Review: The Thing About Wolves - Leigh Evans

Being put in charge of a werewolf pack might be someone's dream, but it's Hedi's nightmare. Hints that it's not working out include the Creemore wolves wanting her blood. And the Council of Weres wanting her dead . . .

Then all Hedi's wishes are granted. Robson Trowbridge, pack leader, returns - and her love isn't alone. He's found her missing twin brother Lexi among the fae. With this double helping of wonderful, things should be all sunshine and flowers, but the fae lands have changed both men. Hedi's brother is dying of an addiction and her relationship with Robson may not survive the forces pushing them apart. To combat the darkness ahead, Hedi must face her dangerous were/fae heritage - and accept the consequences.

The Mystwalker Series:
The Trouble with Fate
The Thing about Wolves (Published as The Thing About Weres in the US)
The Problem with Promises
The Danger of Destiny

Visit Leigh Evans's website for more information.

Review:
The Thing About Wolves (published as The Thing About Weres in the US) picks up Hedi's story about six months on from the ending of The Trouble With Fate. Since sending Trowbridge through the portal to the fae realm to save his life Hedi has been desperately trying to find a way to bring him home but so far all of her attempts have been unsuccessful. Even worse she now seems to have gained control of a werewolf pack since her mate is currently unavailable. The wolves aren't happy with her leadership, they don't trust her fae side and the fact that she can't change into a wolf isn't helping matters. Things come to a head when the Council of Weres get involved and Hedi suddenly finds herself surrounded by enemies with no way to save herself or her few allies.

Thankfully Trowbridge returns at just the right moment but he's a very different man to the one who left, while only 6 months have passed in the human realm Trowbridge has been in the fae realm for ten years and it's not been an easy life. He's changed almost beyond recognition and Hedi isn't quite sure what to make of the new version, especially since he seems to be keeping major secrets from her and it looks like he may have found it easier to move on than she did. One thing she's extremely thankful for is that he didn't return home alone and has in fact brought her long lost twin brother Lexi with him. For years Hedi believed that Lexi was probably dead so she's thrilled to have him back in her life but he's also a very different man to the boy she remembers. Lexi has been to hell and back and even now he's back in the human world he is having trouble adjusting, it doesn't help that he has come home addicted to a fae substance that Hedi doesn't have access to and now she's facing losing her brother all over again.

I remember enjoying The Trouble With Fate so I had high hopes for The Thing About Wolves but it was even better than I'd hoped for. Hedi has come a long way and she's starting to learn much more about her Mystwalker abilities which was really interesting to see. She missed Trowbridge more than anything when he was gone so it's painful for her to see him so different now he's returned, especially since he seems to be keeping her at arm's length and he has brought a new wolf with him. She is heartbroken at even the thought of him cheating on her but no matter how bad things look nothing is quite as it seems. I was actually feeling incredibly cross with Trowbridge at one point so I was incredibly relieved when we finally started to get an explanation into his behaviour. I don't really want to say too much more about the story but it definitely left me eager to read the remaining two books and I'm incredibly glad that I don't have to wait for either of them to be published!

Source: Received from Tor in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Trouble with Fate - Leigh Evans

She’s half fae and all trouble...

Hedi looks normal. Yet that’s taken effort. Her fellow Starbucks baristas don't see her pointed ears, fae amulet or her dark past, and normal is hard for a half-fae, half-werewolf on the run. Hedi’s life changed ten years ago, when her parents were murdered by unknown assassins. She’s been in hiding with her loopy aunt Lou. Whatever they wanted she’s determined they won’t get it.

Things change when wolves capture Lou, forcing Hedi to steal to free her – for if she can offer up a fae amulet like her own they may trade. But it belongs to a rogue werewolf who betrayed Hedi on the night of her greatest need. Over forty-eight hours, Hedi will face the weres of Creemore, discover the extent of her fae powers and possibly break her own heart in the process.

The Mystwalker Series:
The Trouble with Fate
The Thing about Wolves (Published as The Thing About Weres in the US)
The Problem with Promises
The Danger of Destiny

Visit Leigh Evans's website for more information.

Review:
Hedi and her aunt have spent the last 10 years in hiding, ever since her parents were murdered and her brother was captured and taken to the fae realm. Hedi is half fae and half werewolf but she has worked hard to stay away from other supernaturals, trying to remain hidden amongst humans. She is forced to come out of hiding when her aunt, Lou, is captured though. If she can steal a fae amulet from another werewolf Lou's captors may be willing to make a trade but coming up against the rogue wolf she has loved since she was a child isn't going to be easy for her and if Robson Trowbridge recognises her she'll be in a whole new heap of trouble.

The Trouble with Fate is a good start to what I think is going to be a great series, Leigh Evans has created an interesting world that is full of history and new twists to the standard mythology. I have to admit there were times when we were given so much information that I felt a little overwhelmed and struggled to understand exactly what was going on but that is one of the hazards that comes with picking up a new series. It isn't easy for authors to create the right balance between giving enough information to get readers hooked and giving them too much to cope with in one go. Unfortunately in this case it does sway towards too much but in spite of that I still enjoyed the story enough to want to carry on with the series. The plot was fast paced enough that it kept me reading even when I was a little confused about things and it felt like I read the whole book quite quickly.

I really liked main character Hedi, she isn't perfect in any sense of the word but she doesn't set out to harm anyone. She has only survived this far by being a liar and a thief which aren't really the best qualities to have but her actions were out of necessity rather than by choice. Since the death of her parents Hedi has never really had anyone to rely on, although her aunt should be the one protecting her for a long time it has been the other way round and Hedi has been the caregiver and provider for years. She had to grow up quickly and you can see the effect that had on her. I really liked the fact that Hedi stood up for herself and the people she cared about though, even when the odds are against her she refuses to give up and walk away. She has some interesting abilities that I'm looking forward to seeing develop further and I appreciated that using her magic came with some nasty side effects. It seemed right that she would have to pay for using so much power and she needed a little vulnerability to balance her character.

Trowbridge was the son of the Creemore pack Alpha and should have taken over as leader after his father's death. Unfortunately he was set up by an unknown enemy and the rest of the pack believe that he murdered both his parents and his wife so they chased him away. For years he has been living a lonely life as a rogue werewolf struggling with his grief and the guilt he feels about not being there to prevent the deaths of his loved ones. I have to admit it took a while for Trowbridge to grow on me, I just felt that he had walked away from his pack a bit too easily and I was annoyed that he never tried to clear his name or find out who had set him up. I would have expected an alpha wolf to be revenge hungry and determined to claim his rightful place so his actions didn't ring true to me. I was also a bit unsure about the romance that developed between him and Hedi when he was still clinging on to the memory of his wife. As we get to know him better and find out more about his past he did start to grow on me and I enjoyed watching as the pair got closer. The first sex scene between them was more funny than hot though and there was a point where I was a little grossed out by the idea of the mating knot (even though I'm still not 100% sure I understand it).

As much as I had a few issues with the story I did find myself drawn into the world Leigh Evans has created and I do really want to find out what happens next. The story took a very surprising turn towards the end and I have no idea where things will go from here. I have been left with plenty of questions that I hope we will start finding out answers to as the series continues and I'll definitely be picking up The Thing about Weres to see where what happens.

Source: Received from Tor in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Winners: March British Books Challenge, The Trouble with Fate & The Witch's Initiation

I'm excited to announce the winners of 2 different giveaways today!

Firstly, since I never heard back from the winner of the March British Books Challenge prize pack I'm happy to announce that the new winner is:

Amy from Amy Bookworm
(for her review of Hacker by Malorie Blackman)

Congratulations Amy! You have won the fabulous prize pack from Simon & Schuster including copies of The Disappeared by C.J. Harper, Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood and The Hanged Man Rises by Sarah Naughton. You have 48 hours to email me with your address or a new winner will be chosen. By sending me your address you are agreeing that I can pass your details to my contact at Simon & Schuster so that they can send out the prize pack. I have to say a huge thank you to Simon & Schuster for offering this prize pack.

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Next we have the 2 winners of my UK giveaway for The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Anne & Sammee! I have sent you an email asking for your addresses and you have 48 hours to get back to me or a new winner will be chosen. By sending me your address you are agreeing that I can pass your details to my contact at Think Jam so that they can send out your prize. Thank you to Think Jam and Tor Books for letting me host this giveaway for them.

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Finally I'm happy to announce the winner of a signed copy of The Witch's Initiation by Elle James is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Casey! I have sent you an email requesting your address so that Elle James can get the book in the post to you. You have 48 hours to contact me with your address or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Elle James for allowing me to host this giveaway for you.

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Congratulations again to all the winners. Please make sure you contact me ASAP so that I can get your prizes on their way to you!

UK Giveaway: The Trouble with Fate - Leigh Evans

Thanks to Tor UK and Think Jam I have a fabulous giveaway for you today to win a copy of The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans. I haven't read the book yet but it sounds fabulous and I'm looking forward to diving into the story as soon as my copy arrives!

She’s half fae and all trouble...

Hedi looks normal. Yet that’s taken effort. Her fellow Starbucks baristas don't see her pointed ears, fae amulet or her dark past, and normal is hard for a half-fae, half-werewolf on the run. Hedi’s life changed ten years ago, when her parents were murdered by unknown assassins. She’s been in hiding with her loopy aunt Lou. Whatever they wanted she’s determined they won’t get it.

Things change when wolves capture Lou, forcing Hedi to steal to free her – for if she can offer up a fae amulet like her own they may trade. But it belongs to a rogue werewolf who betrayed Hedi on the night of her greatest need. Over forty-eight hours, Hedi will face the weres of Creemore, discover the extent of her fae powers and possibly break her own heart in the process.

The Mystwalker Series:
The Trouble with Fate
The Thing about Weres

Visit Leigh Evans's website for more information.

Before we get to the giveaway I have a couple of fab videos of Leigh talking about The Trouble with Fate to share with you.

In this first video Leigh introduces us to the main characters in the book:



and in this one she talks about why she chose Toronto for the setting:



What do you think? Is this a book you'll be adding to your wish list? I love urban fantasy and I love werewolves so I know it's one I'm excited about :o)

Giveaway Details:

Now I know you've all been waiting for me to get to the giveaway details so here they are!

• Two lucky winners will each win a paperback copy of The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by my contact at Think Jam so the winners must give me permission to pass their address on.
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a UK resident, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• Duplicate and invalid entries will be deleted and the winners will be chosen at random from all remaining entries.
• The giveaway will close at Midnight GMT on the 1st of April 2013 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards. You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway