal m/m romance story that features a not-quite-successful New York actor who comes back to the small town of Waycroft Falls to help his sister start her new business. He has a spark with one of her employees and convinces the man to perform in a version of “Beauty and the Beast.” It turns out he really can morph into a beast. Perfect for the play, not so great for his assimilation into the close-knit small tow ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2018 Issa rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-challenge, dbml-book

I received this story at no charge from the M/M Group DMBL Program in exchange for an honest review.

These are the hardest reviews to write, when you really love something about a story and really dislike something else. The premise of the story is pretty simple. Tom is back to his small town after failing to make a theater career in New York City. He needs a place to reboot while he figures out how to get his career off the ground. His sister Annie offers him the top floor of her bookstore for a ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 01, 2020 DC rated it liked it · review of another edition

It took me a bit to get through this story. It wasn’t until the last few chapters that things got interesting. Earlier than that was rather slow and repetitive. It didn’t help that I found Tom to be a selfish jerk who was taking advantage of incredibly sweet Frank. As it neared the end and their romance was in full bloom (and Tom finally came to his senses) that I finally enjoyed it for the romance that it was. However, the whole Galen’s syndrome thing was a big negative for me. Not the shifting ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 24, 2018 Meggie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: shape-shifters, romance, family

Wolf Around the Corner was an enjoyable easy romance, but not for me. I didn't connect with Tom and Frank, their romance was bland and boring. In overall good enough. ...more

flag Like · see review

Carina rated it really liked it
Dec 08, 2017

esda rated it really liked it
Dec 08, 2019

Tadas rated it really liked it
Sep 28, 2018

Driima rated it liked it
Apr 01, 2020

Carly rated it liked it
Aug 11, 2018

Wende rated it really liked it
May 01, 2018

Cameryn-Alia rated it liked it
Oct 26, 2020

Mary Newman rated it really liked it
Nov 21, 2017

Oiorpata rated it liked it
Oct 16, 2018

Jennifer Vekert rated it really liked it
Mar 09, 2019

HASSIE rated it it was amazing
Jan 04, 2019

Sierra marked it as to-read
Nov 14, 2017

Skye marked it as to-read
Nov 14, 2017

Jessi is currently reading it
Nov 14, 2017

Sara marked it as to-read
Nov 15, 2017

Ann marked it as to-read
Nov 15, 2017

Andrew marked it as to-read
Nov 17, 2017

Lexy_lists added it
Nov 18, 2017

LOLA marked it as to-read
Nov 21, 2017

JenCW marked it as to-read
Nov 30, 2017

Sarah Murphy marked it as to-read
Nov 30, 2017

Heather Rawlins marked it as to-read
Dec 05, 2017

Mick Loves Books marked it as to-read
Dec 06, 2017

Cassandra marked it as to-read
Dec 09, 2017

Abn10009 marked it as to-read
Dec 14, 2017

Lillian Francis marked it as to-read
Dec 27, 2017

James marrs added it
Jan 07, 2018

Gyn marked it as to-read
Jan 25, 2018

ConM marked it as to-read
Jan 25, 2018

Trish marked it as to-read
Jan 25, 2018

Daesy marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2018

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

About Aidee Ladnier

Aidee Ladnier

369 followers

Aidee Ladnier, an award-winning author of speculative fiction, believes that adventure is around every corner. In pursuit of new experiences, she’s worked as a magician’s assistant, been a beauty pageant contestant, ridden in hot air balloons, produced independent movies, hiked up a volcano, and is a proud citizen scientist. A lover of genre fiction, Aidee’s perfect romance has a little science fi ...more