★★★★★ 3
Heather's story
Format: Paperback
3 stars - This is the second book in the Elena Abbott Shifters series.
In Book Two, we get to know Heather McKenna. She was cursed by a witch, paid by her mother, so she couldn’t shift. Heather was told her whole life that being a shifter was abnormal and made her a monster. She was made to feel ashamed and unworthy. She didn’t find acceptance with her human family or with other wolf shifters when she finally left to forge her own path in the world. Her pack put her at the very bottom of the hierarchy and treated her poorly because what good is a wolf shifter who can’t shift?
When this book starts, we learn that Wren, her new Alpha, has helped her release her wolf from the curse. Heather is having a difficult time accepting herself and finding peace with her wolf. She receives a call from her sister informing her that their mother is in the hospital and she needs to come. Their parting wasn’t on good terms. Heather hopes to find closure with her mom and sister and decides to go, despite Wren’s objections.
V is a member of the Raines pack and also the child of the pack Alpha. Just like in the first book, we discover that this pack is governed by a strict hierarchy of dominance and submission. The Alpha’s word is law. V and their father do not see eye to eye. V’s non-binary identity and attraction to women are not respected by their father, who insists that they mate with Sinclair, the pack enforcer. As one might expect, Sinclair is terrible, and V wants nothing to do with him.
V and Heather meet when V is called to the hospital to handle a potential rogue wolf, who turns out to be Heather. She is struggling to control her emotions and her wolf during the full moon. V immediately recognizes that Heather is their true fated mate. However, it takes Heather, who is not as in tune with her alter ego, a bit longer to come around.
I enjoyed the story, but I must admit that it dragged a bit for me because Heather’s self-esteem is extremely low. She believes she is unworthy of anyone’s love or respect. She thinks she is broken and burdensome. She takes responsibility for and apologizes for everything, most of which she is not responsible for. One of my least favorite tropes is one-sided decision-making, like when a character decides, “I am not worth all the trouble I am causing. They can do better than me. I am doing them a favor by leaving.” Then they leave without giving the other person in the relationship a chance to make any decisions for themselves. Heather’s negative self-talk persists for at least half the book. I found myself skimming through these internal monologues because my tolerance for them is low.
The book picks up in the second half, and I enjoyed the action scenes and the ending. I love how Wren’s new pack is starting to fill up with like-minded wolves, and I look forward to the next installment in the series.
Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and the opportunity to leave a review.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023
