Wolves & Watercolors

Bracken Creek Wolves

by Aly Hollis

Aurora’s impromptu mountain vacation gets a little hairy when she discovers she’s staying in an actual wolf shifter pack. Cozy fantasy meets paranormal romance in this sweet and spicy standalone shifter rom-com.

Aurora needs a break! Her career as a painter in Los Angeles is going nowhere and she’s seriously burned out. The solution? Visiting her sister in a remote mountain town and getting inspired by the beautiful landscape.

Cedar has always preferred plants over people, but when Aurora shows up in his garden, everything changes. She’s full of life and passion, and he can’t seem to resist her - even though she’s human and therefore off limits.

Weird things keep happening around Aurora, and they need to figure out what’s going on before she gets hurt or discovers the truth about her sister and the pack.

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2024

About the author

Aly Hollis lives in the southwest with her family and a collection of blue heelers, sassy cats, and a singular aquatic turtle. She loves art, crafting, sewing, and anything else creative, especially writing fantasy stories.

Reviews

[Janett L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The FMC and MMC make this story fun to read, wolves are sexy to read about, and all together, it was a wild ride. I really loved how the MCs became infatuated with each other and learned how to cope with new aspects of each other.

[katlovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy Love

What another amazing book! Full of warmth and good feelings. I couldn’t put the book down. Maybe my favorite of the series, and all were amazing!

[Kristie Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to finally have Cedar's story! I love these books, and this one was no exception. Everyone around him is paired up with their mates, and Cedar has his garden. That is, until Hazel's sister comes for a surprise visit.

Aurora is visiting her sister in hopes of being there when the baby is born and bonding with her new family. Of course, they weren't ready for a human guest, but as always they make it work. As Aurora and Cedar spend time together they realize that they both quite enjoy the company. And Aurora seems to have a way with plants!

So sweet and romantic, and a reminder that sometimes the universe knows what's going on with us well before we do.

[Devon · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. The entire plot is the relationship.
2. All of the sudden we’re adding witches?
3. It was just boring.

It honestly seems like the writer just got lazy with this last book. It was about 75 pages shorter than the last three and it just seemed forced because she wanted to give the last single character his HEA.

[Heather Birt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series always cheers me up. Such a wonderful comfort read.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora is living in LA's fast-paced struggling artist lifestyle. She is surviving, but the way she comes to life on the pages is magic. Aly is really great at weaving the story and emotions while seemlessly transitioning pov. This is the second book I have personally read, and I look forward to catching up with books 1 & 2 soon.

This book was so cozy & full of life. I truly enjoyed reading it ☺️

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series! I love paranormal romance and this was an enjoyable read.

[River · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into the book and really struggled through it. I absolutely love this series but this book was extremely hard for me. I almost DNFED many times.

[Melinda Cater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved and devoured this final book in the Bracken Creek Wolves series!!!! It was just absolutely excellent and was the perfect weekend escape and pallet cleanser between more intense reads.

Aurora or Rory isn’t making it as an artist in LA. Her job allows her to pay the rent on her small apartment shared 3 ways but she finds that her cup is increasingly depleted. After a quick call with her sister Hazel Aurora decides on a whim that she needs a break and a surprise visit with her sister in the mountains is the perfect thing to clear her head, fill her heart, and hopefully give her some much needed inspiration.

And Cedar…well…Cedar isn’t really looking for a mate. Although all of his friends and even his Twin brother have found their mates he’s never found that certain draw to another. But when Rory unexpectedly arrives and Hazel and Slate suggest he show her around Cedar suddenly finds himself in over his head and falling hard for his Alpha’s younger sister.

This book really had it all!!! And was nothing short of perfection in my humble opinion! The story itself was completely sweet and cozy! The romance was lovely, swoony, and delightful spicy at all the right moments! I laughed! I cried! And I finished feeling both completely devastated that this is the final book in the series and entirely satisfied by the beautifully crafted conclusion. It was just exceptional!!! And my heart and soul danced with joy!

I absolutely love! Love! Love! Both Rory and Cedar! Honestly they and their relationship reminded me a lot of mine and my husband’s. I have always been the outspoken one with a bit of a rough edge but a heart of gold and my hubby is always been the steady quite one. And I loved that I could really relate to them.

I also really enjoyed the cameos of all the other characters from previous novels and seeing the directions their lives are taking. I really have a soft spot for this entire series and these characters.

Furthermore, I’ve always been a creative at heart and enjoyed all the snippets of art in this book. And the introduction of a new magic was done really well and added another depth to the Bracken Creek Universe that I particularly appreciated.

So yep…I very highly recommend this book to anyone needing something sweet and swoony with a perfectly executed flare of spice! Interesting magic! Gardening and Watercolors! Chickens and cheese! Pregnancy and secrets! All the family! And the most comforting vine of coziness woven throughout to leave you feeling completely content as you finish the very last sentence.

[Leigh Brooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was utter perfection and a fabulous conclusion to a series that has completely stolen my heart. And of course I am saddened by the fact that it's the last one but was insanely happy with the ending. It had everything for me, swoony sweet romance, cozy vibes and a touch of magic.

Aurora is an artist trying to make it in LA but it's not going well, so after calling her sister Hazel, she decides to surprise visit her in Bracken Creek with the plan to be inspired by the mountain landscape and continue her painting.
Cedar who has always been more reserved than his twin Onyx, prefers to spend his time with plants instead of people. But meeting Aurora, he finds himself drawn to the human girl knowing that it's against pack rules putting her off limits. When strange things start happening around Aurora, the pack needs to figure out what's happening, while trying to keep their secrets hidden.

I absolutely adored Aurora/Rory she is outgoing, friendly and doesn't have much of a filter which can get her into trouble at times. I loved how her relationship with Cedar progressed throughout the story and finding out she has a hidden secret of her own (no spoilers) was a surprise I didn't see coming. And I think one of the reasons i relate to her so much is because a lot of her character is like me especially the no filter. (As I've been told many times)

And Cedar this shy, kind incredibly sweet wolf who is the total opposite of Rory I couldn't help but lose my heart to him. He isn't as confident as his twin brother and he prefers to spend time alone in his garden with his plants but watching him come out of his shell around Rory was pure magic. Now I will confess when I first met Cedar in book one I was hoping him and Marigold would get together but I'm so glad the author had other ideas because otherwise i wouldn't of gotten this perfect pairing. Yep I'm a smitten kitten for this boy.

Again it was wonderful to see all the characters come back into this story from previous books and to have a peek into their lives as well, but it's a joy tinged with sadness as I now have to say goodbye to Bracken Creek.

I will definitely be looking out for any further releases by this author as I loved this series so much and I know this will be another one I'll re-read in the future.
So if you enjoy a cozy romance with a touch of spice, wolves and magic check this out you won't regret it. Highly recommend 😁

[Liz Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the eARC!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TROPES
🍇 Touch Her and Die
🍇 Found Family
🍇 Dual POV

I am so happy we get to see one of my favorite characters of this series have his happy ending! Now that the political war of the first three books is seemingly put to bed, the pack of Bracken Creek faces new challenges: a new baby is on the way and Hazel’s sister Aurora arrives unexpectedly and she seems to have some type of influence over plant life. While Aurora and Cedar are immediately taken with each other, she is only there temporarily.

I was so nervous the politics of the last books would somehow appear again, undoing the great ending we had with the third book. I’m so happy that wasn’t the case, though we get to see other struggles as the pack both tries to hide that they’re shifters from Aurora and then help her identify what’s going on with her and plants.

After reading the first book, I was shipping Cedar and Marigold hardcore, but I’m so glad that Cedar found someone with the same type of life and creativity that he has. When he eventually owns it, the change in him is obvious to everyone, and I love that they support him. To me, it makes for a great ending to our time at Bracken Creek because both Cedar and Aurora find something they’ve been missing, and come out the other side as happy and successful people.

[destiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

a cozy, whimsy read that follows an artist, aurora, who decides to take some time to visit her sister due to needing a break from the hustle life in LA. she travels to an beautiful, remote mountain town where she meets her sister’s family and friends including cedar.

but things aren’t what they seem and she learns this when she finds herself making plants grow quicker than they’re supposed too. questions start to circle her mind especially around cedar.

this book was genuinely really cute and super quick. it’s the forth book of the series and the author had told me it was the easiest one to do as a stand-alone. i think she did an amazing job with it, i don’t usually read wolf stories but i had fun! cedar and aurora’s chemistry was all over the pages and i loved the dynamic of the pack. great read!

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed this series from the beginning and I have loved every second of it. The final book in this series is just how I would have wanted it to go! Cedar has been one of my favorite characters from the beginning and to see his chance to find love, not with anyone random, but Hazel's little sister, I loved it! I loved that this book wasn't just about the wolves and what's going on around them, but a discovery of something new! Honestly I would love a series, or maybe even a prequel to why Aurora is what she is (not giving away any secrets). 100% go start the first book in this series, you won't regret a second of it! I can't wait to see what else this author does in the future!

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aurora, Hazel’s sister, has come to visit. Hazel is expecting and her sister wants to be there. The problem is that Aurora has no idea about the fact they are shifters.
Assigned to help Aurora find her way around, Cedar is fighting a growing attraction between them. Aurora is suspicious of things and what she isn’t being told, which makes it more difficult
This book is basically a nice little romance story with some suspense and surprises thrown in.
It is a fun, quick, light read that I enjoyed immensely.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth and final installment of the Bracken Creek Wolves, Wolves and Watercolors, follows the story of Aurora and Cedar. Aurora is a struggling painter in Los Angeles, whom is having painter's block and is becoming burned out. She decides to make an impromptu visit to her sister in a remote mountain town in hopes to be inspired. What she doesn't know is that she's visiting a werewolf pack.

This book can be read as a standalone. The author does a good job at explaining the characters and situations from previous books, without overshadowing the current characters. I think this may be my favorite book in the series! The author beautifully describes Aurora's painting, as she is painting. I am a painter, so I found this such an important aspect of the book. I also loved the sexual tension and banter between the main characters. This is a great cozy sweet paranormal romance!

[Sydney Wilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so damn wholesome and cute! Cedar was the perfect wolf MMC - a shy cinnamon roll gardener who still has an edge of protectiveness. And I love that Aurora is a painter! The scene of her painting Cedar in his wolf form is so cute.

Tons of found family vibes in this one - I love how supportive and nurturing the pack members are of each other. This definitely has cozy vibes, and it’s a quick read!

[Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quickly became my favorite of the Bracken Creek Wolves series. Cedar is such an interesting character, throughout the other books I was so enamored with him. Getting to explore new aspects of his personality, learn more more about this fascinating world of wolf shifters, and meet the compelling FMC Aurora- this book was a delight cover to cover. <3

[Britt Smolinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

For the fourth book, I didn’t know who could be matched up. But it was so fitting to have Hazel’s younger sister fall for Cedar. This book was definitely the shortest and had the least build up of their feelings, but I loved the new magically edition and seeing everyone come together as a family!

[Amy Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a perfect book to end and amazing series! I highly recommend diving into the Bracken Creek Wolves series! It is on my top 5 list for the year. It's such a cozy read with some spice, a little bit of action, and so many heartfelt moments!

[Kristy Finto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I am so glad Cedar got his HEA. I loved how cute and cozy this was. Probably my favorite of the series!

[Aly Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves and Watercolors will be appearing in an Omnibus of the entire series in March of 2025, along with updated bonus content!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the series I love them so much 🥹

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love their story. But I hate reading about pregnancies and babies and that whole trope so that was frustrating. But also did make sense for the story. Over all a really cute romantasy read

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, magic!

I have loved each of these stories but I think this is my favorite. Watching Cedar get his HEA was very satisfying. I just them as a couple. On page spice

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this! I think it might be my favorite of the whole series <3