"Edge of the Woods" by May Sage is a supernatural romance with an intriguing prologue that sets the stage for a delightful small-town mystery and budding romance.

The story revolves around Leland, a new deputy in the town of Pine Grove, who seeks a quieter life away from the bustling city. However, what he encounters in this small town is far from mundane. Leland comes across as a kind, polite, and genuine individual, which contrasts with the typical expectations of a city cop.

Haley Fern, the reserve director and alpha of the local werewolf pack, is another central character. She's young for her position but possesses a caring and down-to-earth personality, as well as a love for food. The two protagonists, Leland and Haley, develop a sweet and somewhat school-like romance, which may particularly appeal to fans of adorable and fluffy love stories. Their cautious approach to their budding relationship adds an element of charm.

While the romance unfolds in a sweet and heartwarming manner, the story is not limited to romantic elements. It delves into the intriguing dynamics of the werewolf pack, the fragile peace with vampires, and a series of mysterious attacks that keep readers engaged. Although readers get a glimpse of this world, there's a desire for more depth, particularly in understanding the inner workings of the pack and the vampire society.

The writing style is commendable, with an engaging and entertaining narrative that is both fun and sexy. The author brings a much-needed representation of the LGBTQ+ community, as the main character openly discusses her attraction to both females and males.

"Edge of the Woods" presents a well-written story, charming characters, and a blend of school romance and sizzling moments. It's a delightful read that keeps you engaged, and while it leaves some aspects unexplored, it hints at the promise of more to come in the sequel. Fans of werewolves, small-town mysteries, and heartwarming romances will likely enjoy this book.

I love a werewolf book and this one was so nice to see a female alpha in charge of the pack. I loved the story, it hooks you and pulls you in , I also loved how much diversity there was.I liked the mystery, the romance between Leland and Haley and I definitely look forward to more books from the author

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you Netgalley and City Owl Press for the chance to read Jules Kelley's Edge of the woods. I love reading werewolf stories, and this one was had a good start. but kinda lost steam part of the way through. I enjoyed Haley's character, new alpha of the local pack, but wasn't sold on the relationship between her and Leland. This was a quick read, and I did like the overall story. I really liked the diversity in the story with LGBT characters which blended into the story.

3.5

This was a squishy, feel good read. It's chocked full of diversity, has two sweet cinnamon leads, and a mild background mystery. But it's the fact that the mystery is in the background that leads me to have not loved it more than I did. (I liked it plenty though.) Haley and the deputy are both lovely and they are genuinely careful with each-other in a really heart-warming way. There is no toxicity here. But I'm afraid that's just not enough to carry a werewolf novel on it's own. I needed a little more action, a little more bite, so to speak. I do look forward to seeing where the series goes and would be more than happy to read book two

I must say, I am sceptical about prologues in books. Sometimes they tend to give too much information and ruin the intrigue of the story. But prologue of "Edge of The Woods" is not only very, very intriguing, but also beautifully written!

So, storyline... first we meet Leland, a new deputy of Pine Grove, who decided to take a break from big city, but had no idea that small towns can be even crazier. I must say, it's fair judgment, yet quite often situation in fantasy books. But I don't mind small town mystery trope, it's one of my favorites actually. As a person Leland is kind, very polite, genuine and simple guy. Not what I expected from city cop, to be honest.

Soon after first crazy events of the book, we meet Haley Fern, the reserve director. She is quite young for her position as director and as the alpha of local werewove pack. We learn that she is caring, down to Earth and just loves her food.

It don't take long until those two start liking each other (we see things from their both perspectives), yet their romance felt... school like. Very cute and fluffy, which didn't interested me much. It was adorable: them carefully tip-toeing around their feelings and Haley secrets. So, for sweet romance lovers this book should be a lovely read. But I was more interested into the pack itself, fragile peace line with vampires and the mysterious attacks that suddenly fell on Haley's and Leland's shoulders.

Yet, it got 4 stars from me because it wanted to see more of the the way pack lives and acts with each other. See more inner vampire world as well. However, that's what second book for, isn't it?

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. It's very well written, lovely style, goes from school romance to "tame me in this river" in a heart beat (so be aware, there is some spice) and characters are interesting. Also, book have a LGBTQ+ representation, for example, main character is openly talking about being attracted to both female and male. And she isn't alone representing the community 😊

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Edge of the Woods by Jules Kelley
Edge of the Woods (Moonrise #1)
by Jules Kelley (Goodreads Author)
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4.4⭐
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC!
Edge of the Woods is the first book in the series. I absolutely loved the writing style because it kinda reminded me of Melvin Burgess books, which I was obsessed with in my teen years.
Fun, quirky, simple, sexy yet entertaining story.
I haven't read about werewolves for a long time so it was a great book to get my hands on!
I loved the epilogue. It was very well written and I actually read if few times.
Haley. Finally a main character who was not a skinny mini! It was a delight to read about the girl who has curves and is still seen as a sex icon.
Leland, the new sheriff in town, fell in love with Haley almost immediately. Haley as well. But of course they couldn't express their feelings straight away. As much as I enjoy a slow burn romance, this was going on for way too long. I'd consider this book as Young Adult and would liked to see characters acting more mature. It was obvious from the first time they met they wanted to get intimate. I don't know about you but being in my 20's I don't waste much time on flirting and tend to get straight into business.
If you're not into adult stuff, be aware that this book contains sexual theme!
Werewolves. As much as I enjoyed reading about them, there were few things which stopped me from giving 5 stars. The werewolves meeting was kinda awkward. Food, food, food. That was the main point of it. I really wanted to find out more about the pack. More about their characters, more chapters of them being in their true form.
Diego was one of my favorite characters but I felt like he could've got a bit more attention from the author. Lets wait for the sequel to find out, maybe he did! Poor guy was turned against his will but Haley took a good care of the young guy. I actually thought, that Diego became happier after joining the pack. He was taken care of, respected and he finally felt like he had a family.
I really enjoyed the read, I know I say it a lot but it was such a delight to read it because it was written so well! If you're looking for a quick book - Edge of the Woods is perfect for you!
A bit of adventure, some moments of intimacy (ok, a lot of moments!), fighting and of course romance.
I cannot wait to see where the sequel takes us!

I really enjoyed this book.
It’s been a while since I read one on wolves, and it’s definitely made me want to read more!
The romance, the plot, the characters 👌🏻
Definitely recommend if you like paranormal romance with wolves :)

Excellent book for anyone who is a fan of wolves. Well written and interesting. Decent play and fitting characters for this genre. 10/10 would recommend trying

I really enjoyed this book.
I loved that the story was a little different than most werewolf stories. The alpha is a female and a young alpha, when this is usually depicted as an older alpha male. Furthermore, the main characters are basically described as "normal" looking people with a little bit of weight on them instead of the model look that most characters are assigned.
Since Haley is a new and inexperienced alpha, she is learning to navigate the responsibilities that come with her title and the needs of the pack. Furthermore, she is doing this as she is also trying to figure out some atrocious events that have happened in her community.
This book has everything most paranormal readers love; mystery, action, a love story, vampires, people that shape shift into a wolf and the age old dispute between werewolves and vampires.
I am positively looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you City Owl Press, Jules Kelley and NetGalley for my advanced reader's copy.

I have received a digital advance review copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was filled with romance and mystery. When it comes to werewolf books I always ether love it or I hate it and I loved this one. The romance and the mates part wasn't so sappy. The characters were well developed and there was even LGBTQ+ representation, which wasn't necessary but it was nice.

This was the first book of Jules Kelley that I've read and I liked her writing so I honestly can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this!

Holy diversity! There are so many different types of people in this book which is awesome! I love a good werewolf book and this one was one of them, it was a quick read and a great twist on your usual werewolf story. I definitely recommend this one.

My thanks to @Netgalley for the digital Arc of this book for an honest review.
It's been a while since i read this type of steamy romance/action book, but i thoroughly enjoyed it!
It was a well written exciting story, the first of many hopefully. I really enjoyed the meticulously organised werewolf society, the glimpse of the cool vampire camp, and how they all fitted into the human world. The characters were colourful and they felt real. The story was engaging, and while i don't read much romance anymore, i had fun with the love story too.
I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a light, exciting, sexy read.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley
#netgalley


Oh my goodness, this book coming on the edge of my face they have everything you could want.

Edge of the Woods is an awesome new read by Jules Kelley. I enjoyed reading this book. It has a bit of everything: suspense, mystery, and romance. What I loved most about this book is that the romance doesn't take over the book. The romance adds to the plot instead of overpowering it. The book starts off a bit slow, but it picks up in the middle towards the end. I think many paranormal romance lovers will find this book a refreshing read.
My review on WordPress goes live from June 4, 2021: https://thebookmusereviews.wordpress.com/reviews/

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I appreciate how all the characters are realistically portrayed with their little flaws and not overpowered like in so many other werewolf books.
I love how there were ups and downs and I actually thought the emotional scenes were portrayed very catching and I could always sympathise with the characters.
I also really like the style of writing and the spicy scenes were very well placed and I wouldn’t really say it was a slow burn but you also weren’t rapidly thrown into it without knowing the characters and their dynamics.
I like how (and here is a minor spoiler) the character is bisexual without really making LGBTQ+ a main topic as there is just a subtle mentioning of a past girlfriend.

Overall this is a great book which will make you laugh and cry and worry and live with the characters.
I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends.

Xoxo S

Haley Fern is a new alpha to a werewolf pack in Montana. She is concerned when their trusted deputy retires and a new one comes to town. He doesn’t know werewolves exist and will have to prove to be trustworthy. Unfortunately, on his first day, he finds a naked young man who has been attacked by a wolf. The secondary characters were interesting and caught my interest. There’s some departure from the lore normally associated with werewolves which will keep the reader intrigued.

First off, a round of applause for the diversity in this book. Out of all the characters, we have some straight ones, some gay ones, some bisexual ones, and some trans ones, and even better, their sexuality wasn't what made up for any part of the plot. So big bonus there.

Werewolf books are a hit or miss kind of thing to me. This one lands somewhere in the middle. I really loved Michele and Diego. But when it came to Haley and Leland, I thought they were really boring and I didn't care about them or their relationship at all. I wish this would have been more focused on Diego or Michele, because that's where the interesting stuff was happening. Every time I started vibing with the story, the scene would go to Haley and Leland and my vibe would instantly be gone.

But with that being said, the plot was decent enough, and I recommend giving it a shot if your into werewolf stories.

This review has been posted to Goodreads

Edge of the Woods is the first book in a refreshing new werewolf series. The story follows Haley Fern, the alpha of a Montana werewolf pack, and Leland Sommers, new deputy sheriff in town - and the only one who doesn't know that half the town's population are werewolves.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked that it was a twist on the typical werewolf story in that the entire town was in on the secret, and Leland, the newcomer, was the odd one out. The underlying mystery kept me hooked, and while I saw the direction it was going in, I was still surprised by who the villain turned out to be! I loved that it was the female MC who was the supernatural half of the relationship, and I liked watching her navigate being pack alpha. I found Haley so relatable - having this responsibility thrown upon her, learning how to negotiate the role, and ending up being completely distracted by the new guy in town.

And while we're there, I loved Haley and Leland together. They had such a positive relationship in every way. With so many questionable relationships in many fantasy novels, I really enjoyed this one. The emphasis on consent, the fact they never had a bad word to say about each other, that they handled situations like adults and actually considered what was best for the other. Also a shoutout for diversity and rep!

Edge of the Woods is a well-written, fast-paced read, though I did feel that the story ended quite quickly! I would have loved to see a little more of what happened after the immediate resolution! Overall, a refreshing, sweet and captivating story, I will definitely be looking out for book 2!

Leland is use to moving around and never really feeling settled anywhere decides to take a job as a deputy in a small town. Quiet town where nothing ever happens? Sounds perfect to him and he can get in some fishing time... except on his way in to town he finds a naked young man by the side of the road. Not knowing where he should take him he calls one of the few numbers he has, Haley the nature preserve director. And unknown to him the local alpha of the wolf pack. He’s heard there are silly tourist rumors of werewolves in town... he has no idea that half the town are in fact werewolves.

Diego, the unlucky man on the road has some wounds that suggest an animal attack. Problem is Haley knows right away that those are the marks of a werewolf and he’s been turned into one. By who? That is the question. And something Haley needs to figure out especially if a member of her pack is responsible. Something sinister is afoot and Diego has no memory of what happened to him. Or why his cell phone was found near the scene of a crime. Not to mention he’s not exactly pleased to find that he’s been turned into a werewolf and surprise werewolves exist.

A deputy with no knowledge of werewolves is a bit of a problem for Haley. But it’s not a secret you tell just anyone. Can they get to the truth of what’s going on without him finding out the truth of the town he’s moved to? Can Haley really balance starting a relationship with the new deputy with her pack responsibilities and such a big secret? And who attacked Diego? Does it have anything to do with some growing tensions between born and turned wolves? The answers to all those questions are buried somewhere in this story... but before you find anything useful prepare to be bored to tears by Haley and Leland’s romance where you might be mistaken into thinking they are teenagers for how ridiculous they are....

The romance between Haley Leland was rather boring to be honest I was more interested in probably everyone else in the story. Michele and Diego were way better characters than Haley or Leland. Also I feel like Haley was hung up on having lived in the town so long like so much that she only referenced it about half a million times. I’m not from a small town but it seemed a bit excessive and incredibly tedious after awhile yes we all get it you grew up there now you are in a leadership position now shit up about it. She kept on about that like it’s a personality trait.

So did I like this book? I wanted to... alas I did not it was boring and predictable and I guessed the bad guy the moment they appeared. The immature romance was the worst part. When at half way nothing happened I started skimming a bit and did anything else happen? I mean things happened but where they in anyway interesting? Nope this book was so slow and dragged so much. And since this is an ARC I am reading it requires honesty right? Well at 90% I couldn’t force myself to go on I can just guess the end it’s sooo predictable and I don’t care. Haley is mostly annoyingly insecure and not insecure in a way that it feels real like anybody can be insecure she really might as well had been 16 for how she acted. Sorry Haley I don’t think the job as alpha is for you. So I have no idea how it ends and honestly can’t find it in myself to care.

Maybe this just wasn’t for me... Obviously other people like it I just really didn’t. It was painfully boring. The cover however is nice I’m a sucker for a good cover. Wish the story could have been better.

Edge of the Woods is a fast paced werewolf fantasy with a side of slow burn romance. As well as a bit of a who-done-it. This book is for fans of werewolf fantasy such as Shiver, Winter’s Wolf, and Matefinder.



Haley Fern is the new Alpha in a pack located in a small town she has lived in all her life. Taking on the responsibility sooner than she thought she would have to, she has a raging desire to prove herself competent. Enter the unauthorized, nonconsensual turning of a person into a werewolf. Followed by the town’s brand new, kept in the dark about werewolves Deputy finding said confused turned person. Havoc. A whole town in on a charade to make sure their secret isn’t uncovered. During which Haley Fern and Deputy Leland work together to find out who the attacker among them is as they grow closer.



I really like the overall premise of the book; the characters are well developed and the world building is good. Representation was thoughtful. Even though the main romance is a M/F romance I consider both characters bisexual or at least queer. Secondary characters include a gay man and a trans woman. The romance was endearing and laced with humor. The passion between the main characters was steamy and I was rooting for them the whole time. More could’ve been done with the vampires near the end perhaps but I understand holding back. I liked the differentiation between the werewolf form versus the alpha form being more horror movie-like. I would’ve liked the description of the characters to be more flushed out in the beginning because I found I was constantly re-imagining them when bits of new details were presented. The only thing missing story-wise was a scene in the end after the conflict was resolved to indicate more solidly the direction of Haley and Leland’s future. I suppose I will just have to wait for book 2 for that.