The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really lost myself in this book! I can always lose my way in a good underdog rising book! The characters were all well written and you definitely strongly either love or dislike them! This was an excellent up and down push and pull book! C.L Ledford is a new author for me and I will be devouring whatever else I can get my hands on!!
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I finished this book in just a few hours it was that good! Nolen was the second alpha heir in his family, and he was bullied because of that. His brother ends up killed when Nolen was only a teen. From there on out, he trained to be an alpha next to his friend Sawyer! The story goes from there and it’s so exciting! Please read this book! You won’t regret it!
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nolen, the second heir to be Alpha, must join an allied clan after the untimely death of his brother. After 5 long years of training and mourning, he returns home and finds his mate but she’s just out of his reach. Great book, hoping for several more.
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Nolan is the second son of the Alpha. He was smaller than most of the boys in the pack. And since his older brother Archer would become the next pack leader, he just did what he wanted to do. Then his life is turned around when a mission goes wrong, and Archer is murdered. Nolan is now next in line to become the Alpha, even if that is far from what he wanted. He is sent to spend time with another pack to train rigorously for a few years until his eighteenth birthday, when he can finally shift into his werewolf form and soon after, claim his title. On top of the shift, Nolan is not so patiently waiting to find his mate.
While training with the other pack, he becomes best friends with the Alpha’s son, Sawyer. Sawyer doesn’t see Nolan as a small and weak man. He treats him with respect and tries to better him in every way. Sawyer’s little sister Amora has also become a good friend to him. Between him and Sawyer, they don’t let anyone bully her. The boys are becoming stronger, faster, and smarter. They are doing what needs to be done in order to rule over their packs in the best way possible.
This book is full of action, thrills friendship, twists, and even romance.
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Full of wolves, magic, clans, and more this story definitely provided a different take on the werewolf tale. While I have never read this author before I was drawn in right away, with her take on wolf laws, pack dynamic, and of course her perfect character development really blew me away. The colors on the cover really bring the cover to life, and trust me when i say that you will be on the edge of your seat also the entire book. Personally I don’t know what this author has up her sleeve next but I can’t wait.
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A very interesting book that was full of intrigue all on its own! I loved reading this one, as I love my shape shifter books and how each one varies in what it brings. This one was very special in the sense it brought a wide range of plot and character development, I very much enjoyed it!
I enjoyed reading this one, as we follow Nolen and his story. He alone had a lot of character development. From what he started as and what he ended as. I felt for him, he had rights that were being taken form him, and he had to fight and prove. I find as humans we constantly must do that through out life. So that greatly appealed to me. The story all in all captivated me immensely, and I very much enjoyed reading this book plus the author’s writing style was fantastic! Loved it!
Amazing book for all it brought to us as the reader. I could not put this one down! I was hooked and held there till completion! Loved it! Highly recommend this must-read book!
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a refreshing change from the usual shifter tale. I enjoyed the different narrative that the author wrote chose to use. It was quite interesting and very intriguing. This pulled me in right from the beginning. Of course, I couldn’t put it down, I had to see him get revenge and protect what is his. The plot was fairly smooth. Overall, it’s a terrific book and I look forward to reading more from this author. I believe paranormal readers will love this one.
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Such a sweet nerd turned alpha story! The whole time I was reading this novel, all I could do was root for Nolen, especially when the weight of the world seemingly rested on his shoulders. I have always been a sucker for the underdog, and really enjoyed getting to know Nolen, and Amora, along with Sawyer, Beta Adam, and the rest of their packs. The author does well to bring us into their world, and get to know the characters, although, I did feel a couple of things were overdone in the description department, or repetitiveness of information, which took away from the story.
There was lots of action, romantic suspense, and suspense in general that allowed for the reader to get immersed in the pages, especially if novels of a paranormal variety are your cup of tea. I do love the connection that is built between Nolen and his deceased brother, Archer. It’s a very neat concept and one that ties nicely into the story! I do look forward to reading more by this author, and think it’s well worth a read if you’re in the mood for some werewolf action!
The Second Alpha Heir by C.L. Ledford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Second Alpha Heir is CL’s first self-published book and a great tale. It is a shifter paranormal fantasy romance story and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. The world building, the plot and the characterisation that CL has created is a little different than the norm and it makes for a refreshing read. I found myself fully immersed in this new world because of her storytelling. With action and magic, fear and danger, hope and longing the story will keep you on your toes.
Nolen wasn’t meant to be more than he was but circumstances see to it that he must now take on more than he imagined at his young age. Now he must find the courage and a new found faith in himself to pull this off. With his new friendships his must fight for what is his.
I look forward to see what CL brings us next.
Reviewed by @jennadb
BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE 
The bullied second son of the Alpha, Nolen, just turned thirteen when his brother Archer is attacked and killed by an enemy pack—making him the next heir of the Rhyolite Pack. Forcing him from his family to an allied pack for training.
He returns a few days before his eighteenth birthday back to his home to shift for the first time. He finds his mate but due to a law, he cannot confront her. Three years later, misfortunes await him when the enemy pack that killed his brother challenges the pack again. His parents taken prisoner, Nolen must now try to find a way to become stronger to save his pack from the enemy alpha.
Will he be able to regain his pack and take his Luna? Or will his destiny be robbed of him?
C.L.Ledford is a writer based out of Georgia. Her love of writing started in High school where her first work Silver Moon Kiss was born. She spends her spare time spending time with her kids and hunting with her husband with their five German shorthair pointers. Her current work in progress is a CEO book, Raising the Stakes and the revision of Silver Moon Kiss.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An original take on the paranormal shifter’s genre. I never quite saw it coming from the direction it did. This book will definitely take you through some turns as to who is behind it all. A paranormal romance mystery it brings it’s ‘A’ game in the science aspect as well.
By @katiecat
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it.
Dr Joanie Fisher is a researcher who’s life gets turned upside down when she receives two letters that change her fate. One of those letter lead her on a new journey and soon she discovers her life is about to change dramatically as the mystery that surrounds her grandfather and his manor starts to unravel.
This book has all the right subjects for an amazing series – supernatural, love , betrayal, mystery and suspense.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an interesting perspective on werewolves. I love everything about this book and thought the author did a great job of creating this spectacular original spin on popular folklore.
Joanie is an epidemiologist that seems to have quite the streak of bad luck. Her lab burns to the ground destroying her research on CSL and her boss effectively ends her career, kicking her while she’s down. Joanie also lost her grandfather and though they haven’t had contact in quite some time, she starts to feel a closeness to him as she remembers her childhood with him. The author really knows how to tug at your heart with these memories and I may have reached for a tissue a time or two.
There are multiple interesting characters throughout this book that have wonderful development. I tend to have a hard time focusing on numerous characters but the author did incredible! I am on my way to grab the second book right now, thank goodness it’s a series!
Reviewed by @shannlynn
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Wolf’s Shadow: An Urban Fantasy Thriller is the first book in the Lycanthropy Files. This is a different take on the werewolf mythology, coming from a medical outlook. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The main character, Joanie Fisher, is intelligent and exciting. Even though she is a research scientist, I enjoyed how she still has doubts about what she is researching. I look forward to reading more in this series and seeing the path the characters take.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fire, major discovery, things not being as they appear, secrets, death, disappearances, and werewolves whats not to love. When Dr. Jodie’s lab catches fire and she losses her job, she heads to the estate she gained from her grandfather. However once there things just get stranger. The existence of werewolves, missing children are just some of the issues she faces. What will come of these new discoveries? Will she find the answers she seeks?
I genuinely enjoyed this book and cant wait to read the rest of the series. I did struggle a little with the characters at times if felt like too much info was given and at others you wished there was more. Overall though the characters and the world itself were well developed. I also loved that there was such a scientific/ medical view that was an angle you don’t see often but I enjoyed immensely.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dr. Joanie Fisher is having quite the go in life, recently…which has led to the demise of her relationship and the loss of her job. However, a new venture has dropped into her lap in the form of her inheritance of her grandfather’s estate. A series of child abductions has Joanie’s best friend, Lonna, joining her as she moves in.
Joanie, who was researching CLS (Chronic Lycanthropy Syndrome) prior to her lab burning down, finds herself being sought out by locals to continue her research. Unfortunately, there are other who do not want it to continue. But, what happens when she finds out that her research has a much more personal stakes than she could have ever imagines? It becomes apparent that there are much more sinister things going on in the town of Crystal Springs than Joanie and Lonna could have imagined. Can they catch the culprit(s) in time? Or will they fall victim to the undercurrent of the town?
This was an interesting take on the typical shifter story. It focused more on the medical “why” and “how”, compared to other stories. I did find it a tad hard to connect to Joanie….not sure if it was her attitude of what…but I pushed through because the storyline was quite interesting. There were quite a few unanswered questions at the end…which hopefully will be answered in upcoming books.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found this book fascinating. I loved the idea of approaching werewolves from a scientific standpoint. Dr Joanie Fisher is a research scientist who is studying CLS – Chronic Lycanthropy Syndrome. When she seems to have lost everything, from her job to her boyfriend, she discovers her grandfather has passed and left his estate to her. What she doesn’t know is that Wolfsburg Manor is a hot spot for people with CLS and that werewolves are real. She begins to find out more about the werewolves and how her research could possibly help them. The writing kept me interested as well as the mysteries in the story. It was an enjoyable read, and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was extremely well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat! I’m a sucker for strong female leads and this story’s main character definitely didn’t disappoint. An epidemiologist, focusing her research on curing lycanthropy, is brilliant and strong-willed. She’s also unwilling to bow to others who will stop at nothing to get her to stop her research. If you like urban fantasy and thrillers, this is definitely a must read!
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an enjoyable and exciting urban fantasy novel, which kept me hooked from start to finish. Epidemiologist Joanie Fisher is having a hard time, her boss both fires her and ends their affair, her lab burns down, and then she discovers that the estate she’s inherited is infested with werewolves! Joanie was working on cutting edge research, looking into wolves physical changes and having been approached by a particularly handsome shifter, who begged her to continue her work, she discovers a sinister conspiracy. Working hard to then find a cure, Joanie puts her own life in danger, as a shadowy figure lurking in the background, will resort to murder in order to stop her developing a treatment for the wolfish disease. Joanie is definitely a strong female character who I felt engaged with throughout this fast paced story. The descriptive narrative brings the setting to life, and I felt immersed in Joanie’s world. I look forward to the next book in the series.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love a good thriller and I LOVE a good werewolf novel. This story is an excellent combination of both. Although it took a little while for the story to pick up, I was intrigued by the plot line, characters, and the connection between Joana’s research and the mysterious town of Piney Mountain/Crystal Pines. I felt that the descriptions of people and places was just enough without giving too much away about each character. I liked that I wasn’t sure who I should trust and was kept guessing until the very end. Excellent story, I look forward to reading more from this author.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Doctor Joanie Fisher is working towards becoming a leading epidemiologist studying the cause of Chronic Lycanthropy Syndrome (CLS). However, before she really starts to make a name for herself, a series of events happens to her. First, her workplace burns down, and she loses all of her research. Next, her married boyfriend/boss dumps her out of the blue. Then her grandfather disappears -suspected to be dead- and leaves her millions of dollars in inheritance, as well as a werewolf infested mansion!
Joanie decides to make the best of the situation and travels to Crystal Springs with her best friend, who is also going there to inquire about missing kids. Once they arrive, they realize that there is a nefarious plot going on in this small town. Can they find the true culprits and remain unscathed? Or will their lives also irrevocably change like those in the small town?
This was a different perspective on werewolves concerning how they came about and what all that entailed. I enjoyed the story and the thoughtfulness that went into creating this scientific history, per se, of lycanthropy. The characters were interesting to read about, but I had a hard time identifying with them. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and good way to launch a series.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Joanie has just lost her lab to a fire, her job because of the fire and her boyfriend (who happened to be her boss.) When she realizes she has inherited her grandfather’s estate, she moves in there. Once there, in the small town, Joanie notices a lot of strange things happening. For one, there are a lot of local children that have gone missing. For another, people are having strange reactions to catching CLS, a lycanthropy disease. Being a researcher, Joanie sets about trying to see what is going on with the disease while helping her friend, Lonna, try to figure out what has happened to the missing children.
Opinion
This is not your average paranormal story. I love to read author’s different interpretations on the paranormal. In this set, the existence of a disease is well known but people turning into werewolves from it is not. This interpretation definitely had me intrigued. The author does a great job of keeping parts of the story mysterious and keeping the reader interested. With new developments peppered throughout the story, this book is not one to miss.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What I liked: The characters were well-written. Plenty of suspense and mystery. I liked the overall story line and world building.
What I didn’t like: After dealing with all of the discussion around vaccines for the last year and a half, I could have done without that mentioned in the story. However, the author does address this in an author’s note.
Note: If you are triggered by cheating spouses, know that this subject matter is included in the story. Danger to children is also part of the story line, although there are not any graphic descriptions on-page.
On the whole, it was a great read and I’m definitely interested in book two.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end. Joanie has just found out that her grandfather left her his mansion and a mystery to solve. As Joanie tries to solve the mystery of Wolfsbane Manor, her best friend Lonna is trying to find the answers to several missing kids from the local area. As Joanie and Lonna work on their respective cases, they soon find that they are linked. Strange things keep occurring around Lonna and Joanie. Their bonds are tested as the mystery pulls them further and further apart. Can their friendship survive the answers to the mysteries?
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I greatly enjoyed this book! I really liked Joanie and had so much empathy for her plight. This poor thing was having the worst month ever! I thought the plot was well developed and it kept me interested with the twists and turns. I enjoyed seeing Joanie learn from her mistakes. I wish I could say the same for Lonna. I really felt like I could do without this character. I’m not sure the book would have been much different without her. I actually like the love interests and liked that Joanie had choices. I absolutely adored Joanie’s relationship with her grandfather and would have loved to see more of that present day. All in all, I highly recommend this book. It is a page-turner.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I for one really liked this story this author had an idea like I’ve never really read before. Sometimes it takes me a while to get into these types of books but I didn’t have even a slight problem sinking right in. I simply couldn’t put it down. I spent half my time trying to read faster and half trying to make it last. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author. The characters are complex and pull you into their world completely. It’s well written and paced nicely never feeling rushed or lacking anything. Four big stars and highly recommended!
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book had me torn at first. I didn’t know if I liked it but after reading more of it, I enjoyed it. I love the medical and scientific aspects that were entwined in this book. The author did an amazing job with keeping the book entertaining. I found myself trying to find out what was going to happen next before continuing to read. I will definitely read more in this series.
Shadow Wolf by Aimee Easterling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A different take on the typical werewolf story. The storyline and characters were well developed, definitely not the typical wolf finding mate type story. There was mystery, science and research, twists and turns, and a little love. Even with all that it was still easy to follow and hard to put down. I look forward to continuing the series.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her original take. The author did some wonderful descriptive writing in this book, a lot of content and information is provided whilst still flowing nicely. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next, and cant wait to read more from this author.
The Wolf’s Shadow by Cecilia Dominic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a whole new take on werewolves and I enjoyed the originality. This book has mystery, science, twists and turns, betrayals, and so much more. I found myself getting lost in the pages while Joanie kept discovering more things about her family and her research and how it ties together. She is going through a tough time so moving to her grandfather’s manor that has been left to her might be just what she needs. There are quite a bit of characters in this story and they each play a part in how this story unfolds. This is a new author to me and I’m glad I decided to take a chance and dive right in. I recommend reading this book if you want something original and mysterious.