CRY WOLF by Patricia Briggs

Title: Cry Wolf
Series: Alpha & Omega #1
Author: Patricia Briggs

Summary

With the death of Leo, the Alpha of her Chicago pack, Anna is finally free of the abuse that has come with her three years as a werewolf. Now she is heading back to Montana with Charles, and though her wolf has no problem trusting Charles, Anna's human half still carries the scars of her abuse and finds it hard to trust anyone who is male, dominant, and wolf.

Charles is protective of Anna, and as much as he (and his wolf) wants to claim Anna for his own, he is willing to given her as much time as she needs to be comfortable around him...even if that means giving her the option of finding another mate.

But their relationship is put on standby as reports come in about a rogue werewolf in The Cabinets, one that has been attacking and killing people.  Charles may still be injured from his recent visit to Chicago, but he is the only wolf besides his father that is dominant enough, and controlled enough, to face down a rogue.  Though he is initially reluctant to have Anna come with him, the rogue wolf is not what he expects, and he soon learns that having an Omega along can save his life.

My Impression

This book introduces a new pack of werewolves: the Marrok's Pack of Aspen Creek, Montana.  Though this pack appears briefly in Moon Called, Cry Wolf adds more depth to the characters we have already met (Bran and Leah), while also introducing many other members.  Since I had already seen the dynamics of Adam's pack (from the Mercy Thompson series) and Leo's pack (from "Alpha and Omega"), I liked seeing another pack and the varying personalities among werewolves.  I think Patricia Briggs does a great job of creating a variety of characters.

I also really liked how Charles and Anna try to navigate their relationship.  Both characters have some demons (metaphoric) that haunt them, and I like that they don't suddenly disappear simply because the two found each other.  Both characters have a hard time reading the other person, and they struggle to understand each other and avoid miscommunication. I also liked that there were moments when each character had to put aside their own insecurities in order to comfort the other.  Their relationship seems authentic and realistic, and as much as I want things to be great and perfect between them, I think their relationship becomes more valuable because of the work they put in to it.

Though the mystery plot of this book was complex and not something I could easily solve, and there were times when I was truly worried about the safety of Anna and Charles, I felt myself a bit uninterested in it.  My main interest in this series is seeing the relationship develop between Anna and Charles, and while there is progress in that area, I felt that the plot of the book didn't revolve around them enough.  The rogue wolf is a threat to the Marrok's pack, as well as to werewolves in general, but I just didn't care as much about the outcome.  That's not to say that it wasn't well written, but there were times when I just wanted to read about Anna and Charles' mate bond.

Why I Picked Up This Book

After reading "Alpha and Omega", I wanted to read more about Charles and Anna.

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: Four Stars

Interested in other books by Patricia Briggs?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.