Pack of Her Own by Elena Abbott is a supernatural adventure romance between a reluctant alpha werewolf and a woman with a big secret.
For the last five years Wren has been settled in the small Rockies town of Terabend, running a diner during the day and her wolf at night. She’s an alpha without a pack and that’s the way she likes it, because werewolf hierarchy and traditions have become dangerously stratified and hurtful. No way she wants even a little piece of that so she protects her county from intruders, and her heart from love.
Couch surfing is getting really old for Natalie, but her own apartment is beyond the means of her vet assistant job. She takes the generous offer of her boss to spend two weeks destressing from student woes and a terrible breakup and goes to Terabend to live in her boss’s secluded cabin.
Wren is shocked when her wolf immediately claims Nat as their mate, and she has a difficult time denying the woman a place in her heart and her life. Both of the women have a huge secret that may destroy their relationship, and terrible dangers from their past that threaten their lives.
Writing
There are a few big issues in the book, but the biggest is the matter of secrecy. The author uses metaphors to present views and options. The most obvious is the dangers of transitioning as a werewolf and having to keep that a secret from the world. Natalie had a brutal coming out and has trouble coming out even to Wren as trans just as Wren is reluctant to tell Nat that she is not only a werewolf, but that becoming mates may threaten Nat’s life. Another character has had a feeling all her life that she has a different person inside her wanting to come out, but the inside person is forcefully hidden from her by outside forces.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
There are a lot of subtle and not to subtle messages about a trans experience, and I really liked all of the metaphors being weaved around each other. All of the characters have a lot to wrestle with, between internal struggles and fears about society and physical dangers. Supernatural characters always have to deal with the matter of secrecy, but this author adds a couple more layers to give the story a deeper than normal feel.
There is a fair amount of magic use in the book, and I found it interesting every time. The author doesn’t use it to bypass dangers and roadblocks but lets it give the characters another tool that may or may not be enough to surmount an obstacle. As with the metaphors, the author strikes a good balance of presenting danger and not giving the characters too easy a path.
Heads Up
Transphobic violence and language from parents and an ex-girlfriend.
The Conclusion
After growing up in a stratified and hurtful pack, young alpha werewolf Wren escapes to begin a quiet life alone. She’s satisfied with running her diner and running through the woods as a wolf because she has no intention of having a pack of her own and perpetuating that pain. When vet assistant Natalie shows up for a much needed quiet vacation, Wren’s wolf immediately declares the young woman to be their mate, but Wren is afraid for Nat’s safety and keeping such a big secret. Natalie has a big secret of her own, and both women must learn to trust themselves and their mate if they want to live.
The author uses the metaphor of transitioning as a werewolf to explore Natalie’s life as a trans woman. It’s one of a few metaphors that I found well done and not distracting from the story as a whole. There is also some fine use of magic that doesn’t overwhelm the dangers the women encounter.
Excerpt from Pack of Her Own by Elena Abbott
I sat back and enjoyed how enthusiastic she was about the meal. Outside, I was all calm smiles, but inside, my wolf would not settle. She whined and barked and howled to be released, to get to run her muzzle against Natalie until our scent was all over her.
Want! She cried out inside me, but I pushed her back down. The full moon above us made it even more difficult than usual.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence, “you work with Rory at her clinic?”
She smiled and swallowed her mouthful before taking a quick sip of Coke. “Yeah, for a while now. I just finished my second year in college to be a vet myself.” She gave me a big smile. “What about you? Did you always want to be a diner owner?”
I shook my head, laughing. “It more kind of fell into my lap. I was twenty and had come into a bunch of cash and was looking for someplace to start fresh. I ended up putting a down payment on the diner, opening it back up, and having my first job…ever.”
Her eyes were wide as she listened, like she couldn’t believe what I was saying. “You just decided to buy a diner?”
I shrugged, my turn to look sheepish. “I could cook, I needed an income, I had some money, so that’s what I did.”
“Must be nice to have that kind of control over your life.” She sounded almost jealous. I looked up, but she refused to meet my eyes.
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Series
Mate of Her Own
Pack of Her Own
Hunt of Her Own
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1-63679-371-9
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
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