Audiobook Review: The Half Wolf by Jay Northcote, Performed by Hamish Long

26 July of 2021 by ButtonsMom2003

The Half Wolf By Jay Northcote, Performed by Hamish Long

Genre: Paranormal Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Released: Audio-June 24, 2021; eBook-Sept 24, 2017

Publisher: Jay Bird Press

Length: Audio-6 hrs, 38 mins; 65,000 words

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Synopsis

Mate, family, pack, home… can Quinn and Kellan have it all?

Quinn grew up feeling out of place in the small town he calls home. Yearning for something he can’t name, he’s always felt different but never known why.

Kellan is part of a nomadic shifter pack. When they set up camp in the woods near Quinn’s town, the humans are unwelcoming and suspicious of the newcomers. The moment Kellan catches sight—and scent—of Quinn, he knows Quinn is special. But for the first time in his life, Kellan can’t trust his instincts. Quinn is human, and Kellan is a wolf shifter, so how can they ever be mates?

Their bond is instant and exhilarating. It breaks Quinn’s heart to know their relationship can only be temporary. Love isn’t enough when pack law forbids shifters to mate with humans. Tension explodes between pack and humans, and when Quinn discovers a shocking truth about himself that changes everything, he fears he’ll have to choose between the only life he’s ever known and the man he loves.

This is a standalone story with a satisfying happy ending.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

An interesting and different shifter story.

I first read this book back in September 2017, right after Hurricane Irma blew through the area where I live. Because of that little storm, my review of The Half Wolf never made it to the Xtreme Delusions blog. The recently released audiobook has given me a chance to correct that. The hurricane may also have had something to do with how well I remember this. 😊 In any case, as has often happened for me, my rating of this book increased from a 4 to a 5 after listening to it.

Hamish Long has performed several books for Jay Northcote and I love everything I’ve listened to that he has performed, including a title under his other name of Joe Jameson (I highly recommend Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall). The second name isn’t a secret as he revealed it quite a while ago on Facebook.

Hamish did an amazing variety of voices and accents for The Half Wolf – each of them very distinct from one another. I really can’t say enough good things about his performance.

My review from nearly 4 years ago holds up very well so I’ve only made minor revisions to it.

The Half Wolf is a different shifter story from others that I’ve read. With the plethora of shifter stories available these days, I consider that a good thing.

Kellan is part of a gypsy-like shifter pack. Quinn is a young man who works for his aunt; his parents are dead. When Kellan comes into the store where Quinn works, he is intrigued by the unusual scent that Quinn has. The two strike up a friendship that soon turns into more.

I liked the dynamics of this story; there seem to be a lot of metaphors for the lack of acceptance that people who are different face every day in real life. Quinn was brought up to accept shifters while many people in his town do not like them and don’t want them around.

It’s sad that it takes a major crisis for the townspeople to see that the shifters pose no threat to them. Unfortunately, this is how things often happen in real life as well.

This was a very enjoyable story from an author whose work I like more with every book of his that I read.