West of Jaws
by Capes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
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‘His kindness is like a cold wet thing my hand touches when reaching into the shadows. Very unexpected and highly unpleasant.’
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The above quote is pretty much the level of hilarious banter throughout this new, first in the series, fantasy world by author Capes.
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I was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I’m thrilled to let you all know that this is sure to become another of those viral series because of the incredible world building, hilariously witty, likeable characters and a story that has you hooked and needing to know more.
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In the first of what is to be a series, we are introduced to our main characters. Helisant - a funny, takes no shit, but thoroughly hiding deep hurt from her past, witch, and Samson - a stern faced, focused, alpha-to-be wolf, who is looking for his mother who mysteriously disappeared.
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Despite it being unusual for a witch and Wolf to work together, they have a shared interest in finding the same witch, and so they start to journey together.
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Months of travelling together, lots of challenges, and sharing themselves along the way makes for feelings neither of them expected.
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Book one ends in a ‘NO YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT TO ME?! HOW COULD YOU?! I NEED BOOK 2 RIGHT NOW!!’ 😂😬 So you KNOW that means it’s fantastic and you should definitely get it on your TBR list for when it’s released in Jan 23! I was yelling at the ending!
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We’ve got the following:
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•Hilarious banter.
•Great World Building.
•Forbidden love.
•Witch/Wolf
•Cliffhanger
•Sort of Secret Identity
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Spice was pretty tame 🌶. It was more about the building of the main relationship in this book!
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SO excited for book 2 (even though this one isn’t even released yet 🤣😭).
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Thanks Capes/Netgalley for the ARC ❤️.

When I read the blurb of West of Jaws I didn't know what to expect but I was very intrigued. I am happy to announce that I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the author dropped me right into the story instead of giving long background information about the world she created for this series. Because the first couple of chapters are very important in grabbing the reader's attention, and the author did a great job with that for this book. The main characters are "Helisent West of Jaws, a witch, and Samson 714 Afador, a wolf. He's in line to become the Male Alpha of Velm, she's a red witch with a questionable relationship to brandy." Both were unique imperfect characters.

Helisent didn't come across as very likable but I got used to her attitude and eventually understood why she was the way she was. Samson is more obedient in comparison to Helisent but I enjoyed seeing him become more rebellious further down the story. I ended up loving both of them and a couple of the awesome side characters. The character development was amazing, and I loved seeing Helisent and Samson going from strangers to friends to lovers. I appreciate the author taking the time to really show the growth they went through as friends/lovers and as individuals. This book was very fun and kept me interested from the start. It also had emotional, romantic, and action scenes. I love the world and characters the author Capes has created and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

The hero is the male alpha of Velm and the heroine is a witch. They decide to team up to hunt down a mutual enemy.

I like both major characters. It's steamy and sexy. The world building in the story is amazing. I like all the supernatural creatures that they meet along the way. It's very funny too. I love the sarcasm and the sass. A very fun book. Looking forward to reading book 2.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

If you like fantasy, series starters, road trips (on foot and floating cushions), witches and wolves, gorgeous renditions of magic and mayhem (internal and external), sister bonds, and the slow unfurling of truths, you're going to love this book.

I've now "West of Jaws" twice.

It was as good the second time as I thought it was the first. The heroine is flawed, scarred, and out for revenge. Who wouldn't be, given what Helisent's been through? To me, it makes her alcohol problem absolutely believable. Girl's got a LOT to numb out about. Plus, things have to get worse before they get better, right?

"West of Jaws" STILL had me from the opening scene, where Helisent's in the middle of staging a drunken hissy-fit about being forced to mentor another witch. She gets over herself, and with a sweep of her peach colored cloak, takes the reader along on ride that's a slow-burn, slow-learn journey towards revenge. But also, it's about a lot more than revenge. Heli's got trust issues. Months traveling with Samson and his wolfie ways helps.

Thankfully, that revenge is a looong ways away, allowing us to get to know the other MC, Samson the Alpha wolf, Samsonfang (who comes out on the full moons), and an eclectic cast of characters.

Is my heart bleeding because the book ends on a cliffhanger? You bet. But I'm not going to whine. I'll just read Capes' backlist. Besides, a good cliffhanger makes me want to turn right around and read the book again, only much more slowly this time. I need the effing hardcover version ASAP, and thank goddess this is just the start of the series.

Thanks to the author and to Netgalley, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.