Pack of Lies

Adhara has quickly become a favourite writer. Every book I've read of theirs has been fantastic with a great mix of drama, romance, and action all interspersed with werewolf lore. I've always been a fan of werewolves and there's not enough in the MM or general romance genre that takes a more “realistic” approach rather than going into camp. Adhara and [a:T.J. Klune 5073330 T.J. Klune https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1546275989p2/5073330.jpg] are the masters.This is a spin-off of Adhara's other series, this time focusing on Eli. If you try to start here you would be confused about slipping, the retreat, (were)wolf hierarchy, and who Oliver and Cooper are, so this is in no way a standalone or totally separate series.Eli is Oliver Parks' packmate and ex-boyfriend and a unique type of werewolf who has spent most of his life on the wrong side of the law, both humans' and wolves', due to his special skills. Enter Julien - a new character and human who finds himself in the same town as the wolf retreat from the previous series. Julien is a recognizable but c-list actor whose brother recently died in mysterious circumstances after a visit to the same town the previous year. Julien is on a mission to solve the murder - deemed an accident by police and family - and find out more about his brother along the way. Eli and Julien end up getting caught in a different but related mystery. While learning about the town (this book takes place almost immediately after the last Big Bad Wolf series book so Eli is also still new in town) they also learn more about each other and establish a tenuous and complicated friendship. I look forward to reading more about that development in the upcoming books, especially since we're switching sceneries from the cold forests that have been prominent in all previous Adhara books to the sun and waves of Los Angeles.

"I have nothing to hide.""Neither do I," Eli purred. "Look at us. Two open books.""Sure. Except yours is written in code. And invisible ink. And has one of those paper snakes that pop out and scare the shit out of anyone who picks you up."Eli made that odd huffing sound again. "I assure you, Mr. Doran, I've never received a single complaint from those blessed enough to pick me up."

ELIIIIII IT'S ILLEGAL TO BE THIS SUAVE, YOU SMOOTH CRIMINAL

>>> technically standalone but i highly recommend everyone first read the Big Bad Wolf series for the ~Total Experience~ <<<

[3.9] welcome back to Maudit Falls, our infamous hush-hush shelter for rebel pack runaways! and what a return this was, with some long-awaited dual pov goodness dances in the ocean of grief and trauma that comes with having twice the number of perspectives

we finally get to see the world from the eyes and mind of a wolf character, and it is the one-and-only snarky flirt of a fashionista Elias (Eli) Smith, manager of the new haven and MY KING. i've adored him since he appeared in the original series, and i still laugh at the irony of him falling in love with a human when he said he would never. the human in question? Julien Doran, fading Hollywood actor following his brother's bread crumbs to discover the truth behind his mysterious passing.

Eli and Julien resemble two animals of prey in a dance, gauging each other amongst a crowd of other suspicious characters with witty banter and sneak peeks at vulnerability cushioning the space in between. things take a rapid turn when dead bodies start piling up, and they have no choice but to join forces while keeping their own secrets close to their chests.

i shouldn't have expected anything less, but color me surprised by the bumbling, shy school boy energy Julien would exude in the face of Eli's flirtations, where his blushing face became indistinguishable from a tomato. but despite any underlying hesitation given a general lack of experience with men, trust me when i say he's a whole new breed of man in bed

Looking back at my reviews of the Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series ([b:The Wolf at the Door 36480253 The Wolf at the Door (Big Bad Wolf, #1) Charlie Adhara https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515447921l/36480253.SY75.jpg 58190977] et al), I wasn't immediately impressed. It took me several books to appreciate the MCs, and the annoyance I felt about their inability to just freakin' talk to each other dissipated as the series evolved and Cooper, the POV character, experienced some much needed character growth. So the fact that I'm already on board with Adhara's new Monster Hunt series is a good sign. The dual POV that was missing from Big Bad Wolf helped me feel invested with both MCs at an earlier point in the series. I don't remember much about Eli from the Wolf series, other than that he was Oliver Park's former lover. He's quite compelling here, with a cynical, wisecracking attitude that covers up a lot of insecurity and his sincere commitment to successfully launching a new sanctuary for runaway wolves.I'm not quite sure about Julien, the other MC, a handsome former movie star carrying a boatload of guilt over his failure to prevent his volatile brother's death. His attraction to Eli is the first time he has acted on the same sex aspect of his bisexuality, so despite his good looks he is very unsure. He never quite came alive for me as a three-dimensional character, but I'm hoping he will as the series progresses. Unlike Wolf at the Door, Eli's identity is hidden for most of the book. In fact, both characters are holding back significant pieces of information from each other. Their attraction is real, and they instinctively protect each other, but neither is willing to trust the other with the full truth yet. It makes the HFN end of this book much more tentative than where Oliver and Cooper were at this stage of their series, but that opens the door for a lot more relationship development moving forward. I don't read this series for the whodunnit part. I'm here for Adhara's world-building and character development. Unlike traditional folklore, Eli and Oliver aren't men who turn into werewolves under a full moon; they're always wolves, sometimes “in skin” and others “in fur.” Allegiance to a pack alpha is virtually mandatory, as is secrecy because most people are unaware that they even exist. By the end of Pack of Lies, Julian is one more human that knows Eli's true nature, and it will be interesting to see how much more the two men have to learn about each other as the series continues. Note: For those readers hoping to catch a glimpse of Cooper and Oliver, they are absent for most of the novel on their well-deserved honeymoon, but they do make a welcome cameo appearance.ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.