The Opal Wolf

by Samara Saward

Lilly loves to read about the paranormal.
But the stories she is so fond of are more than that.
They're real.

On a mission to save her best friend, Lilly finds herself in an isolated town in country Victoria. A town with a secret. Her life changes forever when she uncovers the truth.

Lilly is an Opal Wolf.
And she's hunted.

Her world comes crashing down when the Alpha pretender, the man who murdered her birth parents, traps Lilly inside his mansion. Caught between duty and freedom, Lilly must find a way to balance her responsibilities.

If she doesn't, she will lose everything.

429 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2022

About the author

Samara is a fantasy author from Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her three kids, partner, and an English staffy named Boots. While she loves Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by a large family in north-west Tasmania, and misses the quiet life. When she's not writing, you'll find her reading, drinking coffee, camping, or playing Monopoly with her kids.

Reviews

[Jodie Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ This fast paced, action packed story about Wolf shifters in Australia had all the things I love, fated mates, strong female main character who grows into her own power, an evil leader, a tight pack and the subtle Aussie humour and references were perfect.

Lilly’s life in Melbourne is wonderful, finishing the final months of her Uni course, living close to her adoring parents and sharing her world with her childhood friend Bree as they start to plan their next steps. Until Bree goes missing…

Distraught at the disappearance of her best friend and frustrated with the lack of movement from the police, Lilly decides follow leads of her own in the hopes that she can find her. She finds herself in North-East Victoria, in a strange town which she soon learns is home to a pack of wolf shifters.

Lilly begins to uncover what’s happened to Bree and with the help of her parents and her new wolf shifter friends, Lilly finds more than she ever expected was possible… nope, I’m not going to spoil it for you and share any more!

We enjoy lots of action, adventure, romance, found family, fated mates, wolf shifter pack life, pack fights, an evil leader, lost family… this story was completely engaging, I couldn’t put it down!



**SPOILERS AHEAD**



- I absolutely loved this take on Fated Mates which was an immediate connection and a full realisation that the connection is of fated mates where the characters CHOSE to accept it and embrace it, rather than feel forced into the fated aspect of the connection. There was no hiding the bond, no feeling obligated to it, no anger around it, Lilly decided it felt good and she wanted it completely so she and Gabe just went for it.

- The long lost brother who started out as an evil torture inducing menace was handled beautifully. The mixed feelings of finding a brother with the anger over the trauma he afflicted onto Lilly’s best friend and the confusion over his alliances felt real. Nothing is simple, and his actions to try to stay alive and keep his mother safe coupled with his choices to reduce the impact of his harm was complicated.

- I loved the Aussie references and the humour which were real, and not over used or exaggerated. This seems like the an author’s voice which I would love to read more of.

[O'Livia Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lilly is a 20 year old college female who loves to read about the paranormal and who is also getting ready for ready for her 21st birthday in a couple of days. But the day before her birthday her best friend Bree goes missing. Lilly doesn’t think nothing of it until her birthday when she still hasn’t heard from her and she overhears some girls talking about seeing Bree leave with her new boyfriend. She goes home to celebrate her birthday with her parents and it’s there that she gets a video showing Bree being held somewhere so Lilly sets off on an adventure to find her best friend and in the process she uncovers the fact that life isn’t all that she thinks that it is. Come and read this full length novel to see what happens to Lilly. I received this book via Booksprout as an ARC for my honest opinion and I honestly loved it. I would definitely recommend that you read book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cassie Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Samara and pretty much everything she does, and this book is no different.
I received a message from her that an ARC copy was waiting for me in my email, and I absolutely devoured this book in 2 or 3 sittings.

The original Freedom Valley Trilogy has been reworked into this beautifully chonky read that has you searching where to get yourself a Gabe.

If you love wolf shifter romance reads with the added sexual tension of a mate bond, then this is definitely the read for you.

Lilly is on the search for her missing best friend when she stumbles across a quirky little town in the middle of nowhere that holds more questions than answers.

Then there's Gabe, he's tall, dark and handsome with that broodiness that makes women melt but it seems he only has eyes for Lilly.

There's action, romance, fantasy, a little bit of spice and a dash of mystery thrown all together to create this fantastic book that I found hard to put down.

[Courtney Alis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book, but there are something that frustrated me which brought it the 3.5/5. While I do recommend this book and think you should give it a read… I just wish there had been a bit more depth to the character development as well as the relationships. There was a lot that felt rushed which caused this to feel superficial. However, the story is great, it keeps you reading, and I do enjoy all the side characters as well as the FMC and MMC. I wish the ending would have been just a few more chapter after the final fight.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving this review

[ajscenic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book which follows Lilly searching for her missing friend.
Lilly is caring and gentle with a spine to steel. Gabe (the sexy guitarist) is also caring and protective and is laser focused on Lilly.
A lot of time was spent on the backstory and this added depth to the story. The story is also full of lush scenes and fated romance. Plus there also a few steamy scenes - that never hurts!
This is a great book which is essentially about watching Lilly overcome her trauma and grow from a caterpillar into a butterfly, ready to take on the world. 5 stars!

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Answers . . .

Lilly is a strong, determined character, easy for the reader to admire. In this fast-paced, action-packed story, she puts herself in danger to save her missing friend Bree and is drawn into discovering things about herself. And along the way, she also finds her mate, Gage. Lilly is an Opal Wolf. She finds that an evil Alpha Doyle had murdered her parents and has trapped her. How will this all turn out for her surrounded by real wolf shifters? A dream come true, maybe? Can she make things right for the pack?

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was on the edge of my seat for around 85% of this book. It's so action-packed with a fair few plot twists that make you say omg...

With a slight twist to the classic wolf shifter tales I read, I was obsessed with fantastic character development for the FMC who grows into a strong and sassy woman!!

I loved the MMC and the way he is both protective and supportive of the FMC.

Absolutely must read for 2025!
With a good amount of spice that's not voulger and some intense moments that will have you screaming at the book!

🌶🌶🌶

[Rose Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kickass FMC with an unusual and original storyline with riveting drama, gripping intrigue, and danger at every turn. Lilly and Gage stand strong, as they navigate through danger and intense situations to come out the other side winners. The steamy scenes just add to the enjoyment of this tale. It’s very satisfying to see them have their HEA, I Recommend this highly!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this paranormal/fated mates novel. It was full of action and romance and read really easily with alot of funny Australian banter. I felt like the author really jam packed alot of elements in this book, and should there have been less, the ones that were more prevalent could have been explored in more detail. The fated mates from a human perspective was quite quick, and I would have liked some more pushback from Lily - given that she was unaware of her background.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting story I couldn’t put down. Something was always happening, there was never a lull in the action! While it got annoying the number of times Lilly and Gabe “shut each other out” in their bond, I was able to over look that and still enjoy the storyline, with lots of action, and a perfect amount of spice tossed in!

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fated mates shifter romance that follows Lilly, who was raised to believe she was human as she discovers the paranormal world, hidden threats, and her fated mate. I would have liked a little more character and relationship development early on, but overall, it was a good read, and I recommend it.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
Yet another amazing novel out of the mind of Samara!
This story was such a great, fast paced, easy read full of Samaras signature Aussie humour!
Wolf shifters, fated mates And secrets ah yes please! Only thing missing was pancakes (IYKYK)
Definitely a recommended read from me!

[Kara Beeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this read. It was super clever how the author named stores and restaurants wolf themed. The story was fun and kept flowing well. The characters had personality and felt realistic. Loved this ❤️

[Leslie Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Opal Wolf is a fast paced action read. Lily is great and determined. I feel like I'm with her throughout the story. Such a great read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Summer Steelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I just couldn't stop reading and when I was done, was really hoping there was more. Saward did not disappoint!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Artemis Cienfuegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story wonderful world building but it felt like it took a long time to get to the romance and all the cute parts I was not invested.

[Axli · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite reads of 2023. I couldn’t put this book down and loved the effort put into turning this trilogy into a stand alone!
A beautiful story with twists, turns, hurt, and love 🥰