A Pack of Blood and Lies: The Boulder Wolves, Book 1

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.

This book has a great story, great love connection, great mystery, and great action. No spice and a bit predictable, but at the same time, there were things I didn't guess as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely be reading the next one. I'm very into August for some reason, so I gotta keep going!

I really enjoyed the connection to the characters I developed from her writing style & emotions she portrayed of them. I highly enjoyed the relationship that came about with Ness & Liam near the middle of the book!! I’m already downloading book #2!!

This book was a lot of fun, my biggest reason for the 3/5 is that I wanted a little more from Ness. I had a hard time with her seesawing emotions and lack of planning. You're telling me this girl grew up in the bad part of LA and isn't smart or cautious??I was also frustrated with the back and forth of "we don't want a female were" to "we all want you" but make it the whole book.I will definitely keep reading the series, I want to see where it goes from here.

If this book is not on your list it should be, very well written and it keeps you wanting more.

I enjoyed reading about the Boulder Pack and all their secrets. This book gave a great start to another addictive series.

This story is magnificent from beginning to end. The characters are well written and evoke some seriously intense love and hate and confusion emotions; the story flows at a pace that alternates well between steady and breathtaking and you can feel that it’s been well planned because the execution is incredible.Can we start with the cover? It’s so beautiful and you feel the tone of the drama to come but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t come close to the web of intrigue that unfolds on these pages.I love a good heroine and I’ve been so privileged to read some incredible books with heroines who are strong, feisty, smart and caring; who have so much heart and back it up with perseverance and endurance and physical capabilities and stamina. Ness has been through more hell than any girl should have to endure in her lifetime, but thanks to who she is at the core of her, she doesn’t just fade into a corner and give up, letting the world trample her down, she’s a fighter and the lessons her parents have taught her have stood her in good stead for being not just a survivor, but a thriver.The supporting characters are well developed and, in some cases, you enjoy them; in others, you can’t stand them at all and then there are those who leave you utterly conflicted right until the very end.Liam is one such character; you’re not really sure if he is a product of his father’s lack of nurturing spirit, or if he has his own nature separate to the evil one that was his fathers. He is a well written character because of the confusion he inspired in me as a reader – boiling down to the fact that he has his own demons and secrets to deal with. You desperately want him to be better but again, that web of intrigue keeps you tied in and it does often feel like you’re hoping against all reason to hope.I feel that this book highlights the importance of motivation. Because truthfully, it’s not always a case of people being inherently good or bad, or doing good or bad things, but rather, that they make choices and act based on what those motivators are.That being said though, there were moments where Ness could definitely have had some clarity about people and their motivations if she dropped the blinders of her own motivations for a moment and paid closer attention to what was in front of her. But, I said she was awesome, I didn’t say she was perfect!The blurb tells you exactly what the premise of the story is so I don’t wish to repeat it but I do want you to know that this is a book worth reading if you’re looking for intrigue, mystery, a slow burn, a heroine who doesn’t give up and a story that shows the changes that people can make when they stop accepting and start understanding the positive power of allowing change. There is no cliffhanger, but there is unfinished business, including a little “huh, what was that?” right at the end and so now we wait (not so) patiently for the next book in the series.

The book had me bored at the beginning, the author didn’t describe the magic transformation of the shifters but it became a preview of Ness’s story and how it began. Be prepared to be bored, hopefully the second one is more interesting. I love the enemy to lovers between Liam and Ness but no fated mates connection

This should be a mandatory book for everyone who likes a fast paced shifter story. Perfect settings, wonderful plot, and amazing characters. This serie grips you from the very star and deserves to be on your to read list.

I very much enjoyed this book, I found this author by chance on Etsy so wanted to give this book a go.I love the idea behind the book, the competitiveness and the reasoning behind it.The characters are well developed and likeable, the plot kept the reader entertained and guessing until the end. I want to keep reading and find out what is happening with August!Very well written, I would definitely recommend and I will definitely continue the series.

Okay I could not stop reading. All the twists and turns. The ending was a shocker too. Would love to recommend this book.

*SPOILERS* AHEADI'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 triangles 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.

Listened to the audiobook version and voice was easy and the performance suited the story very well.The story was just great. Love the characters! I also love the fact that it isn’t for once a main character that still needs to get or discover her powers. No, she was born that way and hasn’t mysteriously been devoid of power for the first so many years of her life like many other stories where the main character is supposed to be born with powers but can’t ‘perform’ or access those powers or something.This is your typical Werewolf story (not easy to die, great healing, and silver is poisonous) but with the best kind of characters with wit and sass and some arrogant packmembers that don’t want Ness there. Certainly not in there ‘all male Pack’ but Ness doesn’t take no for an answer now that she’s 6 years older than the last time she asked and wasn’t accepted. Even worse, back then, she was forced to leave with her mother. But at the start of the story, 6 years after said bannishment, her mother has passed away and her uncle has come for her, to forcefully take her back home, into the Boulder Wolves territory, to live with her only remaining family. So, being forced back, she will demand to be acknowledged!Follow this fierce, witty werewolf on her quest sort of speak to have a say in her own future.Absolutely loved this one and have bought the whole trilogy (ebook) because this is the type of story you can enjoy again and again.