As the owner of the Tooth & Claw Saloon, Rustvale's only wolf shifter bar, she can't afford to. Even when a couple of sexy newcomers shift and get into a bar fight, Greta doesn't hesitate to scruff them and boot them into the street. Sure, she'd rather be touching them somewhere else, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
Recovering nerd Elliott Whiting just moved back home, and brought his mate Shane along with him. Their very first day in town, Shane gets into a bar fight - and the most beautiful bartender he's ever seen tosses him out of her bar. Ever since, neither of them can stop thinking about the curvy, fiery wolf. Could she be the only to finally complete their triad?
It doesn't take long for Elliott's past as a dorky, bullied kid to resurface, and when it does, Shane can barely control his temper. At the same time, Greta's dad - the pack's alpha - makes his expectations for her perfectly clear, and they don't involve running a business or Greta staying independent.
Can Greta defy her pack's expectations and find love on her terms? Or will the pack and the past get in the way of this fated menage?
Running With Wolves is a standalone novella, with a feisty, independent heroine, two shifters who'll do anything for her, and a menage that will leave you gasping for more!
So Running with Wolves is a book that isn't in my usual genres to read. It's a menage erotica novella. I'll admit that when I first saw this for free on Amazon for the Kindle App (I don't own an e-reader) I honestly was just curious about the werewolf society. In the summary it talks about completing the triad and I was wondering if three way relationships are a normal thing for werewolves in this series. I'm not really an erotica reader, but I decided to give this one a try anyway.
I'm glad I did! I was expecting this novella to be 100% (or close to it) about the sex. I'm so glad that it was not that way. The world building was actually pretty decent and the werewolf society rules was pretty interesting like I wanted. It was extremely well done for a novella. I'm not even usually a novella reader!
I also liked Elliot and the fact that the character didn't follow all of the werewolf society's rules. He is a bit nerdy and not exactly a typical werewolf. I really enjoyed Greta's character as well and she seriously kicked ass! This novella was full of intelligent characters and was very well written.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised! I got a lot more than I was expecting with this one. I would recommend Running with Wolves to anyone not afraid to dip into the erotica genre. I would also recommend this novella if you already like erotica. I bet you would love this one!
What the hell did I just read? I am totally serious. This started out like it was going to be a wonderful book. A ménage with an actual story line. Guy returns to hometown and pack with his new mate. He was a nerd and got beat up for it his own family think he is a wussy. He has a job where wolves don't usually hold and they don't know he is a wolf. Meet girl he knew before instant attraction. Then we find out his mate has anger issues and doesn't want to join a pack of wolves that believe men should have manly jobs and girls should be mated and pregnant. The girl they met is the alpha's daughter that he considers an old maid. She has an obsessive stalker who wants her to be his. Lots of issues going to go in a good direction, I am totally in reading like crazy. They have hot sex and her stalker lights her car on fire then BAM!
The story is over...OVER? Nothing is resolved everyone has issues and it was over?!?! No resolution to all these good topics nothing. I feel totally ripped off. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH. I just wasted about 1 1/2 hours of my life!!! Then I looked to see that maybe just maybe it is continued. Nope! I am totally done with this series...it started soo good
My second book and last book by this author, just not for me. Lots of teenage angst, stereotypes and for me there seemed to be little effort in character development. Except for Zeke - he's funny, stupid and interesting! Low steam menage, but the recipes were spicy.
I don’t know what I was supposed to like about this book?!
‘Cause ..
I don’t like the town I don’t like the “Alpha”, if you can call him that!!! I don’t even like the main characters!!!
Elliott was so weak, Shawn so angry And Greta so forgettable
This wasn’t good at all, and I thought I’m going to love it so much that I had to have the whole series!! I mean I love MMF romance, I love shifters and I love the idea of fated mates ... so what could go wrong??! LOTS, it turns out!!
That’ll teach me to read at least the first book before getting the whole series!
Also, where is the ending?
I mean I was reading the book and at least getting a bit into it -finally!!- then suddenly I turn the page and it’s the epilogue!! Nothing got resolved, really! The triad barely just got together! And there was NO confrontation with the bad characters or the characters that wronged the main characters ... so what’s the point of this book!!!!
The only character I liked from this book was Dane, he seems good, but the rest are so awful, I can’t even fathom how I’m supposed to like this world!
I’ll probably read the second book since, it’s because of it that I started reading this series after I read the synopsis but good little old me had to start from the beginning *smh*
Greta, Elliott, and Shane are running headlong into love. Apparently it is considered a veritable plague to be an 30 year old Unmated Wolf and everyone around you feel as though it’s their duty to remind you of it. Or at least that is how it feels to Greta as she tries to fend off her parents suitors and unwanted mating calls from local yahoos. She is happy with her life running her business and being independent. Elliott and Shane are moving back to a the pack town Elliott grew up in and readjusting to hierarchy life isn’t going to be easy. Firstly as wolves, they have always been taught that high pursuits are a fool's errand so Elliott is hiding that fact that he is teaching at the local college. Then there’s the fact that these people used to treat Elliott like a punching bag and Shane has a short fuse anyways and even shorten when his mate is threaten. When they feel that pull to get to know Ms Greta better, it appears they may have ruffled some fur of would be suitors. Being true to self and heart will need to be the real pack mentality they get behind if they want to everything they desire.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book
I just finished reading Running with Wolves (Shifter Country Wolves Book 1. I didn't know what to expect, but knew it'd be good from Roxie!! It was more than good, it was GREAT!! What a great story about coming here me to a small town whom all think women should be married, pregnant and bringing more pups to the pack, while the men should be doing manual labor! If you do anything outside of the "norm" you're considered an outcast! I love that Greta & Shane easily rebut & ignore that "old time thinking"! Elliot on the other hand wants the approval of the pack & his parents even though he himself went out of this thinking in his career choice (and is happy he did). Zeke thinks Greta is his, no questions asked. Great on the other hand has no interest in Zeke. Shane and Elliot want to be a part of Greta's live IF she'll have them. How does it play out??? You'll have to read it to see! ⚠️
There was more promise than delivery, but the promise of the premise, characters, and setting worked well for me. From the general genre, I expected more sizzle, but there was a bit more "build the relationship chemistry" than actual physical heat. The ending was abrupt, shortening the relationship, background plot, and explicit sizzle threads that started fairly well.
This is a fun little novella about wolf shifters. (There are bear and lion shifters also in this world, along with humans.) In this world, all wolves have triad relationships: two men and one woman.
Warning: do lesbian wolves exist? Unknown. Do trans people exist? Unknown. Is the configuration of two cis men and one cis woman ever explained why it's better for wolf fertility when it seems like you'd want to maximize wombs, not testicles? Absolutely not. But how Noir writes (so far) doesn't make me believe that lesbians or trans people would be antithetical to this world, and the whole "have babies, women" thing seems to be more about patriarchy than weird breeding pseudo-science (just like our world!).
Greta owns a wolf bar, and she's 30, so her parents (the pack alphas) think she's the oldest maid. She's independent-minded and very aware of the bad marriages of her fellow pack members. Imagine being a lady and having not one but two husbands who refuse to "babysit" their own kids.
Then Elliott (the nerd who left their hometown) moves back with a glow-up and an equally smoking hot mate, Shane. Elliott is still a nerd on the inside and a Classics professor, and Shane is a great cook, but he has a wolf temper when anyone tries to mess with Elliott or Greta, even if those two can handle themselves. This had some decent class commentary, as the wolves are definitely equated to uneducated working-class white people.
Elliott and Shane were adorable together, but I wanted to know a little more about how Greta worked with them individually. There is only one sex scene with the three of them.
I'd pick up the second one for a quick, short fun shifter read.
This is the first book of the Shifter County Wolves Series. I have to say I wasn't into it as much as I was the bear series. I am hoping they get better as the stories come out. There wasn't just one thing that I couldn't get into it was just the whole story. And to be honest I can't tell you what it was, that is why I took a star off. There was just something missing for me.
Greta is a 30-year-old werewolf and is not mated or really even looking. She runs her own business and is enjoying life which apparently is weird for someone like her. When Elliott and Shane come into town she finds that she is happy that Elliott is back in town, as they knew each other in high school.
Elliott is back but not really happy about it. He was a huge nerd in high school and still is (kind of). He got a really good job at a college but doesn't want anyone to know. His mate Shane is a wonderful guy and supports Elliott in everything. I really enjoyed him.
I am excited to see where this series goes. This one just was a little of a miss for me.
I think if you're on-board with Roxie Noirs brand of romance writing - and I certainly am - but, you know, you'd like some hot paranormal action in there, then this little shortie is going to be for you.
I thought this combined wolf shifter politics, insular community dynamics and menage action really well. I was a bit concerned given the size if the story the plot would be overtaken by the smut but that really wasn't the case - a lot of time was spent on how our three MCs were struggling with their place in the world, and other peoples expectations of them. Elliott and Shane had such a wholesome family dynamic that was unexpected given that this is a shifter story - it really went against the dominant narrative in shifter books to see their love and respect for one another. This is the stuff I keep coming back for with this author, and I loved it. Would I have taken more smutty scenes? Yes, absolutely. I would have happily read a whole full length novel of these guys. But this was a fun little read, even better for knowing there's a whole series of connected books to get into as well.
This is Elliott , Shane and Greta's . Greta feels that she is having a good life no matter what her family thinks . 30 is not over the hill and she is not desperate for a mate or two . While working at her bar she knows that she is being stalked by Zane but since she feels nothing for him she is not worried . When Elliott and Shane enter the bar she notices them quickly and keeps thinking these two are so damn hot . But thanks to Zane a fight breaks out with Shane so she is forced to break them up and kick them out , but just for the night . I love the way that the men have no problem showing each other just how much they care for one another and the way they have each others back . Zane shows his true colors and man even I wanted to smack him around some !! Now this is not one of those books that are scorching hot in the love making department but it is still VERY VERY good !! I received this ARC and just fell in love with the triad so I just had to leave a review ! Well written and recommended to all !
Running with Wolves, book one in the Shifter Country Wolves series. This book follows the characters of Greta Waltz, a wolf shifter who is the pack Alpha’s daughter and the owner the local bar called Tooth & Claw, and Elliot Whiting, who moves back to Rustvale with his mate Shane, to take on a job the local collage. Since Greta is thirty and single, without her knowledge, her mother tries to set her up with a local unmated wolf named Zeke who only complicates things more when Elliot and Shane show their interest in Greta. As the trio grow closer, Zeke does everything he can to be a pain in their sides, even going so far as to set Greta’s car on fire while she is on a date with the two boys. Will Greta, Elliot and Shane be able to complete their triad? Or will outside forces keep them apart? I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book.
Greta is a wolf shifter, owner of the only wolf shifters' bar in Rustvale. She is a strong independent woman, but her mother and her parents keep trying to arrange dates for her, since she is almost thirty years old and still single. When the wolf shifters, Elliot and Shane, arrive at Rustvale, the attraction between them is immediate, but Elliot has to exceed his parents' expectations about his future and Shane has to control his temper. At the same time, Greta's father, the alpha, has high expectations for her, involving mates and children. When these three finally get together, the moment is hot, and from there, they can finally get together and have their happily ever after.
I was gifted with an ARC copy of this book and I chose to review it. I loved this book. It is well written and I encourage everyone to get this book. I will say this is one you need to read it is wonderful. It is a ménage story so if this isn't your type of story you won't like it but you will be missing a wonderful story. I am becoming a fan of Dakota West/ Roxie Noir she is one of the good ones. Check her out. This is one you should give a chance it is worth your time and effort.
Set in wolf-shifter-country, this story deals with the age old dilemma of living up to the expectations of others. It tells of family-, pack-, and just long accepted male-female-rules and what happens if you are torn between accepting them or making your own. Peppered with some spicy-sweet shifter mating, this book ended way too soon. I'm hoping for more!
I enjoyed this book though it definitely felt rushed at the end. It was refreshing to see such a strong female main character. Elliott's former nerd status and Shane's anger management issues were well documented. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
I volunteered to read an ARC of this book and give an honest review.
I loved this story. Wish it could have been longer and more developed. But a great, fast read. Love the authors writing style. It was a well written, compelling story that grabs the readers attention right from the start. It had so much heat it made me sweat. There was plenty of steam as well. needs a bit of editing, but still... LOVE MUST READ !!
Simple shifter stuff... Grace is a bartender at the local bar. Elliott is an old school friend, a total nerd & with tenure as a professor; & a mate in Shane. Zeke, a regular at Grace's bar thinks he has a chance.... Elliott & Shane make a play for Grace; Zeke fucks it up & gets jailed by his bro :) Simple stuff - but a fair read.
What just happened? I had to check to see if there was an error in my book. The whole thing was going so good, I was so excited for where it looked like the romance and the pack and the side character conflicts were all going and then BAM... epilogue. What?! I have never wanted a book to be twice as long quite as badly before. This felt like an error.
This was a good read and entertaining. I didn't feel the "fated mates" theme we usually get in this authors shifter books, just a typical dating scenario, and I missed that little bit of extra connection.
lifechanging book. it set me on a reading path of reading other classic feminist works. You could say it was the beginning of a journey of self discovery. Of the feminine..
This was an enjoyable story. I liked Elliott, Shane and Greta and liked their story. In this universe, the shifters change to wolf whenever they want but don't seem to have any special powers, not even accelerated healing. The standard and expected shifter relationship is m/m/f.
Greta is the owner of a bar in the town she grew up in. Greta is a wolf shifter and the daughter of the pack alpha but that position hasn't done her much good. She was teased when in high school and once she grew into her looks, Greta seemed to have bad luck in finding a relationship. Now she's 30 and having to put up with fumbling (and embarrassing) attempts by her parents to match her up with whomever will have her.
Shane and Elliott are both wolf shifters who are mates and looking for the female for their triad. Elliott grew up in the area and was picked on because he wasn't strong and preferred brains over brawn. He moved away and got his doctorate in Ancient languages. He muscled up and isn't geeky looking in body anymore but most wolves still don't understand his continuing focus on his intelligence. Shane is a good guy that had a troubled past and has anger issues he works to control regularly. He's been involved with Elliott for years now and is a stay-at-home husband and a very good self-taught cook.
Elliott and Shane wanted to move to a shifter area where they could be around more shifters but Elliott wasn't particularly pleased when he found a tenured position as an associate professor in ancient languages and it was at a University right near his home town. His parents always put down his intellectual pursuits so when he moved back, he lied to them (and everyone) saying his new job in the area is running a thoroughbred horse farm (which is way more acceptable). Soon after moving to town, Elliot and Shane go to the local shifter bar and meet Greta. Elliot and Greta knew each other in high school but each had their own issues to deal with and didn't know each other well. Now there's a definite appreciation and attraction between them as well as an attraction between Greta and Shane.
Elliot and Shane ask Greta over for dinner and things go well between them but an unfortunate issue with an unwanted suitor causes issues that pulls Greta away from the date early. Regardless of this, Elliot and Shane continue to show an interest in Greta and pursue her. There are other issues though...Elliot has issues with some people that have trouble letting go of the past. Not to mention the problems he has trying to keep his secret about what job he actually has. Shane has never had a pack before and isn't sure about joining this new pack so it causes some issues that Elliot and Shane have to work through. Things between the trio continue and they get past some of the issues. The story kind of jumps forward into an epilogue at the end and there's a couple of things that seemed to have been left not fully wrapped up. The trio's relationship seemed good though and Elliot, Shane and Greta ended things headed for a HEA.
This was an enjoyable story. I liked Greta and thought she was a very good heroine. Shane and Elliot were good heroes but I wish Shane had gotten a little more attention. He got some but it seemed like the story told more of Elliot and Greta's backgrounds over Shane's. As I said, there were a couple things I wondered about after the story ended that seemed to be left hanging a bit but overall, I liked the story. :)
Greta, you’re so correct!! YIP, YIP, WOOF! Did I get that right? My Wolf-speak is a little Rustvale. tee hee As I started to say... What an ABSO-FURRY-LUTELY HOWL of a story!! It holds all of that trademark Roxie-esque that I love in her books - humor, love, friends, family, enemies, touching moments, WTF moments - as well as some extra wolfish humor & wit. Like this one - "I wish I had a better filter, she thought. I guess I could always think before I speak, but I just never remember." bwaahaahaaha So true!! I will admit to being a little nervous about leaving the Bears behind (and what fi-i-i-n-e behinds they had!), but Roxie's Wolves are pretty smokin' hot, if I do say so myself! And I do, oh lordy do I ever! Since I lived this story with & as Greta, we can both agree to just how hot they are! "If I wrote home about you now, it would just be erotica, Greta thought." naughty grin Shane and Elliott drew me in from the very start! I love how close they are, concerned about each other, trying to behave so as not to cause problems for the other, but at the same time not losing themselves either. Adding Greta to the mix was SUGARIFIC! She PAWFECTLY fit in with them and couldn't have ever picked better mates no matter how hard she looked, or for how long. The fact that they would fight Tooth & Claw for each other was the cheesecake after a FURRIFIC home-cooked meal. I love how Roxie gave her wolves a story (and series) completely all their own! Yes, they do reside in Cascadia as do all of those yummy bears & their mates that we all know & love, and yes, they are triads too, but that is where the similarities end. The Wolves stories are each their own WOLFTASTIC masterpieces that feel fresh, exciting, unpredictable and IMPAWSSIBLE to put down! Not that I tried, so just guessing there. :) With her phenomenal talent, Roxie has once again created a FANGTABULOUS story that had me cursing when I reached my two most hated words in any book - The End!! So I went back and read it again! Then I could stay and hang with my new friends for a little longer. But man! Are they ever stuck in a rut! Everything just kept happening in the exact same way each time! LOL I love, Love, LOVE this SHIFTACULAR world that Roxie lets me play, live & find my mates in, both with and as her characters, time and time again! After each story, I think that it was my favorite, then the next book comes along and IT becomes my favorite! sigh What a glorious problem to have!
Sexy "Former" Nerd, Bad Boy Turned Stay At Home Mate, & Feisty Saloon Owner = HOT Read!
4 1/2 Stars!
*Possible Spoiler*
Running With Wolves is another great story by Roxie Noir. It is the first book in the Shifter Country Wolves series. Since this is the first book, the reader is given the back story or the development of the characters and their pasts. It features a triad of wolf shifters. This book has steamy menage scenes, action, suspense, and romance. It is definitely a must read.
Greta Waltz is the owner of Tooth & Claw Saloon and to the horror of her parents still single. Greta is the daughter of the pack alpha. She has fiery personality and is strong, independent woman. Greta is not easily intimidated or too scared to break up a bar fight, but does have a vulnerable side. She has been getting a weird vibe from Zeke, a shifter wolf, who is a regular at her bar. Greta constantly turns down his advances.
The "former" nerd Elliott Whiting has moved back to town with his mate, Shane. They have a run into Greta at her bar, after Shane gets into a bar fight. Greta is the one to break up it up. Elliott left town to attend college and become a professor. He has changed and longer looks like the nerdy boy that Greta went to school with. Shane and Elliott met and fell in love. The men want to find a third mate.Shane has a anger issue and has not been in a pack like Elliott and Greta have. Shane does enjoy cooking for Elliott and and being a stay at home mate.
When they run into Greta, Elliott and Shane are sure that she is meant to be their mate. Shane and Elliott try to date Greta, but things don't go smoothly for them. Someone does not want Greta to be with the men. She also is having family struggles as well and needs some wolf time.
All three of the characters have strengths and weakness, but together they make each better and stronger. Elliott and Greta have things that they have not told their families about (whether it is their feelings or occupation). I love the chemistry between Shane, Elliott and Greta. I loved the character, Greta. I can't wait to read the next book and find out about Dane, Zeke's brother.
*I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review.*
After the epicness of the Shifter Country Bears series, I had no doubt that the spin-off series would be just as good. And Dakota West did not disappoint. We've seen the wolves previously, very few made a good impression, and the divide between the wolves and the bears was clear. The wolves were the bad guys. So, with that in mind, I kind of expected a few assholes at least. And there were some. But Greta, Elliot and Shane were awesome.
Greta is the alpha's daughter and owns a bar in Rustvale. She's single and doesn't want to settle for anything other than amazing. Elliot and Shane are a couple who move back to Elliot's home town. Elliot is a professor, and it's kind of not clear what Shane does. Elliot was the nerd in school, bullied by pretty much everyone, including a wolf named Zeke who is also single and slightly obsessed with fire, and being a dick.
This was a bit of a slow burn relationship, Elliot is scared to get close to anyone for fear of his job being discovered because a lot of wolves look down on intellectual pursuits. Shane has, like most wolves, a bit of a temper, and is quick to jump into fights. Greta just wants to prove that she's more than a brood mare, as her father kind of suggests.
Now, there was no 'you're my mate' moment, but it was quickly clear that the boys thought she was attractive, and Greta was all, these two are sex on a stick, yes please.
The wolf pack dynamic was interesting, and how it impacted the triad was kind of the main obstacle these guys faced. Zeke was another, and really, this dude needs to put down the matches, his brother I hope gets a book, cause he was cool.
In all, this was another great book. I would totally reccomend it to anyone who likes shifters, sexy men and just good books in general
ARC Honest Review: Roxie Noir is like the energizer bunny, she just keeps going and going! I really don't know what else i can say about her book other than it is UTTERLY FANTASTIC!!!! FREAKING AWESOME!!!! She took the town nerd and his mate and made them a triad with the tough as nails (for a woman) owner of the Tooth and Claw Saloon. Not to mention how she takes the three and lets them work their own magic. I started the book at 11:00 pm last night and did not put it down till I finished it at 4:30 am this morning
Greta Waltz is the owner of the Tooth and Claw Saloon in Rustvale. Owning the bar has made her so tough she has no trouble taking care of herself. Working the bar one night she had no idea that she would meet her two mates for her triad. She booted them both into street after one started a fight with the town bully, when the whole time she is wanting to be sandwiched between them.
Elliott Whiting the town nerd, moved back home bringing his mate Shane with him. Elliott and Shane stop at the Tooth and Claw Saloon for a drink and of course, Shane gets into a fight and the sexiest bartender he's ever seen throws him out of the bar. Elliott and Shane decided after that night that the foxy and curvy bartender was their third for their triad.
Not long after being in town Elliott's dorky side resurfaces, and Shane's temper resurfaces when the Alpha of the pack and Greta's dad makes a comment about her being 30 and not married, and sets Greta off.
Can Greta defy her pack's expectations and find love on her terms? Or will the pack and the past get in the way of this fated menage?
Not going to give away any secrets and surprises in this book. You really much read it. I promise you will not be disappointed.