A Wolf Apart (The Legend of All Wolves #2) by Maria Vale

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Can a human truly make room in her heart for the Wild?
Thea Villalobos has long since given up trying to be what others expect of her. So in Elijah Sorensson she can see through the man of the world to a man who is passionate to the point of heartbreak. But something inside him is dying...

Elijah Sorensson has all kinds of outward success: bespoke suits, designer New York City apartment, women clamoring for his attention. Except Elijah despises the human life he's forced to endure. He's Alpha of his generation of the Great North Pack, and the wolf inside him will no longer be restrained...

She sizes me up quickly with eyes the color of ironwood and just as unyielding.
"Thea Villalobos," she says, and it takes me a moment to get my breath back.
Thea Villalobos. Goddess of the City of Wolves.

Source: borrowed from Hoopla

If you'd told me months ago that I'd become enamoured with a shifter/paranormal series I would've given you the side eye because that's not something I was drawn to at the time. Reading The Last Wolf earlier this summer changed that.

A Wolf Apart is a terrific follow-up and adds more to the story of the Great North and its history. Elijah is an Alpha of one of its echelons and has spent the past three decades Offland serving his pack as a lawyer at a prestigious firm that handles the pack's affairs. Duty is of utmost importance and he has performed his well, always keeping the interests and security of his pack a priority. Lately though he's felt this unrelenting stirring within to return home. He's now developed a resentment towards his "human" life where he's forced to play up the big shot lawyer role, to be the big man around town when all he wants is to be true to his wolf instincts. Unexpectedly falling in love with Thea is a jolt to his system but being with a human can only complicates things. With his inner turmoil and the advancing threat on his pack and homeland that was exposed in the previous book, Elijah has to keep his focus and get is priorities straight. 

Once again the major appeal of the writing for me is how Vale offers us a view of human versus animal nature. It's like a mirror being held up to the reader to earnestly consider all the things we say and do out of habit or take for granted. Part of Elijah's distress (and one that he mentions a lot) is that he's constantly pretending at being a man or what human society dictates a man should be - all testosterone, physical strength and ego. But as demonstrated in The Last Wolf, wolves do things with purpose. There's a hierarchy and a social order involved but more importantly, the welfare of the pack is a driver. Elijah can't stand this self-serving life that he's been feigning for so long. He's literally itching to get out of his human skin. In Thea he has met someone who yearns for that simplicity in life, where one says what they mean, doing things with intention. Her admiration of nature and her comfort in being alone in the quiet are also why he loves her. But can he mix his two worlds and ever feel complete?

I liked the introduction of a mystery element that threw Elijah into a tailspin. Pulled in different directions where at times he's unrecognizably vulnerable. A Wolf Apart was a page turner for me with its grittier, harder and darker theme. I've fallen hard for this series and I'm ready for more!

~ Bel

The Last Wolf (The Legend of All Wolves #1) by Maria Vale

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For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild.

If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die.
But if she stays…

Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves… 

Source: purchased ebook and also borrowed audiobook from Hoopla


I've just read a book that I normally wouldn't have chosen on my own were it not for a glowing recommendation from another author I like. The Last Wolf is not my typical fare but I was ready for something different and I got an amazing story out of it!

Silver is a runt in her pack because she was born with a lame leg. But don't feel pity for her because she has learned how to survive with what she has and surprisingly, she does pretty well for herself. She may be physically slower than the rest of her pack but she has a smart brain and keen senses that have kept her alive this long. Tiberius stumbles upon them one night and starts a chain reaction that will affect the entire pack down the road. Since he's a shifter he cannot be trusted but he's wounded and without help, he'll die. Silver, at the risk of her own safety and guarantee of belonging to a pack, offers to help this stranger. What begins as an odd pairing ends up being one of the strongest relationships of the pack.

It took me about a quarter of the book to truly get in to the story. I think it's because it's a genre that's unfamiliar to me so I spent some effort trying to understand this world and make things fit my expectations. At some point Silver finally got my attention with her astute skills and observations, and then I began to notice all the many details that Vale has infused into this story. The world-building is fascinating from the centuries-old social hierarchy where the wolves are divided into echelons, to the culture of the Great North Wolfpack to which Silver belongs, how they've adapted to the modern world, to the myriad of differences between human and animal nature. Social networking and interactions for both wolf and human are detailed in such a way that also had me realizing that I've never noticed those particulars about people before. It was incredibly fascinating to me to read how the wolves established bonds and respect, also how they enforced discipline. I think one of the biggest "aha" moments for me was when Silver talks about the differences in communication. That wolves talk and move with meaning whereas humans tend to talk a lot but not really have anything to say half the time. Silver encourages Tiberius to get in touch with his wild side, to trust his animal instincts, while he helps her to understand her own human side. There is a funny sequence where she and Ti go into town and she tries to engage in conversation with the townsfolk that winds up going awry. It is hilarious! 

The Last Wolf is an enthralling debut from Maria Vale. On a side note, it still has me considering all the nuances of how we communicate with each other, and I love when a book has that kind of impact on me!

~ Bel