Wolfheart

Wolfheart (The Shady Gully Series Book 2) by Hallie Lee

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Today is my spot on the #booktour for Wolfheart by @hallie_lee_books hosted by @lovebookstours

SYNOPSIS

The much anticipated second book in The Shady Gully Series picks up five years after Paint Me Fearless, Hallie Lee’s Best-Selling debut novel. Book 2 begins the morning after a torrential storm upends Shady Gully, and its citizens wake to the news that Wolfheart’s beloved sister, Peony, has been brutally murdered.
WOLFHEART…earned his reputation as the town low life in Book 1, inciting unrest and corrupting the youth with his home-grown product and signature scowl. But now, it’s five years later, and the scoundrel from across the creek is an upstanding citizen, a church-streamer, and a doting brother and uncle. Or is he?
LUKE

Desi and Lenny’s eldest son, feels responsible for Shady Gully. Always the serious one, Luke carries the weight of the town’s progress—or lack thereof—on his tense shoulders. Even as the community rolls their eyes as he expounds incorporation, Luke is determined to present Shady Gully with the amenities it deserves.
SHERIFF RICK

Inherited the job when the last ornery official went and had a heart attack. Reluctant to trade his easy life of coasting to one of accountability, Ricky is surprised to find that the office gives him purpose.
As the fates of these three uncompromising and principled men collide, another body is discovered, and Shady Gully explodes in chaos and violence. When Wolfheart is finally led away in handcuffs, he has only one thought:
How can he protect his niece and her daughter from the same fate as his sister?

My Review

When I read page 1 of Wolfheart I knew that I had really missed out by not reading the first book in the series. I was immediately lost when I started reading about the huge list of characters in this book. After the first chapter, the plot started to appear and everything started to make sense. The culture of the small village of Shady Gully was unique and learning about the two sides of the town was necessary to understand the story.

The Creek people were the Native American/Cajun people who kept to themselves. They didn’t want to assimilate and didn’t trust the white people who lived in the other half of the small Louisiana town. They had their old ways of medicine and had many native superstitions and spiritual beliefs. The most respected man in the Creek side was Wolfheart.

The reader is left wondering what did Wolfheart do after reading the beginning of the book. As the book goes on the reader understands more and more about the cast of characters. The full explanation of the secrets and plot doesn’t come clear until the end of the book. Each chapter is told from the voice of a different character, so the reader can see all the problems in the town from a specific perspective. This is very interesting.

I loved how Wolfheart’s past of being a person who was into drugs and bad behavior changed when he met God. Even the characters who went to their local Catholic church continued to hold onto Native Spiritual traditions and beliefs. They combined their old beliefs with the Biblical beliefs. There is discussion of immorality with an underage girl and violence.