REVIEW - A PACK OF VOWS AND TEARS - THE BOULDER WOLVES BY OLIVIA WILDENSTEIN

Title: A Pack Of Vows And Tears
Series: The Boulder Wolves

Author: Olivia Wildenstein

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shifters

Publisher: Twig Publishing

Release Date: 28th May 2019

BLURB from Goodreads
She thought the fight was over but it was only just beginning.

Ness Clark's place amongst the Boulders and at Liam’s side is compromised. First, when her cousin claims Ness helped him elude his death sentence. And then, when August Watt, Ness’s childhood friend, comes home to Boulder.

Although August’s plan was to pledge himself and return to active duty, he finds himself incapable of leaving. This becomes problematic for Liam and Ness, because a mating link has clicked into place between Ness and the ex-marine. If not consumed, the link will fade, but that’ll take months. How long and hard can two people fight a physical attraction that renders their bodies unreceptive to anyone’s but their mates?

Ness is tired of fighting, tired of having to prove herself worthy of her pack’s trust and of her Alpha’s affection. But when an enemy pack arrives and threatens the Boulders, she has two choices: step aside and let the wolves who have pushed her away fend for themselves, or step up and help them fight the newcomers.

Ness has never stepped aside…not for anyone.

Why would she start now?

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REVIEW

As I read and thoroughly enjoyed A Pack Of Blood And Lies and loving it so much I gave it 4 stars, I knew I had to read book 2! The cover would certainly catch my eye even more that bk1 as the orange on this cover is even brighter than the first book.

This picked up right where book one left off. I found that I slipped right back into the plot with the characters I already loved. Poor Ness Clark is continuing to try hard to both prove herself to her pack and settle in finally becoming one of them. Ness is also still stuck between two mate shifters, but if you thought that was bad enough it very quickly becomes even more complicated when Ness and August realise, they have been blessed the old and rare “mating bond”. It also becomes apparent very rapidly that Liam is most certainly not happy about this latest development. Just as all that is kicking in, there is a larger problem for new Alpha Liam! It seems Everest has run off rather than face what he has done. Even worse he has stolen the packs supply of Sillin. Sillin is a medication that prevents a shifter from actually shifting. It can also be used if a shifter has ingested silver so is a vital thing to have when there are so many threats around to the pack. When the “love triangle” learn that distance/absence can make the mating bond lessen and eventually end it seems everything will be solved when August goes back to the marines. Sadly, for August and his family, his mother, Isobel is seriously ill and he decides despite the mating bond she needs him to stay close to both help his father, Nelson, run their furniture business. Ness ends up helping out at the furniture business her father helped to build, though the Watts insist on paying her a good wage for doing so. It also aggravates Liam, thinking Ness is spending more time with August Watt. Naturally Ness and August reminisce about when they were younger, they share a lot of history together from when both families went on picnics etc. The job also helps to take Ness’s mind off the fact that the pack have voted to punish Everest by death at the hands of his own pack!  

Soon Liam has more ammunition to throw at Ness when he finds an incriminating text which suggest Ness tipped Everest off that the pack were after him. Naturally all this puts extra stress on the relationship between Ness and Liam. The mating bond also makes it difficult to even kiss and get a little steamy between Liam and Ness so they break up. Things go from bad to worse in terms of any possible future relationship between the pair when Liam vows he will wait for Ness, and she happens to walk in a room as he is walking into from a bedroom with his hair all tousled having just slept with another girl.

The Inn is put in a kind of limbo with Everest gone and Ness’s Aunt Lucy being questioned in pack elder Eric’s basement, the rather large task of running it falls on Ness. Despite knowing she is integrating with the pack she is shocked when some of the females married into the pack turn up at the Inn to help her. Everything is once again upset when it is revealed that in the event of Everest, Ness’s cousin the Inn has to be handed over to Shifter Hunter and murderer of Ness’s father, Aidan Michaels!! There is also something else even bigger and more shocking revealed about Aidan Michaels but....my lips are sealed you need ...yes need to read this book!

Another strain on the pack is the fact various of its members have smelled Creek Shifters in the area. In fact, when there is a car accident and yellow paint is found on the vehicle all signs point to the Creek pack running the vehicle off the road.  The Boulder pack and the Pine pack manage to coexist with each other so its not great surprise when they join forces to meet the Creek Pack Alpha…..the Female Alpha!! When the Pine Pack Alpha, Julian Matz challenges the Creek Pack Alpha. . . things become dangerous very quickly.

The characters I loved the most in this book were Ness and as I think we got the chance to see and learn more about August I adored him even more in this book than the last one! I enjoyed being offended on Ness’s behalf by Liam who clearly didn’t believe her when it came down to her word about the fact, she hadn’t text Everest to warn him Liam and some other members of the pack were coming after him. I really wanted him to be wrong about Ness texting Everest which according to Liam was a betrayal of him and the pack. However, when needed later in the book, it is Ness who ends up putting herself on the line for the pack.

Another character I came to feel a fondness for in this book was Uncle Jeb. All he had to go through, being embarrassed and ashamed of his only child, Everest. Yet at the same time knowing it is not him that will decide on his son’s fate. He accepted the pack would decide, vote and carry out whatever sentence and punishment thought appropriate. Throughout all this upheaval Ness thinks she needs to sort out her living arrangements herself, knowing with being under 18 she needed to be with an appropriate adult. Ness was both happy and grateful, when Evelyn told her she and Frank wanted her to move in with them and they would be her guardians until she was 18. Ness is pleasantly surprised when her Uncle Jeb announces they are moving into another place he owns. It is also rare that shifters divorce, preferring to mate for life, but Uncle Jeb announces he is divorcing his wife Lucy!

So how did I feel when I finished reading A Pack Of Vows And Tears? My reaction was Oh wow! What an ending.....when can I read more? I started this one with a clear idea of who I wanted Ness to end up with, but now I am all the way back to being confused and torn about which shifter should end up with Ness! Maybe whoever doesbt and up with Ness could pair up with Sarah. ( that is unless Sarah is paired off with Lucas) So many hot shifters making Oodles of 'book boyfriend' material!

One last word if you love shifters (like I do!) you seriously need to start reading this series now!