You might think that after pet-sitting a ball python, Belinda Blake can handle anything, but she’s not too sure about wolves. Yes, it’s a rehabilitation sanctuary, and yes, they seem friendly, but they’re still wild animals. With sharp teeth.

When someone is found dead and bloody in one of the wolf pens, common sense tells her to bail on her contract and take the consequences. But the wolf preserve is short-staffed and she doesn’t want to let the owner down.

Once she begins to suspect someone staged the “wolf attack” to shut down the preserve, she’s determined to stay.

I’m enjoying this series for the mysteries, but also for the characters. Belinda is a computer gamer and book-lover, transplanted from a rural environment into a wealthy neighbourhood. Jonas, one of her friends from home, looks promising as a love interest, although her landlord’s absent son caught her attention in book one. And Red, the chauffeur/bodyguard on the estate where she rents a carriage house, is an interesting background character.

For the literary and theme-inclined, there are some interesting correlations between Belinda’s story and the novel her long-distance book club is discussing. The Great Gatsby is not a book I know well, so I missed some of the effect.

Favourite lines:

“…it was beyond me how I would feed raw eat to wolves without looking like an oversized, tasty morsel myself.” [Kindle location 260]


And when one of the other characters laments the need to lean so much on others, Belinda observes:

“Sometimes leaning is the only way to stay upright.” [Kindle location 1566]


Definitely recommended for cozy mystery fans!

Heather Day Gilbert is an award-winning author of Viking historical fiction and contemporary suspense as well as the Belinda Blake, Exotic Pet Sitter cozy mystery series. Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is book 2 in the series. For more about the author, visit heatherdaygilbert.com.

[Review copy provided by NetGalley and Kensington Books. Opinions are my own.]

Really enjoying this series and look forward to book #3. Am keen for Belinda to make some decisions about her love interest, even though I think she has kind of decided Stone is not right.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I found the characters to be colorful and the story is well told.
As an exotic pet sitter, Belinda has seen her share of weird things, but to think someone is framing the wolves she's looking after is ridiculous, or is it?
The story is well told and I enjoyed reading about the wolves and their pack mentality.
I think to fully understand Belinda, the first book should be read to get a full understanding of her role as per sitter.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving me to read this book.

This is a nice light reading book. I enjoyed it, although I did spend most of the book worrying about the wolves. There's a lot of information about wolves that makes the book interesting. Since the main character doesn't know anything about wolves, the author is able to slip it in without making the reader feel like they are being spoon fed information they should already know.

Belinda Blake is till loving her little cottage. She takes pet job at a wolf refuge. Two people have turned up dead. It appears the wolves killed the two people...but did they

Wolf Sanctuary Murder Mystery
This was a fun book to read. This the second book in the series. I have read the first book and I would strongly recommend that to any reader. I believe that reading the series from the beginning will give the reader a much-needed background that is not given in the second book. Having said that, this book is quite the page-turner! The plot is tight. I really enjoyed the setting of the wolf sanctuary and the discussion of the animals and their behavior. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

The Big Bad Wolf? Belinda, although a pet sitter, does more than take care of cats and dogs. She also watches “exotic” pets. Because of that, she finds herself working with wolves at a sanctuary. Even though she is reassured the wolves are harmless, two dead bodies appear in the animal’s enclosures, as well as, a third person who is hurt, but alive. Are the wolves dangerous, or are they misunderstood, and falsely accused--or is something else at work? Belinda is often reminded the wolves are not pets, but wild animals, so anything can happen, but does it?

Belinda’s personal life is peppered with a mixed bag of people. She is living on the property belonging to an ultra-rich friend who is off in India finding himself. There is also a friend who has an unusual connection with animals that may be plucking at her heart strings. Belinda herself dabbles with a lot of interests and careers. This is a clean story, with a bit of humor, and a dash of quirky thrown in that stands on its own. There are red herrings, twists and turns—with everything wrapped up neatly with a surprise culprit in the end. This 5-star book will be enjoyed by those who like light mysteries. The author provided bookreadingtic with a complimentary copy for the purpose of review.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed this book better then the first one! This one ended making you wonder about Belinda's future. It also kept me guessing a lot. Thanks for another fun read Heather! Can't wait till the next one!

I like this book. Great characters, great mystery and great setting. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for an ARC of this book.

'I know this sounds impossible, but I think someone's framing the wolves.'

Belinda Blake, sitter of exotic pets, is back on the trail of a murderer once again in the second offering of Heather Day Gilbert's 'Exotic Pet Sitter' cozy mystery series. This time Belinda is tasked with helping out at a wolf preserve for 8 days. True to form, though, Belinda isn't there long at all before a dead body turns up. And another. That's all the clues you'll get from me.

Belinda has a natural bent for solving crimes, but can she get another one solved before she herself turns up at one of the victims? There are more than a few suspects; if only Belinda has time to cross them off the list before it's her turn!

Heather Day Gilbert is a nab hand at a cozy mystery and I never, ever figure out the culprit! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the wolves and meeting them in the book. Read this one in a day, folks. It's that good. Recommended.

*My thanks to Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.