The Wolf and the Pear by Alex Jane

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available to read with Kindle Unlimited

Blurb

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Lev.
He didn’t have skin as white as snow or hair that fell in golden ropes. But he was quick witted and braver than he knew. And he would need to be.

When Lev goes to live with his uncle in the little village nestled against the deep dark forest at the foot of the mountains, the place seems pleasant enough. But Lev soon starts to wonder about things that don’t quite make sense—dark looks on people’s faces, cries in the night that go unanswered and secrets whispered. But it isn’t until the first full moon that he truly understands why his parents left their families and never wanted to return. Or why they never spoke of Grandmother who lives in the forest. Or the Big Bad Wolf who lives with her.

Until one day Lev is sent into the forest to Grandmother’s house.
Then all he wonders is whether he’ll ever make it out of the forest again.

“Lev. Be a good boy, dear. Don’t run. It’s so much worse if you run.”

This is a dark fairytale told in the traditional style, with talking animals, violence and sexual content. Definitely not for children.

Review

I’m going to keep this review short, mainly because your really, really don’t want to know a whole lot more about the story than what you can find in the blurb.

But, I do have a few thoughts I would like to share.

Fairytales, when they were first collected and/or imagined, were very far removed from the stories Disney produces these days. Those original fairytales were dark, cautionary tales, which didn’t necessarily come with a happy or positive ending. In fact, they could be cruel and horrifying. The Wolf and the Pear is very much like one of those original stories.

Having said that, what made The Wolf and the Pear such an intriguing and captivating read was the wonderful and perfectly balanced mix of light and dark—a most delightful tale of opposites. Horror and affection overlap and flow into each other, leaving the reader gasping and turning the pages, eager to find out what will happen next and wondering if the story can possibly end on a positive, happy note. (No, I have no intention of telling you whether it does or not.)

Suffice to say that Lev was a wonderfully human and modest hero and the Wolf a lot more, but also less, than he initially appears to be. The horrid scenes are truly monstrous while the gentle parts will melt your heart and the descriptions of both are so vivid you may want to look away at times.

Long story short, Alex Jane had produced a memorable dark (fairy) tale and left me in awe of her imagination and storytelling prowess. If you’re not afraid of the occasional shock and a few scenes that will make you flinch, I highly recommend The Wolf and the Pear. Stories as original as this are few and far between, and I’m delighted I caught this one.

The Arrangement – A Homestead Legacy Story by Alex Jane

Homestead Legacy #1

54k words / 194 pages

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Payhip

Blurb

1895. New York.

Gabriel Webster’s pack is in trouble. His father’s failing health and his mother’s untimely death mean that the vultures are circling. It won’t be long before his family’s assets are stripped and his pack disbanded. When an offer of help arrives in the form of a marriage of convenience, he has little choice but to accept.

The arrangement would be the perfect solution, if not for one thing. Gabriel is to marry Nathaniel Hayward, the Alpha who was badly injured in the accident that killed his brother ten years before—and the man Gabriel has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

Trapped in a business arrangement masquerading as a marriage—in a strange, empty house with a damaged husband who barely tolerates him — isn’t what Gabriel expected from life.

But sometimes the last thing we want is the beginning of something more.
And an ending can be the start of something beautiful.

Review

It’s been a while since I read a book from start to finish in a matter of hours, but I couldn’t have done anything else once I read the first paragraph of The Arrangement. Set in an alternative version of 1895 this is a beautiful and gentle love story filled with all the feels without ever getting over-dramatic or angsty.

The story is told from Gabriel’s perspective and it’s hard not to feel for him when he accepts a marriage proposal not because he expects to live the rest of his life in a loving relationship but to help his father and his fellow pack members. When it subsequently becomes clear that his reluctance doesn’t stem from disliking the man he’s to marry but, quite the opposite, from having loved him for years and fearing he’ll spend the rest of his life dealing with that love being unrequited, my heart broke for him.

Except, that’s not exactly what’s happening. In fact, it was wonderful that almost from the start it was quite obvious to the reader (but not to the characters themselves) that these two men clearly belong together. I don’t mean this in a ‘it’s a romance therefore we’ll get a happy ending’ sorta way. Gabriel’s thoughts, even before he admits as much out loud to himself, make it clear he’s never gotten over his childhood crush for Nathaniel whereas Nathaniel’s words and behavior, right from the start, make it perfectly obvious to the reader that for him too this is more than a marriage of convenience, even if he treats it as such.

This story is the slowest of slow burns. In fact, for a long time it is more about Gabriel settling into his new life and finding his feet with the other pack and house mates, than his, seemingly non-existent, relationship with Nathaniel. But that’s only on the surface because through their daily life and interactions they do grow closer, almost despite Nathaniel doing what he can to stop that from happening, be it in tiny, almost imperceptible but totally natural stages.

It was endearing and funny how while Nathaniel was the Alpha, Gabriel was on several occasions the more capable, decisive of the two. And when, at last, the real reason for Nathaniel’s standoffishness becomes clear, my heart broke for him too.

Having said that, and with my heart broken twice, I have to stress that this is not an angsty read at all. It’s emotional, touching, and occasionally sad, but never dark or painful—which is, of course, exactly how I love my stories.

Also, apropos of nothing, how could I possibly fail to fall for an Alpha with a liking for licorice. 😊      

To sum it all up, The Arrangement is a delightful, touching, and very well written story featuring two outstanding main characters as well as a cast of entertaining and fully fleshed secondaries. I highly recommend this book.