Running with the Wolf
By Bryony Rosehurst
Find out more here: Link to Bryony Rosehurst's books
Running with the Wolf releases on July 27th 2024.
This was a cute, paranormal (sapphic) romance with snippets of action and great chemistry between the two heroines.
I don't actually read a lot of straight up romance, but I really should because that warm fuzzy feeling you're left with is so worth it. And this story was no exception!
The Witch-Wolf combo is a classic, and it works so well with all the lore of covens and packs and hidden magic behind it. The story was engaging and well-written and the characters felt very real and complex.
The story begins with Beatrice, a 29yo plant-shop keeper, discovering that she's in fact a witch, and not only that, but someone is hunting down and killing the witches of the coven she's bonded to - her included. Not entirely your best Monday morning revelation... Going from there it's a race against time to find her coven, understand her magic, and survive the hunters with the help of buff - but tender - werewolf Leighton.
The trope of discovering your magic is somewhat nostalgic to me. I was one of those kids who never felt they fitted in and honestly kinda hoped that someone would come along and tell me it was because I was a witch. Alas, I can only read about them. It's stayed one of my favorite fantasy tropes and it was refreshing meeting it in a setting with an adult and (somewhat) functional person, instead of YA.
The main couple was wonderful! The "bodyguard trope" is the perfect vessel for not quite an enemy-to-lovers but more an I'll-tolerate-you-but-neither-of-us-are-happy-with-this-arrangement and the growing trust and connection between Witch and Wolf is endearing to follow. I was a big fan of Leighton's derisive nicknaming Beatrice to "little witch" that slowly morphed into something very loving and precious for both of them.
The setting of Europe was also a selling point for me, as I often find 'the market' flooded with stories set in the US, but not so much in my own backyard of Europe. A big chunk of the story sets in Prague and I've just visited the city this spring and might have been to the exact monastery that is mentioned!
Anyway, despite it being a sweet romance with lots of little humor bits, there are some darker themes, too, and especially the connection between the coven witches that leads them to experience each member's cruel murder is horrifying!
As someone who's usually deep in epic fantasy, I would've loved to know more about the witch hunters and their background, too. This being a novella and with the focus on the romantic development, it's not needed though.
All in all, Running with the Wolf was an entertaining and sweet story of trust, grief, love, and self-discovery.
You should pick it up if you're in the mood for something queer with romance and magic in a modern twist.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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