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Hidden Wolves #1-1.5
Unacceptable Risk [includes Unsettled Interlude]
For a hidden shifter, falling in love with a man may be the death of them both.
Simon Conley knows about being an outcast. Born into a secret werewolf pack, he’s the lone gay wolf, an outsider even among his packmates. The top wolves consider him a perversion, a failure, and a security risk. To survive in the human world, werewolves rely on absolute secrecy, and any breaches of their code are dealt with swiftly— and violently.
So when Simon falls in love with Paul, a human man, even his Alpha's grudging tolerance won't protect him. He must keep Paul from discovering the truth about him and the secrets the pack jealously guards, or it’s not just their love that’ll end up dead.
(A re-release of the 2012 story with light editing and the short story 'Unsettled Interlude (Hidden Wolves 1.5)' included)
Simon Conley knows about being an outcast. Born into a secret werewolf pack, he’s the lone gay wolf, an outsider even among his packmates. The top wolves consider him a perversion, a failure, and a security risk. To survive in the human world, werewolves rely on absolute secrecy, and any breaches of their code are dealt with swiftly— and violently.
So when Simon falls in love with Paul, a human man, even his Alpha's grudging tolerance won't protect him. He must keep Paul from discovering the truth about him and the secrets the pack jealously guards, or it’s not just their love that’ll end up dead.
(A re-release of the 2012 story with light editing and the short story 'Unsettled Interlude (Hidden Wolves 1.5)' included)
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2011
194 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Kaje Harper
89 books2,705 followersI get asked about my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers.
I was born in Montreal but have lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – fifty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.com/.
You can find me and my book reviews on my author page here on Goodreads - I hang out on Goodreads a lot because I moderate the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group. I also post free short YA stories on that group, more than 50 of them so far.
You can also find me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
I was born in Montreal but have lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – fifty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.com/.
You can find me and my book reviews on my author page here on Goodreads - I hang out on Goodreads a lot because I moderate the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group. I also post free short YA stories on that group, more than 50 of them so far.
You can also find me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
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June 1, 2021This series is now all rereleased, with these gorgeous new covers by Jay Aheer. And to celebrate, I've made this book - book 1 - free (currently on most non-AZ vendors, or via Prolific Works - https://claims.prolificworks.com/free... ; hopefully soon to be price matched on AZ.)
The new final book to the series - Undeniable Bonds is becoming available in preorder (on AZ now) and will release June 10th.
The new final book to the series - Undeniable Bonds is becoming available in preorder (on AZ now) and will release June 10th.
dnf
March 28, 2022Dnf @42%
Paul is way to annoying. His character is the only reason I'm giving up on the story.
Paul is way to annoying. His character is the only reason I'm giving up on the story.
January 30, 2021
I fell in love with this series a few years ago and it’s still the standard against which I judge every other shifter story involving a werewolf pack.
I love the shifter subgenre…in theory. I love the idea of it, the potential for a great story, which I know it’s achievable because this author did it, more than once, but in reality it’s almost impossible to find, or at least that’s how it feels every time I come across yet another predictable, average, color-by-the-number story about destined mates, growling for the sake of it, and pack hierarchy that I’ll forget two days after finishing.
I’ve reread the books about my favorite couple in this series not long after my first read, but I’ve never reread this one or the entire series until now, partially because I was afraid to tarnish the shining memory I have of it. What if after all these years I found out that it wasn’t as perfect as I remembered?
Spoiler alert: it’s not perfect, but it kind of is anyway.
I finally took the plunge out of “desperation.” I was struggling through one of the rare times a Kaje Harper book doesn’t work for me and a depressing thought hit me that maybe I used to love her writing and the problem wasn’t the current book but how I had changed as a reader. So I took a peek at this book’s first chapter and I ended up pushing myself to finish the other book as fast as I could just so I could get back to this story. That was one fear put to rest, at least.
As I said, this book isn’t perfect. I’ve been thinking and thinking, trying to look at it objectively and find something that could’ve been better and I’m sure there are margins for improvement, there always are, but there are so many other things that were done just right that it still feels perfect to me and I’m sticking with my original rating.
I wish Simon wasn’t so fond of pet names, he drops “sugar” or “babe” all the freaking time and I really wish he would at least choose one of those and stick with it.
I also didn’t remember the entire romance arc taking place over only a couple of weeks.
That’s it for this book’s faults and the second one I didn’t even consider a fault.
The romance was fast, but only in terms of actual time. It may technically fall under insta-love, but it really doesn’t. There’s no magic moment of recognition of fated mates, that’s not how werewolves work in this universe. There’s just two men—one man and one werewolf—meeting by chance and falling for each other fast because they fit together. That doesn’t mean that it’s all smooth sailing, for one thing Paul has never been attracted to men before and Simon…the last thing Simon needs is to get involved in something serious at a moment when his own survival inside the pack is at risk, but life doesn’t always go as planned.
The way the relationship started and progressed worked very well for me, Paul and Simon are both well-rounded characters with the right balance of qualities and flaws, and they complement each other nicely. As much as I enjoyed the romance, though, it’s in the way it fits in the bigger picture that this book and series really shine for me.
One of this series’ strongest points is the worldbuilding regarding the werewolves and their way of life. From the way shifting works, , it felt realistic in a way shifter stories rarely do. And while the pack’s customs may appear—and essentially are—brutal and uncompromising, their way of life makes sense within their reality and neither the violence nor the pack bonds are romanticized to be anything more or less than they are. The good comes hand in hand with the bad and like in real life, everything has nuances, it’s not black and white.
There’s a sort of overarching arc throughout the series that follows how Simon’s pack and the bigger werewolf society evolve but there are no cliffhangers and this book can be read as a standalone. Although I definitely recommend the entire series. :)
I love the shifter subgenre…in theory. I love the idea of it, the potential for a great story, which I know it’s achievable because this author did it, more than once, but in reality it’s almost impossible to find, or at least that’s how it feels every time I come across yet another predictable, average, color-by-the-number story about destined mates, growling for the sake of it, and pack hierarchy that I’ll forget two days after finishing.
I’ve reread the books about my favorite couple in this series not long after my first read, but I’ve never reread this one or the entire series until now, partially because I was afraid to tarnish the shining memory I have of it. What if after all these years I found out that it wasn’t as perfect as I remembered?
Spoiler alert: it’s not perfect, but it kind of is anyway.
I finally took the plunge out of “desperation.” I was struggling through one of the rare times a Kaje Harper book doesn’t work for me and a depressing thought hit me that maybe I used to love her writing and the problem wasn’t the current book but how I had changed as a reader. So I took a peek at this book’s first chapter and I ended up pushing myself to finish the other book as fast as I could just so I could get back to this story. That was one fear put to rest, at least.
As I said, this book isn’t perfect. I’ve been thinking and thinking, trying to look at it objectively and find something that could’ve been better and I’m sure there are margins for improvement, there always are, but there are so many other things that were done just right that it still feels perfect to me and I’m sticking with my original rating.
I wish Simon wasn’t so fond of pet names, he drops “sugar” or “babe” all the freaking time and I really wish he would at least choose one of those and stick with it.
I also didn’t remember the entire romance arc taking place over only a couple of weeks.
That’s it for this book’s faults and the second one I didn’t even consider a fault.
The romance was fast, but only in terms of actual time. It may technically fall under insta-love, but it really doesn’t. There’s no magic moment of recognition of fated mates, that’s not how werewolves work in this universe. There’s just two men—one man and one werewolf—meeting by chance and falling for each other fast because they fit together. That doesn’t mean that it’s all smooth sailing, for one thing Paul has never been attracted to men before and Simon…the last thing Simon needs is to get involved in something serious at a moment when his own survival inside the pack is at risk, but life doesn’t always go as planned.
The way the relationship started and progressed worked very well for me, Paul and Simon are both well-rounded characters with the right balance of qualities and flaws, and they complement each other nicely. As much as I enjoyed the romance, though, it’s in the way it fits in the bigger picture that this book and series really shine for me.
One of this series’ strongest points is the worldbuilding regarding the werewolves and their way of life. From the way shifting works, , it felt realistic in a way shifter stories rarely do. And while the pack’s customs may appear—and essentially are—brutal and uncompromising, their way of life makes sense within their reality and neither the violence nor the pack bonds are romanticized to be anything more or less than they are. The good comes hand in hand with the bad and like in real life, everything has nuances, it’s not black and white.
There’s a sort of overarching arc throughout the series that follows how Simon’s pack and the bigger werewolf society evolve but there are no cliffhangers and this book can be read as a standalone. Although I definitely recommend the entire series. :)
January 3, 2023
3 stars for Unacceptable Risk, 3 stars for Unsettled Interlude
This might end up being a ramble review so bear with me. First though, if you like shifters and that whole subgenre, please, please, please, just ignore this review and read the book for yourself. You'll get a lot more out of it than I did. I don't care for shifters, at least in Romance, and while this wasn't as obnoxious about some of the stuff that usually gets my hackles up, it's still here and not ignorable. (Although changing Alpha to Chief at least helped me read this at all.) 🤭
I think I liked this, but I'm not sure. I at least can't deny that Harper did a hell of job with the world building and setting up all the pack politics and the struggles they have to face in a modern world and the supremely screwed up ways they've decided to deal with those struggles. Stalin would applaud these guys, let's put it that way. She really never takes the easy route, and I admire her for that. But (and I'm probably going to say that a lot) while that was all really well done and interesting and probably one of the more realistic portrayals of shifters I've read, Harper still decided that what this world (our world) needed was yet another series about toxic masculinity and the paranoid systems that justify it. And you can't have toxic masculinity without misogyny and homophobia. But you know what? This world does not in fact need another series like this. It's overdone. And I doubt this was her intention, but it just had so many overtones of my Mormon upbringing that I had a lot of trouble giving a crap about any of it.
On top of that, you've got the "bond" which is creepier than usual here. Even though
The romance was okay. I liked it up to a point. Paul's a GFY trope. Harper handled it better here than she did in The Rebuilding Year, but she's not very good at coming up with reasons why her sexy, wonderful, pretty MCs can't find women. Ryan's got a bum leg that's disfigured from a fire, so women don't want to touch him. Um, women have a long, long, long tradition of loving men who are disfigured by battles or war or work or life in general. Kind of goes back all the way to the beginning of humanity. Try another excuse. Oh, Paul's just too geeky. Bruh, go to ComiCon. Any Con. I know they have those in the Twin Cities. Although I do recognize in Paul's case it's really his low self-esteem and past childhood traumas holding him back. Still, it doesn't help that Harper's female characters tend to be horrible. In fact, now I think about it, I'm struggling to think of a single female character over the age of six Harper has written who is actually likable. Megan here seems nice, but she's married into the hive mind and is totally Stepford, so I'm not giving any credit for that.
But I was talking about the romance. Paul was remarkably composed about all the crap he got hit with in such a short amount of time, and he really was the best part of this. Not sure if that was his low self-esteem working against him or not though. Probably against. Simon was sweet, even if he was pushy at times. His eager puppy displays were cute even while bordering on stalkery, but he's a wolf, he's protecting his mate (who he's known all of one week), so it's okay. 🙄 Maybe it's just the way I'm built. I push guys away when they start wanting to spend too much time around me. Which for me is a ridiculously small amount of time compared to normal people, lol. I don't find that kind of behavior endearing. I had a boyfriend once, when I had a brain fever and thought that'd be a good idea, who wanted to spend every single weekend with me. By the time I called things off a few months later, I was so exhausted I slept for 10 hours straight. It was the best sleep of my life. Like, give me space. Go away for a couple of years and then maybe I'll feel like a movie. (I really am the last person who should ever be dating anyone. I know this now, lol.) But Paul was happy with the arrangement, so I was happy for him until it all went to crap. They had decent chemistry but not enough for me to read all those sex scenes.
Okay, so after all that, I'm coming down on loving the world building but hating the world it built. 🤷🏻♀️ And I'm baffled the other books are about different couples when this couple still has so much up in the air. I think I'll stop here while I'm ahead, especially since the next book has an age gap that's bordering on icky. And I'll make up an ending where Paul finds a way to break the bond and gets him and the Stepford wives and their kids free of these psychos. 😂
Thanks to Ele and Rosa for keeping me company! 😘
This might end up being a ramble review so bear with me. First though, if you like shifters and that whole subgenre, please, please, please, just ignore this review and read the book for yourself. You'll get a lot more out of it than I did. I don't care for shifters, at least in Romance, and while this wasn't as obnoxious about some of the stuff that usually gets my hackles up, it's still here and not ignorable. (Although changing Alpha to Chief at least helped me read this at all.) 🤭
I think I liked this, but I'm not sure. I at least can't deny that Harper did a hell of job with the world building and setting up all the pack politics and the struggles they have to face in a modern world and the supremely screwed up ways they've decided to deal with those struggles. Stalin would applaud these guys, let's put it that way. She really never takes the easy route, and I admire her for that. But (and I'm probably going to say that a lot) while that was all really well done and interesting and probably one of the more realistic portrayals of shifters I've read, Harper still decided that what this world (our world) needed was yet another series about toxic masculinity and the paranoid systems that justify it. And you can't have toxic masculinity without misogyny and homophobia. But you know what? This world does not in fact need another series like this. It's overdone. And I doubt this was her intention, but it just had so many overtones of my Mormon upbringing that I had a lot of trouble giving a crap about any of it.
On top of that, you've got the "bond" which is creepier than usual here. Even though
The romance was okay. I liked it up to a point. Paul's a GFY trope. Harper handled it better here than she did in The Rebuilding Year, but she's not very good at coming up with reasons why her sexy, wonderful, pretty MCs can't find women. Ryan's got a bum leg that's disfigured from a fire, so women don't want to touch him. Um, women have a long, long, long tradition of loving men who are disfigured by battles or war or work or life in general. Kind of goes back all the way to the beginning of humanity. Try another excuse. Oh, Paul's just too geeky. Bruh, go to ComiCon. Any Con. I know they have those in the Twin Cities. Although I do recognize in Paul's case it's really his low self-esteem and past childhood traumas holding him back. Still, it doesn't help that Harper's female characters tend to be horrible. In fact, now I think about it, I'm struggling to think of a single female character over the age of six Harper has written who is actually likable. Megan here seems nice, but she's married into the hive mind and is totally Stepford, so I'm not giving any credit for that.
But I was talking about the romance. Paul was remarkably composed about all the crap he got hit with in such a short amount of time, and he really was the best part of this. Not sure if that was his low self-esteem working against him or not though. Probably against. Simon was sweet, even if he was pushy at times. His eager puppy displays were cute even while bordering on stalkery, but he's a wolf, he's protecting his mate (who he's known all of one week), so it's okay. 🙄 Maybe it's just the way I'm built. I push guys away when they start wanting to spend too much time around me. Which for me is a ridiculously small amount of time compared to normal people, lol. I don't find that kind of behavior endearing. I had a boyfriend once, when I had a brain fever and thought that'd be a good idea, who wanted to spend every single weekend with me. By the time I called things off a few months later, I was so exhausted I slept for 10 hours straight. It was the best sleep of my life. Like, give me space. Go away for a couple of years and then maybe I'll feel like a movie. (I really am the last person who should ever be dating anyone. I know this now, lol.) But Paul was happy with the arrangement, so I was happy for him until it all went to crap. They had decent chemistry but not enough for me to read all those sex scenes.
Okay, so after all that, I'm coming down on loving the world building but hating the world it built. 🤷🏻♀️ And I'm baffled the other books are about different couples when this couple still has so much up in the air. I think I'll stop here while I'm ahead, especially since the next book has an age gap that's bordering on icky. And I'll make up an ending where Paul finds a way to break the bond and gets him and the Stepford wives and their kids free of these psychos. 😂
Thanks to Ele and Rosa for keeping me company! 😘
October 5, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
I've recently torn through Kaje Harper's Life Lessons and Rebuilding Year series, so when I saw book 1 of her Hidden Wolves series on sale, I knew resistance was futile. Wolves! My favorite shifters! Whee!
So I really enjoyed this. It has a lot of what I've come to appreciate about Kaje Harper: excellent character work, great writing and pacing, hot sexytimes, MCs that read and behave like adults, and a good balance of interior and external drama. It IS on the insta-lovey/ fated mates side of things, at least for Simon. Normally that is a problem trope for me, but this time it didn't bother me as much. I think it helped that Simon first encounters Paul in his (Simon's) wolf form, meaning that Simon is reacting only to Paul's actions and compassion and touch and goodness, while Paul -- lonely, stressed, exhausted, and unfulfilled -- cares for and unburdens himself to an injured animal he assumes doesn't understand his words. Then when Simon meets Paul in skin, his instant physical attraction is met with an equally strong sense of knowing this person, and BAM! -- his wolf and his human side are fully in agreement, and that's it for our Simon. Paul, on the other hand, is emphatically NOT feeling insta-love/ fated mates, and in fact doubts and resists every step of the way (even while he can't deny an attraction and connection), which to me makes it more plausible. My main problem with insta-love is suspending disbelief (she writes, in the werewolf book review), but the progression of Simon and Paul's relationship felt believable and sincere. They end on a solid HFN, in that they are definitely together for good, but they also both recognize that there is still a lot they need to figure out and work on in this new, intense, extremely accelerated relationship.
I do want to say a bit about the worldbuilding here, because it's quite brutal and I think it's important people know what they're getting into. The gist is that the existence of werewolves is hidden from the human world, and that breaking secrecy -- doing anything that might enable humans to discover werewolves, which, in the modern world of blood and DNA testing and constant government and private surveillance, encompasses a lot -- is an automatic death sentence at the hands of your pack. Werewolves are only men, and if a woman gets pregnant by a werewolf, the child will always be a boy and will always be a werewolf. The only women privy to the secret are bonded mates, which is not the same as wives: being bonded is a step beyond being married, and creates a physical and emotional bond between the bonded mates and, via the bonded wolf partner, to the alpha. Many married werewolves have unaware wives (who, if they have children, become unaware mothers), meaning that many wolves go through life lying to their wives, and many women go through life never knowing the truth about their husbands and sons. (Indeed, bonded mates aren't supposed to be let in on the secret until after they are bonded, meaning they can't effectively consent to the bond -- if they even know about it.) So this is an extremely masculine, conservative, macho, hierarchical, violent, self-policing, and paranoid wolf world that clings to its traditions and its secrecy out of fear that discovery will lead to captivity and torture in the name of "research," or simple annihilation. The world has an inner logic, but it is not a pleasant one.
It is also violently homophobic. Standard practice is to kill gay werewolves; this normally happens around the time they are first able to shift (i.e. puberty), when their sexual attraction to other men becomes hard to hide in the nudity and proximity that accompanies shifting and pack bonding. In other words, this is a world where teenagers are murdered by their pack because of their sexual orientation. The justification isn't even really about the threat to secrecy; it is just plain old revulsion to homosexuality and gay sex and love. Simon managed to keep his sexuality hidden and locked down for ten years before he was outed to the pack by Karl, a dominant wolf and alpha wannabe who's the main baddie in the book. Simon managed to convince the alpha to spare him (we get all this in flashback), but his place in the pack is tenuous at best, and his existence is also hidden from rival packs -- not so much for his own protection, as for protection of his pack's reputation. For Simon, pack is valuable and pack is family, but it is also an ongoing source of violence, threat, homophobic abuse, and fear.
It is also worth knowing that mentally ill werewolves are treated no better than gay werewolves, on the justification that they pose a threat to secrecy. Without spoiling, I think readers should be aware that a young, mentally ill werewolf is executed as punishment for actions he took that threatened secrecy -- actions he was essentially manipulated into and that grew out of his mental illness. Paul, in particular, has an intensely negative reaction to this (as he should), so it's not like there is no pushback on-page. But it's nevertheless worth noting.
In sum -- I really loved Paul and Simon and I really enjoyed this series opener -- BUT I want to be clear that the worldbuilding is harsh and that violent homophobia (in combination with ambition and lust for power) drives a lot of the external action. This is a great book but it's probably not for all readers.
I've recently torn through Kaje Harper's Life Lessons and Rebuilding Year series, so when I saw book 1 of her Hidden Wolves series on sale, I knew resistance was futile. Wolves! My favorite shifters! Whee!
So I really enjoyed this. It has a lot of what I've come to appreciate about Kaje Harper: excellent character work, great writing and pacing, hot sexytimes, MCs that read and behave like adults, and a good balance of interior and external drama. It IS on the insta-lovey/ fated mates side of things, at least for Simon. Normally that is a problem trope for me, but this time it didn't bother me as much. I think it helped that Simon first encounters Paul in his (Simon's) wolf form, meaning that Simon is reacting only to Paul's actions and compassion and touch and goodness, while Paul -- lonely, stressed, exhausted, and unfulfilled -- cares for and unburdens himself to an injured animal he assumes doesn't understand his words. Then when Simon meets Paul in skin, his instant physical attraction is met with an equally strong sense of knowing this person, and BAM! -- his wolf and his human side are fully in agreement, and that's it for our Simon. Paul, on the other hand, is emphatically NOT feeling insta-love/ fated mates, and in fact doubts and resists every step of the way (even while he can't deny an attraction and connection), which to me makes it more plausible. My main problem with insta-love is suspending disbelief (she writes, in the werewolf book review), but the progression of Simon and Paul's relationship felt believable and sincere. They end on a solid HFN, in that they are definitely together for good, but they also both recognize that there is still a lot they need to figure out and work on in this new, intense, extremely accelerated relationship.
I do want to say a bit about the worldbuilding here, because it's quite brutal and I think it's important people know what they're getting into. The gist is that the existence of werewolves is hidden from the human world, and that breaking secrecy -- doing anything that might enable humans to discover werewolves, which, in the modern world of blood and DNA testing and constant government and private surveillance, encompasses a lot -- is an automatic death sentence at the hands of your pack. Werewolves are only men, and if a woman gets pregnant by a werewolf, the child will always be a boy and will always be a werewolf. The only women privy to the secret are bonded mates, which is not the same as wives: being bonded is a step beyond being married, and creates a physical and emotional bond between the bonded mates and, via the bonded wolf partner, to the alpha. Many married werewolves have unaware wives (who, if they have children, become unaware mothers), meaning that many wolves go through life lying to their wives, and many women go through life never knowing the truth about their husbands and sons. (Indeed, bonded mates aren't supposed to be let in on the secret until after they are bonded, meaning they can't effectively consent to the bond -- if they even know about it.) So this is an extremely masculine, conservative, macho, hierarchical, violent, self-policing, and paranoid wolf world that clings to its traditions and its secrecy out of fear that discovery will lead to captivity and torture in the name of "research," or simple annihilation. The world has an inner logic, but it is not a pleasant one.
It is also violently homophobic. Standard practice is to kill gay werewolves; this normally happens around the time they are first able to shift (i.e. puberty), when their sexual attraction to other men becomes hard to hide in the nudity and proximity that accompanies shifting and pack bonding. In other words, this is a world where teenagers are murdered by their pack because of their sexual orientation. The justification isn't even really about the threat to secrecy; it is just plain old revulsion to homosexuality and gay sex and love. Simon managed to keep his sexuality hidden and locked down for ten years before he was outed to the pack by Karl, a dominant wolf and alpha wannabe who's the main baddie in the book. Simon managed to convince the alpha to spare him (we get all this in flashback), but his place in the pack is tenuous at best, and his existence is also hidden from rival packs -- not so much for his own protection, as for protection of his pack's reputation. For Simon, pack is valuable and pack is family, but it is also an ongoing source of violence, threat, homophobic abuse, and fear.
It is also worth knowing that mentally ill werewolves are treated no better than gay werewolves, on the justification that they pose a threat to secrecy. Without spoiling, I think readers should be aware that a young, mentally ill werewolf is executed as punishment for actions he took that threatened secrecy -- actions he was essentially manipulated into and that grew out of his mental illness. Paul, in particular, has an intensely negative reaction to this (as he should), so it's not like there is no pushback on-page. But it's nevertheless worth noting.
In sum -- I really loved Paul and Simon and I really enjoyed this series opener -- BUT I want to be clear that the worldbuilding is harsh and that violent homophobia (in combination with ambition and lust for power) drives a lot of the external action. This is a great book but it's probably not for all readers.
August 17, 2021
Back in February I took part in a contest in Andy Gallo's blog and I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book and I want to thank all the people who did this opportunity possible.
I was excited about giving this series a try because my friend Ele is a huge fan of this and shifters are something I don't usually go for in novels. Don't get me wrong, I've read my fair share of them in manga format, and not only wolf shifters, but when it came to a novel shifters aren't my first choice. That said, I was surprised how different this shifters story is from other novels with the same subject I've read (not that I have much to compare, but still). I don't know what I was expecting but truly not this. I've had a hard time coming to terms with this werewolves society hidden among humans. They protect their secret fiercely and they erradicate any possibility of discover without giving it a second thought. That, I struggled with, but I liked it too. I liked that the "good guys" could do things I'm not confortable with and that those guys were also questioning those choices and they were trying to change how is their world. However difficult that's going to be.
This was an interesting start to the series, I liked the political plot and I want to know where we go from here after what happened at the end of the book.
Thank you Ele for the hand holding, this wouldn't have been as good if I couldn't discuss it with you.
I was excited about giving this series a try because my friend Ele is a huge fan of this and shifters are something I don't usually go for in novels. Don't get me wrong, I've read my fair share of them in manga format, and not only wolf shifters, but when it came to a novel shifters aren't my first choice. That said, I was surprised how different this shifters story is from other novels with the same subject I've read (not that I have much to compare, but still). I don't know what I was expecting but truly not this. I've had a hard time coming to terms with this werewolves society hidden among humans. They protect their secret fiercely and they erradicate any possibility of discover without giving it a second thought. That, I struggled with, but I liked it too. I liked that the "good guys" could do things I'm not confortable with and that those guys were also questioning those choices and they were trying to change how is their world. However difficult that's going to be.
This was an interesting start to the series, I liked the political plot and I want to know where we go from here after what happened at the end of the book.
Thank you Ele for the hand holding, this wouldn't have been as good if I couldn't discuss it with you.
August 18, 2021
3.5
Kaje Harper is taking her world building and her characters seriously. If she decides to create a world where werewolves are existing but where a pack of 48 is already considered as big and where the werewolf gen is only passed to the male population, she predicts that this leads to trust issues, dominance and machismo. So the packs have to hide, have to care about their secret and add to that the fact that they are so small and self-dependent, it leads to a sect structure with a dominant leader and archaic rules where death sentence are usual, where every men knows exactly where he stands in the hierarchy, where women are protected but otherwise excluded and everything that is considered as undermining the strict patriarchate is nipped in the bud. Not a nice world and Ms. Harper doesn't make it easier by adding soothing factors, pack idolization or mythologic legends. She never sympathizes with her own world creation but makes sure we see that werewolves are not human and not wolf and with the simple basic facts her society is the obvious result. Such a consequent creation is a rare treat in paranormal romances and I really appreciate her effort. The only “half-magical” addition is the mind bond between alpha and pack and the one between a couple. After all no shifter book comes without a take on mating.
After so many words about world creation you probably believe the romance is only riding shotgun but there you couldn't be more wrong. Paul and Simon are at the center and in every part of the book, nothing detracts from their story, not even Karl and his viciousness and scheming. As to be expected their romance is a slow burn with only a medium angst level. Paul doesn't even know about his being bi or gay but he's strong enough that he can embrace that side of himself without much fuss, finding out that his lover is a werewolf is harder but he stands by his man, even while he can deal with every aspect of the wolf society.
Simon. There's no way I can't love Simon and given his experiences with being outed as gay it's a wonder how caring, playful and unselfishness he is with Paul. His attempts to reign in his stalking tendencies when his wolf just wants to conquer and be near his human made me smile, his protectiveness while he wants to give Paul the space he obviously needs … there's no way those 2 are not meant to be together, come what may.
The downside of that focus on their romance: there is no space for Karl being more than a threat and danger. There are hints about what he done to gain his position as second, insinuations about his scheming to take over the control of the pack but just enough to show him as a constant danger. Political games or making a villain bigger are no topic of this book and that's a pity because they are so obvious, but that's a result about Ms. Harper being consequent about her focus on the main couple.
Kaje Harper is taking her world building and her characters seriously. If she decides to create a world where werewolves are existing but where a pack of 48 is already considered as big and where the werewolf gen is only passed to the male population, she predicts that this leads to trust issues, dominance and machismo. So the packs have to hide, have to care about their secret and add to that the fact that they are so small and self-dependent, it leads to a sect structure with a dominant leader and archaic rules where death sentence are usual, where every men knows exactly where he stands in the hierarchy, where women are protected but otherwise excluded and everything that is considered as undermining the strict patriarchate is nipped in the bud. Not a nice world and Ms. Harper doesn't make it easier by adding soothing factors, pack idolization or mythologic legends. She never sympathizes with her own world creation but makes sure we see that werewolves are not human and not wolf and with the simple basic facts her society is the obvious result. Such a consequent creation is a rare treat in paranormal romances and I really appreciate her effort. The only “half-magical” addition is the mind bond between alpha and pack and the one between a couple. After all no shifter book comes without a take on mating.
After so many words about world creation you probably believe the romance is only riding shotgun but there you couldn't be more wrong. Paul and Simon are at the center and in every part of the book, nothing detracts from their story, not even Karl and his viciousness and scheming. As to be expected their romance is a slow burn with only a medium angst level. Paul doesn't even know about his being bi or gay but he's strong enough that he can embrace that side of himself without much fuss, finding out that his lover is a werewolf is harder but he stands by his man, even while he can deal with every aspect of the wolf society.
Simon. There's no way I can't love Simon and given his experiences with being outed as gay it's a wonder how caring, playful and unselfishness he is with Paul. His attempts to reign in his stalking tendencies when his wolf just wants to conquer and be near his human made me smile, his protectiveness while he wants to give Paul the space he obviously needs … there's no way those 2 are not meant to be together, come what may.
The downside of that focus on their romance: there is no space for Karl being more than a threat and danger. There are hints about what he done to gain his position as second, insinuations about his scheming to take over the control of the pack but just enough to show him as a constant danger. Political games or making a villain bigger are no topic of this book and that's a pity because they are so obvious, but that's a result about Ms. Harper being consequent about her focus on the main couple.
January 24, 2024
Just read @Kathleen's review, here. I don't have anything to add!
April 22, 2021
I've read many shifter stories over the years, some that stick to the tried and true beliefs about werewolves, how they shift, and why the exist, so it's refreshing when an author has something to new to bring to the table when it comes to shifter worlds.
The world-building was excellent, as I've come to expect from this author. Shifters have unbreakable rules, but they are getting to the point where they must either learn and grow or the harm they've feared from humans, they'll do to themselves and become the architects of their own extinction.
The Hidden Wolves society is often brutal, and a wolf must be always on their guard from others who want to move up in the pack heirarchy, or who will do anything to earn the favor of those in power. Brute strength is more prized than compassion and wisdom. Gay wolves are killed, as are any deemed a liability, or who risk exposing their kind to humans. It is into this darkness that Simon finds a ray of light in Paul. What would you do for love? How hard would you fight to keep it? These are questions our two heroes must answer.
I found the pack politics fascinating, the characters unique and complex. The story was perfectly paced and riveting. So much so that the moment I finished this installment, I immediately moved on to the next. There are several more books in this series, so I've just started out on a journey with these, and other, characters. I look forward to every moment.
The world-building was excellent, as I've come to expect from this author. Shifters have unbreakable rules, but they are getting to the point where they must either learn and grow or the harm they've feared from humans, they'll do to themselves and become the architects of their own extinction.
The Hidden Wolves society is often brutal, and a wolf must be always on their guard from others who want to move up in the pack heirarchy, or who will do anything to earn the favor of those in power. Brute strength is more prized than compassion and wisdom. Gay wolves are killed, as are any deemed a liability, or who risk exposing their kind to humans. It is into this darkness that Simon finds a ray of light in Paul. What would you do for love? How hard would you fight to keep it? These are questions our two heroes must answer.
I found the pack politics fascinating, the characters unique and complex. The story was perfectly paced and riveting. So much so that the moment I finished this installment, I immediately moved on to the next. There are several more books in this series, so I've just started out on a journey with these, and other, characters. I look forward to every moment.
July 1, 2021
This one's good! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It has a nice mix of drama and floof. I did sometimes wish things were a bit more straightforward, but the complexity is half the fun in this book. I haven't read a single blurb in the series, so I'm interested in being surprised.
April 2, 2025
4+⭐
2nd read: the review stands, it could probably be 4.5⭐ too.
This is not a nice and light read having extremely homophobic and pretty violent werewolves and abuse history with both main characters, one of them still being abused. Still, it's not an overly heavy or bleak book, there's humour and romance giving some sweeter and lighter moments. Kaje Harper manages to find a nice balance with suspense/action, drama, humour and romance once again.
The book also contains a good bi-awakening story. And for all the supernatural elements the story feels realistic and immersive. I sometimes lost track of all the guys in the werewolf pack, there were so many, but I imagine it will become easier in the future. I will definitely want to see what happens to the pack in the sequels, the starting point was pretty damn horrible but the future changes really intrigue me.
2nd read: the review stands, it could probably be 4.5⭐ too.
This is not a nice and light read having extremely homophobic and pretty violent werewolves and abuse history with both main characters, one of them still being abused. Still, it's not an overly heavy or bleak book, there's humour and romance giving some sweeter and lighter moments. Kaje Harper manages to find a nice balance with suspense/action, drama, humour and romance once again.
The book also contains a good bi-awakening story. And for all the supernatural elements the story feels realistic and immersive. I sometimes lost track of all the guys in the werewolf pack, there were so many, but I imagine it will become easier in the future. I will definitely want to see what happens to the pack in the sequels, the starting point was pretty damn horrible but the future changes really intrigue me.
July 23, 2024
It's been forever since I originally read this (the original MLR Press release) and it was almost like reading it for the first time. I remembered bits of the story, but not much, really. I've been wanting to read some of the newer books in this series, so I figured I'd just start from the beginning.
I still enjoyed it, though it does feel dated. I'm looking forward to reaquainting myself with this series and universe.
I still enjoyed it, though it does feel dated. I'm looking forward to reaquainting myself with this series and universe.
August 20, 2025
I really liked Simon and Paul. This doesn't completely end in a satisfying way but also there's a series so I'm gonna keep on reading and see what happens.
The level of homophobia in this book is really distressing. But, that's kind of the whole tension.
The level of homophobia in this book is really distressing. But, that's kind of the whole tension.
September 1, 2022
UPDATE 8/31/2022
I begrudgingly finished this book today. There will be no change in my rating due to the fact that it ended quite abruptly after the “big confrontation.” While Simon did explain to Paul a little bit more of how the werewolf thing worked, there still wasn’t any explanation about why they don’t produce female offspring. This was a weird thing, imo, to have in a shifter book. It felt like Ms. Harper just wanted to add things that made her book different from the other shifter books, but didn’t explain anything about why things were the way they were. Eventually, their species will die out due to the fact that very few pregnancies are viable between the male shifters and human women.
Original thoughts:
I’m at 53% in this book and I just can’t anymore. It feels like I’ve been reading it for a week. The first 52% of this book has 11 chapters. There are only 5 chapters left in the second half of the book. Who broke this into chapters? That’s insane!
I’m BORED out of my skull!! So far, this has been like no other shifter book I’ve read. Wolves never had sisters, of course. There are no female wolves? What the heck? I’ve read shifter books where they’ve been wary of gay shifters, but they’re outright hostile to Simon in this book.
I don’t care about either MC enough to want to know where this story goes. The politics of the pack are weird. It’s constantly being hinted at that the “Second” wants to usurp the Alpha, but nothing is happening. There was one big attack on Simon to open the book, then nothing. And the romance is going at a snail’s pace. 🐌 🥱😴
Maybe it’s just me. It has a decent rating. Idk. I’m just glad this was free at the time I got it.
I begrudgingly finished this book today. There will be no change in my rating due to the fact that it ended quite abruptly after the “big confrontation.” While Simon did explain to Paul a little bit more of how the werewolf thing worked, there still wasn’t any explanation about why they don’t produce female offspring. This was a weird thing, imo, to have in a shifter book. It felt like Ms. Harper just wanted to add things that made her book different from the other shifter books, but didn’t explain anything about why things were the way they were. Eventually, their species will die out due to the fact that very few pregnancies are viable between the male shifters and human women.
Original thoughts:
I’m at 53% in this book and I just can’t anymore. It feels like I’ve been reading it for a week. The first 52% of this book has 11 chapters. There are only 5 chapters left in the second half of the book. Who broke this into chapters? That’s insane!
I’m BORED out of my skull!! So far, this has been like no other shifter book I’ve read. Wolves never had sisters, of course. There are no female wolves? What the heck? I’ve read shifter books where they’ve been wary of gay shifters, but they’re outright hostile to Simon in this book.
I don’t care about either MC enough to want to know where this story goes. The politics of the pack are weird. It’s constantly being hinted at that the “Second” wants to usurp the Alpha, but nothing is happening. There was one big attack on Simon to open the book, then nothing. And the romance is going at a snail’s pace. 🐌 🥱😴
Maybe it’s just me. It has a decent rating. Idk. I’m just glad this was free at the time I got it.
January 18, 2022
what if you're an injured werewolf that gets picked up by a sweet and charming vet ?
(better than a lot of meet-cutes, tbh)
"He had been alone so long, and Simon walked through his walls like they weren’t there."
The werewolf lore is interesting, pack dynamics are more extreme than most shifter romances, the world was clearly thought out and holds really well.
Simon is so toughful and caring and willing to take his time and just spend time with Paul (our unaware vet). Just cooking and feeding him as a love language, I love their bonding and growing attraction even before things get really complicated bc werewolves.
" His wolf wanted to catch a deer and haul it back for Paul and go find him and feed him. His wolf was deluded too. "
CW : so much homophobia, implied child abuse, parental neglect, violence, blood, murder, death of a minor/young adult (can't remember the character's age) and more...
(better than a lot of meet-cutes, tbh)
"He had been alone so long, and Simon walked through his walls like they weren’t there."
The werewolf lore is interesting, pack dynamics are more extreme than most shifter romances, the world was clearly thought out and holds really well.
Simon is so toughful and caring and willing to take his time and just spend time with Paul (our unaware vet). Just cooking and feeding him as a love language, I love their bonding and growing attraction even before things get really complicated bc werewolves.
" His wolf wanted to catch a deer and haul it back for Paul and go find him and feed him. His wolf was deluded too. "
CW : so much homophobia, implied child abuse, parental neglect, violence, blood, murder, death of a minor/young adult (can't remember the character's age) and more...
April 28, 2021
I’ve read this author before but not a shifter book. This is a mm shifter story with main characters Simon a werewolf and Paul a human vet. Werewolves are to be kept a secret from humans at all costs, but Simon is gay and that’s unusual in the pack. A great entertaining story.
May 12, 2023
This was a freebie on Amazon and I feel like I’ve scored with this one. The book was very good written, and considering that I don’t really dig fated mates trope, it says a lot coming from me. The tropewas executed very well. Both main characters were complex and their interactions were interesting and rang true. But the ending felt uncertain, so I’m not really sure if this is the end of their story. The werewolf society the author created is very brutal and violent, the only punishment they carry out for every misdeed is death, and, of course, being gay is one of them.
Read
January 15, 2023Pulling the plug at 37%. Nothing about this one is working for me.
June 11, 2021
I admired Paul's 'research' scene, wherein he confronts his bisexuality, but... And I usually love this author's work, but... I am having trouble with this novel. DNF at 32%. I dislike the werewolf dynamic. And I just can't warm up to the human. I'm accidentally reading several werewolf novels (weird because I generally avoid the shifter romances), and alas, this one suffers in comparison.
I may one day try one of the later novels. Hope different pairings work better for me.
I may one day try one of the later novels. Hope different pairings work better for me.
added-it
June 5, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/5/2021)! 🎁
February 3, 2021
The fact that this author always throws realism into her stories makes accepting her shifter lore very easily. Even with everything that happens in this story line, it comes down to two people and the love they have for each other, through thick and thin.
Simon is a born werewolf in a world where they are definitely the minority and letting humans discover their secret is instant death for the wolf and the humans. Pack law. Non-negotiable. Simon is also gay which makes him an abomination in his pack and hated by many of them, chief being Karl and his band of troublemakers. Karl is itching for the alpha position and he's terrified so many of the pack that no one wants to stand up to him. Not even the alpha as he might not win that fight. Karl and his buddies attack Simon one night and leave him half dead on the frozen road. Simon is rescued by Paul, a veterinarian, who thinks he's a really big dog, and Paul takes him back to his clinic and patches him up. Simon is able to escape the next night and get home but is shocked to see flyers all over town the next morning with his wolf picture on them asking if people have seen this dog. Simon isn't happy which is how contact between the two men commences. It doesn't escape Simon's notice, though, that Paul is gorgeous and just the type of guy he likes.
The internal pack politics heat up and while Simon can do his best to protect himself, he can't save Paul if it were to come down to it. Paul has his own history and bitterness to still try to work out.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
Simon is a born werewolf in a world where they are definitely the minority and letting humans discover their secret is instant death for the wolf and the humans. Pack law. Non-negotiable. Simon is also gay which makes him an abomination in his pack and hated by many of them, chief being Karl and his band of troublemakers. Karl is itching for the alpha position and he's terrified so many of the pack that no one wants to stand up to him. Not even the alpha as he might not win that fight. Karl and his buddies attack Simon one night and leave him half dead on the frozen road. Simon is rescued by Paul, a veterinarian, who thinks he's a really big dog, and Paul takes him back to his clinic and patches him up. Simon is able to escape the next night and get home but is shocked to see flyers all over town the next morning with his wolf picture on them asking if people have seen this dog. Simon isn't happy which is how contact between the two men commences. It doesn't escape Simon's notice, though, that Paul is gorgeous and just the type of guy he likes.
The internal pack politics heat up and while Simon can do his best to protect himself, he can't save Paul if it were to come down to it. Paul has his own history and bitterness to still try to work out.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
June 20, 2021
Unacceptable Risk
By Kate Harper
Paul is a human veterinarian who is seriously overworked, but loves his career and is always intent on doing the right thing. Simon being the only gay werewolf in the pack is mostly used as a punching bag by Karl, the pack alpha's cruel second in command.
When Karl and his cronies beat Simon almost to death Paul finds him on the side of the road in a snowstorm. He takes Simon, in werewolf form, to the clinic and nurses him (almost) back to health.
Not happy to let Paul out of his life quite yet Simon makes excuses to see him, but when Simon is attacked again it's not only just his life in danger this time, but Paul's life is in danger too, and Paul isn't sure he can forgive all Simon's lies.
The book is in both Paul and Simon's POV. There is no cheating. The angst is medium. The end is a HEA.
This story drew me in from the beginning. The way it was written kept me wanting to read more and more. It is definitely a slow burn romance and very long. (Depending on your reading speed I'd say between 6-10 hours.)
Triggers:
By Kate Harper
Paul is a human veterinarian who is seriously overworked, but loves his career and is always intent on doing the right thing. Simon being the only gay werewolf in the pack is mostly used as a punching bag by Karl, the pack alpha's cruel second in command.
When Karl and his cronies beat Simon almost to death Paul finds him on the side of the road in a snowstorm. He takes Simon, in werewolf form, to the clinic and nurses him (almost) back to health.
Not happy to let Paul out of his life quite yet Simon makes excuses to see him, but when Simon is attacked again it's not only just his life in danger this time, but Paul's life is in danger too, and Paul isn't sure he can forgive all Simon's lies.
The book is in both Paul and Simon's POV. There is no cheating. The angst is medium. The end is a HEA.
This story drew me in from the beginning. The way it was written kept me wanting to read more and more. It is definitely a slow burn romance and very long. (Depending on your reading speed I'd say between 6-10 hours.)
Triggers:
August 1, 2021
3.5 stars - This was a long boi, and took me a whiiile, but it did keep me interested the whole time. It's werewolves, and the set up is intense. There are only male werewolves in this world, so they have to mate (and occasionally MATE) with humans. Gay werewolves are seen as a threat to their continuation as a species (I guess? The homophobic violence is real in this one) and Simon finds himself targeted by members of his own pack. He's rescued by a vet (Paul), who Simon ends up checking up on and turns OUT, he's Simon's mate, which might be a first. This one takes time to develop, which I appreciated, because there's a lot to unpack. And I liked that even though Paul is very insecure about a lot of things, he's completely confident about his work (which is why he's a workaholic.)
April 20, 2021
I read this book when it first came out, and was immediately hooked on the world that the author is building. I've felt character's despair, their love, their hopes and dreams, and also how they deal with death (and there does seem to be a fair amount in the present and in the past), but they're wolves, so it's to be expected.
However, the reasons? Oh, those are varied and scary as hell.
I love these men of Kaje's world. The dominant, the submissive, the good, the bad, and those who died way too early.
Read this series, and you won't be disappointed.
However, the reasons? Oh, those are varied and scary as hell.
I love these men of Kaje's world. The dominant, the submissive, the good, the bad, and those who died way too early.
Read this series, and you won't be disappointed.
June 23, 2021
I won this book in a giveaway and I am so glad I did as I ended up really enjoying this one. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I got hooked from the first chapters and wanted to keep reading. I liked that this was a longer book as this way there's more time for the romance and plot to develop and more time to spend with these characters.
I liked the set-up for this one. Simon has been attacked in wolf form and left for dead when vet Paul finds him and takes him back to his clinic. He thinks it's a big dog and tends to his injuries. This sure was an interesting set up and first meet and after that they quickly meet in human form and grow closer, al the while Simon is keeping the secret that he was the big wolf that Paul found. I liked both Paul and Simon. They're both likable characters and made for a great couple. I like how compassionate Paul is and how Simon takes care of Paul.
I liked the romance between the characters and how it build slowly. And besides that it also had a solid plot. There's a lot of tension in the werewolf pack that Simon is part of. The tension is already created at the start with the attack on Simon and it slowly builds. You know something has to change, but I wasn't quite sure what would happen. It really kept me curious to see how this all would be resolved and especially at the end it gets quite tense to see how things would play out.
The pack is very homophobic and the fact that the alpha didn't kill Simon when they found out he is gay is a sore point for some of them. It was hard to read how some of the pack treated Simon and even how his friends didn't dare openly support him. But I felt that this was also the point of the story and how it allows for the possibility of change. There are some hints and attempt at that later on already and it will be interesting to see how that develops over the course of the series.
The romance was awesome. I liked how it starts with this almost slow burn of Paul and Simon growing closer. Simon has secrets to keep, but while he tries to keep his distance he doesn't succeed. Paul has his own struggles, he thinks he's straight and never really loved someone. He is lonely, but also cautious. It's great to see him slowly open up and warm up to Simon, but there's still a lot they have to deal with. There's how Paul has to deal with the fact that he's not as straight as he thought then there's the secret Simon is keeping about his werewolf self.
I liked seeing them deal with the challenges that came that way. And also appreciated how there wasn't a lot of drama, but they did have moments where Paul said he needed some distance and Simon gave it to him or when they have to talk things through. I liked how they dealt with things in a mature way and talked about things they struggled with. I did feel their relationship became more focused on the physical and steamy once they progressed into that phase, but luckily there's enough other things going to break those parts up.
The ending of the first book felt pretty abrupt, which some big things not resolved. It feels a bit like a non-ending. It's more of a happy for now ending with hopes for more, but while parts are resoled it's clear the danger from the pack and troubles between the two guys aren't resolved yet. I hope that will be resolved in future books and that's why the ending was like this, but it sure felt off to me.
There's a novella right after book 1 and included in the file that takes place right where book 1 left off. Unfortunately the tone of the novella felt just a bit different. There are some reminders about the plot of book 1 even tough the plot picks up right after book 1, which was a bit weird. To be honest I could've done without the novella, it doesn't add anything to the plot. There is a bit more drama as well as more focus on the fact that they are not out of danger yet and addresses how Paul struggles with how the pact acts. Both of which were already addressed way more subtly and well done in the main story. There is no plot arc in the novella, it's just a bit more about the two characters. There is no start, middle or ending and it just feels like a little extra or something. It didn't work for me. I feel like this might be intended as a set up for the next book, guess I'll see when I read book 2.
To summarize: This was a great read. It's on the longer side and I liked how that means extra time to spend time with the characters and see the plot play out. I liked the set up of this book and the slow burn start to the romance. The story is interesting and the plot threads surrounding the pack kept me curious to see how it would play out. There is some tension in the pack that increases throughout the book until it gets resolved toward the end. I liked the romance between Simon and Paul and how they communicated well. They had a lot to deal with and there were times where they struggled, but I liked how there wasn't too much drama and it felt realistic. The ending is quite abrupt and didn't resolve some major plot threads. There's a novella right behind it, which didn't add anything except to overemphasize the threads that were left open. I think in preparation for book 2. I would definitely recommend this one if you like MM werewolf stories.
I liked the set-up for this one. Simon has been attacked in wolf form and left for dead when vet Paul finds him and takes him back to his clinic. He thinks it's a big dog and tends to his injuries. This sure was an interesting set up and first meet and after that they quickly meet in human form and grow closer, al the while Simon is keeping the secret that he was the big wolf that Paul found. I liked both Paul and Simon. They're both likable characters and made for a great couple. I like how compassionate Paul is and how Simon takes care of Paul.
I liked the romance between the characters and how it build slowly. And besides that it also had a solid plot. There's a lot of tension in the werewolf pack that Simon is part of. The tension is already created at the start with the attack on Simon and it slowly builds. You know something has to change, but I wasn't quite sure what would happen. It really kept me curious to see how this all would be resolved and especially at the end it gets quite tense to see how things would play out.
The pack is very homophobic and the fact that the alpha didn't kill Simon when they found out he is gay is a sore point for some of them. It was hard to read how some of the pack treated Simon and even how his friends didn't dare openly support him. But I felt that this was also the point of the story and how it allows for the possibility of change. There are some hints and attempt at that later on already and it will be interesting to see how that develops over the course of the series.
The romance was awesome. I liked how it starts with this almost slow burn of Paul and Simon growing closer. Simon has secrets to keep, but while he tries to keep his distance he doesn't succeed. Paul has his own struggles, he thinks he's straight and never really loved someone. He is lonely, but also cautious. It's great to see him slowly open up and warm up to Simon, but there's still a lot they have to deal with. There's how Paul has to deal with the fact that he's not as straight as he thought then there's the secret Simon is keeping about his werewolf self.
I liked seeing them deal with the challenges that came that way. And also appreciated how there wasn't a lot of drama, but they did have moments where Paul said he needed some distance and Simon gave it to him or when they have to talk things through. I liked how they dealt with things in a mature way and talked about things they struggled with. I did feel their relationship became more focused on the physical and steamy once they progressed into that phase, but luckily there's enough other things going to break those parts up.
The ending of the first book felt pretty abrupt, which some big things not resolved. It feels a bit like a non-ending. It's more of a happy for now ending with hopes for more, but while parts are resoled it's clear the danger from the pack and troubles between the two guys aren't resolved yet. I hope that will be resolved in future books and that's why the ending was like this, but it sure felt off to me.
There's a novella right after book 1 and included in the file that takes place right where book 1 left off. Unfortunately the tone of the novella felt just a bit different. There are some reminders about the plot of book 1 even tough the plot picks up right after book 1, which was a bit weird. To be honest I could've done without the novella, it doesn't add anything to the plot. There is a bit more drama as well as more focus on the fact that they are not out of danger yet and addresses how Paul struggles with how the pact acts. Both of which were already addressed way more subtly and well done in the main story. There is no plot arc in the novella, it's just a bit more about the two characters. There is no start, middle or ending and it just feels like a little extra or something. It didn't work for me. I feel like this might be intended as a set up for the next book, guess I'll see when I read book 2.
To summarize: This was a great read. It's on the longer side and I liked how that means extra time to spend time with the characters and see the plot play out. I liked the set up of this book and the slow burn start to the romance. The story is interesting and the plot threads surrounding the pack kept me curious to see how it would play out. There is some tension in the pack that increases throughout the book until it gets resolved toward the end. I liked the romance between Simon and Paul and how they communicated well. They had a lot to deal with and there were times where they struggled, but I liked how there wasn't too much drama and it felt realistic. The ending is quite abrupt and didn't resolve some major plot threads. There's a novella right behind it, which didn't add anything except to overemphasize the threads that were left open. I think in preparation for book 2. I would definitely recommend this one if you like MM werewolf stories.
July 23, 2023
3.5*
From early on you know Karl is bad news and something really bad is going to happen. But that bad wasn't what I expected.
I didn't always understand Simon's witty comments to rock the boat a little more than nessecary, but I must admire how he managed to establish is rank in the pack, considering most of his pack members couldn't stand him. It is almost a wonder he survived all this time...
Paul really ran hot and cold. Some things he took surprisingly good and other more simple things made him freak, so I had a hard time warming up to him.
From early on you know Karl is bad news and something really bad is going to happen. But that bad wasn't what I expected.
I didn't always understand Simon's witty comments to rock the boat a little more than nessecary, but I must admire how he managed to establish is rank in the pack, considering most of his pack members couldn't stand him. It is almost a wonder he survived all this time...
Paul really ran hot and cold. Some things he took surprisingly good and other more simple things made him freak, so I had a hard time warming up to him.
June 16, 2021
I really enjoy Harper's books, and this was no exception! I'll be honest, the summary of this one didn't grab me as much as some of the later books in the series, but I quite enjoyed it! I really appreciated the approach to shifters here, and while feelings developed quickly, it didn't feel like instalove at all. I enjoyed the characters and their connection, and the plot was engaging. Honestly, my biggest issue here was the fact that all werewolves are male and all the women in the book are relegated to mothers and wives and given basically no voice or importance. This was written 10 years ago, and the author handled it about as well as they could given the inherent misogyny in the concept, but it definitely was a major flaw in what was otherwise an interesting take on werewolves.
April 27, 2023
For more of my reviews, check out my blog.
You all know me by now, I think. You all know how much I adore werewolves. I picked up Unacceptable Risk late last year when I saw that it was free on Kindle. It had semi-decent reviews on Goodreads, so I went for it. Welll….good news / bad news — good news is Goodreads was actually right on the money with this one. The reviews were all truthful, and made sense to me once I finished the book. Bad news is — I maybe wasted my time on a werewolf book that just didn’t hit the buttons I needed it to press. I say maybe, because I did enjoy quite a lot of this book. There was just something missing, and I believe I know what it was.
Paul is a vet. In the very first part of the novel we see him almost run over a very injured wolf. Of course, this wolf is our main werewolf — Simon. I really, thoroughly liked Simon. He was just plain likeable. He wanted what was best for Paul, but he was more than a little pushy without meaning to be. The author waves this off by saying it’s Simon’s wolf who wants to take care of Paul, but it almost came across as creepy. Almost. (He has food delivered to Paul’s vet office almost every day. Wants to cook him dinner, feed him, etc.) He was very protective, very caring, it was just a lot all at once.
Poor Paul was struggling with the idea of suddenly finding men attractive — he’d thought he was straight before he met Simon. Things escalate VERY quickly with them. It sort of works in the werewolf setting, but Paul struggles with everything throughout the whole novel. I thought it would maybe get better as the book went on, but really at the end of the day it felt like Paul didn’t want to be where he was. It sort of ruined the whole thing for me. Paul was so wishywashy — understandably — he kept switching hot and cold on how he felt about everything. It felt odd.
Not to mention that the entire plot hedged around the fact that the majority of Simon’s werewolf pack wanted to kill him because he was gay. This book was written in 2011, which explains why it felt so DATED. Seriously, this sort of plot didn’t work as well for me in 2023 as it probably would have back then. It felt very…I don’t know… it isn’t unrealistic, it just felt overdramatic? That’s not even the right word. I don’t know what I’m trying to say here other than the book feels it’s age.
Anyway, I liked most of the characters, I just wish they had been played with in a slightly different way. Three and a half stars.
You all know me by now, I think. You all know how much I adore werewolves. I picked up Unacceptable Risk late last year when I saw that it was free on Kindle. It had semi-decent reviews on Goodreads, so I went for it. Welll….good news / bad news — good news is Goodreads was actually right on the money with this one. The reviews were all truthful, and made sense to me once I finished the book. Bad news is — I maybe wasted my time on a werewolf book that just didn’t hit the buttons I needed it to press. I say maybe, because I did enjoy quite a lot of this book. There was just something missing, and I believe I know what it was.
Paul is a vet. In the very first part of the novel we see him almost run over a very injured wolf. Of course, this wolf is our main werewolf — Simon. I really, thoroughly liked Simon. He was just plain likeable. He wanted what was best for Paul, but he was more than a little pushy without meaning to be. The author waves this off by saying it’s Simon’s wolf who wants to take care of Paul, but it almost came across as creepy. Almost. (He has food delivered to Paul’s vet office almost every day. Wants to cook him dinner, feed him, etc.) He was very protective, very caring, it was just a lot all at once.
Poor Paul was struggling with the idea of suddenly finding men attractive — he’d thought he was straight before he met Simon. Things escalate VERY quickly with them. It sort of works in the werewolf setting, but Paul struggles with everything throughout the whole novel. I thought it would maybe get better as the book went on, but really at the end of the day it felt like Paul didn’t want to be where he was. It sort of ruined the whole thing for me. Paul was so wishywashy — understandably — he kept switching hot and cold on how he felt about everything. It felt odd.
Not to mention that the entire plot hedged around the fact that the majority of Simon’s werewolf pack wanted to kill him because he was gay. This book was written in 2011, which explains why it felt so DATED. Seriously, this sort of plot didn’t work as well for me in 2023 as it probably would have back then. It felt very…I don’t know… it isn’t unrealistic, it just felt overdramatic? That’s not even the right word. I don’t know what I’m trying to say here other than the book feels it’s age.
Anyway, I liked most of the characters, I just wish they had been played with in a slightly different way. Three and a half stars.
April 15, 2021
Unacceptable Risk is the first of the Hidden Wolves series, a complete wolf shifter collection recently rereleased. I haven’t read much from this author previously but found the blurb very intriguing. Overall, Unacceptable Risk proved to be a well-written story that captured my attention.
I really liked the characters and action in Unacceptable Risk and found the details about the wolf shifter pack quite different from the norm. I also found the extended storyline and pack drama intriguing and plan to continue the series. The couple Unacceptable Risk centers on is a wolf shifter paired with a human veterinarian. Simon and Paul’s meeting was very unique and I liked how Paul’s job as a veterinarian linked the men. I also appreciated the way Simon pursued and protected Paul over the course of the book. The author does a great job characterizing the wolves in a way that makes their hybrid DNA of wolf/ human apparent in their emotional responses, traditions, instincts, thoughts, and actions. I liked the way the pack community reflected this and felt it set it apart from many of the other shifter romances I’ve read.
From a romantic standpoint, I liked how Paul and Simon progressed in their feelings differently. Paul was understandably reluctant, lending some believability to the love story and making his reactions to Simon’s revelations that much more relatable. That said, there was no lack of chemistry in Unacceptable Risk. The close connection between Simon and Paul comes through and makes them a couple who is easy to like and root for. I’d definitely recommend Unacceptable Risk to fans of shifter romances and will be looking to read more from the series myself.
*eBook received via Gay Romance Reviews. The PA and author had no influence over this review*
I really liked the characters and action in Unacceptable Risk and found the details about the wolf shifter pack quite different from the norm. I also found the extended storyline and pack drama intriguing and plan to continue the series. The couple Unacceptable Risk centers on is a wolf shifter paired with a human veterinarian. Simon and Paul’s meeting was very unique and I liked how Paul’s job as a veterinarian linked the men. I also appreciated the way Simon pursued and protected Paul over the course of the book. The author does a great job characterizing the wolves in a way that makes their hybrid DNA of wolf/ human apparent in their emotional responses, traditions, instincts, thoughts, and actions. I liked the way the pack community reflected this and felt it set it apart from many of the other shifter romances I’ve read.
From a romantic standpoint, I liked how Paul and Simon progressed in their feelings differently. Paul was understandably reluctant, lending some believability to the love story and making his reactions to Simon’s revelations that much more relatable. That said, there was no lack of chemistry in Unacceptable Risk. The close connection between Simon and Paul comes through and makes them a couple who is easy to like and root for. I’d definitely recommend Unacceptable Risk to fans of shifter romances and will be looking to read more from the series myself.
*eBook received via Gay Romance Reviews. The PA and author had no influence over this review*
March 29, 2021
4.5 eagerly rounded up. I received a free copy of the second edition in exchange for an honest review.
This was, without a doubt, probably one of the best M/M shifter romances (or just shifter romances, period) that I've read. The author gave us well-developed characters, an actual progression from meet-cute to friends to lovers to mates, and an entirely fascinating shifter pack structure that is wholly unique to this story. There's a lot going on in this world--secrecy, homophobia, political power schemes, mafia-esque families--separate from, yet masterfully woven into, the main arc of the story.
I found Simon to be cute, snarky, and endearing. A perfect compliment to Paul. (I did, about half-way through a sex scene, realize that their names were Paul and Simon, which, I'll be honest, really had me laughing my way through the scene, but that's besides the point.) It was nice and refreshing to see a shifter story not starring the alpha of a pack, but rather one of the wolves in the middle. Add in the entirely fascinating power dynamic of these shifters, and I'm doing grabby-hands for book two.
I loved this. It was an excellent Sunday read. If you like shifters and are sick of the fated mates formula, this one is something different entirely.
This was, without a doubt, probably one of the best M/M shifter romances (or just shifter romances, period) that I've read. The author gave us well-developed characters, an actual progression from meet-cute to friends to lovers to mates, and an entirely fascinating shifter pack structure that is wholly unique to this story. There's a lot going on in this world--secrecy, homophobia, political power schemes, mafia-esque families--separate from, yet masterfully woven into, the main arc of the story.
I found Simon to be cute, snarky, and endearing. A perfect compliment to Paul. (I did, about half-way through a sex scene, realize that their names were Paul and Simon, which, I'll be honest, really had me laughing my way through the scene, but that's besides the point.) It was nice and refreshing to see a shifter story not starring the alpha of a pack, but rather one of the wolves in the middle. Add in the entirely fascinating power dynamic of these shifters, and I'm doing grabby-hands for book two.
I loved this. It was an excellent Sunday read. If you like shifters and are sick of the fated mates formula, this one is something different entirely.
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