Master Wolf by Joanna Chambers

Narrated by Hamish McKinlay

There will be spoilers for Gentleman Wolf, book one in the Capital Wolves Duet in this review. Proceed with caution – or, do the smart thing and listen to it first!

I liked Gentleman Wolf better after listening to it, and big surprise, I felt the same way about Master Wolf. Mr. McKinlay elevates this already very good story in every way and his narration enhances the somewhat slower start to this novel. I was engaged in this shifter romance from start to finish and hated when it ended.

Told entirely through the PoV of Drew Nicol, Master Wolf is set thirty years after the cliff-hanger ending in Gentleman Wolf. At the end of that story, werewolf Lindsay Somerville bit his lover Drew Nichol in a desperate bid to save his life. In Chambers’ wolf world, the wolf who ‘makes,’ becomes your master – for good or bad. Made wolves cannot resist their makers and can be compelled to do anything their maker wishes.

Master Wolf opens with a prologue that picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending in Gentleman Wolf. Drew is alive but devastated – and struggling to reconcile his feelings for Lindsay. Conflicted by his continued attachment to Lindsay, he convinces himself it’s only because of their wolf bond. Bitter, angry, and unwilling to forgive Lindsay for making him a monster, he doesn’t believe he’ll ever be free from Lindsay’s control and domination. A grief-stricken, lovesick Lindsay accedes to Drew’s wishes and departs Edinburgh, leaving Francis behind to help Drew acclimate to life as a wolf – a role traditionally filled by a wolf’s maker. Master Wolf then resumes thirty-two years later. Drew is a successful London businessman who ruthlessly controls his wolf, shifting only when absolutely necessary. Lately, he’s felt his ever-present bond to Lindsay weakening and is convinced distance and repression of his wolf are finally freeing him of the master/slave relationship he deeply resents. He’s happy. Thrilled. Except he isn’t. And then Marguerite pays him a visit.

Marguerite arrives with news from Edinburgh: the remains of a misshapen man have been recently discovered in the Nor’loch by St. Cuthbert’s Church. Drew knows immediately whose remains these are – Hector Cruikshank, the villain who perished at the end of Gentleman Wolf. Unwilling to allow Cruikshank’s remains to fall into the hands of a secret organization of wolf-hunters, Marguerite insists Drew accompany her to Edinburgh to acquire the skeleton. She also admits there is a new lead in her search for her own maker, Alys (a related sub-plot in Gentleman Wolf) and needs Drew to masquerade as her husband to help find her. Unable to resist her request for help – and knowing he’ll have to see Lindsay again – he reluctantly agrees to go.

Via a series of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the text, we know that Lindsay and Drew have seen each other sporadically since Lindsay’s exile. The visits reveal that while their intense attraction to each other hasn’t lessened, Drew is convinced his feelings are only the result of their wolf bond, a conviction that devastates Lindsay. Lindsay’s affection is undiminished, but he knows Drew will never forgive him for the bite, while Drew bitterly – almost hatefully – blames Lindsay for a bond he never wanted. But unbeknownst to him, Lindsay has been searching for a way to free Drew. For the past two years – with help from his manservant Wynne, he’s finally found a way to sever their connection by undertaking a painful, daily regimen of wearing specially formulated wolfsbane poultice (deadly to wolves in even the smallest dose) to kill his wolf. His goal is threefold – to sever the bond between him and his maker Duncan MacCormaic; to sever his bond with Drew; and to banish his own wolf – forever. When they finally meet again, Drew is unprepared for this new Lindsay. Gaunt and weak, barely able to stand on his own feet, he’s nothing like the man he last saw twelve years ago. Drew is quick to realize that it’s Lindsay’s actions that have lessened the bond between them, and that the weakening of their bond hasn’t affected his feelings for Lindsay. At all. Oh, Drew.

Master Wolf unfolds as Drew and Marguerite work together to bring down a group of wolf-hunters, find Alys, and as Drew slowly but surely begins to recognize the depth of his feelings for Lindsay. But Lindsay has his own agenda and is determined to carry it through even if it costs him his life. No spoilers here! Drew – and his wolf – exist in anguish, hopeless in the face of Lindsay’s stubborn unwillingness to change his mind. Tormented by his feelings, but slowly realizing that his connection to Lindsay isn’t only the maker/made bond, Drew can’t resist being close to him. His wolf knows and recognizes Lindsay as his soulmate, and Drew finally allows it the freedom to help guide his actions. This story shines whenever these two are together. I loved Lindsay in the first book, and the suffering he experiences in this one tore my heart to pieces. It takes Drew much too long to acknowledge the depth of his love for Lindsay, and only when his MATE is dying, does he begin to understand how wrong he’s been. The flashbacks, while painful, are lovely snapshots of what these two could be, and I just wished Drew could have been more open to his own heart long ago. Drew is eerily reminiscent of David in the Enlightenment trilogy, and except for his almost casual acceptance that he’s gay, he struggles in many of the same ways.

While my major focus was the relationship between Drew and Lindsay, there’s quite a bit more to this novel. I like how Chambers links this story to the one before it via the search for Alys, and this sub-plot adds a nice level of dread to the rest of the novel. Marguerite is a tart treat, and it was helpful to get to know her better this time out, although I’m still struggling to process the complicated/painful/bizarre relationship between Francis and Duncan MacCormaic. Francis bit Duncan; Duncan bit/made Lindsay, and then tortured and abused him as some sort of revenge/fantasy against Francis. (It’s complicated.) I didn’t feel like the ending sufficiently answered my questions about this pair, and the relationship is wholly underdeveloped.

When I read this novel, I struggled a bit with the exposition and sub-plots necessary to bring Drew and Lindsay back together into each other’s orbit. I really only wanted to spend time with the two of them! But Hamish McKinlay absolutely brings this story to life. While I loved his portrayal of our two principal characters – Lindsay is particularly excellent – McKinlay perfectly captures his affection and patient exasperation with Drew’s mixed signals – his portrayal of the enigmatic Marguerite is similarly great. While it took me a chapter or two to acclimate to his version of the very French, female pack leader, I came to appreciate all the subtle ways he interprets this character’s sometimes mercurial personality. Fed up (when she’s dealing with Drew), teasing and flirty (when she’s playing femme fatale with her enemies), tender and frustrated (with Francis), slightly bewildered (with Wynne) – it’s a marvel. Mr. McKinlay breathes life into the slower parts of the story, and I found myself eager to return to the audio whenever I had a break in my day.

Master Wolf, fortunately, ends with an HEA for Lindsay and Drew. It’s romantic, with hints of melancholy, and the tease of more stories in this world. I liked the book and loved the audio. Recommended.

Em