A great read. The plot is complicated yet easy to follow and absolutely gripping from the beginning. The characters are interesting and engaging and have enough background information to make them easy to understand. The writing style was beautifully descriptive and flowed throughout. Easy reading but no lightweight. I'm definitely looking forward to more. I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys rhe supernatural

A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein is the first book of the new The Boulder Wolves series. This is the beginning of a young adult romantic paranormal fantasy series of which is probably obvious by the title and series names features Werewolves.

Right before her eighteenth birthday Ness has to return to Colorado and her pack which she had run from years before. The Boulder Wolves were an all-male pack with the exception of Ness. Being the only female born to the pack in years Ness was not exactly welcomed and really still wants nothing to do with those she left.

However, now that The Boulder Wolves need a new Alpha Ness sees this as her chance for a bit of revenge by challenging Liam Kolane for the title. Liam’s father had been the pack’s alpha for years and was as mean as they come so to keep the pack out from under another Kolane would be all he incentive Ness needs to win the challenges.

I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with werewolf books but having read other series by Olivia Wildenstein and enjoying them I had to give this one a try. Thankfully I was right and this was a much better wolf story than the adult versions of “your my mate let’s hop into bed”. A Pack of Blood and Lies centers around pack politics and the mysteries of previous deaths in the pack along with the secrets and lies being uncovered within the pack. While I wouldn’t say it’s overly original in content it was a fun read and I’d be interested in seeing what the next book brings.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Hello, I will post my review to Instagram, blog, and Goodreads on April 16th, 2019. Review will also be added to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on the publication date (if applicable). Links to reviews will be added when they are public, thank you.

Title: A Pack of Blood and Lies
Author: Olivia Wildenstein
Publication Date: April 30th, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley

A Pack of Blood and Lies follows Ness as she returns to her hometown after her mother dies. One Secret Boulder keeps is that there are werewolves. Ness is one and since being absent her pack is all but inclusive especially because of her gender. As she vies for the alpha role, she must confront her past head on and the secrets that could change everything.

Ness is a girl who is strong and independent and her background has molded her into that. She is loyal and stands up for what she believes and doesn't back down when times get tough. Even though she is cocky at times, her actions are always normal human responses and I appreciate her being so real. The banter between the younger pack members was wonderful and made me want to be a part of their bunch. The relationship in this book is your typical hate/love and it had its cheesy moments but I was all for it!

Going into this book I wasn't sure what to expect and frankly I was pleasantly surprised. I love a good werewolf plot and this one did not disappoint. There were a lot of twists and even though a few were obvious, a couple of them took me by surprise. There is romance, murder, and unique family dynamics like the wolf packs.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and even when I took a break from reading I still kept thinking about the book and what could happen next. It drew me in and I literally can't wait for the next book to see what the pack is doing. If you are a fan of Twilight (but prefer werewolves) or just enjoy a good werewolf romance then this is the book for you!

5/5 stars

I feel like I've been waiting to read another fast paced, slow-burn, fantasy YA romance for awhile and this one hit the spot! There was so much more to this story than just the love story including murder mysteries, werewolf pack and family dynamics. It had a tendency to keep me up past my bedtime and want to ignore the real world. Naturally I loved every second of it!

Ness, a teenage werewolf, is pulled back into the world that cast her out after her father's murder six years ago. The pack is currently seeking a new alpha after the most recent and sudden death of the late alpha. His son, Liam, has been training his whole life for this and is currently vying for the role. However, if they think Ness will sit by on the sidelines while they chose the next leader for their male-only pack, then they have another thing coming!

Ness was such a feministic firecracker! I loved her personality and her dedication to her loved ones from the beginning. She always gave up her free time and earnings to care for her mother and neighbor. She definitely made some idiotic choices within the book, but it went with her hot-headed nature and only helped move the story along.

Now, if you love your hate-to-love relationships in books this is definitely one not to miss! Most of the interactions between Ness and Liam had me smirking, laughing and smiling. I loved the back and forth even when it was more serious in nature. It felt like a case of Pride & Prejudice where neither truly knew where the other party was coming from and miscommunication flying everywhere! Speaking of love interests, I'd honestly enjoy seeing more of the female werewolves mentioned in the next few books possibly with love interests of their own!

I would have to say the interaction and comradery between the younger pack members was so well written from all angles. I loved reading the guys ribbing each other and the females joking around. It truly felt like they knew each other a long time and I loved feeling that closeness through the pages. I hope we get to see Ness interacting even more with female werewolfs in the next few books since she originates from an all male pack.

I really liked the overall story and how it all came together in the end in preparation for the next story. I'm already antsy and excited waiting for the next books in the series to be released!

Thank you so much to Twig Publishing for allowing me to read this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**I received a copy free from Netgalley for an honest review. **

In the very diverse and populated field of paranormal stories, this managed to still different and new. There are a lot of things that are handled the same, such as pack hierarchy, shifting as a secret from humans, and strife between packs. But, what this book does differently is that, moving away can stop shifting, and that in this pack, there are girls. Now, these both become in the story, and I really like how that becomes important to the story.
However, this story revolves around the murder of the old Alpha, and the selection of the new.
Since I don’t want to spoil everything, I’ll just say please give this book a chance. I know I’m already looking forward to the sequel!

First off thank you for allowing me to review this book. I really enjoyed it. It was definitely a solid read and I can honestly say I flew through it. I do love me some wolves, brooding male leads and snarky female leads! Some solid writing from Wildenstein indeed! My full review on my blog (mediashadowreads) is linked. Thank you again!

“People often hated what they didn’t understand. No one understood why a girl was born to the pack, and that inspired hatred.”

Ness Clark is forced to return to Colorado, to the life she and her mother escaped without looking back. Now that she’s back, she is forced to deal with the pressure of being the only female in a pack that does not want her, to deal with people that only wish to see her gone. Until she stakes claim to the Alpha post everything goes awry from that point. Secrets are uncovered, and with Liam Kolane, the son of the Alpha she’s sworn to hate, in the way, things become rather interesting.

In this contemporary YA we are introduced to a friendly type of shifters, werewolves, I say friendly because I thought they were cute! Ness is our heroine, and the only woman in a pack of men. Fun, huh? I liked that Ness wasn’t intimidated by the pack, she was relentless despite being a female. Although sometimes assertiveness is confused to being bitchy and downright rude to other people, this is aplicable to most of Ness attitude towards most of the guys in the pack, which honestly, not wanting to be in a place where you aren’t wanted either would turn me into a bitch too.

I liked the shifter world, how Ness shifting is described in detail, and her thoughts in wolf form. It reminded me of Twilight, but way better. The plot is about Ness trying to unravel the lies and deceit around her leaving Boulder. There is some romance going on. but is not overwhelming or downright annoying. There is no an insta-love between the characters, which I liked too. To me, Ness is likeable, yet I am somewhat hoping for more development to her character, because it was two dimensional. I can feel some potential for this series, but we’ll see.

Mainly, I am interested with the whole pack interaction, rules, and mysteries going around this first book.

I totally recommend it if you are into paranormal, YA kind of books, it has some twists that makes the book unputdownable, but be patient! It took a while for the book to grown on me.



This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange of a review!

Ness's world turns upside down after her mother's death when some of her extended family shows up unexpectedly and forces her to return to Colorado and face the hurt brought on her family from years past. On top of that, she's returning to a place where she feels unwanted and her family and the pack don't exactly make it easy on her - so she's got her defenses up. The Alpha, one of the people Ness hates most in the world, has died and there's a spot open to lead the pack. Maybe this is her chance to turn things on them, or maybe these people and this situation isn't what she thinks.

We've all read a werewolf book or two, let's be honest, and this book has the things we all want, conflict, morphing, and a hot werewolf or two. I mean, I was crushing on Liam and August a little! But I love that that's not the main focus of this book. There's a lot of real-life issues: If a woman voices her opinion and holds her ground, does that shed her in a bad light? Are women less strong, less important than men? Are some of our preconceived notions about the opposite sex altered when we let our guard down and let other people in? Vulnerability and strength are both beautiful things when it comes to both men and women and all of these things are explored in this book. Ness does not want to be hurt again and therefore has a fortress around herself, but she and everyone around her learns a thing or two about assumptions in this book. Another reason I couldn't put this book down is that while there were a couple things I could guess with the plot, I ended up being surprised in the end! This book will definitely hook the reader and make them think about perceptions.

A Pack of Blood and Lies is coming out in April 2019 so make sure to add it to your TBR list! Thanks to Netgalley and Twig Publishing for providing me a copy to read. This book was provided to me but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

It’s good to know this book is part of a trilogy. Even though many details are wrapped up at the end, there’s one very big relationship situation that must be answered! I look forward to future books in the series.

I requested A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein on a whim after being sucked in by that gorgeous cover. I haven’t read any of her other work but I was enchanted by the idea of a female challenging a male for alpha status. I am so glad I was sent this book. I had such a tough time putting it down and even pushed off some of my other projects because I had to know how everything worked out.

I enjoyed Ness for the most part. Her character, exhibiting gumption laced with the recklessness of youth, had me cheering and scolding in equal measure. We meet her after her mother has passed from cancer where she is working as a housekeeper alongside Evelyn, a grandmotherly type that essentially took over parenting Ness. Suddenly, her estranged uncle and his family show up and force Ness to move back to Colorado, back to a pack that didn’t want anything to do with her because she was the only female wolf to be born to the pack in generations. One thing leads to another and Ness challenges Liam’s ascension to Alpha, motivated by her hatred for his late father. While I admired Ness’s decision to participate in the challenges, she truly did have a couple of moments where I wondered aloud if she was too stupid to live. The challenge of reading YA as I get older is it’s easy to forget how a seventeen-year-old can make such risky decisions only to realize that she is probably taking her life into her hands when there is no turning back.

Liam is intense and passionate. I love how the author wrote him as an alpha male type without sacrificing respect for Ness’s boundaries. It made the tension between the two of them increase tenfold and made the mechanics and growth of their relationship seem more realistic.

The only complaint I truly have is regarding my confusion with the timeline of events. Did Ness visit Heath before or after the family showed up to take her back to Colorado? I don’t know if I missed it but I wish it had been hashed out a little more.

I am really looking forward to reading more about the Boulder Pack. If Lucas and Sarah don’t get thrown together I will be so upset. Also, I need to know what on earth is August’s problem and the poor man needs to find his own lady. I definitely plan on stalking the release dates for Wildenstein’s future work and will circle back to try out another series.

Alana from Dream Come Review

A she-wolf that fights for alpha... I'm in! I'm all about female empowerment. Such a great read.

I loved the characters and how I was never able to predict who was good and who was bad. Nothing was predictable and I never wanted to put it down. Definitely recommend.

*Rape and domestic violence is mentioned, but briefly.*

4.25 stars!

[ARC Provided Generously in Exchange for an Honest Review]

Things I felt while I read this book: Confusion, worry, and frustration.

I do not necessarily think it is a bad thing that I felt all those emotions while I was reading this book but it was certainly a lot to digest.

Let's unpack my confusion: The protagonist had me feeling all over the place because she was all over the place. The main character, Ness Clark, is a young girl who is basically forced to move back to where she grew up as child but it is also a place that pretty much turned their backs on her and her mother. She is now older and on her own. The place, Boulder, does not hold many warm memories for her. I think my almost constant state of confusion was trying to figure out why the author chose to not give the readers any flashback scenes with Ness and the many people she encounters that she grew up with. The book is from Ness' POV, but as the reader, I only know so much in the moment. I think if readers were given some flashback scenes of her as a child interacting with supporting characters like Liam, August, and even Everest then maybe I could understand more of her as a person and her character traits.

I think worry is an obvious emotion given the content. Ness was always dealing with something major, and I had major anxiety for her always.

My frustration stems from Ness' interactions with many of the male characters (which there are many). Liam, Everest, Lucas, Julian, and August are at the top of that list. I think once you read the book then you will understand why. I just was always waiting for the other shoe to drop with her and these characters. I feel like I will get some insight and clarity in the next installment, A Pack of Vows and Tears. At least, I am hoping.

Overall, I feel like this was an intriguing novel. I am interested in more, and I don't feel that very often.

While this wasn’t a bad book, I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot couldn’t really hold my attention. The romance part felt rushed.
Sadly, this book just wasn’t for me.

I received a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes from Netgalley.

Effective composition based on a seemingly misogynistic were-pack with underlying intricacies. Wonderful character development, and a plot-twist (a few realistically) which were effective. A couple of controversial plot-lines which were used effectively, and not as throw-away plot devices. Romantic plot line shows the development and maturing of characters throughout the novel.

This is the story about Ness, and she is a only a couple of months away from eighteen. When is forced to get back to her old town and the pack that’s living there. But can she really belong to the people that has never been there for her.

This story is captivating and full of action and has you keep guessing what’s going to happen next. Can’t wait to read book two, A pack of wows and tears. So I can learn what is going to happening next. I read this one in one sitting, so good is it.

I was given this book to give an honest review from netgalley.

Fall foliage is beginning to transform into bare branches and blanketed snow, and the colder the weather gets, the more reason readers have for staying indoors with a cozy new read. Whether you're in the mood for a steamy romance, heart-pounding thriller, or riveting historical fiction, there's a book for everyone on this list. Check out our list of the best books winter 2018 has to offer, complete with publishers' descriptions.

I should probably start by saying I hadn't read a full-length werewolf book in a while before this one, so I was really excited. I've always associated werewolf books with amazing romance stories filled with tension and action.



First impressions
Going into this book, the beginning struck me as quite lackluster. I obviously wasn't sure what was going on, and the mundane scene that starts us off doesn't make matters easier. My excitement for the story wobbled. Because, as a reader, at the beginning I want to be curious, but also have enough answers to keep me reading. I hope things would speed up and get more interesting as I kept turning pages.



Patience is rewarded
Soon enough, I was reading about complicated pack dynamics and quite an unfair leadership system. No matter because Ness is prepared to defy it. Well, not actually prepared, but willing enough.

I think my favorite thing about this book, and something that surprised me, is how at all times there seems to be something that is being withheld from you, like there's something the book isn't telling you and you keep reading because you're desperate to find out. Some books are pretty straightforward with how they tell the story, and I appreciated this one had a bit of technique to it.

I read the thing in one day because of it.



Should we root for the suggested couple?
Liam Kolane is the apparent heir to the pack, after his father died. But the pack has other rules for assuming the Alpha role, as it's more about other skills than genetics. That's all great. The thing is, most of them are mysoginistic assholes.

Ness is convinced Liam is one too. His father had been the worst of all and she's wary of trusting his son.

Liam does something really disturbing at one point, and Ness is... she is outraged. And from that point, it was hard for me to imagine an outcome in which he can redeem himself. The story does try, but by the end, I wasn't completely convinced.

He has his good qualities, but it was hard for me to root for them 100% after that. I did like that Ness has a hard time for a while too. At least there's that.

Maybe if there'd been more scenes in which they bonded emotionally, like really got to know each other. But there weren't a lot of those, so the romance part was a little wobbly for me. I hope we can explore this further in the next book because I'm genuinely curious about it!



And finally, more questions than answers
The main conflict of this book was solved, which I was grateful for. My patience paid off! But oh my god, that ending was... mysterious. I mean, this book tied things up pretty neatly, but just when I thought I knew what this was all about, some clues were dropped that I just couldn't ignore. They're related to the romance so you can bet I'm dying to see if my theories are correct!


This werewolf story was slightly different than the usual ones, and I'm happy I got to read this one. The characters have potential, even the morally questionable ones, and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

*I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley*

3 stars. The story was okay. I found the pacing a little weird in some places as well as how or when things were revealed. I somehow didn’t see the twist coming so that was pleasantly surprising but it also took me a while to work my through this book because while I enjoyed it I wasn’t eager to get back to it every time I put it down. I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.

A very good paranormal book that kept me hooked till the last page.
The book was engaging and entertaining. I loved the style of writing and the cast of characters.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Twilight Press and Netgalley for this ARC

Dear reader, if you like a light read, or you're in a mood for a light read, my friend, this book is for you.

With a decent storyline, a badass female main character (woot woot!), charming male lead (oooh), well written side characters, romance, action, mystery and et cetera, the writing was pretty good. There's a satisfactory balance between plot and romance. The themes aren't too heavy or mature. It's honestly the perfect YA read.

However, if you're a reader who prefers heavier, more mature reads, this isn't for you. It suitable for a younger audience or people who just enjoy books that lack extreme depths. The book is mildly superficial and it doesn't bring originality to the genre. But that shouldn't discredit it.

A Pack of Blood and Lies, while it isn't the most fantastic book out there, certainly is entertaining and honestly, a really pleasant read that i had on my vacation. I enjoyed it and am curious to see what the in store for our lovely MC in the next book in the future to come.