ARC REVIEW The Last Wolf by Marie Vale

The Last Wolf is the first book of Marie Vale's Legend of All Wolves, it's also her debut novel. The Last Wolf isn't the last wolf in existence it's Silver's pecking order in the pack, she has the least amount of power, strength all because when she shifts she only has three good legs, and she is a runt. Unless she's paired up with someone she basically become a slave to her alphas. The Great North Pack is exactly what it seems it is the greatest and the strongest pack in all of North America. They have strict rules that must be followed to insure the safety of the pack it's how they lasted this long. Silver has only dreamed of moving up in the pack, she knows it hopeless until one day the stranger shows up.

This is not really your standard PNR werewolf/shifter romance. What really sets it apart from the others is that they are wolves, their true form is wolf they just have been blessed with the ability to transform in to human, the only stipulation is that for the full moon they have no choice but to be wolves. The book starts in England hundreds of years ago when the wolf packs were dying off because the human population was getting to great and they migrated to the new country. They bought land and set it up to where they would always have it and have a safe place to live without human interaction. Because this is the first book of a new series there's a lot of setting up and explaining of lore and how things work in the pack. But it makes sense how it is done and the reason is twofold, Silver has to explain how things are done to Tiberius as a new pack member and at the same time explain it to us the reader.

When the wounded stranger first appears asking for sanctuary the alpha turns him down because he is only half wolf the other half is something the wolves have learned no to trust, a shifter. But Silver sees a strong male who could help her gain rank in the pack and at the risk of everything she pairs with him. Tib doesn't realize it at the time but when Silver agreed to their pairing she no longer was pack and when he heals Tib and Silver have to earn their way in by fighting the alphas. Silver and Tib barely make it back in. They gradually go from friends to lovers but Tib's big secret is keeping him from fully mating with Silver. The secret is one that has the potential to break what little trust the pack and Silver have in him.

Overall, I love how primal they are as a pack they are first and foremost wolves and humans second. They are self sufficient for the most part and only interact with humans as needed. They do let pack members out for education and such but they always come back. I love how in depth the lore goes and the fact that the characters in the book make fun of the werewolf pop culture. Silver and Tib are quite the couple he makes a crappy wolf and she makes a crappy human but what they share goes deeper than that and really enjoyed them and I really enjoyed this world Vale has created, I look forward to more books.