Sandy M’s review of Wolf in King’s Clothing by Parker Foye
Paranormal Gay Romance published by Carina Press 1 May 17
Lately I’ve wanted to branch out to read other authors’ gay romance. I have a favorite author whose books I love when it comes to this genre, and I thought it would be nice to find another whose work I could also enjoy – expand my horizons, so to speak. I had high hopes for this book because it’s also paranormal, of which I read a lot. So it had a lot going for it at first glance.
While the action and time period in this story work well, it’s the characters who I never could warm up to. To a point I do feel for Kent, who is magically collared by Tabitha, who only wants more and more power. She has used him quite effectively over the years just for that purpose. especially since Kent is one of a myth not many have seen and don’t believe may exist. He’s held in between the human and other worlds by the collar and longs to be free. When he’s given the option of one last assignment which will release his collar, he accepts and heads out to find Hadrian, an alpha wolf. It’s never really explained why Tabitha wants Hadrian and what she’ll do with him once she has him.
Hadrian, on the other hand, is a flat character for me. He never expected to be alpha, but as such, he should have something about him that is indeed alpha. However, he never acts like an alpha – at least in a way I like in romance. If he were, could have handled Kent in nothing flat, gotten out of his current situation, fixed whatever problem at home, and still have gotten the guy in the end. But it’s like he just goes along for the ride with Kent just to see what will happen. There is a feeling of awkwardness that never really goes away as they feel and fight their way along.
Also, an explanation is never given for why Kent is collared. I kept thinking that will come out eventually, maybe in his conversations – limited though they are – with Hadrian, who would have to be as curious as me, but not a word is ever uttered on that subject. And there’s not nearly enough shifting in this shifter romance. That’s the reason I read wolves and jaguars and cougars and bears and any other shifters. Without that, the book won’t keep my interest for very long at all. This story is nitty-gritty, in keeping with Kent’s circumstances; he keeps Hadrian safe, especially once their attraction is clear; it feels unfinished at the end, leaving questions in its wake, the biggest of which is will Kent finally be full wolf – or something else.
Initially I liked the idea of this book, but that diminished as I read and it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t deliver on any other level.
Grade: D
Summary:
An exiled shifter. His alpha mate. And a desire so intense it could be the death of them…
York, England, 1912
Kent was a pack outcast. His shifter instincts cruelly muted, he was collared and kept as a stray. Until he was offered his freedom—for something in return. He must rescue Hadrian, an alpha held hostage in the wolf highlands. It’s a pleasure for Kent to follow the captive’s scent, one so wild and virile it gives him a rush. Though he despises being treated like a mutt called to heel, he’ll gladly fall to his knees for an alpha like Hadrian.
Hadrian has never met anyone like this damaged wolf warrior. His savior who licks the blood from his wounds and who arouses in him feelings he doesn’t understand or want to control. But Hadrian suspects that more than desire binds them. It’s betrayal. Pawns in an elaborate and feral deceit, they’re now caught in the deepening maze of a vengeful shifter world, where navigating the mysteries of the heart could prove just as unpredictable and dangerous as the enemies they face.
No excerpt available.
