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elfflame's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hemmel_mol's review against another edition
3.0
As a spin off from the first Adhara series, the world building is already there. The story had some similarities, like the wolf feeling vulnerable and submissive towards the human. The mystery was nice although not easy to follow. The romance took a back seat.
The narration was fine. Not every paragraph was up to Leslie's previous standard but I was able to keep listening.
The narration was fine. Not every paragraph was up to Leslie's previous standard but I was able to keep listening.
napthenknit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A great spin off from the original. The next book doesn't come out for a while but while there was a thread of a story held out for the sequel, this wasn't a cliffhanger at all and I'm satisfied with the ending we got.
pitsikakku's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Grief, and Car accident
sara11_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Great start to a new series. I was curious about Eli when he was a minor character in the original series and he didn't disappoint in this one. Looking forward to more books with these two characters.
indiekay's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the Big Bad Wolf series, and this new spin off is fantastic!
laureljeanreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
juliafrat's review against another edition
2.75
i struggled with this one!! the mystery kept me engaged and i liked the kinky sex scenes. those parts were well developed.
but the rest? i’m like, what the hell did i just read???
maybe i shot myself in the foot because i started this at the same time i was finishing my heartsong reread, and let’s just be for real: no werewolf romance will ever come close to touching the green creek series. i also wasn’t aware that pack of lies is a spin off to charlie adhara’s debut series. because of that, the world building made absolutely no sense. i felt like it should’ve been made more clear from the cover copy?
beyond that, there was wayyyyyy too much going on in this book for there to be room for two whole povs. literally why tf was julien a famous actor? i’ve been asking myself this question since page and have yet to find an answer. it served no narrative purpose except to seemingly give him another personality trait? that was not well developed?
in the end, i was just not convinced by the romance. it didn’t feel like julien and eli needed to end up together. every time they started hooking up it felt so random. like one second they were talking and then bam they were having sex and i was like. how tf did we get here. every time! and the ending was way too open for my taste. so a great romance it is not, but the mystery was fun.
but the rest? i’m like, what the hell did i just read???
maybe i shot myself in the foot because i started this at the same time i was finishing my heartsong reread, and let’s just be for real: no werewolf romance will ever come close to touching the green creek series. i also wasn’t aware that pack of lies is a spin off to charlie adhara’s debut series. because of that, the world building made absolutely no sense. i felt like it should’ve been made more clear from the cover copy?
beyond that, there was wayyyyyy too much going on in this book for there to be room for two whole povs. literally why tf was julien a famous actor? i’ve been asking myself this question since page and have yet to find an answer. it served no narrative purpose except to seemingly give him another personality trait? that was not well developed?
in the end, i was just not convinced by the romance. it didn’t feel like julien and eli needed to end up together. every time they started hooking up it felt so random. like one second they were talking and then bam they were having sex and i was like. how tf did we get here. every time! and the ending was way too open for my taste. so a great romance it is not, but the mystery was fun.
dotts's review against another edition
1.0
It pains me to DNF Pack of Lies. I even skimmed ahead to test the waters and was still dragging my feet when it was time to pick up from my spot in chapter 3. This is truly a case of "it's not the book, it's me".
Charlie Adhara's writing is still wonderful and the characters are quite interesting, as is the premise of the story. However, I came into this book with a nostalgia for the setting as it was when I first came across it (in Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, book 4 from the previous series, Big Bad Wolf), it's not quite the same; and also, to be honest, I came with a longing to see even a glimpse of Oliver and Cooper again, which I haven't so far. I guess I'm just really happy with that series and Eli as a fantastic secondary character in it, but not apparently as interested in his new adventures in this spinoff? I guess it doesn't help that the follow-up book in Monster Hunt isn't going to be published any time soon so there's the sense that it's not the whole story in this one? Anyway, I've beaten up myself enough about it. The end.
Charlie Adhara's writing is still wonderful and the characters are quite interesting, as is the premise of the story. However, I came into this book with a nostalgia for the setting as it was when I first came across it (in Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, book 4 from the previous series, Big Bad Wolf), it's not quite the same; and also, to be honest, I came with a longing to see even a glimpse of Oliver and Cooper again, which I haven't so far. I guess I'm just really happy with that series and Eli as a fantastic secondary character in it, but not apparently as interested in his new adventures in this spinoff? I guess it doesn't help that the follow-up book in Monster Hunt isn't going to be published any time soon so there's the sense that it's not the whole story in this one? Anyway, I've beaten up myself enough about it. The end.