Reviews with content warning for Outing - The 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. :)

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wilybooklover's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.5

I thought the miscommunications went on a bit too long, but overall I loved the character development and relationship growth in this book. Enjoyed the mystery too, just as in the first.

Hopefully we get to learn more about the mysterious Park in the next one!

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galleytrot's review

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

READ: Jan 2023
FORMAT: Digital

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In book two of this contemporary shifter romance/suspense series, Dayton is pressured into making an unplanned stop to visit his family in his home town of Jagger Valley with Park along for the ride. When Dayton’s father, Ed, drags his sons and Park into helping to tear down a piece of their past, Park unearths a decades-old body that no one in the neighbourhood ever expected to see again. Off the clock and undermining an FBI investigation, Dayton and Park work together in a desperate effort to clear Ed’s name.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.5 / 5⭐

Much like the first installment of the series, I had a great time reading through this one. This time around, the mystery is smaller and closer to home, but no less packed with conspiracy. A man vanished from the neighbourhood some 25 years ago, and everyone assumed he’d simply flew the coop to start a new life. The resurfacing of his bones dredges up old secrets and scandals from those in the surrounding homes, and it’s up to our MC’s to piece it all together and find out exactly what happened all those years ago.

In the meantime, Dayton is struggling with his past traumas and emotional hang-ups and how they impact his current relationships; relationships with his father, his brother, his partner, his past, and all of the people who have defined him along the way. Dayton and Park are still struggling with trust and communication, leaving what they have together all the more difficult to define.

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but stopped yourself because “if they wanted to know, they would ask”? Dayton and Park are both struggling to show any emotional vulnerability towards each other outside of the bedroom, and it’s stunting the growth between them on a more meaningful level. Communication is a two-way street, and they’ve got their feet firmly planted on the brakes. But if you want to get a little, you need to be willing to give a little.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐

Once again I am very pleased with Adhara’s work. The mystery in book two wasn’t quite as complex as its predecessor, but it was by no means boring or simplistic. I got a few more correct guesses in this time around, and was still surprised by how it wrapped up.

There was a whole thing with a werewolf that had me questioning the rules of the world – particularly where it relates to being able to hear and smell especially well. Just not through one particularly impressive door, I guess. Then, Rudi in book one was able to smell Park on Dayton from the night before, but in this book our new werewolf didn’t notice Park on him from hours (or less) before. There was also an inconsistency where Dayton “still had never seen a change himself,” despite him being present for a shift in the previous book. I suppose his eyes were not on them in the split second it happened, but he still should have clocked how fast it occurs, I would think?

Maybe I’m picking at nits, but these are things that made me stop and reference the previous book just to be sure of myself.

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.25 / 5⭐

If you liked the first book, you should certainly like this one too. It doesn’t break the mold that Adhara set the first time around.

This work has representation for gays and hints at a possible lesbian couple. A good number of characters are not white, and our MC comes from a Jewish family. The author identifies as genderfluid.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains: strained family relationships; infidelity; murder, attempted murder, and an apparent suicide; reference to terminal cancer; a stroke victim; references to the main character’s old injury (disembowelment), and the physical trauma resulting from it; blackmail; drugs; mentions of an instance of bullying and confinement; someone being outed against their wishes; vomiting (seasickness); and, depiction of a broken bone.

Content Warnings

ofbooksandechos's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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marysbookinit's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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ticktock's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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