Christiana is running away from her abusive ex when her car breaks down. Just as she begins to believe all is lost, a gorgeous biker saves the day. Micah isn’t just any biker, however. As Christiana soon finds out, Micah is a werewolf, and her merry band of companions is her pack.

Her Wolf in the Wild is a lot lighter than I expected. Having read – and loved – Rien Gray’s debut Love Kills Twice (I still need to find time for the follow-up), I was looking forward to seeing how the dark and cynical atmosphere would translate to paranormal. What I got instead is a pretty traditional werewolf story with a cute romance.

Micah is a dreamy alpha, sinewy and earnest, the kind of leader who makes you believe in a world at peace while looking hot and in charge at all times. Christiana is much stronger than she gives herself credit for, open-minded and ready to love with all her heart. She might not have been prepared to become a werewolf’s mate but the way she takes it in stride is admirable.

All in all, this wasn’t the exciting read I was hoping for, but it was pretty enjoyable all the same.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Her Wolf in the Wild by Rien Gray

This has the makings of a great series starring The Hounds of God MC ~ I hope it will be the first of a series though I have not found out yet if that is the intention of the author.

What I liked:
* Christiana: human, daughter, bartender, dancer, controlled by her ex-boyfriend, on the run, bi-sexual, interesting
* Micah: werewolf, biker, alpha, female, leader of small pack, protective, daughter of an alpha intriguing
* Vera: warden, peace keeper, wise, magical abilities, would like to know more about her
* The pack
- Talisa: grew up with Micah
- Alejandra: VP and mated to Talisa
- Connor: young werewolf
- Royal: interesting pack member
* Realizing there must be a backstory and more to come and wanting to know both while hoping for another book in the future
* Charlie and Mary: coworkers of Christiana, good people, there for Christiana and one another
* The magical-paranormal aspect of the story
* Seeing this as a great YA/NA paranormal romance for LGBTQIA readers (and for those of us a wee bit or a lot older)
* That the bad guys were dealt with
* That there was a HEA for Micah and Christiana

What I didn’t like:
* The bad guy(s)
* Thinking about the abuse of power and how many get away with it
* Wanting to know more about the backstory and what will happen next and whether or not this is the beginning of a new series.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Heat Factor: kissy → grinding interruptus → date night on a blanket next to the lake
Character Chemistry: understated fated mated
Plot: Woman on the run from abusive ex falls in with a pack of rogue werewolf bikers
Overall: it's enjoyable

The story is a f/f romance between a human Mexican-American woman and the alpha of a pack of wolf shifter bikers. Christiana studied dance in college, so now she’s tending bar on the outskirts of Phoenix. Micah is the heir of the most powerful werewolf alpha in the Pacific Northwest, and with great power comes great terribleness, so she’s living rough in the desert with her band of misfit werewolf bikers instead of living under mommy’s authoritarian thumb.

If you’re looking for a really biker romance vibe, I don’t think this will fit the bill for you. Other than the fact that MC romance usually includes the MC being involved in vigilantism, there’s not much overlap between this book and your standard MC fare. If you hate biker romance, this might very well be a book that you’d enjoy. What it is is an engaging read that plays with fated mates and the biker archetype in interesting ways.

3.5

I'm a big fan of Rien Gray based on their Fatal Fidelity series and was looking forward to them branching out to another genre.

Her Wolf in the Wild is a paranormal romance and very different from the other series. There's enough hints and mentions around Micah and her family that would easily allow the story to be expanded into a series but the book easily stands on its own and you won't be left with a cliffhanger or a lot of unanswered questions or plots.

On the run from her boyfriend, Christiana's luck seems to run out when her car gives up the ghost on a lonely highway. Lucky for her, Micah is passing by and offers her a safe place to hide from her crazy ex. Hidden away, Micah and her motorcycle crew (The Hounds of God ... love that name) live off the grid and by their own code of honor and justice - and helping a woman being pursued by an unstable cop is right up their alley, but they also need to protect their secret.

Overall, this is a light paranormal romance that doesn't have quite the same level of ambiguity or smolder that the Fidelity series has. The romance has very few obstacles (other than the whole "I'm a werewolf" thing ... and a bit of angsty guilt on Micah's part) but there's a decent amount of chemistry.

If Gray expands this into a series, I'll pick up the next one - I think that there's some interesting worldbuilding ahead that will give a some original twists to a shifter/paranormal storyline.

I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, and I really like Grays writing style. I did feel like there were some loose ends. I wish we could have met Micah's mom, she seems like the perfect ice queen hehe. Nice romance, ok plot, cool side characters. Overall good read.

I really enjoyed the two books that I read by this author this year; Love Kills Twice might make my favourites of the year list (assuming I do one). Unfortunately, I didn't like this quite as much. It's a pretty fun read, with great characters, but I had my issues.

This is a fated mates paranormal werewolf/shifter romance between Micah, a big, butch, totally swoon-worthy werewolf biker, and Christiana, a woman fleeing her abusive ex. I can't tell when was the last time I read a fated mates romance, but I was intrigued enough to give this a chance. Sadly, I think that's where most of my issues lay. Turns out I still don't like insta-love, even when it's plot/trope related. I really liked both characters, and thought they'd be good together, but I barely felt the chemistry between them. It felt like the fated mates trope was expected to do all of the heavy lifting for the relationship, and I didn't enjoy that at all. I would much rather a slow getting-to-know-each-other process, rather than a lightning quick realisation that you've found the One. Even though this is fated mates, I still expected to get more chemistry and character interaction, and there just wasn't enough for me.

I also think I might have liked these character more in a different story? Not that I disliked this story, but I wasn't particularly compelled. The plot was shaky in certain places. I wanted to know more about werewolf society and Micah's parents, but we only got snippets. The ways that characters reacted in certain situations didn't always really fit/make sense to me. The third act conflict was, as it so often is in romances, way overblown. I liked the writing fine, but I do think Gray has written better. There just wasn't a lot making me fall in love with this book.

But though I didn't fall in love, I still liked this. I liked Micah a lot, and the type of alpha she was. I love reading about pack dynamics, and the fact that we had a found family of all queer werewolves made me super happy. You can't call this book slow burn, but they also didn't fall into bed immediately and break all the tension, and I appreciated that. Micah and Christiana are really sweet together.

This is definitely a unique paranormal romance. If you're in the mood for f/f shifters, this would be a good pick for October. I didn't love it, but it was mostly solid.

Content warnings: stalking, abusive relationship, emotional and verbal abuse, violence and gore.

I'm still slowly getting into paranormal romance, so I didn't quite know what to expect from this, but it was a delight! I'm a big fan of werewolves, especially because of the found family trope that's often used, as was the case here as well. I absolutely adored Micah's entirely queer little wolf pack, they were all amazing! Four sapphics, a trans guy and a non-binary person!!

In terms of the plot this book is on the intense side, because Christiana is coming out of an abusive relationship and is being hunted by her ex. I personally didn't find this a particularly heavy read though, because the wolf pack and the romance bring a lot of comfort.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review!**
Update: 10/05/21 to add more description.

I read this book in one sitting on the plane and was completely hooked. It's well written, fast paced, brutal in its commentary on the police state (++ points for that), and very steamy. Obviously a lot of it is unbelievable (e.g. werewolves) but it's handled well, apart from how the pack interacts with Christiana. [Specifically, the pack accepts her extremely quickly, despite little reason to (they don't know her from Adam, she doesn't show herself as being particularly skilled in those initial hours, etc). Gray does clearly think about this and justifies the acceptance as being due to the pack's unwavering loyalty to their alpha, Micah. However, there was a missed opportunity there for more nuance and tension in Christiana's dealings with the pack. (hide spoiler)]

That and the length (too short, although it was also nice for a quick enjoyable read) are the only down points to it, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, well-done paranormal LGBTQIA romance.

3.25 stars. I enjoy a shifter romance, and I read a book by Gray before which I liked, so I was looking forward to this. This was a fun paranormal read, but not without some bumps. It is not the most surprising book, but it is what you can expect from a werewolf romance and the diversity (gender, sexuality and ethnicity) in this book is excellent. One thing about the cover, why is wolf Micah so small? ….. I would have liked to see her in all her big bad glory.

The book is written in third person with POVs of Micah and Christiana. Christiana is running from her ex, a crazy state patrol officer, and she is rescued by tall attractive biker Micah. But of course, what Christiana doesn’t know, Micah and her “pack” of bikers are werewolves. Micah shouldn’t get attached to Christiana as they are not allowed to show themselves to a human, but she can’t fight the attraction.
Their romance has the insta-love feeling to it BUT we’re talking wolfie chemistry here with mate bonds, so this to be expected in this genre. This is in fact the only genre where I can actually (sometimes) really appreciate insta-love. Micah is the strong, silent type, a leader that everybody respects. Christiana is more difficult to describe, at 24 she’s somewhat younger than Micah (end 20s), and it seems that she is still figuring out who she is and what to do with her life. This is likely caused by her previous toxic relationship and it was nice to see her find her way. I enjoyed their romance, but it didn’t wow me, I would have liked to feel more of their emotions. In paranormal books the emotions of fear, anger, anxiety and love are often stronger than in a “normal” type of romance and this is something that was missing for me.

The plot is fairly simple, which is ok, but there were some issues. Starting with one of the WLW romance traps, the 80% romance conflict felt forced and I just didn’t like the reasoning behind it. Furthermore, there were some head scratching moments while I read this book, they just didn’t make sense to me. I can’t go much into detail as I would be giving away too much of the plot, but as an example, when Christiana’s stalker ex-boyfriend is trying to find her he does this is in a very big and elaborative way, but he knows at what bar Christiana works, so why not just go to the bar? Also, the way the conflict near the end is solved just didn’t add up, I didn’t believe it could have worked out the way it did.

There is quite some background info on Micah’s family of which I would like to know more, I also liked the idea of the wardens (human protectors of the werewolf and human world) and I was intrigued by the warden character in this book. I’m not sure if there will be more books in this universe, but it feels like there are plenty of options to expand on this and I would be interested in reading it.

All in all, I had some issues, but the book did make me curious for more. This is a light and entertaining paranormal romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Carina Press for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

5 / 5 Stars!!!

You know, I think this book did it. I don't think I will ever be able to read a sapphic werewolve stroy ever again. Because no sapphic werewolve story will be able to compete with this one. Just wow. I was not expecting this to be as good as it was. I mean yeah, the blurb made it sound really good already, but I still felt like the execution was just *chefs kiss*.

So whats's happening is, that this book took all the tropes I was not so sure about, like Insta-Love, shoved them in my face like a freshly made birthday cake and said:
"The trope is not at fault. The other books you read that incuded that trope were to blame!"
And you know what? MAYBE THEY WERE. I don't remember the last time I was so on board with a story that had Insta-Love in it, because in this book, it never felt like Insta-Love, or rather, it really did feel like love and NOT like lust. Those two had a real connection, that doesn't stop after they kiss for the first time. The book could have called it a day and given us lots of sexy times, but it decided to not go that route. Instead we spend more time with the characters and their relationships. Because the Insta-Love thing wasn't the only trope that this book was writing about. There is so much Found Family in this - which is my favourit trope ever - I'm sure I was lost to this books charm the second I started the first chapter.

I'm sure you read the blurb, but what's going on is the following:
Christina is on the run from her abusive, stalker (cop) ex and runs into the arms of the buff and muscular Micah who safes her from her ex and takes her back to her little found family where she falls deeper in love with Micah, but also her family.
That set up alone is already great, but things like COMMUNICATION made them even better. Yes, there is one secret that Micah is keeping from Christina, that is tied to another trope this book is featuring, but I didn't really mind that we kept that from each other.
Because you see, I LOVE the Soulmate trope, but only, if it's done right. And you see, this book DOES it right. I hate it, when characters have 0 chemistry or reason to date and are only going at each other because they are soulmates. If you want me to root for them, gimme a reason to do so. Let them fall in love first and AFTER THAT drop the 'Oh oops, you were soulmates all along' bomb on that. So the secret in question, is the soulmate one. There are understandable story/plot reasons for as to why this infomartion wasn't shared earlier too, that are kinda understandable and human, so it's only getting more plus points from me.

Besides the amazing characters, build up and romance, the story was also realling exciting because said EX Stalker Cop Dude was not taking 'no' for an answer. The sweet, wholesome ship combined with the exciting, heart-pounding danger kept me hooked till - all of a sudden - I noticed that I had reached the end.

Other stuff that made me happy: The Rep. I think I've never read a more inclusive book. Thank you so much to Rien Gray. Especially for the ace rep. As an asexual, it ment a lot.
So yeah, what rep is there:
+ Lesbian Rep
+ Bi Rep
+ Trans Rep
+ Nonbinary Rep
+ Gay Rep
+ Ace Rep
+ Polyamory Rep
+ Black Rep
+ Asian Rep
+ Latina Rep
& + Indigenous Rep.

I don't think, that there was a single thing in there, that I didn't like.
Which means, the only thing left for me to say is: What a great book.

TW: past abusive relationship, stalking, emetophobia
I was a little apprehensive going into this book because I’m very picky with my adult romances. Plus, I’ve never read a paranormal adult romance, let alone a werewolf romance, and I wasn’t sure if I would mesh with the tropes.
But y’all, I more or less read this in one day. I could not put this down. I loved it!
Christiana and Micah were just really cute. Christiana is dealing with the aftermath of leaving an abusive relationship and figuring out what she wants in life. Micah is the alpha of her wolf pack and is dealing with being a leader and battling her inner wolf.
I should also say that Micah’s whole werewolf pack was queer! Queer found family; we love to see it. I’m just a little upset that everyone already seems paired up, so the possibility for sequels is slim, unless the sequels go back in time, but it was a good supporting cast.
I was most worried about the whole “mates” thing because I’ve heard about books where it’s just an excuse for possessive/unhealthy relationships, but it was done really well here. There was a little miscommunication to drive the conflict, but there was still overall a lot of communication between Christiana and Micah.
This book takes a very strong “fuck cops” stance, which is part of an overall “fuck people who take advantage of their authority/power” stance, which appears in many different ways.
Also, this is just a bonus that I enjoyed, but the alpha is a virgin!! I feel like werewolf books always have the alpha being domineering in bed with the meek love interest and that was not the case for the sex scene in this book.
I rated this 4 stars! The reason it’s not a full 5 stars is there were just a bunch of little things that added up, but I still really, really enjoyed it. Read it for the butch biker werewolf!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!!

Her Wolf in the Wild follows Christiana, a bartender who's on the run from her abusive ex... who just so happens to be a cop. When her car breaks down as she's fleeing, Christiana is sure all hope is lost - but as luck would have it, salvation comes in the form of a hot lady biker who happens to be driving by... and who also just happens to be a werewolf.

I really loved this book. It was my first foray into a paranormal romance centreing a werewolf, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book was brilliant. It was fun, pacy, with a plot that was pretty simple and yet seemed to fly by. It's not hugely plot-driven, but the characters are so compelling that I was totally sucked in and devoured the book in two days flat, being saved from a terrible reading slump that's lasted weeks.

The relationship between Micah was amazing. They worked together so well, and also as individuals. My heart was totally stolen by Micah's stoic determination and her loyalty to her pack, as well as Christiana's gentleness and fortitude. They complemented each other amazingly, and their chemistry was off the charts. Sparks flew whenever they were together, and the sex scenes were so hot I couldn't even deal. The chemistry this couple had was genuinely so special, and they're the best couple I've read about in ages.

Another thing I liked is that this book took a concept very similar to imprinting in the Twilight universe and basically fixed it. I was always frustrated by imprinting, because the concept is so similar to soulmates, a trope I personally would lay down my life for, but the execution in that series was uh. Well, it was something. But this series took the concept of fated werewolf mates, made it sexy and consensual and overall just excellent, and I was so 100% here for it that it's not even funny.

I'm curious to know whether Rien Gray has any intention of turning this into a series, because it seemed as though there were some plot threads set up in here that ended up dropping off into nowhere, such as information about Micah's mother. I wonder whether these things will be addressed in future books, because there was quite a lot of emphasis on them and then we never got any kind of resolution to it. If there's more, I'll definitely be first in line to read it!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, hot, pacy, and saved me from the world's worst reading slump. 4/5 stars.

This story is as near perfect as a Carina Press romance can get. Micah, the alpha werewolf and president of Hounds of God motorcycle club, saves Christiana, who is fleeing the man she just broke up with. He's not taking the breakup well, and he's using his position as a state trooper to terrorize her.

This story is well-paced with minimal downtime. We do get to know the different people in Micah's pack of queer werewolves. There are multiple sexualities and genders. The chemistry between the leads seems natural and believable, even though they are immediately interested in each other. The action scenes when the baddie shows his hand are good, and the world-building was more than I'd expect for a book that might be a one-off.

IF you like werewolves, good bikers, or FF romances, there is a lot here to enjoy. Recommended.

Note: I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and Carina Press.

Amazing, one sitting read that you will either read fast, or slow depending on your mood. Varying degrees of character, nonbinary, lesbians, gay men and cisgender. There is heavy content, domestic abuse, stalking, kidnapping and attempted murder so beware. You will fall in love with the characters and want additional books.

When it comes to werewolves, it seems like some elements are always included, such as lifemate, the pack, and the alpha. It's like a package deal, a checkmark list...Reading how the author reveals those secrets it's always the fun part. I wouldn't say this book is outstanding because it reveals pretty much everything in the first 40% of the book; it made me wonder what else I’d get from the story. There’s also a lot of talking and inner monologue in both MC's POV, I guess I’m just not a fan of this writing style.

As for the romance part, it was okay-ish? I love the shape-shifters/human trope; there was something about physical power imbalance... But in this case, Micah, the alpha in the pack, is more like a puppy around Christiana lol. It’s an instant love story, but the chemistry between Micah and Christiana is well written.

Motorcycle club populated with shifters is normal now. What is different is the alpha of this pack is a female. Micah is interesting because she comes from a line of alpha werewolves. The world building in this story is intriguing and I hope this means that this will become a series. Because there are subplots going on that I want to see come to fruition.

This story kicks off with tense action as Christiana is fleeing from an ex. Unfortunately for Christiana, her ex is someone with power and it isn't as easy to escape him in her junky car. Riding to Christiana's rescue is Micah. From the moment these two meet, it is obvious there is a spark.

I am a fan of F/f romances. It is difficult to find books in this genre let alone well written. I am so pleased new to me author Ms. Gray writes Ff romances and does more than contemporary. She is now added to my list of authors to read. Her writing shows great potential. Her characters are well developed. Her plot is straightforward yet layered. Her worldbuilding is what needs work. Unless a person is well read in the paranormal werewolf mythos, it might feel as though there are some pieces missing. For me, this type of world is so familiar that I fill in any blanks with my own assumptions. This is not to say that Ms. Gray should go overboard to compensate for readers who are new to paranormal or werewolves.

The romance in this story is brutal and honest. I like how it isn't girlie or any of the stereotypes people expect from an F/f story. The romance is two people who find they are attracted to each other. They just happen to both be women. This is what I'm looking for in an F/f story. Nothing is focused on their sexual orientation. It is all about the wooing and courting between two lovers. The sexy times in this story is sweet and sexy. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who love a white knight riding to the rescue of a damsel in distress.

The moment I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it. Fated mates? Werewolves? Sapphics? Sign me up immediately! And this ended up being such a wonderful book.

Christiana has been in a toxic, abusive relationship with Andrew for the last couple years, but when she breaks up with him and he proceeds to trash her apartment, she runs, especially as he’s a police officer and has the power and reach of that position. When her car blows a tire in the middle of the desert, she’s rescued by a white-haired woman on a motorcycle, Micah. Micah takes Christiana deep into the woods where she lives with the rest of her motorcycle club, who are also her pack-mates. When Christiana learns they’re werewolves, at first she’s scared but she quickly starts to see them as family and friends, though Micah is still hesitant to reveal they’re mates, especially with Andrew still gunning for Christiana and Micah worried her feels won’t be returned to the same degree with Christiana being human.

This is full of all kinds of wonderful werewolf romance tropes, and I had so much fun reading Her Wolf in the Wild. The worry about Andrew was intense, and there was also conflict with Micah being scared to shift because whenever she would she was so full of anger and rage, she worried what she might do to those around her. This was a quick, intense read that I recommend for anyone who loves werewolf romances, and especially if you want more sapphic werewolf romances in your life!

I absolutely loved this book. It was fun, fast paced and I couldn't put it down. If you like wolf stories I would put this on your to be read list.

It's a moral kind of story. The difference between right and wrong. Also, pointing out having a badge doesn't mean you are automatically right.

I can't say too much because it would be easy to get so involved you wouldn't have to read it just my review. So I'll say this. If you want something different and a feel good book pick this up.

Enjoy!

Christiana is running away from two stalkers, when she is helped by an MC President and wolf shifter, Micah. The rules are that no one outside of their pack or world can know about what is happening, Micah lays a lot of trust in Christiana by sharing. I loved how their relationship developed and felled in love. I considered it emotional and slow burn, and them ending up as fated mates was a chef's kiss.

TW: (ex) abusive relationship- stalking
-
HER WOLF IN THE WILD is told in dual POV. Christina Arjean is stranded on the side of the highway as she’s trying to escaping her abusive ex. Luckily, she is saved by Micah Nubilo, president of The Hounds of God motorcycle club. There’s an instant connection between the two girls, a bond that Micah isn’t sure is possible to have, considering Christina is human…. And Micah is a werewolf.
-
This was such an enjoyable read! It reminded me of how much I loved paranormal romances back in the day, though this one was *much* more diverse (LGBT+ and BIPOC) than any of those. I loved the characters— the bond between the pack was so wholesome. I’d like to have more of their stories. I enjoyed the pacing and I thought the build up in the romance was nice. Though I was expecting more steam, the sexy bits that we got were great. The action in this book was intense and watching the pack work together to protect their own had me in my feelings.
-
If you enjoy paranormal romances this is a good one to pick up! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Rien’s next book. 🐺
-
4/5 stars, HER WOLF IN THE WILD by Rien Gray is available October 19, 2021!
-
Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review.