the big bad wolf is like teen wolf meets footloose in the best possible way. kensey's dad wants her to match up with a suitable mate. it's their pack's turn to share the fire affinity. but kensey's a high school senior, she has no interest in being any guy's mate. when she overhears her neighbor arguing with his father about the same exact thing she has a plan.

slade mcallister is the worst possible choice for a mate. his clan's affinity is allure, which basically means they are good at manipulating people to do their bidding. and into having sex. slade does his best to avoid using his gift, but all that repression leads to an uncontrollable wolf.

kensey's plan is to present slade as her choice of mate and to request that they undergo a courting. their packs adhere to all these old school rules that are not worth recounting here, but basically both slade and kensey chafe against the restrictions they are forced to abide.

they were friends once. as children. and it meant something, until one day it didn't. kensey didn't realize how much she missed her friend until she started spending time with him again. and the closer they become, old feelings surge between them and grow and deepen into love.

but slade is still not an acceptable choice, and kensey has a duty to her pack. and all of this will come to a head in a pretty dramatic fashion.

this story was the perfect amount of paranormal and angsty teen romance.

**the big bad wolf will publish on march 5, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (crave) in exchange for my honest review.

I've come to the conclusion that I will probably always like the Entangled Teen romances that I read. They are light, fun, and easy to read. There is always something about them that I end up liking and this one is no exception.

The Big Bad Wolf is a fun paranormal read. It has a friendship turned hatred turned love story that I really enjoyed.

Kensey is part of the Deaton pack. Her father is the alpha and she is expected to find a mate. Females are basically treated as property. They are expected to marry and create new little pack members. They generally don't get much say. The alpha has final say in the end. Very few will ever marry for love.

Slade is part of the McAlister pack. His father, Gavin, is a horrible man. Slade has had a pretty horrible upbringing. Gavin used their power, persuasion over the opposite sex, to get his wife. She, like so many other females, ended up killing herself. Slade believes what his father has told him, that he's pretty much evil. Gavin makes Slade do things for him. Slade drinks a lot and keeps to himself to numb the pain. But it isn't working well.

Kensey and Slade used to be friends, but Slade hurt her and they stopped talking. Kensey comes up with an idea to pretend to date Slade with the hopes that her dad will just skip over her and marry off her younger sister instead. But Kensey and Slade both start having real feelings for each other. The main issue is that Slade feels like he's not good enough for her. And many people try to convince him just that.

The story takes off pretty quickly and the writing flows well. There were a lot of small fight scenes and talk about a previous assault to Kensey (but the details were never really revealed, just a warning for anyone who needs it). I wasn't a big fan of Gavin or Lupe, but like Risa a lot. Kensey's dad grew on me, too. He had a nice moment with Slade towards the end of the book that was really touching.

Overall, I really liked this book a lot and gave it 4 stars.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me a copy for review.

I gave this book 3 stars. It was a good book, well written, the problem lies in the fact that I don’t think it’s going to be memorable. It’s too much like all those other YA paranormal romances. In a week or two I probably won’t remember what happened.

It was well written, the flow was gorgeous, it’s more of the contents that were lacking. The rhythm of the story was smooth and if the story itself had been more engaging I could have really loved it.

The characters were not the best. Some of the characters were just so stubborn and set in their ways that it was truly frustrating at times. I also didn’t feel like the two leads had that much chemistry. I felt like these two characters just clashed too much in the wrong way that I couldn’t really get behind it.

It’s really hard to write a review for this one because I don’t feel like I have enough to say about it to really give you the full picture.

Kensey Deaton is the daughter of the most important Alpha werewolf in the area, and because of that she is expected to behave a certain way. She has been a good girl up until her father tells her if she doesn't choose a mate, he will choose one for her.

Slade McAlister is the only legitimate son of a particularly vicious alpha. His pack is considered the scum, and the criminals amongst the werewolf community. His father is using his usual tactics to insist that Slade find a mate and bring new blood into the pack.

Can a fake relationship take the heat off our characters?. Will pack politics and two very different alphas allow this to happen?

A good shifter romance with a lot of teenage angst.

I enjoyed the fact that Kensey was a strong wolf but had a playful side. The scene with hide and seek/tag was one of my favorites. Felt bad for Slade and what he had to endure. Quick and easy read with just enough drama. I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Big Bad Wolf by Jus Accardo is a young adult shifter fantasy read that has a bit of a contemporary romance to it also. The two main characters Kensey Deaton and Slade McAlister alternate their point of view with each chapter.

Kensey’s father is the Alpha of her pack and her family is considered royalty in the werewolf community while Slade is from the more criminal pack in town that don’t follow the rules and take what they want.

When Kensey’s father tells her she needs to chose her mate or he will set up a suitable arrangement she gets the idea to set up a fake relationship with her bad boy neighbor, Slade, to try to get her father to change his mind. In return Slade just wants out of the pack and politics to become a lone wolf.

The Big Bad Wolf is like taking two different tropes and mashing them together to come up with this quick, fun read. Fake dating that turns into a real relationship has been done quite often and can always be a fun set up but then the author took it to another level setting the story within a shifter community with it’s pack laws and politics at play.

The biggest part of this read like a more light young adult story as the characters slowly admit they have had feelings for one another. However there are some darker elements to the tale bringing in the shifter side along with even going as far as a mention of assault at one point.

For me when finished as much as this was a fun way to pass a couple of hours with the mixing of stories with a bit of wolfy Romeo and Juliet I just wondered if it couldn’t have had a bit more to make it stand out as it’s own story leaving me to rate this one at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The blurb of this book gave me high expectations before I even turned to the first page. It did not let me down.
Kensey and Slade have been next door neighbors for years, and were friends up until a few years ago. Both get an ultimatum from their fathers to claim a mate. Kensey and Slade hatch a plan to fake a relationship to get their fathers off their backs.
I couldn't put this book down. I loved the world and the characters. Kensey and Slade are each trying to be their own person in a world that makes you put everyone else first.
The only reason this is a four star and not a 5 star read was I found some consistency issues. A few things were mentioned as character flaws, but were never brought up again. I kept expecting something to happen to make the character overcome a flaw, but then it was like it never existed.
I would love to read more stories in this world.

I received an advanced readers copy for an honest review.

"The Big Bad Wolf" is a YA fantasy that follows Kensey and Slade, next door neighbors and werewolves in two different packs. Kensey's pack is wealthy and in charge of most of the decisions with a coalition of the packs in town- they are the upscale pack. Slade's pack is the one everyone wishes did not exist- they commit all sorts of crimes and violence. Slade and Kensey are both looking for escape (although different kinds).

Female werewolves tend to not fare well- they are often given to another male to make connections or strengthen the packs, and as a result, suicide rates are high. Although Kensey has not yet finished high school, her father has given her an ultimatum- choose a mate or he will choose for her. To make matters worse, his choice is Carter, who physically and sexually assaults women (and has assaulted her in the past). To be fair, her father seems unaware of this and things get marginally better once he figures it out, but it's a symptom of a bigger problem that Kensey does not feel she has a choice/cannot tell him about this. The ingrained sexism in the werewolf packs runs deep and is present even in Kensey who has really internalized the sexism of their culture (for example, views other girl's clothing as exposing their "bimbo-bits").

Slade has been physically and emotionally abused by his father, Gavin, who also forces him (as the pack alpha) to hurt others and commit crimes. He is looking for a way to escape, but it is nearly impossible to leave one's pack. To cope with all of this, he frequently turns to alcohol and is an undiagnosed alcoholic. He has had a crush on Kensey- until an event which separated them, they were the best of friends- but he thinks he is no good for her and will avoid a real relationship at all costs (and this conversation happens quite a few times).

The story is somewhat a werewolf Romeo and Juliet, and in many ways, it delivers on this along with the premise of a fake-relationship-turned-more (which is something I typically enjoy). However, there are so many bigger issues and concerns (assault, abuse, alcoholism) that are left unaddressed in favor of the romance. The sexism is pretty rampant also, and even Slade is constantly sure he knows what is best for Kensey (because of course she couldn't possibly know her own mind in terms of their relationship). As a fan of Accardo's Infinity Division series, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Maybe I set the bar too high, but I found myself disappointed by the myriad of big issues (mostly) swept under the rug. I would have liked to see some resources and problem solving of these major issues, especially in a YA book.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Big Bad Wolf was a cute shifter romance. I really enjoyed Kensie and Slade’s story. The writing was decent, but it was slow at times.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I like my shifter romance to follow the mythical rules and this one reminded me more of a religious family wanting to marry off there daughter. This is probably the first shifter novel that doesn't follow the rules that I didn't hate. The story was engaging and entertaining. The wolf reminded me of a set of outback hillbillies and I liked this quality.

Kensey is the alpha daughter. Her father is the head of a region of wolf packs. It is expected Kensey will find a mate soon. Unfortunately for her, the options of suitors are anything but appealing. She needs to come up with a plan which will get her father off her back.

Slade's family are dysfunctional and so is his pack. His father is an unpleasant fellow and a bully. Slade dreams of escape his personal nightmare but it isn't that simple. He has a reputation for being a stereotypical bad boy and a bit of his loner. The other packs see him as undesirable.

Slade and Kensey used to be friends. Now they seem to be on different pages. She's the princess and he's a rebel. Kensey sees Slade interacting with his father and an idea is formed. Operation Big Bad Wolf may just save them both. Que fake relationship and some dug up all feelings.

This book had some funny parts and interesting ideas. It took me a little while to get into this book but I enjoyed the story. I just felt the beginning needed something more.

This was an enjoyable read. 4 stars out of 5.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the idea of YA shifter romance. It’s not something I’ve seen much before, but this is my second one this year so I’m hoping it’s going to be a thing.

Big Bad Wolf could have borrowed its storyline from any number of 90’s teen movies. Like Drive Me Crazy with werewolves maybe. Kensey and Slade are next door neighbors who were childhood best friends but had a falling out in middle school. But when both their fathers demand they choose a mate or have one chosen for them – this part is squicky since they’re seventeen – they come up with a fake relationship scheme.

The romance plot could have been borrowed from any number of shifter novels as well. Their fake relationship turns in to something real but they belong to different packs so their families don’t approve. She’s a spoiled princess and he’s not good enough for her – too violent, too feral, too damaged. She makes him a better person, but he keeps pushing her away to save her from him.

What’s new is that the characters are in high school so the pack kids all have their own cliques, they skip class to shift and run in the woods, and the signal to everyone that they’re together is holding hands in the hallway. Since they’re werewolves, there are some dark moments as well. Mostly courtesy of Slade’s father and the ruthless way he runs his pack.

The world reminds me of Rachel Vincent’s Shifters series. The pack structure is similar. So is the way the girls are commodified by their families. And the heroine, Kensey, is a little like Faythe in the way she rebels against the system. These wolves also have hereditary magic, which is interesting. Kensey’s family has elemental fire power and Slade’s has a lure, like you often see with incubi, which enslaves women. Passing on those powers is the rationale behind the arranged marriages. Slade’s magic, as well as his father’s, play a big role in the story but Kensey’s isn’t mentioned much.

Big Bad Wolf was a quick read. I enjoyed it even though it didn’t surprise me much. I’d even be willing to read more about the world, maybe meet some members of the other packs that didn’t get much page time.

Cute teen shifter romance. While there was minimal world building the characters were engaging and story was fun.

While the archaic patriarchal themes necessary to facilitate the plot made me grind my teeth every now and then, the endearing characters and adorable werewolf romance had me charmed.

3.5/5

I loved the spin this book had on the classic werewolf story. First off, I liked how Alpha had a specific ability. I wish they had elaborated a lot more on that. The world building was lacking in regards to that. It's stated in the first few pages that Sam has a fire ability, but you never see him use it. We did get to see the McCalisters use their ability. However, that was only probably because it was made and used to move the story along and add an element to the conflict. That was very obvious. They did do a good job with the responsibilities of the sons and daughters of the Alphas. There have been similar things done in other books where they had to marry for political reasons, but this book took it one step further by saying that usually the Alpha sons and daughters didn't like what they were.

One thing that annoyed me while reading was the grammar and lack of good sentence structure. I found myself having to read sections over again so I could understand what was being said. I also found several instances where the wrong word was used (typos). I caught them easily, which tells me that other people should have noticed them too in editing.

Overall, I loved Kensey and Slade. Great book for werewolf lovers!

I received a copy of The Big Bad Wolf from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kensey Denton is tired of having her future decided for her just because she is the daughter of an Alpha pack leader. When Kensey's father tries to force her into an arranged marriage to ensure her bloodline, Kensey decides to take matters into her own hands. She makes a deal with Slade McAllister, a notorious bad boy werewolf from another clan. If they can convince everyone they are dating, Kensey's father will have no choice but to free Kensey from her obligation to marry, and Slade will get what he wants most, freedom. But, faking being madly in love is not that simple....
It is rare that I have come across a novel where both of the romantic leads are supernatural creatures. Usually, at least one of them is human. Both Kensey and Slade are werewolves with strong unrelenting personalities. Kensey is a princess, but she is anything but dainty, and Slade is no knight in shining armour. The werewolf element is secondary. Instead, the forbidden romance takes precedence over the supernatural elements.
The plotline was a bit too predictable for my taste, and there were no real surprises or interesting twists. The novel fell a bit flat for this reason. Although I found the novel enjoyable on the whole, it wasn't spectacular.