Review: Ice Wolf by Jane Godman

Posted February 18, 2017 by Cocktails and Books in Reviews / 0 Comments

Ice Wolf by Jane Godman
Series: Arctic Brotherhood, #1
Published by Macmillan Publication Date: March 7th 2017
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four-stars

They are the Arctic Brotherhood.
They are deadly fighters, fierce protectors and loyal mates.
Elliott Wilder is a mild mannered Alaskan college professor. Wilder craves the things most people find boring. Seclusion. Monotony. Anonymity. But what Wilder craves most of all is the thing he can’t have… memory loss. Four hundred years ago, Wilder and the other members of the Arctic Brotherhood were captured and tortured by the leader of the Siberian werewolves. Wilder is still haunted by memories of that night, when he wasn’t able to protect his leader.
Now the Siberian wolf is on the loose and seeking revenge. Not only must Wilder lead the brotherhood, he must fight the attraction he feels toward its newest recruit, Jenny Piper. Jenny offers Wilder a glimpse of the life he can’t have. As the brotherhood races against time to save humanity from the horror their enemies unleashed on the world, Wilder must reach inside himself to find the leader the brotherhood needs and the mate Jenny craves.

Cocktails and Books received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this read. With fluid writing and a unique take on the lore, ICE WOLF takes the legends of werewolves on an exciting new journey. Shifting is usually influenced by the moon, but these are Arctic wolves who have an innate relationship with the Arctic midnight sun, when they can shift and their immortality is vulnerable. I loved the play on the Norse mythology and I really enjoyed getting to know these wonderful characters.

Elliott Wilder, now a mild mannered professor at the University of Alaska, was once a brave young warrior. But for four hundred years, Wilder has been hiding a painful past. Long ago, Santin, a rogue Siberian wolf and his vicious pack, hunted the Arctic wolves, killing and plundering, requiring the Arctic Brotherhood to be called into action to protect their brethren and their lands. Wilder was part of that brotherhood and on the eve of Santin’s downfall, he and his six brothers were captured and tortured, though ultimately victorious thanks to Wilder’s bravery. However, Wilder bears the guilt and emotional scars of that horrific night and has vowed to be alone and a detached observer of life for the rest of his immortal days.

But now, Santin has escaped his prison and the brotherhood is called back into action, with Wilder being their leader. Only he doesn’t want to lead, he doesn’t want the responsibility and he doesn’t want to fall in love with the beautiful new addition to their alliance.

Wilder and Jenny were great together. I enjoyed their push-pull and I liked seeing Wilder succumb to the love waiting for him. I also really enjoyed Jenny’s force of nature and her determination to be equal in the brotherhood.

I did think the climax was lacking a bit though. There was this huge lead up to how formidable Fenrir would be, but his recapture and imprisonment seemed almost too easy. I know he will probably be the reigning bad guy throughout this series, so I’m sure he’ll find his way out again or at least have his minions do his bidding, but I was hoping for more from the climax. The fight was short and I expected there to be more fallout from their public confrontation.

All in all, it was a great read. I’m looking forward to reading about more of the brothers and who their mates will be.