Release Day Review: Once Upon a Wolf by Rhys Ford

Title: Once Upon a Wolf
Series: Wayward Wolves: Book One
Author: Rhys Ford
Release Date: February 16, 2018
Category: Werewolves/Shapeshifters
Pages: 96

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Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving *Gibson* with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.

3 Stars

When I saw that Rhys Ford had a Shifter book I was so excited. I’m so in love with her writing and the way she paints such vivid pictures with her intricate detailing. I assumed we’d get a bit of sexy, intensity and something unique as far as the Shifter world. While I did appreciate the story, I am sorry to say it’s definitely not my favorite Rhys Ford story.

Things start off with a bang, that’s for sure. The scene in which Zach is basically chased over a mountain ledge and into a freezing lake was great. The description of him sliding down the ledge and how it looked and felt for him was great. I truly found myself falling with him.

I also loved reading about the anguish that was Ellis’s inability to shift from wolf to man. The process of the change and the almost horror as the change just didn’t finalize. It felt like a very realistic look at the process of shifting from wolf to man.

My disappointment, I think, was more from the story not being what I’d expected. I was thinking there’d be more Shifter lore, a hotter romance and a meatier story. I didn’t completely care for it and wasn’t sure I felt the relationship between the men. There wasn’t much as far as chemistry was concerned and the relationship just didn’t jump off the page.

Overall, this was an okay read but not my favorite. I’ll check out the next book and see if I feel differently in the future. I’m a fan of Rhys Ford so this won’t be the last of her books for me.

***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***