I absolutely loved this book. I have already recommended it to a few people and reading groups. I can’t wait to read more by Abbott this was the first book I have read by them.

A sweet shifter romance with classic tropes (mate, turning) with Teen Wolf vibes.

This book firmly stands in the "it was good but didn't particularly move me"
There were a couple things I liked: Nathalie's arc, Wren's casual acceptance, wolf shifter things

Alpha... shifter... magic... packs... transgender MC.... mating bites.... seriously? How can all this wonderfulness fit in one book? To say I was sad when this book ended with a very abbreviated epilogue/last chapter is an understatement. I want to know everything. I want to know more!!! I am really hoping there's a second book because I'm absolutely hooked!?!? This niche genre can sometimes have elementary writing where you just grin and bear it, but this book? Stellar writing. I couldn't have been more geekily excited to get lost in its pages.

3.5 stars

The supernatural with mythical creatures is not my usual go to. But I decided to try it.

I liked the plot of the book and the characters. But I felt the book could be longer and go deeper or longer in the timeline. It was all "fast", even tho the whole timeline took months.

Wren and Natalie matched each other well. in the whole fated mates trope. Although Wren was pretty hard headed and needed constant guidance to come to her senses.

I did like the book enough to want to read a sequel.

This paranormal romance includes wolves, shape shifters, witches and humans. Natalie is taking some time off in a remote cabin. She’s going to meet her soul mate but their union may not happen.
Wren a shape shifter wolf runs free in her territory but as a lone wolf she does get lonely and her wolf cries for a mate. She’s going to meet Natalie and her wolf will finally get what she wants but Wren has been told that humans can’t be turned successfully to bond with her.
Trouble is coming from a nearby territory and Wren is going to have to act quickly.
This is a great story and you can’t deny theses two are destined to be together but there will be sacrifices.

Thank you # NetGalley. #BoldStrokesBooks for this ARC

4.5 Stars - Really good paranormal wolf shifter romance.

Natalie recently dumped by her long-term girlfriend, Misty, who was extremely controlling and mentally abusive, is not in great shape. She has low self-esteem and intrusive thoughts. Natalie has moved in with her best friend, Rory, who is also her boss. Rory suggests that she take a leave of absence to heal and lets her stay at her cabin in Terabend. That’s where she meets Wren the local diner owner, and lone alpha wolf.

Wren is just looking to lead a peaceful life outside of the repressive and abusive hierarchy of her old pack, where submissive wolves were at the mercy of dominant wolves.

I really enjoyed this story. It just kept getting better and better as it went along. Natalie has an impressive growth arc. Turning from being beat down and insecure into a woman who understands her worth and strength. Her one weakness is believing people will not except her for all that she is because she is trans. I love how the author draws a parallel between being a werewolf and being trans. There is a secondary character in the story whose wolf has been trapped inside of her by a curse, and so she can’t shift. Not being able to shift has locked an entire side of her self away from the world. And Natalie really felt a connection to her predicament.

I also loved to see Wren coming to terms with what it means to be an alpha, accepting that responsibility and that she could run her pack any way she wanted.

There is plenty of action and supernatural beings beside shifters. There is also all the yummy fated mate stuff we all love from good shifter romances. The MCs come together pretty fast because of this which I know a lot of people don't like but it never bothers me with paranormal time romances.

The ending was very exciting and while it does wrap up with an HEA, the author definitely left room for more books, if she so chooses. I would definitely be able to read more about the characters in this world.

Pack of Her Own is an enjoyable first offering by this author. I would have loved to see expanded universe building with more back history and origin stories to help explain some of the plot holes. I’m very happy to see BSB expand their character building to include a transgender character.

When Natalie's friend offers her her family cabin for a month to recuperate from a bad break-up she jumps at the chance.

Alpha shifter and lone wolf, Wren, who runs the local diner, doesn't expect her 'One True Mate' to be a human.

Natalie is worried that Wren won't be able to handle that she's transgender. Meanwhile trouble from Wren's past has come to the small town of Terabend.

I throughly enjoyed this book even though the 'One True Mate', Insta-love trope isn't usually my thing. Excellent characterisation with good back-stories.

Hopefully, Abbott will write another book in this world.

Thank you, Bold Strokes Books Inc., Elena Abbott, and NetGalley, for the ARC.

I loved this book. I have always been a big fan of the fated mate trope. Natalie and Wren are easily likable. Wren starts standoffish, and Natalie is trying to find herself. Natalie is timid and unsure in the beginning. I loved watching her grow into herself. She needed to stand on her own, and she did. I loved how accepting Wren was of Natalie.

The action was well written. There was just enough of it, and it didn't overtake the plot. The romance was hot and spicy. I loved seeing the relationship blossom. Wren and Natalie were perfect for each other and needed each other.

I recommend reading this book, especially if you like the fated mate's trope.

Not-so-urban fantasy with transgender mc
3.5 rounded up.
Many years ago lesbian characters started to conquer step by step the many genres of fiction, now we see the same happen with transgender women who love women. Elena Abbott (own voice) gives us an urban fantasy focusing on the Alpha wolf-shifter Wren Carne who meets Natalie, a human and transgender women. Natalie desperately needs time to find her footing and herself after very trying times with her family and her toxic ex. Wren has her own issues with accepting that she is an Alpha supposed to lead a pack. Add to that that they are true mates and Wren‘s former pack comes after her and off goes a werewolf story set in a rural area where supernaturals abound.
I liked the interesting take of an Alpha who despises the patriarchal hierarchy of traditional werewolves and there was an interesting cast of secondary characters. The start with all the self-recrimination of Natalie was a tad to long and got a bit tedious, as did the longish miscommunication at the end (I am not a fan of this trope). All in all it was an entertaining read which shed light on the special struggles of transpeople.There is at the end an opening for more since the pack just started.

3 stars - This was a welcome change from stereotypical (straight) werewolf romances. I appreciated the gender and sexuality representation in the book, and also the characters themselves were well-written and interesting. However, I didn't feel the plot was strong enough to carry the book, and there were aspects that seemed forced in for seemingly no reason (the visit from the toxic ex, the werepanther, to name a few). I also personally dislike the forced miscommunication trope in romance novels (how hard would it have been to name the problem as "you are human and i don't want to risk hurting you', instead of dancing around it and allowing for misinterpretation?), so that impacted my enjoyment of the story.

I still stayed up until 2:30 reading this book, though, so it clearly didn't impact my enjoyment that much :)