Hi everyone! Before this year finally wraps up, I wanted to share one last book rec that is perfect for the chilly winter ( or even if where you reside is not experiencing winter, this will give you all the chilly, but also warm and cozy feels!).
The Winter Wolf series by S.P. Wayne is one of those backlist gems I stumbled upon while searching for some cozy fantasy romance books. Lately, cozy fantasy books like Half a Soul and the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy are getting really popular, and I wanted something with the same vibes to go with the season.
Also, as much as I adore this book, the synopsis on Goodreads and Amazon is way too long. So this time I'm doing this new style of giving information about the book. I hope you like it! (The synopsis is given below anyway if you wish to read).
Table of Contents
At a Glance
Main Character 1- Axton, werewolf, introvert, grump recluse in the cold mountain, handyman aesthetic
Main Character 2- Leander, a city person, coffee addict, and lawyer, comes to the mountain cabin once or twice every year.
SO MANY cozy winter vibes
grumpy x sunshine
stalker ex trope but he also gets some character development
long distance yearning
no toxic masculine characters- everyone is really soft and we (mostly) communicate
Synopsis
Imagine having almost everything you want: a place of your own, mountains to climb, woods to roam, lakes for swimming, and, above all, privacy. It's Axton's definition of paradise because a werewolf needs his space and his secrets. He's the resident recluse of sleepy, far-flung town hours away from his cabin in the woods, but there's more than one hidden truth in Axton's life. The lycanthropy's enough to make a hermit out of him, but it's the fact that Axton's gay and closeted that keeps him shy. Friendship--let alone romance--isn't an option. Without a pack for support, Axton has to protect his secrets himself. And that means being careful.
All's well in the shapeshifter's life until the day a well-meaning human decides to vacation in the cabin next door. At first, Axton wants nothing to do with his new neighbor, but Leander Avilez is a dream: young, strapping, and masculine. As if it's not enough that Leander's gorgeous, he's also charming, and Axton finds himself falling hard. But visions of sweet romance aren't in the realistic picture: Leander's thoroughly human. Axton's terrified of intimacy with someone who doesn't know his secret because his change isn't forced by the full moon. Whenever Axton's hurt or surprised or on edge, he goes wolf--and he can't stop it. How is he supposed to keep his lycanthropy a secret from his new neighbor? And how is he going to hide his growing and undeniable attraction?
And why does Leander have to be straight, with a long list of ex-girlfriends?
When Leander goes back to his life in Los Angeles, Axton can breathe a sigh of relief. There's moose to hunt and chores to do, and Axton doesn't have the time for a whirlwind werewolf romance, no matter how compelling the fiction of his erotic daydreams might be. But just when Axton's settled back into the werewolf bachelor groove, Leander comes back for another vacation--and then another, and another. They grow closer in time, but as drunken confessional conversations show, Leander's still straight and, oh, yeah, still totally human. Leander is two types of forbidden temptation at once, and Axton doesn't know how long he can stand it. What's a gay werewolf to do?
After Leander stumbles across what looks like a big bad wolf in the woods one day, he's understandingly a little panicked. Axton feels fifty shades of irrationally rejected by Leander's fear, and it's what finally makes him kiss his gay bromance-turned-romance dreams goodbye. Still, they get along so well, and Leander is the only person he's been close to in years, so Axton resigns himself to being just friends. There's some tension and some tender yearning--and maybe even some awkward almosts--but mostly, Axton's content.
The stakes are upped when Leander visits during a brutal winter, just before the blizzard of the decade hits. The cabins aren't winter-proofed, because Axton spends all winter comfortably in his werewolf skin. For a human, the cabins are uncomfortable at best and skitter toward danger as the storm worsens. It's Leander who decides they need to share a cabin and tough out the storm together--and if it was hard to keep his lycanthropy a secret before, Axton's got no idea how to keep Leander from waking up to a face full of fur and teeth now, with temperatures plummeting and emotions running high. But it's when the skies clear and a hike goes wrong that things really go deadly.
Alone in the snow and hurt, how long can Leander survive? Will Axton find him in time? And when face to face with a wolf, will Leander be struck silent with wonder, or will he fight for his life?
Review
themes and writing style
One of my favorite things about this series is the writing style. I'm a huge fan of the style of writing where there is very little distance between the reader and the character's mind. I love when the author goes deep into the psyche of a character or lays emphasis on their feelings. The way S.P. Wayne writes, the emotions of the characters are raw and open to the reader, with a little bit of exaggerated angst. It also fits so well with the premise of this book, because it's not just a romance story but also a character examination.
Romance books are usually not series, and not often about the same couple either. The average reader might find them a little too long for a typical airport-waiting-lounge romance book, but despite that, the author's writing makes it so readable and addictive. It instantly ties your heartstrings with the characters because they're so open to you.
"But I love you," Leander said, in a small and broken voice. It laid all his strenght and cunning and courage bare, from his powerful body to his bravery of spirit. His voice was soft and scared and hurt, because Leander was scared and hurt. It was a simple plea, almost childish in its nonsensical austerity: this can't be happening because I love you so much.
It's not about willing to wreck your life for the other person. That's just down to mental health and emotional stability.
Through the lens of these characters, the author explores themes that are very nuanced.
For instance, for a character who's questioning his sexuality in his adulthood, it explores how even if Leander is overtly comfortable with his sexuality. Yet there are things that bring him up short. He had always been the ladies' man, and now suddenly he has different "expectations" to cope with. And that is not considering his boyfriend is a werewolf.
Leander is the quintessential Manhattan-Esque, coffee-addicted, hot-shot lawyer with an assistant who's his best friend. He also does a lot of hidden community service (which I won't specify 'cause the fun is in finding out from the story). He is written as a very outwardly stereotypical workaholic white lawyer (which he's not) guy- and then you spend 3 books peeling back his layers, and are surprised to find out that there is always something new to find. There is a different appeal in having a certain view about a character and then deconstructing it piece by piece.
His character development is also really amazing.
"Notice which one of these you felt the need to dispute."
magic system
Since it is a book with a werewolf main character, I think a conversation about supernatural elements needs to be had. Particularly when it's done so well.
If you're like me and you really don't like it when these books lean into the "alpha, beta, omega" trope, then this book is perfect for you. In fact, as opposed to what people might think, there are many books with werewolves that don't utilize this trope and have much more fascinating alternatives.
(See also- Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Wolfsong by TJ Klune, Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara, Cinder by Marissa Meyer)
Another really interesting thing about its world-building was how thoughtful the idea of werewolves existing in modern-day was dealt with. There are issues like managing animal populations because wolf packs need them to survive, there's dealing with the changing seasons, and avoiding discovery from forest authorities.
The packs are very traditional because wolves live longer, they don't like change and so there is a lot of social commentary through this concept.
That concept was one I'd never seen before, and the very realistic focus towards wildlife management when you're talking about a thing such as werewolves who hunt other animals seems like a very important thing to consider when writing them into a real-world setting.
There is genuinely nothing about this that I didn't like, or that I thought would bother anybody else. So this post is mostly just gushing lmao.
the romance!
"This was all he needed and more than he had ever asked. It was the thing itself and the shadow of the thing itself- he was lying next to Leander, really lying next to him, even if it wasn't romantic and post-coital."
If it wasn't obvious before through all the quotes and my gushing, I loved the romantic aspect of this story! It was so well done- a perfect slow burn with all of the pining and the uncertainty and awkward blushing. Also one of the most realistic progressions of a relationship I've ever seen.
Also, again- 'cause I feel like it is so rare to see any male lead characters that are annoying or have toxic masculine traits or abusive or just have no red flags (except maybe in this case that one of them is a werewolf and the other isn't bothered by it). Axton and Leander are part of my standard for male characters now. Like they're up there with Alex and Henry now.
Moving FORWARD...
That's all I have to say. This book series is beautiful, addictove, so readable and fun and cozy and comforting and the perfect winter curl-up-in-the-blanket read. PLEASE read it and then let me know what you thought! (AND I almost forgot, but if you feel like the first book was a bit unsatisfying, the 2nd book, City Wolf, just blows it out of the park. It's incredible!)
"You love hum unquestionably," New York said slowly. "You love Axton beyond sense or reason, you love him without hesitation and without regard for money or status or power or decorum. Your love is unflinching. You knew before he even left that you were going to look for him, that you'd do anything to find him."
more quotes below lol cause I'm obsessed
Moodboard
"And yet here you are," New York went on, looking through the window, letting the cold, pale light just touch his face. "You"ve cut the woman you feel as for a sister out of your life entirely. You have cast her daughters aside with her. You are pouring all your resources into one single venture and crossing the lines of legality you usually stay far away from. You're pushing Sarah to her breaking edge. You'd burn through her." There was a pause. "You'd burn through me."
Alright, that was the last of it.
Signing off,
Aamna
Byyyeeeee!
I'm in my cozy fantasy era so I'll definitely check this out!