Wayward Wolves: Book OneGibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing … beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.
For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.
Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.
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It was a great story, original, but too short! MM shifter world and I can see where there could be more books in the series-What happened to Ellis? Pat? Enjoyed it in one sitting.
Gibson Keller is an author trying to get some writing done, while taking care of his brother Ellis. Ellis has retreated into his wolf and isn’t coping well. Gibson is convinced that his brother isn’t lost and he’s not about to give up on him. Ellis spends his time resting and going on runs in the mountains. On one of these runs, Ellis encounters Zach.
Zach Thomas used to live in the city and worked for his father. When a horrible accident leaves him struggling to survive he realizes that this isn’t the life for him. He buys a B&B up in the mountains of California. Ellis admits to not knowing how to run a B&B and leaves it up to his employees to do the day to day running. On a walk he encounters a black wolf and while running from it, falls into a freezing lake.
This book is about Gibson and Zach falling in love, dealing with family betrayals and learning to live again. It’s also about so much more. It’s about the love of a brother and defying the families edits to save the brother. I felt like Gibson and Zach had really good chemistry and I liked that they didn’t instantly fall into bed together; that they took their time to get to know each other. I really liked that they put Ellis first and helped Ellis start his healing process. I liked that Zach loved Ellis like a brother and was just as committed to his healing as Gibson was. This book is just as much about Ellis as it is about Gibson and Zach and that really worked for me. The book is well written without any notable grammar, spelling or punctuation errors. I have had trouble focusing lately but this book was so good I couldn’t put it down. I hope that the author writes more in this series and that we at least get Ellis’s story. Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes M/M romance, shifter stories and stories about healing.
Once upon a Wolf by author Rhys Ford is the first book in the Wayward Wolves series. I liked this start. I really am attached to the characters and want more. Especially want to read Gibson’s brother’s story. I know that is going to be a good one.
Gibson spends his days taking care of his brother who is stuck in wolf form. He has a routine and he likes it that way. He really is a good person giving up his own happiness for his brother’s well being.
Zack buys the bed and breakfast kinda near him. This is his chance to start over in the peace and quiet of country life. He likes hiking that is till a wolf chases him to a lake and almost kills him. Though his rescue turns out to be more than he ever expected.
I love the humor in this book. I also liked how shifting is handled. Both men are protective and set in their ways but love has a way of sneaking up and taking hold of you no matter if you are looking for it or not. This is one of those keeper shelves kinda stories I loved how original it is and of course my favorite genre MM werewolf that has me at hello. I like the author’s take on that genre and I cannot wait for the next in this really fun series.
Five Shooting Stars
*** DUAL MEDIA REVIEW ***
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Audiobook Review
Angela –
For a novella, Rhys Ford packed a lot of story into Once Upon a Wolf and Derrick McClain does a wonderful job of bringing that story to life. The story opens with Zach running for his life – or so he thinks – when confronted by a larger than life black wolf after getting lost while wandering his property. Unbeknownst to Zach, the wolf is actually a shifter who may have gotten ideas of matchmaking when their paths crossed. Unfortunately, Zach’s natural instinct to flee danger and Ellis’ natural instinct to chase prey ends with Zach nearly drowning and having to be rescued by Ellis and his brother, Gibson. But before Gibson has a chance to convince Zach that he was chased by an oversized dog, Zach witnesses Ellis as he partially shifts, taking the situation from bad to catastrophic in Gibson’s eyes. And that’s merely the not-so-fluffy meet cute for Gibson and Zach.
As the first book in a new series, Ford does a very nice job of balancing the world building for her shifters and the romance between Zach and Gibson. Because of how they met and Ellis’ condition, we learn about the brothers and wolf shifters through conversations between Zach and Gibson post-rescue and as their friendship develops. Due to rather extreme circumstances and a sense of loneliness on the part of both men, things seem to progress rather quickly – or so it seemed to me, but I did have some difficulty keeping up with jumps in the timeline because I was listening as opposed to reading the story. Yet, their relationship doesn’t feel rushed because of the outside events that occurred between the time they met and the time they finally consummated their relationship. Between Ellis’ issues and the close quarters of the cabin, Zach and Gibson were forced to get to know one another before any physical intimacy occurred and I think that’s why it didn’t feel rushed. Being as both men were invested in keeping Ellis safe and helping him get better, that added to the foundation of their relationship, making its progression even more believable, in my opinion.
I’m just gonna say it, Derrick McClain makes werewolves sexy. This is not the first wolf shifter audiobook narrated by him that I’ve listened to and the man has a great tone to his voice when the wolves are getting all growly – I don’t know a better way to say it. You know that moment when a story says that the shifter’s wolf is riding the surface, trying to break through? That moment, that’s when McClain infuses his voice with a bit of growl and I can actually envision the wolf trying to break through even as the man fights to hold on and communicate with those around him. For me, it gives his narrative performances in stories like Once Upon a Wolf a bit of an edge over the usual shifter romances by giving the wolf more of a presence in the story. McClain is only one of two narrators I can think of at the moment who bring the wolf out in an audiobook and it’s why I was so quick to sign up to review Once Upon a Wolf. I can only hope that Ford is hard at work on book two and that McClain will return to the mic to narrate it because I cannot wait to find out where Ellis’ journey will take him.
Ebook Review
Veronica –
This was so good. Once Upon a Wolf is only the third shifter book I’ve read and I adored it. Shifter Gibson rescues Zach from the lake after his brother Ellis, who has been in wolf form for nearly two years, chases Zach through the forest.
Gibson is immediately attracted to Zach but there are more pressing things in to worry about, like helping Jack heal and looking after his brother. The romance in this story is between Gibson and Zach; they connect emotionally before the do physically and the sexy times in the story are minimal – the story takes centre stage in this book. For me, the heart of the story is actually the relationship between Gibson and Ellis and it was Ellis who had me in tears.
Once Upon a Wolf is book one in the Wayward Wolves series. I hope that we get a romance for Ellis’ next.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free ebook or audiobook copy of Once Upon a Wolf (Wayward Wolves #1) by Rhys Ford, narrated by Derrick McClain to read or listen to and review.
Tams gives this one 3.5 Stars…
Good start to a new series
Really liked the story, the concept based on Ellis being stuck as a wolf because his human half was haunted and broken after time spent in the military in a war zone. Gibson has put his own life on hold to care for his brother so when Zach pops into his carefully constructed way of doing things, it’s slow going. Zach has some dark spots in his life as well. His family is not supportive, not really a part of his life, and he’s still healing from a bad accident. On top of everything else going on with these three, someone is hunting the wolves.
I liked that Gibson and Zach take things slow, really getting to know one another before doing anything aside from some very, very heavy petting. Of course the story is intricate and intense, it’s Rhys Ford. I’m anxious to see if Ellis’s book is next.
I did not care for the narration. McClain voiced the story with a tone that was intense and urgent throughout and I never got used to it. It came across like a very serious situation at all times, even during down time, and at times some words were enunciated very dramatically. I was exhausted by the end of the book.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This book is the first in a new series by Rhys Ford. You all know I love her work, and this one is no exception! It came with a warning though, and I was curious as to how that warning would play out.
The warning?? It is “sweet, dammit!”
And it really is!
It’s only short. just under 100 pages, but it packs such a sugar rush, I didn’t even notice it was nearly finished, til I ran out of bloody book!
Gibson is looking after his brother, Ellis, who is stuck as his wolf. Something happened that trapped him there, we are not told what exactly, just hints are thrown, and I expect that (insert puppy dog eyes, all begging like at Ms Ford) Ellis will get his own story and all will then become clear. Ellis chases Zach, new owner of local bed and breakfast into the freezing lake, and Gibson has to save him from hypothermia. The fact the Zach pushes every single one of Gibson’s buttons is not lost on Gibson, and all becomes clear as to why Ellis choose Zach later in the book.
Both Gibson and Zach have their say, and you get just enough of them both to fully engage you in their story, their here and now and their past.
It is sweet, almost sickly, but I think for these two guys, it is right their story be this way. There is very little actual physical stuff between the guys, and I was kinda expecting it to be totally clean, but it isn’t, not quite. I think, maybe, even if it HAD been clean, I would still have loved it!
And love it I did! I had just finished a much longer, heavier book, and this was just what I needed at that time, hence the hang over cure tag.
So, a much needed, perfectly written, perfectly delivered, MAHOOSIVE sugar rush….
5 stars
ps, just remember, it IS sweet, dammit!
**same worded review will appear elsewehere**