ARC Review: Once Upon a Wolf by Rhys Ford

From The Blurb:

Once Upon A Time, There Was A Wolf…. 

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.

Karen's rating:

Soooo...I'm not really a big fan of shifter books but...I am a big fan of Rhys Ford which meant that this was a must read for me. I was a little slower to get into this story but there was still a lot about this one that I came to really like.

First off let's chat a bit about the main characters and their relationship...I liked the way  Gibson and Zach's relationship developed as a slow burn against the backdrop of event's that while not connected to Zach and Gibson held a loose tie to Gibson and Ellis's family history on the mountain . Ellis grabbed my curiosity fairly quickly and I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed that there's a story coming for him soon.

I really enjoyed the banter between Zach and Gibson and with Ellis as well...

“You’re really going to attempt to make pancakes?” The mock horror in Zach’s grimace was a clear indication he’d picked up more than his share of sardonic expressions from the brothers. “Aren’t you happy with trying to kill me just at dinnertime? Now you’ve moved on to breakfast?”

While this story isn't really about Ellis even though he was an integral figure in it...this was Zach and Gibson's story.  Gibson is Ellis's younger brother and he's very protective of Ellis who seems to be stuck in his wolf form since coming home from the war. His days are quiet and simple for Gibson and Ellis as they hide out in their cabin in the woods awaiting the time when Ellis is ready to take human form again.

Zach has bought the local B&B in the hopes of starting over and finding some peace and quiet for himself getting chased into a nearby lakes that's freezing cold was not a part of his plan but then neither was the big black wolf who chased him there. 

The last thing Gibson expected to find floating in the lake near the cabin he shared with Ellis was a man who pushed all of his bell and whistles and would come to quickly steal his heart. While Gibson and Zach quickly realize that they are drawn to each other their relationship is a slow burn and takes time to develop as unexpected events force Gibson and Ellis to place things between them on the back burner for a while.

With less than 100 pages to this story there's a lot happening and lot of groundwork is being laid out for not just this story but I suspect some of it will become more relevant as the series unfolds. As well as Ellis who I'm hoping that we'll see more of some of the secondary characters like Ruth and Martha, the two women who are looking after Zach's B&B, then there's Pat Brown the son of the former sheriff and currently working for the sheriff's department himself and there's some interesting history between the Kellers and the Browns to be sure.

I'm hoping that as things progress in this series we'll learn a little more a bout Zach's life before he came to own the B&B. We've gotten some glimpses of his life, enough to know that Zach was in a accident, that his family relations are strained to say the least. 

While this one has gotten off to a bit of a slow start for me. I have faith in Ms Ford's ability to draw me into her stories and make me not only glad I'm reading them but want more and more...and yes, more and so far I definitely want some more of Gibson and Zach but I'd also like to find out more about Ellis and while he really didn't seem to be a nice guy much less a good one. I have the feeling that there's possibly more to Pat Brown than we know and I'm sure that it could make for an interesting story as well. I think at the end of it all for me I'm on board with this series not because of where Ms Ford has taken us but because I'm curious to see where we have yet to go.

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An ARC of 'Once Upon a Wolf' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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