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thereadinghammock's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
There is so much story packed into this book! There's world building. There's romance. There found family. There's family coming back to each other after a falling out. There's fae shenanigans. There's magic. There's supernatural beings of all kinds!
I loved that there was never a doubt in my mind about Ellie and Van from the moment they reconnected. No third act breakups here! Only copious amounts of fae peril. I can't wait to learn more over the course of the series about the politicking of The First Realm and how its bleeding over into the lives of these characters.
I love the supporting cast of characters, and am already looking for hints of future books, and am so excited for Cassidy and Kaito in book 2!
I loved that there was never a doubt in my mind about Ellie and Van from the moment they reconnected. No third act breakups here! Only copious amounts of fae peril. I can't wait to learn more over the course of the series about the politicking of The First Realm and how its bleeding over into the lives of these characters.
I love the supporting cast of characters, and am already looking for hints of future books, and am so excited for Cassidy and Kaito in book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Child death
fr4n_m's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Sexual content, and Hate crime
bladebailey's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
A sweet, contemporary romance with immense emotional intelligence and character study, A Wolf in the Garden takes this typically saccharine and straightforward genre and turns it into an intricately plotted urban fantasy with a masterfully designed second chance fated mates romance. Van and Ellie both struggle with their grief following the drowning death of his little sister and their subsequent separation, and Hall spends a great deal of time exploring the maturation of both characters and their romance as a whole. Every monrom explains the presence of monsters differently, but Hall's worldbuilding provides one of the strongest theories while also establishing a magic system in an entirely separate realm. Ellie's work as a professional landscaper/gardener and Van's vineyard set against the quaint, lush New Zealand island enriches the story, and we get so much fantastical monster fun. Also, this book is SPICYYYY. Think knots, full moon fun, and so much more. The series is just starting and I'm eager to see the side characters get their own HEA's (Cam, especially).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death and Grief
noriboo's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
🌶🌶🌶🌶
•••
If you're looking for a lowstakes, cosy, and fluffy story, this is the one! I also think that this is a good book for people who are new to the shifter romance/smut genre.
Van is a delightfully soft alpha who can turn it up when needed.
As a bicultural woman who comes from ancestors who suffered due to colonialism, I could very much relate to Ellie's feelings of wanting to do right to that part of your culture, making sure that people know that you're not the expert and can only speak from your own limited experiences and feeling some frustration about not knowing the language (well enough).
I enjoyed how willing to learn, respectful, and mindful both Ellie and Van were about eachothers cultures and practices.
I'm looking forward to reading future books in this series.
•••
If you're looking for a lowstakes, cosy, and fluffy story, this is the one! I also think that this is a good book for people who are new to the shifter romance/smut genre.
Van is a delightfully soft alpha who can turn it up when needed.
As a bicultural woman who comes from ancestors who suffered due to colonialism, I could very much relate to Ellie's feelings of wanting to do right to that part of your culture, making sure that people know that you're not the expert and can only speak from your own limited experiences and feeling some frustration about not knowing the language (well enough).
I enjoyed how willing to learn, respectful, and mindful both Ellie and Van were about eachothers cultures and practices.
I'm looking forward to reading future books in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child death
tieraneysreadingcorner's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i have no words to describe how absolutely phenomenal this book is. allegra put her hallussy into this book.
going into it i forgot this was a second chance, which you know i don’t really love, BUT this book is different. it had a unique reason as to why it was a second chance which is why i loved it so much! the cottage core, island vibes emitting from this book, literally you open the book and all this flowery island goodness vibes comes out, was marvelous.
the lore and detail allegra put into this was so wonderfully done, she’s made me want to visit the place this book was inspired by.
one of the best things from this book-which honestly is the whole book- is how ✨knotty✨ van and ellie are 🤭
i honestly wish i could read this for the first time all over!!
don’t let the words serving chance scare you! there’s healthy communication!!
also... when can i get my own wolf 🌝
going into it i forgot this was a second chance, which you know i don’t really love, BUT this book is different. it had a unique reason as to why it was a second chance which is why i loved it so much! the cottage core, island vibes emitting from this book, literally you open the book and all this flowery island goodness vibes comes out, was marvelous.
the lore and detail allegra put into this was so wonderfully done, she’s made me want to visit the place this book was inspired by.
one of the best things from this book-which honestly is the whole book- is how ✨knotty✨ van and ellie are 🤭
i honestly wish i could read this for the first time all over!!
don’t let the words serving chance scare you! there’s healthy communication!!
also... when can i get my own wolf 🌝
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Grief
themargherita_s's review
5.0
Second chance is one of my least favorite tropes, but the premise of this book sounded too good to pass, and when Allegra announced the ARCs I knew I had to read it. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it's probably one of the best books I've read in 2023.
My favorite part was definitely the inclusion of Māori culture and language! It truly made the story unique.
I loved every single character in this story (which is rare for me) and I'm so excited to read the rest of the series!
When I hit the 30% mark I had already cried multiples times, then I got to the 50% mark and everything was suspiciously fine and cute, and I was like "no, everything is going a little too well", and then BOOM: PAIN, that made me cry till the very last page.
I fell like I'm always crying with this book lol (it's a good thing, don't worry).
Representation: mixed New Zealand European and Māori female main character, American male main character.
Content Warnings: abandonment, sexual content, off-page death of a child that occurred years ago, drowning, grief, loss of a sibling, loss of a child, symptoms of PTSD, brief mention of a side character's previous abusive relationship, mind control, attempted kidnapping, a shifted wolf attacking a shifted being and on-page death of this creature while in shifted animal form, blood, discussion of shifted wolves and werewolves hunting animals for food (not shown, but actions, sounds, and taste briefly described by characters), dysfunctional family dynamics, violence between shifted wolves, abuse of magic powers to exert will over others, struggles with identity, reference to situational depression (in the past), recreational use of alcohol, reference to binge drinking as a coping mechanism (in the past), secondary characters with children or babies, and non-humans being othered and experiencing microaggressions, racism.
My favorite part was definitely the inclusion of Māori culture and language! It truly made the story unique.
I loved every single character in this story (which is rare for me) and I'm so excited to read the rest of the series!
When I hit the 30% mark I had already cried multiples times, then I got to the 50% mark and everything was suspiciously fine and cute, and I was like "no, everything is going a little too well", and then BOOM: PAIN, that made me cry till the very last page.
I fell like I'm always crying with this book lol (it's a good thing, don't worry).
Representation: mixed New Zealand European and Māori female main character, American male main character.
Content Warnings: abandonment, sexual content, off-page death of a child that occurred years ago, drowning, grief, loss of a sibling, loss of a child, symptoms of PTSD, brief mention of a side character's previous abusive relationship, mind control, attempted kidnapping, a shifted wolf attacking a shifted being and on-page death of this creature while in shifted animal form, blood, discussion of shifted wolves and werewolves hunting animals for food (not shown, but actions, sounds, and taste briefly described by characters), dysfunctional family dynamics, violence between shifted wolves, abuse of magic powers to exert will over others, struggles with identity, reference to situational depression (in the past), recreational use of alcohol, reference to binge drinking as a coping mechanism (in the past), secondary characters with children or babies, and non-humans being othered and experiencing microaggressions, racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Child death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse
milehightbr's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is truly one of my favorites that I've ever read. This book taught me a lot of things about Māori culture and New Zealand in general that I, an American, had no clue about... so not only was it a pleasure to read but I actually learned some things! The characters are fantastic. Ellie is such a strong and smart FMC, and Van is a kind and supportive MMC. Their love is so electric, and yet also sweet and tender. The secondary characters are really great too, you get a real sense of who they are - they're not just flat or pointless. There are fantasy and monster elements, but even if those aren't your usual subgenres, I would recommend this one to anyone who loves reading spicy romance books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Abandonment
Minor: Classism
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