Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Cry Wolf

Another wonderful instalment in this series. Every book in this series has been solid (which is so rare, especially for a picky reader like myself) but I especially liked this one and how in tune Cooper and Park were. I loved how we've slowly learnt more about the werewolf world through the books, and I can't wait to discover more in the spinoff series.

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wardenred's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“Have I told you I love you recently?”
“No, you’ve been cruelly reticent and I’ve had no choice but to be sentimental enough for the two of us.” Cooper shook his fist at the ceiling. “Curse this new burden of being the most emotionally healthy person in the house. I hate it!”

I pretty much love this as a series conclusion. At the same time, I have a bit of mixed feelings about certain aspects, mainly the central mystery. I've enjoyed all the mysteries in the series so, so much. Some more than the others, but for the most part, it was super exciting to follow the investigations and make guesses. This time, the whole thing felt... well, I don't want to say artificial, but it hinged on too many factors that didn't feel organic and were more like coincidences? There was a certain assumption at the very beginning that I kept waiting to be twisted around/proven to be a red herring, and there were all those clues that I kept waiting to see subverted because why else would they be going over Cooper's head like that after everything I know of him from the previous books. It was just odd.

I enjoyed getting even more immersed into the werewolves' politics and lore and how the two intersect, and watching Cooper get more and more immersed into the world of the wolves and grow more comfortable in it. The big reveal at the end, though, with Cooper's AQ and the whole Moon thing... I don't know, I'm not really a fan of it, I think. I do kind of see what the author was going for, but I also don't quite buy it? Maybe part of it is that we're always in Cooper's head, him being the sole narrator, and he's the one who doesn't quite buy it. Maybe it's just not the plot direction I liked. Maybe both.

Now onto the things I did unequivocally love, though! They were numerous! On a large, series-wide scales I appreciated a lot of things about how the plot was constructed, with plentiful nods to the events of all the previous books. I absolutely loved Eli's involvement and how he became such a part of Cooper and Oliver's lives. This is pretty much what I've wanted since Book 3. I may be weird, but I do enjoy it when an ex becomes a genuine friend of the family, and Eli is such a fun character. I know he now has his own spin-off, I've already bought the first book, and I'm eager to dive into it soon! (Also, the summary of that book is absolutely hilarious in light of one of Eli's quips in his last conversation with Cooper, 10/10).

I really liked the presence of Cooper's family, how he continues to (re)build a connection with his brother, and how his relationship with his father grows. In Book 2, Ed and Cooper did take steps toward a better mutual understanding, but their relationship still felt strenuous and... not too promising, let's say? But now I can see both of them taking steps to meet each other in the middle.

That plotline that delved into Cooper's past with the FBI was... ugh, wow, let's just say some of those scenes left me thoroughly uncomfortable, as they should, and all of that explains so much about his character, the place he started from (and also showcases just how much he's grown throughout the series). Funny thing: when it just started unfolding, I was like, wow, I would've preferred some hints/build-up to this reveal in the previous books... and then I realized that hell, the hints were there. From as early as the very first book, they were just throwaway lines that didn't seem to mean too much at the time, except in hindsight, they meant so much. This is one of those examples of large-scale plotting that I'm absolutely here for.

And, finally, Cooper and Oliver! They're almost sickeningly sweet together so often at this point, and all this sweetness is so hard-earned and well-deserved. I do hope to see a bit of them here and there in the spin-off, but honestly, they both feel just so ready for their happy ever after. It's been delightful witnessing this relationship from that first meeting on the subway to the absolute fluff of this book's last page, and I just have SO, SO many feels for them. One of my favorite couples ever. <3

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galleytrot's review

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

FIRST READ: Feb 2023
SECOND READ: Aug 2024
FORMAT: Digital

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In the fifth book of this contemporary shifter romance/suspense series, it’s three months after Cooper has proposed to Oliver. When Oliver’s ex, Eli, shows up to their new home requesting Cooper’s help with a sensitive situation, the affianced couple find themselves tangled up in yet another murder plot with apparently wide-spread roots – roots in the ruling packs, the rebel packs, the Wolf Independence Party, a certain human scientist, and potentially even the very Trust they work for. Even an old partner from Cooper’s days in the FBI seems to be involved.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.75 / 5⭐

I couldn’t be more pleased with how Cooper and Park’s relationship has continued to progress and develop in this series, although I feel like they may have peaked in the previous book and stayed on a steady plateau for the span of this one. We do get a fresh peek into an old relationship from Cooper’s past, giving us some retrospective insight that helps to explain his closed-off emotional constipation from the earlier books.

I’ve got to say that while I was along for the ride for the majority of this book’s mystery, I really did disembark when we got to the climax/big reveal. Out of the five books in the series, this one was the plot I enjoyed the least. But despite the unsatisfying plot wrap-up, the book’s epilogue ended on a very sweet note and I feel so happy to have gone on this journey with these wonderful broken men with hearts of gold.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3 / 5⭐

Going back to the plot’s wrap-up, compared to the previous books, this one just felt messy. I’m not sure where things went wrong – whether it was the over-large cast of potential suspects, the political influences pouring into the situation from every direction, the shocking amount of dumb luck that it would have taken to pull off all that was pulled off, the rather baffling character chosen for the big reveal (and how little setup there was to justify the payoff), or some combination of each of these things.

I will say that, by knowing the trends from the previous books, the moment the character was introduced I clocked them as the killer – not by any reasoning the book offered, but simply because of how innocuous they were on their debut. I jokingly said, “That’s going to be the one,” and I wound up being correct. It would have felt better to guess based on tidbits and hints revealed throughout, but we're not really given much this time around.

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.5 / 5⭐

If you’ve come this far in the series, there’s no reason you shouldn’t read this fifth (and at time of review, final) book of the series. It has nearly all of what I’ve come to love, and while it sets up more to come with some questions left unanswered, I'd say that it comfortably wraps up Dayton and Park’s relationship.

This work has representation for gay and lesbian sexualities. A good number of characters are not white, and our MC comes from a Jewish family (although this is not mentioned in this fifth book). The author identifies as genderfluid.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains: brief mentions of a past parent’s death; multiple references to the main character’s old injury (disembowelment), and the mental trauma resulting from it; a light panic attack relating to PTSD; violent murders involving disembowelment, poison/drugs; attempted murders; physical violence; gun violence resulting in a death; assault resulting in injuries; drugging/poisoning; stalking, obsessive behaviour; descriptions of a past toxic relationship potentially including emotional abuse and gaslighting; and, animal cruelty (animal testing leading to deaths, the questionable morality of zoos, taxidermy on display, etc.)

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ofbooksandechos's review

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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readingthroughinfinity's review

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

For some reason I thought there were going to be six books in this series but apparently this is the last one??? I didn't know this when I was reading it but now I'm kind of sad that I've finished the series. Looking back, though, I do think the last chapter has a sense of finality and closure to it and I'm happy with Cooper and Oliver's HEA.

The main mystery of this book hinges around threats towards Cooper and someone blackmailing Eli. When Eli's blackmailer turns up head, he becomes the prime suspect and Cooper and Oliver have to help clear his name. I liked the way the tension ramped up as the circle of danger closed in around Cooper and the final action sequences were great.

I've enjoyed seeing Oliver and Cooper's relationship develop across the series, and I liked the fact that they still discover new things about each other in this book, even though they've been in an established relationship for a while. Their romance is healthy and loving (a little spicy, too) and I'm so pleased they get to (metaphorically) walk off into the sunset together.

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