[REVIEW] A Pack of Blood and Lies

title: A Pack of Blood and Lies (The Boulder Wolves #1)
author: Olivia Wildenstein
genre: young adult, supernatural
published: April 18, 2019 by Twilight Press
format: ebook, 350 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

The primal rule of winning: don’t fall in love with the contender.  

Three months shy of her eighteenth birthday, Ness is forced to return to Colorado. Even though it’s been six years, and the wolves of her all-male pack don’t recognize her, she recognizes them. People who shun others because of their gender are hard to forget. 

Especially Liam Kolane—son of Heath, the crudest and cruelest Alpha to have ruled the Boulder Pack. Liam is as handsome as he is infuriating, as kind as he is punishing, and he makes Ness’s traitorous heart race, which isn’t good. After all, he’s a Kolane. Like father like son, right? 

When Heath dies, Liam vies to become the new Alpha and no one dares challenge him. 

Except Ness. 

Thus begins a treacherous game. 

The rules: winner takes all…including loser’s life. 

Fans of Kresley Cole and Cassandra Clare will devour A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES.

Your usual supernatural romance.

I don't read much YA books these days. Heck, I don't even read a lot of supernatural/paranormal romance books. I picked this up generally because of the author whose writing I can devour in just a few days. Olivia Wildenstein's writing is always a quick read but this one just felt 'eh' for me.

A Pack of Blood and Lies really feels like your usual paranormal romance kind of read (and even though I'm not one to talk, it really feels like the usual trope). Here's the book for you: (1) Ness who lived away from others like her, werewolves, was forced to returned, (2) surprise! she's the only female werewolf in her pack, (3) there's romance and a forbidden love,  maybe? 😏, and apparently (4) there's a competition for the Alpha of the pack and secrets were uncovered.

As a whole, this really felt like the usual story right from the synopsis, and it is. Ness is your stubborn heroine. She's a mixture of someone I like and at the same time I don't. I like her headstrong attitude. I like how she's willing to go through certain lengths to prove something (like joining the competition for the Alpha of the Boulder Wolves). On the other side, some of her decisions really puts me off. They felt very wrong and while she knows she may be doing something that she shouldn't, she'll do it nonetheless because she wants to prove something. But at the end of the day, I'd say she's an okay heroine.

The romance which I have to mention real quick didn't really appeal to me. There's a brooding guy, aka Liam, who'd always come to her rescue (and he's not a stalker, maybe?). Right from the beginning, you know that they'll be together even though all that's happening (aka the relationship development, maybe?) is Liam saving Ness and telling her what she isn't supposed to do. At 70 or 80% of the book, lo and behold, they finally got together when Ness confirmed Liam's feelings. And believe me, it wasn't very exciting. I like hate to love relationship because it's fun but this just felt 'meh'. There wasn't any development of feelings on Ness's end. One day she hates him for being the son of his father and next thing you know she likes him because he told her he likes her. And then she's all over him like she loved him right from the beginning. ughhhh. okay?

OVERALL, A Pack of Blood and Lies is your usual supernatural/paranormal romance. It's a quick read so if this is your thing, this one's a nice pick. There's a stubborn and headstrong heroine who makes mistakes and learn from them and a hate to love relationship with your usual brooding love interest who comes out at the most convenient of times (even though he's not a stalker, or is he?).

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