PENNED CON Winner of Best Audio Book 2019.“Is it too soon to say that this beautiful book is my favourite book I’ve read in 2019? I’m in love with everything about it.”- NinaBookishTHE 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 … 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 Kelley Armstrong and Kresley Cole will devour A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES.
* Contains Alpha males.
* Not suitable for children under 15.more
This is my first book by this author and it was amazing. I love all pnr books so this was right up alley. Ness is forced to go back home after her Mom’s passing. Will she challenge Liam, the son of her enemy to be alpha? Entertaining, intrigue and so good. I look forward to more books by this author.
I felt ready to revisit the “shifter”/ “were-wolves” genre and came across this book. The cover certainly caught my eye with its green and orange colours with the female silhouette that represents the rather kick butt female character of Ness. I think if this book was on a book store shelf It would catch my eye and interest enough to make me pick it up to read the blurb. The genre’s listed for this book are Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Teens & YA, and it fits well into all of them, though I should admit I am definitely not in the teens & YA age group and I read and thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The book’s main character is Ness and at the beginning of the book she is at work with her friend and neighbour Evelyn. Ness’s mother has died but through working more than one job Ness is managing to pay her rent and continue living next to Evelyn who proved to be a good friend to both Ness & her mum. Evelyn has unofficially taken the role of guardian for Ness. Ness & her mum had been forced to leave their first home by Ness’s Uncle Jeb. So, it is a complete surprise to Ness when her Aunt, Uncle & cousin Everest turn up. There’s some arguing but eventually a compromise is made that Ness will return to the Boulder pack home and live with her Aunt & Uncle in their pub so long as Evelyn can come with her.
There’s lots of prejudice and unpleasant history as Ness is the only female in the Boulder Wolves Pack. The reason for this is shrouded in secrecy and Ness is treat and thought to be inferior to the male wolves in the pack. There’s been some major changes within the pack and at the present there is no Alpha in position to lead the pack yet. The previous disliked Alpha is dead and his son Liam Kolane has offered his name forward as the next Alpha. This infuriates Ness who treats Liam with the same hatred as she has for his father. Ness tries to talk first her cousin Everest and then her friend August Watt to stand against Liam Kolane.
It soon becomes apparent no one wants to stand against Liam, so Ness takes drastic action and puts her own name forward to become Alpha. As she puts her name forward there are two surprises thrown into contending in the form of Matthew and Lucas, both friends of Liam! It isn’t that Ness wants to run the pack herself, it’s more that she doesn’t want another Kolane to be running the pack. Matthew & Lucas putting their names into the mix just means Ness has to defeat three males instead of one! Ness is so serious she is willing to put her own life on the line. As there is now more than one contender for Alpha it means all contenders have to go through the trials. The last trial is also usually a fight to the death, which means is Ness doesn’t win she could die.
I loved Ness as a character, she has her own morals and idea’s and isn’t afraid to stand her ground. I felt immediately on side with Ness which meant auto disliking Liam, thinking like Ness that is as bad as his father, Heath. Though the more you learn about Liam and witness how he is around Ness you can’t help but begin to like and believe in him.
There’s lots of differences and misunderstandings throughout the book between Liam and Ness. However, Liam and the rest of the Boulder Pack soon grow to love Ness and want her to stay with the pack. There’s also a great secret surrounding one of the characters that I didn’t see coming from the beginning of the book. A character I did take an instant dislike for was Aunt Lucy, and I think you may agree with me by the end of the book. The old saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” fits one of the characters in the book too.
The book had a good pace, there’s the introduction to Ness and her friend/unofficial guardian Evelyn, then her pack family arrive on the scene and the pace picks up from there and it is an action packed for the rest of the book. There are plenty of different clues and plotlines to follow that make the book a brilliant read that you won’t want to put down. The only thing that kind of threw me, or surprised me was how the book seemed to jump a little. One minute, Uncle Jeb, Aunt Lucy & Everest are sampling Evelyn’s taco’s and the next minute everyone is at the pub owned by Jeb and Lucy and Ness is facing off with Liam Kolane.
I adored some of the quotes such as when Ness speaks to Liam Kolane and says “Sometimes the filth is not visible to the naked eye, but it doesn’t mean its not there.” The way Liam tries to talk Ness out of the Alpha trials was quite endearing even though Ness finds it infuriating! I don’t want to reveal much more but Ness does end up changing her opinion of those around her. Those she thought she could trust and sadly can’t and those she once loathed that are revealed as only wanting what is best for her or to help her.
To sum up after finishing this book my reaction was Wow, I have possibly found another great shifter series to read! I love the Boulder wolves and look forward to perhaps more interaction between them and the Pines Wolves. As well as storylines that may see more females being born into the Boulder Pack. There are so many possibilities for this series, it is most definitely a series I want to read more of. I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book!!
“Kissing Liam Kolane felt like running through a starlit field in my wolf form—the purest form of power and sensation there existed in this vast, dark world.”
My first book by Olivia and it certainly won’t be the last (I’ve already 1-clicked the next in the series). Great characters, amazing plot line and brilliant writing!
One reader said something about Tamlin and Rhys from the Acotar and now I want to know what that’s got to do with Liam and August!!
Loved it!
So many twists that you won’t see coming! Characters that are great (most of the time) and action-packed story-telling that will keep you up into the early morning hours!
A Pack of Blood and Lies is an exciting tale of a young woman coming to terms with her past and a pack of mostly misogynistic males. Ness has questions and it seems like nobody wants to give her answers. But she is strong, tenacious and will not be denied. I loved this story and look forward to the next installment.
Heart-pumping and intriguing A Pack of Blood and Lies is brilliantly written and entertaining. This is the first time I’ve read a book by this author but I’m now a devoted fan!
This is one of the best paranormal reads ever!
I’m obsessed. This book is addicting and page-turning. I loved every second of it; From the push and pull of the main characters to the mystery.
I loved all the characters and hope they each get their story told.
This book has a kickass heroine and a bunch of badass werewolves. Oh my!
This book was amazing and gripped me from the very first page. There was absolutely nothing I did not like.
This author made her mark on me. Make no mistake, I will be continuing this series while keeping an eye out for this author’s future works.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*SPOILERS*
I’ve just finished this book and was eager to read the next in this series but was sadly surprised that a love trianle is coming. I HATE love trinangles and after reading the premise of book 2 is definitely a no no for me.
I loved the characters in this first book and especially Liam. I can’t believe that in the next book his character is going to be destroyed by after everything he has to put up with in this first installment. And all because a mating bond! I love mating bonds and age gap but not after building such an awesome character as Liam and making him fight for the heroine just to make him bad in the next book so the heroine can stay with her supposed ‘true mate’.
I loved Ness and Liam story and thought that next book would be about Lucas and Sarah that is the most exciting and thrilling pair but making the beautiful story of Liam and Ness become a love triangle in next book with August. ARGGH! I just can’t take it. It would have been great a Ness-August story from the begining but what I see it’s going to come… well, I wish I hadn’t read this first book and root for the main characters only to find out the ugly path they are going to go through next.
Sorry for the ranting. Now regarding this book, it’s entertaining, interesting and have some good twists. I love the pack wolves, Lucas, Matt, August and mostly Liam. However, I dislike Ness for most of the book for being arrogant, rude, unpleasant, pride, vengeful, nasty and resentful. But at the end she redeems herself. So it was okay.
I don’t like what is going to happen to the main characters in the next books but looking at other reviews, it’s probably just me so I do recommend to read this book if you enjoy paranormal romance and enemies to lovers trope.
I found this author and this is the first book i have read of hers and i was hooked from page one it was beautifully written it justed flowed i loved the characters cant not wait for book 2 i beg you read this book i promise you will not be disappionted xx
So Good! I wasn’t surprised that this story by Author Olivia Wildenstein was awesome. I am a fan of her other series. And this one did not disappoint me at all. It pulls you in from the very beginning and you can’t help but read on until the end. I love the main characters! This is action packed and lots of surprises. I have to admit i might have a crush on Liam… I can’t help but ship Ness & Liam! If book one is this good then for sure i know book two will be even better! Highly recommend this story!
I am so in love with this book. I have a tangible need for books 2 and 3.
Ness is stubborn and fearless. Liam has a quiet and determined confidence. Its possible this book had me at shifter romance, but honestly the story is such a page turner. I was fond of the plot, but I think its the incredible spark of the characters that had me getting upset over the adulting I had to do in between reading.
I’ve read one other book by Olivia Wildenstein, Harshville, which I thought was wonderful. After reading this I’m planning to systematically devour everything she writes.
A thrilling wild ride that has me howling for more! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started but it surpassed all my expectations. While it started a little slow and took a couple chapters to really hook me, once it did, I DIDN’T put it down until the end. The darker elements, the friction and chemistry between characters, and the mystery and twists left me stunned and craving more. Wildenstein’s writing is excellent and her talent for details further enriched the story and characters for me. If you like wolf shifters or paranormal romance, this is a must read!
Twist and turns in such an exciting story. I feel like Olivia Wildenstien has done a brilliant work here. Keeps you captured with in her words and the story, giving you the want to turn the next page and when your done your wanting more.
This was such an exceptional story. It had me completely hooked right from the first page and I didn’t want to put it down.
There was plenty of depth to the story with a number of twists and enemies to lovers theme. It was extremely well-written and the author structured the story in a way to keep readers guessing. There were two deaths with the murderers to be uncovered and also a sadness to the story at times. There was also a challenge for pack leadership which was fascinating and I appreciated the strength behind Ness to enter it and to challenge the boys.
The characters were particularly rewarding and I enjoyed the slow and deliberate feel to the romance that built between Ness and Liam and I can’t wait to read more.
Highly recommended shifter story.
WOW! If I could give this book ten stars I would. I loved every second and every word of this book. I cannot wait for more from both this couple and this world. As a lover of shifter stories I have read quite a few that seem to follow the same outline and they tend to get a bit stale. This book was anything but: it had passion, action, mystery, well developed characters and a plot that will absorb the reader. I will try to do my best in this review to explain just how much I loved this book, but I think that the only way is to buy this story and experience it for yourself!
The story starts out with Ness, a seventeen year old whose life is about to take a drastic turn. She lives in LA with her chosen (adoptive) grandmother (Evelyn) trying to make ends meet after her mother has died. One night, after a long shift as work Ness and Evelyn find themselves in a minor hostage situation. Ness’s Uncle, Aunt and cousin Everett have come to collect her and bring her back into the fold. They live in Colorado and are part of the Bolder Shifter Clan. She was kicked out six years ago when her father was murdered and the pack would not let her join. I should mention that she is the only female shifter I clan and wanted to be a part of the pack, but was denied.
Getting back to her old life, Ness finds herself face to face with some people she would rather not re-meet and she has to learn how to live this new life. She decides to jump back in and throws her preverbal hat into the ring to become Alpha, going up against her nemeses Liam. When Ness moves back to Bolder she meets Liam, the son of the last Alpha and a man she is determined on taking down. With a growing hatred for him, she tries to out wolf Liam and take his coveted Alpha status away from him, out of pure loathing. Little does she know that Liam will become her true love and she will have to fight for more than just Alpha, she will have to fight for those she loves.
I loved both Ness and Liam and found myself so absorbed into the story that I stayed up till one am to finish (I would not put the book down for anything)! I also loved the way this author introduced the reader to the secondary characters, we meet them just as Ness does and we get to be a part of her reintroduction to this life. I also loved the diversity of the characters, they each stood out so much that you never were at a loss to remember who you were interacting with. There were characters that I dislike and others that I was unsure of, but mostly I loved them.
Without giving away more (because it is worth discovering for yourself), this story has everything a reader would want in a shifter story. This is way more than a YA romance story; it is a story of not judging others before knowing them, trusting those you love, and becoming who you want to be regardless of those around you. The story is complete and whole, but written in a way that the sequels will continue the larger plot lines. I would love to spend more time when Ness and Liam and I hope that their story is not over yet. I want to be inside this world and there is no way any reader can enjoy this book without devouring it. This is my first read from this author but will not be my last. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for more! This is one of my top thee books of the year and a new favorite!!
RE-READ: Second time around and it hasn’t lost any of its charm. Still a ten star read!! Let me say this… I can count on ONE hand the number of books that I’ve re-read in my time. This, this is one of them. The story draws me in until I am breathing right along with the characters; until I myself become a Bolder wolf. I just can’t get enough. I bought this in eBook form and paperback (and seriously considering hardback as well) I know I am going to re-read it again and again! Nothing but PURE LOVE for this book.