Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf)

Cooper and Oliver are house hunting.

“So what do you think of this place?” Park asked.

Cooper bit his lip. “What do you think?”

Park tilted his head and regarded him. “I think your facial expression says you’d rather be drawn and quartered than put an offer in.”

It isn’t going well.

So it’s a bit of a relief to be sent undercover on a case, to look for a missing wolf.

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

Cooper nodded. “Very helpful. How on earth will an evolved couple like us convincingly pretend to need counseling?”

I think what I adored is that as Cooper is typically able to change his mind when presented with facts that may be contrary to what he currently thinks.

He protested and mostly ignored the therapy he was given immediately after his attack, but when he is given the opportunity here he listens to what he is being told.

“Can I ask what you’re feeling right now?” Vanessa asked.

Not sure he wanted to put any of that mess into words, Cooper went with a tertiary emotion. “Ignorant. Ignorant about my own insides, which is worse for some reason.” He hesitated. He had to maintain cover, but he also wanted to know. “I saw a therapist once. After I was, um, attacked. I don’t remember him saying anything about this.”

“I can’t speak for them. But maybe you weren’t in the right place to hear it,” Vanessa offered. “Sometimes we need the distance. The space to study something clinically before accepting it for ourselves.”

As you may know by now, I absolutely worship authors who put good mental health practice into their books.

This bit here is short, but like a punch in the solar plexus.

He felt oddly reluctant to say PTSD to Park. Felt a nonsensical guilt. Not because he thought he should be better than that. The opposite. Park had lived through a difficult childhood, loss, his own traumas and countless attacks himself. What right did Cooper have to complain about this one bad thing? Logically he knew that’s not how it worked. But since when did guilt ever care about logic?

“(S)ince when did guilt ever care about logic?” indeed.

I also really like the little details, that showed she put thought into things.

Someone had clearly been through their bags and Cooper’s weapon was missing. Fortunately, it was in a securely locked case, but that still left them less defended than before.

Of course he’d travel with his service weapon. But of course he wouldn’t be carrying at a couples retreat. But it’s his service weapon, so it’s locked up.

I really do love this series, and am impatiently checking for a new book in the series.

Publisher : Carina Press
Rating: 8/10

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