Sammy’s review of Cowboy Wolf Trouble (Seven Range Shifters, Book 1) by Kait Ballenger
Paranormal Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 01 Jan 19

Shifters, Vampires, and Humans, Oh My! I don’t do resolutions, I feel like it’s setting myself up for failure. But! This year I did decide to read more new-to-me authors. Last year I found myself really loving books from authors I’ve never read before. I’m happy to report, even though the beginning was touch and go, I’ve found another author that I’ll be glomming her backlist. If you love paranormal romance, please don’t pass up this great book. Awesome world building, insane cast of characters, some hot loving makes this first book in the Seven Range Shifters series hard to put down.

Wes Calhoun is a bad-ass wolf shifter. And while the pack master is away, this wolf decides to meet with his estranged renegade pack against orders. From this point on, things get pretty hairy. Wes was their pack master until he swore allegiance to the Gray Wolves. The Gray Wolves are the Alpha Pack amongst all the other shifters living in the mountains of Montana. They keep the peace and protect mankind from the baddies. While Wes is meeting up with his old pack mates, he’s double crossed. Wes shifts into his wolf form and chases after them, right into an animal trap located on Naomi Evans’ ranch.

Naomi Evans is trying to keep her father’s ranch working and it’s no easy task. She lost her father to cancer and used most of the surplus money on his treatments. This does not dissuade her one bit. With the help of her brother and looking for business partners, she has hope for a brighter tomorrow. Some kind of animal killed her lammie and she’s upset. Her brother decided to set a trap against her wishes. She grabs her grandfather’s shotgun and goes to check what just crashed outside her door. She sees a gorgeous gray wolf caught in the trap. She’s afraid to get near to release the animal and figures the best way to put the animal out of all that misery is to shoot it.

Wes shifts back into his human form and Naomi shoots him. He knocks her out and takes her with him back to the Gray Wolf ranch. He knows he’s breaking all sorts of rules, but he can’t leave her there for his old pack to kill her. He knows they’re roaming the forest surrounding her property. With his deep dark past, he won’t be responsible for another human woman dying because of him. Of course, when she comes to on the horse, sparks fly. She’s also traumatized because of what she witnessed, and she thinks Wes kidnapped her. Obviously she tries to escape and she soon finds out that she can’t outrun a wolf. Wes picks up the scent of the pack getting closer. He hides them in a hollowed-out tree and both of them are in really close quarters. It’s at this point that the sexual tension is ramping up. When he lays his mouth on hers? Holy crap, it was one of the hottest kisses I have ever read. I needed to turn on the AC and it’s the middle of winter.

They make it to the ranch, and this is when you’re introduced to the main players in the wolf pack. Dear readers, they’re just as intriguing as the main characters when it comes to how the pack works and the politics. Wes is in big trouble. It’s bad enough that they don’t trust him as far as they can spit. By this point in the book, you’ll figure out that Wes is just as Alpha as their pack master and he doesn’t do rules very well. During their time getting to the ranch, Naomi tells Wes what’s been happening on her ranch and about her dead animals. They’re not just dead, they’ve been drained of all their blood. Just when Naomi is trying to deal with the fact that there are shifters, she’s really thrown when she finds out about the vampires. Wes makes sure Naomi is safe on their ranch, until the Gray Wolves can figure out what’s going on. When they find out they’re on the precipice of war, things really heat up.

Naomi and Wes are very hot for each other. One of the pack rules is absolutely no relationship with humans. What the pack fails to realize is that Wes and Naomi are mates. It raises the stakes. Wes will not and cannot leave Naomi helpless. It takes him some time to come to terms with who his mate is and he’s a little thick headed to the point you want to slap him upside his head. Naomi is a little thick as well. It was touch and go for me with these two, but I put my trust in the author to get me there. And she did. What a great start to a wonderful series. Secrets revealed, dark pasts exposed, wars, vampires, renegade packs, deceitful allies, the human alliance, and the politics of this book are extraordinary. I am looking forward to Book 2 out in June. If you’re a fan of shifters, this book is for you. Sexy, action-packed, phenomenal cast of characters, and Montana, which plays a huge role in the books.

Grade:A

Summary:

For centuries, the shifters that roam Big Sky country have honored a pact to keep the peace. Even bad-boy rancher Wes Calhoun, former leader of a renegade pack, has given up his violent ways and sworn loyalty to the Grey Wolves. But his dark past keeps catching up with him…
Human rancher Naomi Evans cares only about saving the ranch that was her father’s legacy. Until a clash with Wes opens up a whole new world—a supernatural world on the verge of war—and Naomi, her ranch, and the sexy cowboy wolf stealing her heart are smack dab in the middle of it.

Shifters, Vampires, and Humans Oh My! I don’t do resolutions, I feel like it’s setting myself up for failure. But! This year I did decide to read more new to me authors. Last year I found myself really loving books from authors I’ve never read before. I’m happy to report (even though the beginning was touch and go) I’ve found another author that I’ll be glomming her backlist.

Wes Calhoun is a bad ass wolf shifter. And while the pack master is away this wolf decides to meet with his estranged renegade pack against orders. From this point on things get pretty hairy. Wes was their pack master until he swore allegiance to the Gray Wolves. The Gray Wolves are the Alpha Pack amongst all the other shifters living in the mountains of Montana. They keep the peace and protect mankind from the baddies. While Wes is meeting up with his old pack mates he’s double crossed. Wes shifts into his wolf form and chases after them, right into an animal trap located on Naomi Evans ranch.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series: