Raised by Wolves by Bridget Essex

Raised by Wolves
by Bridget Essex
Pages: 167
Date: January 27 2016
Publisher: Rose and Star Press
Series: N/A

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: February 18 2016

This is my 12th work by this author.

Essex tends to write about 3 or 4 things. (1) Most common, at least in what I’ve read, maybe not in everything written, would be works involving werewolves; (2) works involving knights; (3) works involving something else (i.e., angels); and (4) contemporary lesbian romance. That’s going by what I’ve read. Then there’s that 5 work series involving vampires that I haven’t read. I don’t recall if vampires have popped up in the works I’ve read by her. Well, a book titled ‘Raised by Wolves’ and involving a werewolf would fall directly in line with the above, right? Well yes and no.

The book does, in fact, involve a werewolf. The book, though, is somewhat different from the norm. At least in that, as far as I recall, the main focus of the book involves the actual werewolf. One of Essex’s common themes involves lesbian woman who dream of fantasy, of a shining knight coming to be their knight, of werewolves, and the like. Well that turns up in this book as well. The difference is the main character. In the other works, the main character is that lesbian woman dreamer. Here the main character is the werewolf. And the dreamer is the other woman in the relationship. This may or may not be a switch – recall, if you will, my mentioning of the 5 book vampire series (and that I’ve not read everything else written by this author), and that I don’t know what the dynamic is in those works. So, it’s just a switch in perspective from what I’ve read.

So. Becca Swift was raised by wolves. I was going to say ‘I don’t know why, but that made me think of stories of children being raised by wolves, like the she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus (the brothers who, legend says, built Rome)’ but then I recalled why I was vaguely surprised that the main woman of the story was the werewolf instead of the non-wolf -> because of what I wrote in the prior paragraph. The main tends to be the dreamer, not the dream. Or, um, something like that.

Becca Swift is 33 and enjoys her life. Even if it involves living in a crappy apartment with a menial retail job. And her lack of lifelong companions. She likes her life set up that way. The problem is, though, that her mother rather dislikes basically everything about how Becca is living her life (except for the lesbian thing, she seems okay with that). Easy enough solution, right? Cut the bitch out of your life. Except, of course, (1) that love thing; (2) family; (3) mama Swift is the pack alpha with all that entails with being alpha. So, for many reasons, she can’t cut the bitch out of her life (what, a female dog is a bitch, is a female wolf not a bitch? Not sure, don’t particularly want to look it up now).

And so, after another session with her mother, during which mama Swift took every opportunity to loudly and verbally abuse her daughter, Becca is pissed and trying to kill a punching back. In comes beloved family member and cousin Rob. Stuff occurs; point though is that Rob points her towards a particular book store and a particular new worker at said book store. A way to clear her mind, or something like that.

And so, with reluctance, Becca pulls on her leathers and hops on her motorcycle and . . . wait, sorry, I just kind of expected this to be the next thing to occur. No, she gets on the bus. She’s too poor to have a motorcycle, I assume.

Becca makes it to that bookstore, sniffs out (literally) where the new worker is in the store, is enchanted and Becca meets the long legged blonde haired Loren. They appear to be taken with each other.

And so the two most important people in the story have met. Becca and Loren. Now it’s just a case of whether or not it’ll just be a one-night stand, or more. Oh, and the part wherein Becca’s a werewolf. And Loren’s a human.

It’s a neat story. I actually got quite into it. I was having fun, enjoying myself and then I kind of stopped. During one particular scene I realized the story was going to go a particular direction I didn’t want it to go, and I was right. It went that direction. And then the book abruptly ended after that. Still, I enjoyed the book so . . ..

Oh, and for those keeping track, there’s plenty of graphic sex that occurs.

February 19 2016