Oath of the Wolf

Wrath and Weeping #2

by Elisabeth Wheatley

Against all odds, Brynn and Cenric have made a life for themselves in the rugged land of Ombra. The young lovers are thriving, and the shire is flourishing under their rule, but kings do not forget the favors owed to them.

Years ago, Cenric was given the warriors to retake his ancestral homeland by the warlord who united the fractured Valdari islands into a single kingdom. Claiming friendship, the warlord turned king now invites Cenric and Brynn to Valdar as his guests for the largest gathering of the year.

Not wishing to offend him, Cenric and Brynn accept, but quickly realize that it is not mere friendship that the Valdari king wants. Caught in a web of ambition, lies, and tangled oaths, Brynn and Cenric soon realize that all is not well in Valdar and there are secrets even its king does not know.

When new intrigue awakens an ancient evil, Brynn and Cenric must fight to protect the things they have come to love and the very existence of not one, but two kingdoms.

The much-anticipated sequel to Tears of the Wolf from Elisabeth Wheatley.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Romantasy, Historical, Fantasy Romance, Magic

324 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2025

About the author

Elisabeth Wheatley is a fantasy author because warrior princess wasn’t an option. She loves tea and asking questions.

Reviews

[bluemoonsyrup]

The best telepathic doggos (and their humans) are back 💜

Also, quite frankly, after reading an alarming amount of spicy scenes with very weird undertones (men saying “if I start I won’t be able to stop” as if that’s sexy and not 🍇y), it is a such bliss to read a man who understands consent and his partner’s needs so well. Like I’m not even into men but can we please make Cenric the gold standard, rather than all the edgelords who barely even seem to like their partners?

Stopping immediately when there’s a problem, getting enthusiastic consent again before continuing, and saying “you can always tell me to stop” is so sexy, Cenric definitely drinks his ‘respects women’ juice 🧃

(No shade to those who like the fictional edgelords, I know fantasy is a safe place to explore things you’d never enjoy irl. There’s just a simple pleasure in reading a man who utterly adores his wife, and moreover makes sure that she (and everyone else around them) knows it)

[Katyana]

****4.5****

I admit as I was annoyed a lot in this book, but I wasn't so much annoyed at the book, just annoyed at the shit Brynn and Cenric had to deal with. They were really in a no-win situation here, and can't trust anyone around them.

It is a bummer, too, because I liked Hroarr and Vana in book 1 - ish, they were sometimes shits, but I felt like there was a solid possibility of close friendship there as the series went on - but I can honestly say that I loathe them now. Completely and utterly loathe. I'm angry Brynn saved Hroarr and I hope the both of them die horribly in the future.

Which is the fundamental issue of the book and series so far: Brynn and Cenric keep being put in a position where they have to fight on the behalf of fucking assholes.

I think the politics of it - the heinous misogyny of medieval times - is very much grounded in history. Perhaps too much. I talked about this a little in my review of book 1, but I really struggle with how it is possible to hold onto the misogyny of medieval times when women in this world are motherfucking sorceresses. I don't understand why they allow it. I frankly don't understand why they haven't burned the patriarchy to ash and taken over leadership themselves.

This book was a 4 star read most of the way through for me - the story was compelling, and I love Brynn and Cenric and everything about their relationship, plus we have telepathic dogs, which come on now, best thing ever - and that was the crux of my issue. The whole Valdani plot against Brynn was utterly, unforgivably stupid. If she was working against them, as the morons seemed to seriously believe, they would all be dead. When guards tried to attack her, she easily strangled them into unconsciousness with their own fucking clothing, in like 2 seconds. Why Ovrek and his bitch of a wife and moron of a son (and Hroarr and Vana, those betraying shitstains) thought she was a traitorous spy working against them when they'd all be too dead to worry about it if she was ... never made sense. It made them look like fucking morons. And it honestly made Brynn look a little dumb for NOT just fucking killing them all. When Ovrek's son attacked her, she should have killed him. Period. When Hroarr attacked her, she should have killed him. When he turned on her after she saved his worthless fucking life, she should have killed him. She could have literally laid waste to the entire fucking town, grabbed her people, and went home. Her uncle, the king of their land, probably would have given her a fucking reward for it. Win-win.

Instead she let them mistreat her, bully her, and she just took it, trying to find a way out that keeps everyone alive.

I get it from a story perspective. Brynn is a traumatized survivor of the war of succession in her own country, where she fought alongside her sorcerer sister on the front lines to put her uncle on the throne. Her sister died in that fight. Brynn does NOT want another war. She wants to live in peace, cling to the happiness she's found, and just help people. Additionally, politics are her bread and butter - she was raised at court - so she knows killing Ovrek and his idiot son and bitch of a wife would just make more of a mess down the road. Still, I really, really hated Brynn let people treat her this way. And for allies from book 1 to do it ... Hroarr and Vana are fucking dead to me. I don't care what happens in the rest of this series, I don't care what else they do, they are fucking dead to me. They aren't kings, there aren't the same consequences for killing them, and Brynn should have made an example of them so people can see a) precisely what a sorceress is capable of, and so they should be wary of fucking her over, as well as b) if she was working against them they'd be rotting corpses by now, so pull your heads out of your ass and figure out who is ACTUALLY working against you, fucking morons.

From all that, it doesn't sound like I liked it at all, does it? But I did. Because even in horrible situations, Brynn and Cenric are so solid that it is beautiful. And they are clever, working together to try and buy time, find a solution that doesn't turn a struggle into an epic shitshow. They get to fight side-by-side again in this book, and it's a highlight.

Additionally, the political solution that Brynn found in the end was both brilliant and gratifying. It was a checkmate kind of play, and I enjoyed that. She's made it very hard for Ovrek to turn on her and her husband again. And so while part of me thinks that, when the monsters attacked, she should have just fought the way clear for her and Cenric to grab their people and sail away, leaving all the assholes and morons to their fates, the other part of me gets it. (Though seriously, when Tullia tried to burn them all to death, that's when she should have left - punch out of the hall, like you did, let those dipshits kill each other and nope all the way back across the sea to get home. And I think she may have... if she couldn't sense the monsters approaching. I think she felt an obligation to all the innocent people in town, as well as a concern that if the monsters were allowed to run free, sooner or later she'd have to deal with it when they came to her shore...probably stronger after all the people they ate in Valdan.)

So this is the kind of story that I love, wolfed down like a tasty feast, but also was super angry at because my poor beloved characters were really in between a rock and a hard place here, and had to deal with way, way too much shit.

It will be interesting to see how the pregnancy impacts things going forward. Given how her first son was murdered as an infant - and given that her bloodline makes her a threat to the succession - she's going to be absolutely neurotic about keeping a new child safe.

[TJ]

SOOOOOO good! I could gush forever about how can’t-put-down this book is, or how it is so tightly written or how I adore the FMC and MMC’s relationship. Or, or, or…. A hundred other reasons this deserves the five stars I gave it. Suffice it to say PAHLEASE read it! First read the previous book, as it is almost as good, if you do, I won’t even have to beg you to read this one because you won’t be able to not. AND, once you do, You’ll know for yourself why I bit my nails, screamed at the walls, swooned, cheered, then closed the last page satisfied. It’s just a freaking good time.

P.S. May Hroarr and Vana burn in flames - just sayin.

[Kie]

my only complaint is we did not get nearly enough of brynn and cenric

[Claire]

In this book, everyone decides they hate Brynn for some reason, she saves the day all by herself, and nobody says thank you! 😤

[MarineXGJ]

The pacing ? So good. It felt like reading 1 giant chapter and not a whole book.

The characters ? Chef kiss. I love them. Especially the dogs.

[Mimi Smith]

Great read!

Brynn and Cenric are seven months into their marriage, when their bond gets tested by a political tangle of the worst sort. They’re caught between a conquering warlord Cenric supported in his youth and Brynn’s uncle, a king they owe fealty too. It’s made worse when they get caught up in yet another bid for power, culminating in murder and divine horrors.

I loved the tangle of intrigues and how Brynn and Cenric navigated them together, each with their own strengths and blind spots. They’re amazing! I feel secondary characters also get fleshed out here, each complex in their own right (from Hroarr’s abrasive nature and troubled relationship to the conundrum of whether a self-made king could ever be something as simple as a good man).

We are also further exposed to the politics of the realm, and how at least certain countries interact and the ways that impact our protagonists. Very reminiscent of Viking raids upon old England and the power structures of the time. I feel we also get more exposed to magic in this land, and how gods impact the world.

I hope there’s more to come in this series. We left Brynn and Cenric in a good place, but I feel there are still many unanswered questions about this world.

[Rebecca]

really enjoyed the political intrigue

[Lex Meyer]

Y'all I ate this up. I can't. It's so freaking good.
This was just as good, if not better, as the first one.
I want the world for Brynn and Cenric. I'm so excited for the next book.

[Gabz]

Revised review: 
I started reading Wheatley on a recommendation from Ilona Andrews, whom I trust implicitly. It was Tears of the Wolf, and it was this really mature, intricate and interesting setting that won me over and made me buy all the books and try out her older series.

Today, Reddit tells me that the author has determined that moving forward, there will be no spice in their books (fine, it's their choice, I'm clearly not the target audience), and they will also be editing out any spice from their previous books. This level of puritanical BS is what I would expect from certain countries, but most certainly not in the Western world, and not on a retroactive basis as if history needs rewriting. On account of the author believing that doing something like this to fans who liked a certain version of her books, and framing the natural act of intercourse as some hidden thing that needs to happen behind closed doors, I'm updating my reviews to reflect that I no longer support any work that this author has put out.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who prefer things this way, but I'm not one of them, and if your tastes are in any way similar to mine, you might choose to steer clear.
_____________

Previous review:

Another excellent installment, although I found it to be lighter on the romance than the previous novel in the series.

We get more intrigue and action in this novel, even though there are a lot of cute moments where Cenric is more than happy to show the world how much he loves his wife.

The resolution is really satisfying, too, despite the rather high death toll.

[Alinna]

I need more puppy and less stupid man chaos.

[Brittany Reno]

Really good… love that the author is also the narrator! And she did such an amazing job. I was shocked how well she did the voices of each character. It was so good. I’m just really impressed by this author’s writing. I will definitely look for more books by her.
This Romantasy continues the story of Brynn, a sorceress and Cedric her second husband. She was made to marry before to a horrible man. She is the daughter of a dead king. And others try to use her in so many ways throughout.
You get to see her come into herself and finally start doing what’s right for her instead of what she thinks everyone else wants.
She marries Cedric to be with someone who might appreciate her. And they eventually they grow to love each other.
I don’t want to give away too much….but they end up getting that love tested. Oh yeah, there’s also a dire wolf pup/pack that’s too cute.
I had to search for this audiobook because it wasn’t on Audible. It’s great to see authors use every platform except Amazon!😆 That they can succeed without it.

[Cee]

This one is more political than the last. There is some great action, awesome couple moments, and a lot of potential for the future. I absolutely loved this book.

Cenric and Brynn remain couple goals, fighting together and for each other no matter what.

No cliffhanger and yet I’m still craving the next book desperately.

[Lara Melo]

nature is healing, estou de volta, ngm me segura mais vamo bater a meta e dobrar a meta

[Natalie]

Rating was originally four stars, but I’m dropping it down to 1 and not continuing the series due to the author impulsively revising the book and deciding to change all the spice scenes (that were really tastefully done and such an important part of the charcter development) to fade to black. Really disappointed with this move and for the readers that are two books into the series and invested in this story the way it was originally told. It’s like suddenly changing the recipe for a well known chocolate bar and expecting zero problems. Will not be reading anything from this author moving forward.

[Megan Wybie]

If you don't want to write sex scenes in the future that's fine but changing a product that someone already bought and paid for is shady as hell regardless of what was changed or why.

[Darbi Bradley]

4.5 stars.

I really love the two characters and the opening up of the world. Brynn is a badass but also a softie and I love that about her. She is also a practical queen. I also really love that Cenrick trusts her implicitly.

I really enjoyed Tullia as a character and Orveck was fascinating.

Brynn is practical, has all the right bloodlines, an incredible diplomat, fierce and powerful as hell. Somehow I think by the end of this series her mom is gonna get what she wanted (RIP).

Slight nitpicks:
The dogs are showing up too much to have no impact on the plot. I cannot wait until the whole thing with Guin refusing to talk to Cenrick is resolved.

The only thing I didn’t love about this book was it was too much of Brynn and Cenrick reacting, rather than making ACTIVE CHOICES for themselves. For two such dynamic and powerful characters it got frustrating.

[Ane Ellasdatter]

Not nearly as good as the first one, but then my expectations were a lot higher for this. The beginning had a lot of repetition, which I may have appreciated if I didn't read Tears of the wolf just a week earlier... But it did get tense and complicated in the way I like, and I will definitely be reading the next one when it comes out.

[Julie]

I remember liking the first book a lot more. This was kind of boring until we get to the monster bit. Not sure if I want to continue the series since it looks like there is supposed to be 7? Seems a bit much. I do like the main characters and magic system so I could see myself sticking around a tad longer to see that development through.

[H.M. Bloom]

Absolutely fantastic. The growth between the FMC and MMC is phenomenal, the building of the plot was so, so good, and there were enough funny and endearing parts to help balance the heavier moments. All in all this is an exceptional read. Highly recommend

Content: significant blood and death, mild cursing, and 2 open door scenes (1 short, 1 long)

[Kaylin]

"It's was difficult to reflect on the past few weeks. Nothing had changed, and at the same time, everything had."

This series is one of my all time Favorites! I love Brynn and Cenric's relationship so much! I hope to one day of a relationship like their's. And the story itself! I was on the edge of my seat for so much of it! I could read these books again and again!

[Libby]

Could not set this one down and I'm not sure I'm gonna survive until the 3rd book is out. 10/10 love the Wrath and Weeping series.

[Ketket]

Rövid,de jó. Több kutyuskát bele!

[Taylor]

Not as good as the first. But still fun to read. The spice seemed less relevant and therefore more gratuitous but still limited to a couple of scenes (thank goodness).

[Saphire]

Now this is worth reading.

[Natalie E]

I loved joining Brynn, Cenric and the dogs on this next leg of their marriage as they faced the complexities of Viking-esque court politics. Their kind, devoted relationship always grounded the story while making the stakes more dire. I appreciate how Ms. Wheatley writes historical political and social dynamics without the 21st century air of superiority that permeates historical fiction these days. Very much looking forward to the next book coming out!

[Sti Rosenfeld]

AMAZING!

I was in a reading slump before this book, reading much slower than my usual speed - but this book truly brought me back!

I loved the pacing, the love story, the badasseri, the best doggos! ❤️❤️ I have absolutely loved all Elisabeth's books so far - the world building, the yearning, the politics and magic. Highly recommend.

[Julia]

Book 2, the continuation of Brynn and Cenric's story. They are still very much in love, and must travel to the local kingdom of Valdari. This book had a lot of political machinations, and I didn't like all the backstabbing. The supernatural elements were interesting, and Brynn got to use her sorceress powers towards the end. I didn't like the way the Valdari King acted, and would rather not see him in future books. It was starting to feel like everyone except Cenric viewed women as disposable and interchangeable, which really annoyed me.

[Natasha]

A bit slow for me. I love seeing a healthy relationship between both characters. They have such unwavering love for each other which is so sweet. Brynn deserves it!!

[Lilith the Serpent]

This was an amazing, and I love the dogs, Cenric's personality (he easily could've ended up being more like Ovrek or other Valdari men), and even the politics part, although some scenes were painful to read (in a good way). I wish the book was looooooonger.

It was great to see a powerful female lead with a loyal husband who isn't intimidated by her power and is still able to protect her from both physical harm and unfair judgment.

I felt deeply frustrated with the development of Vana and Hróarr's relationship. Their priorities are different, and Vana is practical, which adds a lot of realism to the story. However, choosing to stay with Ovrek of all men is beyond my comprehension. There's so much wrong with his personality. Maybe it's good Tolvir didn't take after him. No more Ovreks should be produced.