Wolf at Bay

“So, first murder, then illicit affairs and blackmail, now a family of cat burglars?” Park whispered as they walked out of the yard. “And we haven’t even left the block. I’m never going to believe you when you say you grew up in a boring town again.”

Even better than book one! I am seriously in love with this series. There's such a perfect mix of romance development, a twisty small town mystery, and sorting out family secrets and old hurts. Each of those plotlines kind of moves at its own pace, and yet all of them intersect at precisely the perfect places to enhance each other and create an incredibly compelling whole.

The romance definitely takes center stage in this one, way more so than in the first installment. If the first book was about giving attraction a chance, this is the part where Cooper and Oliver get to build actual long-term trust, and I'm so here for it. Just as expected, Cooper messes up a lot, allows his past to drag him down, and prefers to deal with his feelings by hiding them. But inch by inch, he keeps learning and growing and working his way through all this, and no matter how messy things got in the book, I never doubted he and Oliver were going to pull through. Because even when they fought, they keep being there for each other, each in their own way, and it's so obvious at all times they just need to know, and also so understandable why they can't. Well, at least with Cooper it's understandable. With Oliver, it's like half understandable, in terms of his character, and also very mysterious in terms of his baggage. But he opens up about some of it, too, gradually, and I'm getting so, so curious about his family history, and the new tidbits of the werewolf lore.

Speaking of families, I loved Cooper's reconnection with his brother. Things with his father seem more complicated, as they always are when our parents hurt us by doing the best the can, and I'm kind of mad at Ed for being so set in his ways that he not only spoiled his own relationship with Cooper, but also stood in the way of Cooper and Dylan being there for each other throughout their lives. And at the same time, I really feel for him, what with all of the things that got revealed over the course of the story. I hope to see more of these characters, especially Dylan and his new family, and to see Cooper's relationship with them continue to evolve and reshape.

As for the mystery, it was absurdly well down and had all the best "small town with big secrets" vibes. There was precisely one important detail I guessed before Cooper recognized it; otherwise, I just sat back witnessing the puzzle pieces fall together in real time, and I actually gasped when the big reveal happened. That whole plot was exciting and full of suspense and I'm pretty sure some of the side details, like those FBI agents' involvement, may have interesting consequences further in the story.

I also want to note that the minor issues with prose and pacing that grated me a little in book 1 are pretty much all gone. There was maybe one scene close to the beginning where the writing felt slightly awkward for a bit, but not terribly so, and I quickly got distracted by what happened next. Honestly, I can barely remember what I even found awkward. I'm just sitting here in awe of this entire story, and the mystery, and the beautiful relationship development, and all the great banter. :)