cover image ShadowWolfe

ShadowWolfe

Kathryn Le Veque. Dragonblade, $0.99 e-book (394p) ASIN B071HH5CQ3

Le Veque’s fourth de Wolfe Pack historical focuses on Scott de Wolfe, oldest son of Jordan and William de Wolfe, who locks away his emotions and becomes a feared soldier after the deaths of his wife and young children. After a captain under his command dies, leaving behind his pregnant wife, Avrielle, and two young children at a strategic castle in Cumbria, Scott immediately takes his troops to protect the castle and its inhabitants. Soon Scott must balance his growing feelings for Avrielle and her children with his responsibility to protect them from traitors within the castle walls and aggression from without, and the political necessity of finding a new husband for Avrielle. A streamlined plot provides the backbone for a careful portrayal of varying reactions to loss, from Scott’s iciness to Avrielle’s dissociation and her brother’s resentment. While the story beats are familiar and the antagonists clichéd, the details of castle and village life shine, and Scott’s burgeoning relationship with Avrielle and her family is worth the time. (BookLife)