Wolf Hunts

The Stoneridge Pack, Book 1

By: CJ Cooke

Narrated by: Connor Brown, Sienna Frances

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

How can you escape the hunt when everybody is hunting you?

Calli was born an impossibility. With the dual soul of a shifter and the natural magic of a witch, she was the first known shifter/witch hybrid. But in a world where witches hunt wolves to siphon their magic, and wolves kill witches, no questions asked, could she ever hope to find a place where she belonged?

When Calli's parents, a shifter and a witch, met and realized their mating would never be accepted, they went into hiding from both the Coven and the Pack. Despite living this way, Calli and her brother had grown up in a happy and loving home. After her parents are killed in a car crash one night, Calli's world spirals out of control. Now the guardian of her five-year-old brother, Jacob, they flee to America to hide. In Arbington, Calli and Jacob settle into the safe house their parents had set up. Even in death, they were watching out for them, but they soon discover a small wolf pack lives in the same town. Battling her confusing emotions towards the shifters only complicates things forcing Calli to make a decision. Trust her parents and stay? Or was it time to run again?

Contains mature themes.

©2021 CJ Cooke (P)2022 Tantor

Loved it

I can't wait to read book two. I'm already emotionally connected. Give me more please.

A great story! But not the norm werewolf kind.

This new version was easy to follow and held a nice story! I enjoyed this book and will be listening to the next 3!

Grief and sorrow

I still have 5 hours left to go. At this point I need to take a break because the level of grief that is infused into this story is starting to be too much for me. I too have lost a parent. If you are looking for an upbeat, exciting story, this isn't it.

This is one of the better romantic fantasy stories I have come across lately. There is a surprising amount of depth to it. The female character (Calli) is likeable and resourceful, and a truly nice and caring person. If you are sick and tired of the callous, entitled and/or stupid female characters you can frequently find in "modern" romantic fantasies, this is a truly refreshing read. Calli is "special", but she isn't overpowered or invincible. She is able to lean on others to help her.

The pacing of this story feels a bit slow. There is plenty going on, but it also kinda feels like we are treading water. Solving problems doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere closer to a "solution" or "ending". I suppose that's because there is no "goal" besides "keep people safe". It is very clear that there will always be more problems. I don't know what needs to happen for the story to be "done". (Oh, I've just realized that this is part of a series, not a standalone book. Now things make more sense. I am hoping the grief won't be quite as present later on, or else I will struggle to get through the series.)

As another reviewer has mentioned, this is a reverse harem story (3 males). I wish it weren't. But there is enough other stuff going on that it's possible to look past that. In some ways it is a slow burn (mostly when it comes to physical intimacy). But in other ways the relationships form very quickly and they become a wholesome, caring family almost overnight.

The narration could be better. The accents / voices are a bit cringe-worthy at times. But 99% of the time I know who is speaking. The narration is rarely immersion-breaking. I've stopped thinking about British English vs American English. Calli and her brother are from the UK. The way Calli has been adapting to a US lifestyle has been adorable to watch.

I enjoyed it

This is a reverse harem, which I didn't realize going in but I still enjoyed the book. Typically with reverse harems I'm rolling my eyes, but they did a good job setting it up in a way that isn't so unbelievable I suppose, I guess it made more sense in this story then a lot of the ones I've listened to. I found the world intriguing and the characters interesting. It deals with grief, and the female lead was likeable and just trying her best to deal with this work she'd been thrown into. She wasn't a damsel or at all helpless, but it wasn't like she wrote up one day and was over powered either; it was really refreshing. I also thought both narrators did a great job. I quickly got through both books in the series, and I'm looking forward to the next.

Emotional

there were parts I just wanted to cry can't wait wait to read book two

An interesting hybrid/shifter book!!

The narrators were really good and the plot was interesting. The characters and world building was intriguing and it was a twist on other shifts books I’ve read. Steam it’s in the low to medium a few scenes nothing overwhelming and the drama keeps you invested. I don’t want to say too much because am sure I will spoil the story but worth a credit.

Missing 1 1/2 Chapters

While I enjoyed the storyline, in Chapter 36 with 6h 12m remaining there is a audible click then silence for the rest of the chapter and chapter 37 is missing in it's entirety. I gave up so I don't know if the rest of the book is the same.

potential for good story

ok a heads up that this was a reverse harem book would have been nice. I don't listen to those.
the only reason I didn't overall rate this book a 1 star was the fact that it wasn't too hard core and I skipped those parts.

story seems interesting, but the narrators...

the story sounds intriguing and id love to finish it, but i just can't get past the narration... I've listened to many audio books with different narrator skill levels and even if they don't sound great at first I usually can tune out the issues after a bit of listening. I have gotten halfway through this book and I just can't get over it. the female voice is fine, but feels a little to airy and overly sweet for the lead female (if that makes any sense) probably just personal preference. the male voice sounds fine for the men but i feel like they probably shouldn't have even attempted the English accent for the female lead because it is off putting and pulls me out of the story.. again it's probably just me but it just pulls me out of the story too often to enjoy it.