4 ½ Wine Glass #Review of Cowboy Wolf Trouble by Kait Ballenger

Title: Cowboy Wolf Trouble
Series: Seven Range Shifters #1
Author: Kait Ballenger
Format: Kindle edition (384 pages)
Published: January 1st 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: ASIN: B07GC5L9VB
Links:  Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Wine Glasses

Seven shifter clans call the Montana mountains home.

But a new evil will stop at nothing to tear their world apart.

For centuries, the shifters that roam Big Sky country have honored a pact to keep the peace. Even bad-boy rancher Wes Calhoun, former leader of a renegade pack, has given up his violent ways and sworn loyalty to the Grey Wolves. But his dark past keeps catching up with him…

Human rancher Naomi Evans cares only about saving the ranch that was her father’s legacy. Until a clash with Wes opens up a whole new world—a supernatural world on the verge of war—and Naomi, her ranch, and the sexy cowboy wolf stealing her heart are smack dab in the middle of it.

Linda's Thoughts:
“He was Wes Calhoun. Former packmaster of the Wild Eight, son of the nefarious Nolan Calhoun, and one of the deadliest wolves to walk these mountainsides. He apologized to no one.

Except, apparently, her...” 

Cowboy Wolf Trouble by Kait Ballenger is an exciting cowboy paranormal shifter romance and the opening salvo in Kait’s new Seven Range Shifters’ series. The series is set to revolve around the seven shifter clans that call the Montana Mountains their home. I have to say that I’d have been drawn to this book regardless once I saw the awesome abs featured on the cover. Oh my!

I’ve been a fan of Kait’s since I first discovered her in After Dark, a release she shared with Gena Showalter. Her contribution to the anthology was Shadow Hunter which introduced her Execution Underground series – a fabulous series that I can’t wait to read more of! Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I realized that this new series actually has ties to her Execution Underground series!  That said, no worries if you’ve never read her Execution Underground series. It’s not necessary to be familiar with that series to fully enjoy Cowboy Wolf Trouble.

This is the story of wolf shifter Wes Calhoun and human, part Native American rancher/biologist Naomi Evans. Their story is related in the third person. When Naomi finds a wolf ensnared in a trap on her ranch, she reluctantly knew she was going to have to deal with it. She couldn’t let the wolf suffer nor could she afford to lose any more livestock. As she loads the barrel of her rifle, the wolf unbelievably shifts into a naked man. Naomi’s world tilts.
“That’s not humanly possible,” she breathed.
He smirked as if she amused him. “Good thing I’m not human.”
Wes had just done the one thing he’s forbidden to do – shift in front of a human. But, if he had not, he’d be dead. Now, his pack will probably do the deed and Naomi’s life is in danger too as humans cannot know about shifters. He vows to protect her. But, is this a vow he can keep?

I was drawn into this tale from the very beginning. Naomi and Wes are both easy to connect to. They have an explosive, steamy chemistry from the get-go. They both face discrimination and problems with acceptance by their peers. Naomi struggles to save her ranch. Naomi is an anomaly in the world of Montana cattle ranchers where women ranchers are still rare. Wes fights to save his very soul. He’s a former packmaster, but he gave that life up to join an opposition pack. He’s yet to find his place there as he struggles with authority and his own self-worth as his new pack wrestles with trusting him. Their story held my rapt attention throughout.

Following please find a few of my favorite lines from Cowboy Wolf Trouble:

 “Our medic will want to dig your shotgun pellet out of my shoulder." 

She grimaced. "Sorry about that." 

He smirked. "Not the roughest kind of foreplay I've had." 

That sexy grin scorched her from the inside out.
--- 

“While she wasn't looking, he subtly adjusted the erection straining against his jeans.  
     
"How big is it?" She broke the momentary silence between them.

Wes froze. Apparently, he hadn't been as discreet as he'd thought, but he hadn't expected such a blunt ques...

"You do know the acreage of your own ranch, don't you?" she asked.” 
--- 

“Toys are for men who don't know how to use their hands.” 

Cowboy Wolf Trouble is an engrossing read that made me feel that I was in the story with the characters. I chuckled at Wes’ and Naomi’s banter, swooned with their steamy chemistry and was on the edge of my seat as trouble loomed from all directions. The freakish half-vampires gave me the chills. Expect plenty of fast-paced action, betrayals, deception, danger, surprising twists and humor. Kait’s word-building is first-rate and the story flows well. I can’t wait to see where Kait takes this series next in Cowboy in Wolf’s Clothing, set to be released in mid-2019.



Suggested Reading Order: 
Cowboy Wolf Trouble (Book #1)
Cowboy in Wolf’s Clothing (Book #2) – Coming June 2019!