Running from the Wolves by Lola Glass
Series: Wolfsbane #1
Published by Indie on 1 November 2020
Genres: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Pages: 398
Format: eBook
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Never run from an Alpha.
As the only werewolf immune to the curse forcing my kind to shift every night, I’m a bit of a hot commodity... and not in a good way. I went to New York thinking it would be the safest place to hide. Wrong decision. The city is home to one of the largest packs in the world. Its leader? Tall, strong, sexy, and determined that I’m his. When my scent starts driving unmated men insane, that giant, possessive beast who won’t leave me alone is the only one who can protect me. One way or another, I'm totally screwed.

You can feel whatever you want for me, but I sure as hell won’t let you believe I don’t want you.

Running from the Wolves by Lola Glass

Running from the Wolves by Lola Glass is the first book in the complete, paranormal romance series, Wolfsbane.

Werewolves are forced to shift into their animal every night but Henley possesses a rare ability that frees her pack members from this nightly ritual. This makes her special, desirable and a target for other pack Alphas that want her for themselves. Since her parents were murdered, she’s been kidnapped, abused, imprisoned, and forced into submission. She managed to escape only to be caught by the New York Alpha. Faced with a new opportunity, Henley struggles to reconcile with the trauma of her past, especially when that past is hell bent on dragging her right back to hell.

Pace

Running from the Wolves was an easy, quick read, though it did tend to drag just a tad in some points throughout the story. I think the plot was laid out well with enough high and low points to keep things interesting and flowing along without any major hiccups. I think the parallel (supporting character’s) storylines were introduction a bit early on and I sort of glazed over those bits because I was more invested in Henley than the others at that point, which leads me to the….

Characters

It’s hard to figure out a character whose trauma occurs outside the plot as it often means that their past is explained rather than shown. The author does make a good effort to relay Henley’s emotions through her actions and physical responses and I get the sense that the author is trying to save the trauma revelations for another part of the story but it leaves Henley’s character feeling a bit two-dimensional. Still, Henley is hilarious and I love the relationships she comes to have by the end of the book.

I also like all the supporting characters but I wish they were introduced more strategically, rather than “info-dumped” together right at the beginning. I got them all jumbled in my mind and it took me the rest of the book to untangle the homogenous character knot and get their individual stories straight.

I freaking adore Roman. Best shifter male I’ve read in a while. We love a sensitive guy that can also rip a bastard’s head clean off. Yes, thank you.

Tropes

• 
  “Mine.”
• 
  Slow Burn
• 
  Prisoner
• 
  Orphan
• 
  Found Family
• 
  Alpha Male
• 
  Kidnapping

How’s the spice?

There is a whole lot of steamy tension and some heavy petting but no action, so to speak. But, it’s looking like spice lovers will be rewarded in the next book if the plot plays out like I think it will. It’s about a 1 out of 5 for me. Heated angst and tension but everyone mostly keeps their hands to themselves.

“I’m not interested in playing games. What do you want, Roman?”
“You.”

Running from the Wolves by Lola Glass

My Thoughts

Running from the Wolves by Lola Glass is a solid paranormal shifter romance. While it’s nothing too spicy (and I do like the spice), it does have a solid plot that doesn’t require too much brainpower to enjoy. Though Henley’s character is a wee bit cliched, she has a funny and relatable voice that makes the story. I have a gut feeling that her relationship with Roman could take a heart-breaking turn before their story ends because he seems much too perfect (I’ve clearly been burned before).

As I said before, I would have like for the side characters to be introduced a bit differently but it didn’t have a hugely negative affect on my overall reading experience. I’m not rushing into the next book but I will add it to my TBR when the mood strikes.