Forever Wolf

February 15, 2019
A hardened werewolf must choose between loyalty to her pack or saving the life of a mysterious stranger in this hauntingly beautiful paranormal romance.Varya Timursdottir is a Shielder for the Great North Pack. She upholds the laws and makes sure all the moving parts are kept going, as she knows firsthand the damage that can be done when a pack's structure starts to crumble. She wasn't always a member of the Great North Pack. In fact, Varya is the sole survivor of Pack Vrangelya after they were systemically wiped out. Carrying both the emotional and physical scars of the ordeal, she's become icy, unmoving, and stern in her role as Shielder and in her dedication to pack law. During a run, she discovers Eyulf, an injured and unconscious man who smells like home, her original home in the Arctic wild. Curious about the man, Varya helps him in secret, but the pair begin to unravel the secrets of Eyulf's existence. Enmeshed in pack politics, shifting alliances, and threats from humans and Shifters, the Great North Pack enters into an age of uncertainty and possibly war. Varya is torn between upholding her role in the pack and giving in to the feelings stirred by the curious Eyulf. Vale's (A Wolf Apart, 2018, etc.) latest is lyrical and mesmerizing, the written embodiment of the wild depth where the Great North Pack resides. Each word is carefully selected, and the slightest actions contain deeper meanings in a story that feels expertly crafted in its subtle complexity. Though it's a romance with a bittersweet happily-ever-after that's sure to bring out some tears, the notion of what it means to belong and what Varya will do to help heal her grief-stricken homesickness are rooted at the center of it all.Prepare to be rendered speechless.

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Starred review from April 1, 2019

When her own Arctic pack was annihilated, Varya was taken in by the Great North Pack. Clawed and marked for an ancient transgression, Varya is now a feared and respected member of the Pack and Alpha Shielder for the Great North's 12th Echelon. She would lay down her life for the Pack, but with inner dissension and outside danger threatening, the Pack is on edge. When Varya comes across Eyulf, a severely wounded Arctic wolf whose fair hair and unmatched eyes mark him as the mythical doom-bringing Bone Wolf, she knows the Pack will kill him if she can't keep his existence secret until he is ready to leave. But concern soon turns to love, and when a traitor succeeds and the survival of the Pack hangs in the balance, Varya and Eyulf are faced with a life-altering decision. VERDICT Tender, heart-wrenching, and drenched in legend and lore, this bittersweet romance highlights the tension between following rigid law and adapting to change; a fierce, fulfilling addition to this mesmerizing series. Vale (A Wolf Apart) lives in New York.

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Starred review from February 15, 2019
Varya, fierce and passionate, is loyal to a fault to the Great North Pack, because they took her in when she was a homeless adolescent, after she witnessed her Russian island pack savagely destroyed by humans. She takes refuge in a cave when human hunters in a helicopter invade pack territory. She smells an Arctic wolf but finds a seriously injured man. He was caught in a trap while in wolf form. Varya can't bring him to the pack because his mismatched eyes, according to pack legend, herald either the end or the beginning of the world, so she secretly saves his life. Ayulf doesn't know what he is or how to willingly change between human and wolf, the pack is facing annihilation, and Varya may be the only one who can save them. The third installment in Vale's enthralling Legend of All Wolves series, this maintains momentum and adds fascinating insights into pack life. Terrific on its own, it is enhanced by reading The Last Wolf (2018) and A Wolf Apart (2018). In addition to thrilling paranormal-romance fans, Vale's latest will also delight readers who enjoy exquisite world building in any genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)