Even with her help, this wolf shifter can’t outrun his past…

Dakota Nguyen has everything she ever wanted–an appointment as one of the Grey Wolf pack’s first female elite warriors, a vibrant career as the ranch veterinarian, and a chaotic, endearing family. When the daily grind gets lonely, her best friend Blaze always knows how to cheer her up. But lately, she has a feeling that there might be something more between them.
 
One of the pack’s elite warriors, security technologist Blaze Carter is as smart as a whip, quick to joke, and fast on the draw. But underneath his witty exterior, Blaze harbors a dark secret and fears the day when his demons catch up with him. Unwilling to put his pack at risk, Blaze keeps his secrets to himself and his pack at arm’s length–except for Dakota, who has managed to sneak into his heart.
 
But even as friendship turns to passion, a hidden enemy threatens to destroy the pack and all that Blaze and Dakota fight so hard to protect. Now, to act on their desires could have deadly consequences…

Titles in the Seven Range Shifters series include – Cowboy Wolf Trouble – Cowboy in Wolf’s Clothing – Wicked Cowboy Wolf – Fierce Cowboy Wolf – Wild Cowboy Wolf – Cowboy Wolf Outlaw – 

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Wild Cowboy Wolf
Series:  Seven Range Shifters #5
Author:  Kait Ballenger
Genre:  Paranormal Romance (Shifter Romance)
Published:  November 30, 2021
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Wild Cowboy Wolf is the fifth title in the Seven Range Shifters series and is one intense, sexy, bantering, dangerous adventure from start to finish.  I love this world and I’m always eager to return to it.

Elite warrior, Blaze has been in love with his best friend, Dakota for perhaps a decade now but he hasn’t pushed beyond friendship for he has a target on his back that could, and probably will bring extreme danger to his pack and those he cares about.  Now those feelings are tumbling around them as Dakota begins to see Blaze with different eyes.  It’s not the ideal time for falling in love, finding your mate, and looking for that elusive happy ever after ending… not when one of the cruelest, vilest groups of evil are hunting you and your pack by association.  But then, when is falling in love ever truly “convenient”?

I enjoyed Wild Cowboy Wolf so much.  While the first half (or a bit more) of the book is Dakota and Blaze discovering their deeper feelings for each other and the shenanigans that best friends and packmates rile each other up with.  It’s a time to get a good feel for where Blaze is today, how his past is still haunting him, and even cheering him on to finally tell Dakota how he feels about her.  For Dakota, she’s always known Blaze as a reliable friend yet now there’s a sizzle between them, an awareness that they could be more if they take a few emotional risks.  My only wish would be that Blaze didn’t do the push (yes, I love her) and pull (no, it’s safer if I don’t love her) male shifter thing.  But then, he’s an alpha male so this thinking too hard in his head is a normal reaction to changing situations.

Once the danger to Blaze, his pack, and Dakota is realized the action heats up and everyone goes into full protection mode for the pack.  The Volk are vile, there is no other way to describe them.  And because of Blaze’s past with this group, they will stop at nothing to destroy Blaze’s pack… and see Blaze dead.

We’ll run into some familiar faces from previous books in the series, have a heart-stopping experience as the battle for survival takes place, and watch two best friends navigate what happens when a lifetime kind of love when mates enter the equation.  I had such a good time back in this world and I’m already looking forward to the next release.  If you love an intense, sexy, sassy, funny, dangerous Romantic Suspense of the Paranormal Kind… then this story and this series would be perfect for you.  While I would suggest reading this series in order (if you can) because of arching plot lines that are woven through all the stories – you “could” read this as a stand-alone, enough necessary information is given that you’d not be lost in the storyline.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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