Review - Cowboy in Wolf's Clothing by Kait Ballenger

Born a cowboy and bred a warrior...

High Commander Colt Cavanaugh has spent his life defending his pack and its sprawling ranchlands. But the hardened Grey Wolf soldier has a dark secret that could destroy his life forever.

Belle Beaumont is a wanted woman, on the run from the wolf pack that kidnapped her. When fate brings her face-to-face with the Grey Wolf High Commander himself, rivalry becomes passion, and suddenly more than just her freedom is at stake.

Colt will fight to the death for the healing Belle brings to his battle—worn heart—and for this cowboy wolf, all's fair in love and war...

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I return after a long time with a review of Cowboy in Wolf's Clothing by Kait Ballenger. It is the second book in Kait's new Seven Range Shifters series, which is about werewolves who are also cowboys. But you probably guessed that from the title(s). At first, I found the idea interesting, and maybe even was a little bit sceptical about the theme, because I have never read about one werewolf who lives in a ranch and rides a horse before, never mind more wolves. But then it started to get to me - cowboys are popular nowadays in reader circles, and werewolves, too. What could go wrong, if a talented writer like Kait Ballenger puts together the two? It's like getting two for the price of one, right?
Turns out I was right. These men are seriously hot. Here we have our hero, Colt Cavanaugh, who is a tough high commander, the top warrior of the pack, but who also can be charming and seductive. (I  like his nickname, but I won't spoil you that.) But the heroine also has a kind of dual personality, because we see she can stand up to alpha wolves, in other situations, she can get frightened and even show signs of weakness, if we can say that. Belle Beaumont is not the strong warrior type of woman, but rather a less hardened doctor. She doesn't really know how to fight physically, but that doesn't mean she is a pushover. Oh no, she really is viper-tongued at times, as Colt tends to think about her. I really loved the couple's banter in this story.
I'll try to write this review spoiler-free, but I can say that, like with the first book, both of our main characters have secrets, and we can see how such things can define one's personality, life, their thinking and actions. Colt sure wouldn't be the controlled and hard man he is, if he hadn't made that promise to his (step)father. Or if there was even one member of the pack who knew the truth. We also get an example that sometimes we don't give a chance to the good or even the best things that happened to us in our lives, because we are sticking to our own, sometimes ovverrated, rules.
Belle's big secret is kind of known to us readers from the start, but that doesn't mean there aren't others, ones she herself doesn't know about... All in all, these make a story with enough angst, surprises and turning points to keep us on the edge of our seat, reading until the end.
As a negative, I can only mention that I felt the ending is a little bit hectic. Some scenes could have been longer and deeper, some happenings and (mainly) emotional wounds could maybe deserve more pages, for example the ones in connection with the baby at the end, to not say more. But maybe it is just me.
Either way, I can't not mention the side characters, who will hopefully all get their own HEA. I loved the glimpses of the relationships and the dynamics of the pack, and the different personalities. I feel like we we got to know better some characters, and met some new ones, as well. We can know about the main couple of the next book (I can't wait!), but I know I also really really hope for another pairing of a certain packmaster and a warrior she-wolf.
Though I haven't yet written a review for the first book, Cowboy Wolf Trouble, I owe you that, I can say that it was a good start, and I think this second one is even better. I have high hopes for the aforementioned next installments.

Copy provided by the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.