In Wulf's Clothing

Banished #1

by B.A. Tortuga

When werewolf Trey is banished from Lobo Canyon, scarred and bleeding, he vows never to come back. His best friend with benefits, Cory Benally, never expects to see him again, for sure, so it comes as quite a shock when Trey shows up for the pack alpha’s wedding. The alpha is Trey’s brother, and sheriff Cory’s boss, and when they’re thrown together Cory isn’t sure what the heck to do.

Now a famous clothing designer who goes by Wulf, Trey doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. He’s there to do the dresses and suits for his brother’s wedding, and Cory can go take a flying leap. Except he and Cory still have the same sizzling chemistry. And the love. When danger lurks around the corner for Trey, Cory has to protect him, and prove this time he’s willing to fight for Trey’s love, no matter what.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Audiobook, Shapeshifters, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her hounds and her beloved wife, texting her grandbabies, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting, and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. Following their own personal joys, BA and Julia heard the call of the high desert and they now live in the New Mexico mountains. BA's personal saviors include her wife, her best friends, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to cowboy daddies to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which is committed to giving everyone their happily ever after. With books ranging from hard-hitting BDSM, to fiery passions, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this story because the author had a lot of characters, action, drama and future stories to look forward to but the past being breezed over bothered me. 🤔
I would have liked for Trey and Cory to really hash 😤 out the past, but it just seemed that once Trey and Cory got a taste 😋 of each other they forgot all about the past and it just felt to quick to forgive and forget.
I did enjoy Trey's pack dynamics and I'm looking forward to more. 👍

[Gustaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book.

Was kind of bored in the middle.

And didn't really care for the ending.

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I don't understand is when Trey was banished Cory did not go with him. But you find out later that Cory assumed once banished you died. So Cory didn't just let his mate leave by himself, he let his mate walk away to his death! He was actually shocked to learn Trey was still alive. Young or not, I don't understand why Cory was okay to let Trey die.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh! A wolf dying of an lung infection in his elder years. Huh! While teens want to explore the world are banished from ever returning home. That one there is weird to me. Even the Amish will allow a vist once the children are born. Well I saw that on TV so that situation might be scripted.

[Sign of Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went to this with the thought that it will be a small, cute, relaxing story for my bike rides. It really wasn't.

The idea wasn't that bad, I have a soft spot for hidden supernatural villages, and even thought it's very rarely done right, I still can't resist most of the time. And that's how I ended up here. That and my Storytel account, which has a very strange selection of titles.

Definitely the most tiring in this book, was a complete lack of suspense. Every introduced conflict was resolved after maximum 2 scenes in a way best described as:
'-Are you still angry?
- No.
- Great.'.
Satisfaction: 0

Also, it was boring. Boring in a way that made obvious, that the only point of this book was to write self-indulgent sexual scenes. Which were also boring.

I also didn't like the romance. Or should I call it 'relationship between leads', because they were just in love. Don't know why. It was corny in an unflattering way, with a definite overuse of words 'little', 'sweet', 'baby' and 'breathe'. I also found the labeling of roles in a relationship lowkey insulting, but that's my very subjective opinion.

To sum it up: a barely above 'readable' M/M romance without any additional value.

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook. John Solo was fantastic. He’s a great narrator and certainly helped this story. His narration is a perfect 5.

The story kind of drug along. I think the fact that it took me 5 days to listen to a short book speaks volumes.

Since Trey and Cory were mated before Trey was banished I could accept their quickly falling back into each other’s arms. I think if I’d been Trey I wouldn’t have been quite so forgiving so fast.

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this interesting MM shifter romance that has a fascinating “second-chance” undertone & can be read as a standalone. I found the plot to be quite intriguing with the emotional journey the two characters go through to finally get their happy ending although I was definitely not impressed with Cory’s reactions in the beginning of the story but he does redeem himself later on in the storyline. There is good support from the secondary characters.
It is about: a young rebellious werewolf (Trey aka Wulf) was banished from his pack due to circumstances beyond his control & his mate (Cory, a pack enforcer) was not able to go with him now Wulf is back as a world class clothing designer for his brother’s (Stephen, who is now the pack alpha) wedding to his mate (Laurel) In the meanwhile Cory (now the sheriff) is quite determined to protect and claim Wulf for his own but danger is just a heartbeat away.
There is: a conniving ex-alpha (George), Wulf’s pack of misfits, law enforcement, pack politics, family issues, fated mates, threats, danger, attacks, devious intentions, action, drama, intrigue, confrontations, betrayal, anguish, memories, regrets, decisions, protectiveness, compromises, attractions, determination, temptation, contentment, love, some steam & a delightful happy ending.

[P Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prologue pulled me quickly but somewhere along the way, I started losing interest.

Trey and Cory never really dealt with their past. They got together and their feelings resurfaced and everything was forgiven. I suppose I was expecting more heart to heart.

“I voluntarily read this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars

All in all, I had a very hard time with this version of the story. While I could follow the events of the book, I’d have to go back and relisten to a few scenes more than once to figure out if it was Trey or Cory doing the growling. It left for a disjointed and uneven experience that, to be honest, made it hard to connect with or form a less-than-biased opinion on the book as its own thing, apart from the audio version.

And then there was the ending, which stood on its own and annoyed me on its own merits. There’s vandalism, shooting, kidnapping, threats, and dire prophecies, and it all ends anticlimactically with no real action taken on the part of any of the characters. The drama of the story revolves around the changing of the guard as George, the old, evil alpha has been replaced by Trey’s brother. George has people stirred up … but only a handful of them. He makes a show of teeth (figuratively) and shakes his fist, but no one cares. Until they do, and then it’s over.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet sexy angsty drama love and feelings.. this was just a sweet story.. i enjoyed it. it was cute and made me smile and laugh. i had so many emotions during this story... some good some bad.. it was well written and enjoyable and i really liked it.

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cuppa
But it might be yours.
Vegi book, I might revisit the series next time I'm in a vegi mood.

[Dionne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good second chance romance book with the added element of shifters to make it more enjoyable. I wasn’t a big fan of Cory’s character in the beginning of the book but I grew to like him as the story went on. All in all, it was a very sweet short story that I really enjoyed. 3.5 stars

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

This book had a lot of great potential, and it was still worth the time spent reading for some background to the series. The intro drew me into the story, but too many situations were either glossed over, let go way too easily, or overlooked entirely.

I did like Trey, or Wulf, the banished wolf. He took a horrific situation, got through the worst of it, brought others like himself to safety, and made a name for himself. It's pretty amazing since he was banished for dreaming beyond the canyon's borders. But, he did it without his bed buddy (or more) who watched as he disappeared.

Cory didn't understand Trey's longing when the cruel pack Alpha banished his friend and sent him off to his death. Now, the police chief, Cory lives under a new Alpha, Trey's brother. When the Alpha's wedding is coming up, Cory gets a surprise like no other. Maybe there is life after banishment after all.

Unfortunately, this is where I started to lose interest. There was no drama, no long discussions , or even fighting. It seemed that all of the lead up to their meeting was hot air, and oh, it's a happy day again. Now, there is some drama/action due to the pack being insular and allowing bad influences to remain long past their due date. But even this was anticlimactic, in my opinion, but that's just me.

The story does introduce the next couple coming up, and it seems like there are going to be some interesting things to deal with for them. But, for Cory and his Wulf, it's time to take on new responsibilities and become more than they ever imagined. This is definitely a happily ever after for the two of them. Coming up: River's Edge.

Happy reading!

* I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving my honest opinion. *

[Jooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

Confusing pack dynamic and the story line/writing felt like a lot of (interesting) things thrown together in a bowl and stirred. a bit sad because I am really intrigued

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many of BA Tortuga's works so I'm not sure why, but I just didn't enjoy this book. I found the plot hard to relate to. Trey and Cory just didn't seem to match up. Trey was the hotheaded wolf who didn't take well with the pack rules. He was a rebel who paid the high price of banishment for his stubborn independence in wanting to see & experience what the world outside of his pack had to offer. Cory just came off as wishy-washy in that he followed the crowd and held back on his feelings for Trey & didn't follow Trey in leaving their Lobo Canyon pack because all believed that to leave would mean certain death. To me this showed cowardness, not any true mate's feelings. I liked that this was strictly a shifter story; no human involvement at all; except as customers of Trey aka/Wulf's design business. Now this business of Wulf's has a recurring reference in the follow-up books, so I look forward to reading these other books.

[Linda Crandall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong initial angst, in the prologue, then much less harshness despite the emotional difficulties confronted by the protagonists throughout most of the rest of the story. The mature acceptance of adverse circumstances, described along with their doubts and fears, glosses over the deep scars they both suffered, and carries forward with bright hope and the typical fated mate trope of this type of werewolf story.
Although an mm romance, the inclusion of various types of pairings makes the pack more "real-life," with several different varieties of relationships.

[Maddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was..weird..



It started out okay, with banishment and a lot of unresolved anger and resentfulness, but then it got..weird. The writing got choppy and fragmented, the plot got mixed up, the characters suddenly forgot their issues. Like seriously, one moment they are angry and resentful, biting and sniping at each other, then they are sort of courting with food, then you blink and it is all sex and mates, and love. It was..weird. I love insta-love and mates as much as the next person, but they literally just jumped over the whole thing, without talking it out or apologizing, straight into mates and love, without even discussing their future or arrangements or anything. How can you give mate bites if at least one of you thinks they will leave when the wedding is over? It started strong enough, with serious potential, and then..what the hell happened? Weird. Utterly weird.

**I was provided an ARC of this book from the GRR for an honest review**

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Re-read, just as good the second time).

Trey was kicked out of his pack for causing trouble. His mate Cory just stood by and watched him leave, breaking more than just Treys heart. Years later Trey returns for his brothers wedding, as the designer for the service. As the well known Wulf, his dresses are divine, and so is he. Determined to go in, do fittings and then leave, he didn’t count on the mate bond kicking in again. Love, family, danger and a man who won’t let him escape again totally messed up his plans. Which might just not be that bad because he gets his mate back.

Nice story about the power of love and family. Trey and Cory were sweet characters who got their HEA and the family they both deserved. Solid writing and interesting characters, The bad guy was particularly bad and the sweet sexy times were particularly sexy. This author seldom disappoints.

I received an arc of this book.

[Coline Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful start to the Banished series by B A Tortuga, I really enjoy this book, it was a well written and so easy to read that you just have to keep going till the very end. After losing his mate when he was younger, from a conflict between the Alpha and Trey, and ending with Trey's banishment from the pack, Cory has felt like he's only living half a life. So when Trey comes back to design the wedding parties attire for his brother the new Alpha sparks fly between Cory and Trey as their mate bond kicks back in drawing them back together again. Hopefully they can figure out their future and find the happy ever after they both deserve.

[Garc · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a simple premise that it quickly gets confusing. I spent more time than I would’ve liked trying not to look my bearings.

There’re enough entertaining characters, drama and action to maybe warrant a 3 stars rating. However the simple fact that I almost abandoned this book - I stopped and read several books before forcing myself to finish it - speaks volumes. There are some parts that I like and others I didn’t care for.

I might still checkout the sequel if I come across it.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was so predictable. It was okay but kind of boring because I’ve read too many of these things. I wasn’t thrilled that most of the women were cooks and sewers, but one was a good sheriff. I loved that one of the MCs was a designer and sewer and the other did some atypical things. I really liked that there were women as main characters yet still having lots of people who were potential main characters for future books. I like a book that see that women are important.

In the beginning, Corey thought about all the rude things Trey had said to him in the past. Then that wasn’t discussed again. At the time, I wasn’t thrilled that they were going to get back together. After that they were fine.

There were an excessive number of pastries and they talked about food and ate all the time.

“I’ve got to find my phone.”
“I don’t have it. Have a donut.”

At least most of the food was Southwest Mexican in keeping with the location which was really cool.

There was also too much sex. There was a lot, really. Things worked out way too easily. There was a danger scene but it was short and disappointing. This was such a typical shifter book. It was fairly short but still needed to end at least a chapter earlier.

The author was fine but I’m so sick of this genre. It pains me to read them. (Yes, I read it for a challenge.)

The reader is good. He has an odd way of ending some sentences that I can’t describe but he has decent voices and his narration and intonation are good.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young FWB wolf shifters, Trey and Cory are ripped apart when their aggressive alpha attacks them and banishes Trey from the pack. Trey has never forgiven Cory for not leaving the pack with him. Years later, Trey (now Wulf) a famous fashion designer, is invited by the new alpha to return to the pack to outfit the bridal party for alpha’s upcoming wedding. Cory is now the sheriff and he has his work cut out for him keeping a lid on the old alpha loyalists and things start to heat up when Trey and his friends turn up. While Cory still has feelings for him, he won’t apologise for the past and Trey can’t forgive so neither man is willing to make the first move.

I didn’t mind this, it just didn’t draw me in or set me on fire after the opening scene. This didn’t feel like the first book in the series and I found myself at sea with all the characters at first but it eventually settled. The premise of the story is good but the unrest within the pack didn’t amount to much and the romantic obstacles were surmounted pretty easily—I would have liked higher stakes and bigger feelings so I probably won’t seek out more books in the series. If you like shifter romances with mild angst, you’ll probably enjoy this. 🎧 Veteran US voice artist John Solo is a firm favourite so I loved his audio narration (currently free on the Audible Plus catalogue).

[Jesslan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Wulf's Clothing By BA Tortuga

When an abusive crazy Alpha beats Trey (now called Wulf) and banishes him his future mate, Cory, doesn't stand by him and let's him go. Trey creates a new life for himself and a new pack of misfits he adores and protects all the while Cory believed that Trey couldn't survive on his own and died.

When Trey's brother challenges the old Alpha and wins thus becoming the new Alpha he invites Trey back and informs him and the pack that he is no longer banished and no one will ever again be. Cory having believed all these years that Trey died is shocked when he arrives.

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were all unique in their own ways. From strong and protective to snarky. A side character I loved was Miguel and can't wait to read his and River's story next.

There's only one part of the story that I was very unhappy with. There are years of them being apart. Years of Trey feeling betrayed by the one person he should have been able to trust and years of Cory feeling he betrayed Trey in the worst way. Yet they're barely back together with no discussion about the past at all before one kiss happens and all is forgotten. That much betrayal between them needed significant working through before being resolved.

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. Trey, or Wulf as he is known now, has traveled back to his old pack to help prepare for his brother’s wedding. His brother is also the new alpha, having defeated the old alpha for leadership of the pack. Trey was banished and scarred by the old alpha, kicked out and left to die. He wasn’t prepared to see Clay again. Clay was his best friend and his mate. It broke his heart when Trey was banished but Clay didn’t know what to do. He had stood up for his friend but gotten beat down. Now face to face again, they find the old pull is still there and their chemistry burns just as hot as it ever did. These two have to find a way to make it work because they don’t want to face any more days apart. This was a hot, sweet story about fated mates that had to go off and grow before they could be together. Wulf had to heal and learn how strong he could be and build a pack of his own full of misfits and other banished wolves. Clay had to get stronger and grow into the alpha that he would need to be in order to help Trey lead his pack. I loved these guys and having already read the second book I know River and Miguel work everything out too. Great books and I can’t wait to read Aspen’s story next.

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cory and Trey were very interesting to me. From the prologue, I assumed that Trey was the alpha of the pair, and it took quite the mental re-jiggering to adjust to Cory being alpha instead. Because of that, I think that I made fewer assumptions about the course of the book, since my initial assumption proved to be so incorrect.

I liked that Trey proved that he was beyond strong enough to thrive outside of the canyon, and that, ultimately, he became an impetus for change to depose George and introduce the residents of the pack to the modern world. It was interesting to see both Cory and Trey fight against their mating, both blaming the other for the pain that they could have avoided, if only they had trusted each other more. And yet, that pain, ultimately, couldn't stand up to the love that each still harbored for the other.

I also enjoyed how everyone around Cory inherently picked up on his growing influence and abilities, while he was blissfully ignorant of what his instincts were telling him. I loved that everyone found love and acceptance, and that Cory is ideally situated to lead in the Sante Fe pack.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Latecia Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Audible/ARC review**

I received an ARC but saw that this had an audible with John Solo as the narrator and just had to purchase it. I'm glad I did. This was good. It started out tragic for Trey and Corey. Very brutal violent start and it was sad...felt bad for the couple who were young but knew they were strongly connected...mates even but circumstances(banishment) kept them apart. Years later Trey/Wulf is back for his brother's wedding...and all Hades break loose. This is my first book with the author and her style of writing...I love it...so adding John narration to the mix made it worth reading/listening. The dialogue/banter...especially Trey's was hilarious...he had soooo much snark and confidence I was constantly laughing and smiling. His love for Corey and vice versa was sweet and so HOT...they really were a true match. With this story you meet a lot of wonderful characters and not so nice ones but this made it interesting and entertaining...you know you will meet most of these characters again and I can't wait to get a hold of River and Miguel's story next. Nice start to series and a well deserved HEA for Corey and Trey.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book and audio.
🎧 Narrated by John Solo
❤ Beautifully narrated as always for this narrator. Voiced bring the characters to life with their personalities.

❤A great start as betrayal as lovers go there separate ways. Tensions between the characters after they came face to face was high. But attraction was still there as well. They say food is the way to a person's heart, it could be the same for a wolfs. A sadness of losing a pack member for Cory and Trey. Trey has a new life with his own pack but he was thrown out he cant forget. George stirs up trouble which has them all of edge.
A great ending and I cant wait to read the next one in this series..

Cory was a pack enforcer and was bonded to Trey as teenagers. Trey gets on the bad side of the Alpha in a fight and was thrown out of the pack.
Cory now Sheriff and Trey gone with a new Alpha which was getting married.
Trey aka Wulf designer of the clothes for the wedding.

[DD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A second-chance love, fated mates, wolf shifter romance. You can’t help but hurt for Trey and how he was unfairly banished and it was hard to see how badly he was still treated even though the alpha allowed him to return. But knowing he’s flourished out of the pack and that his brother has defeated the nasty old alpha who did it helps. You want to root for Wulf and see justice is done for him. And when he and Cory let go of the past and realize they need to be together, that they’re mates, makes me glad they didn’t waste too much time letting old hurts get in their way. I love the sounds of Wulf’s pack of outcasts and can’t wait to read more about them in books to come. My opinion was they were too lenient on the old ornery alpha and all the trouble he was causing. But I understand that they wanted the pack to progress, not stay stuck in their violent past. And hey, it worked out anyways!

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice start to a series. Trey, always thought there was more to life, he could do better with life outside Lobo Canyon. He and Cody were almost inseperable. When the Alpha, decided Trey was a threat and needed discipline, he fought him and did near fatal damage. Cody, thought Trey was dead, until he showed up for his brother, the new Alpha, Stephen's wedding. Trey, goes by Wulf now and he's a famous designer who lives with a group of people who were kicked out of their packs too. When Wulf and Cody see each other again, the feelings nearly smother them. Cody, is now Sheriff. Will they talk to each other? Will they acknowledge their feelings? Can they find a solution to their living arrangements? Nice story. Great friends and family support. Well done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kendra Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trey and Cory are friends with benefits. When there's a confrontation with the alpha, Trey is banished. Cory is too scared to go with him, so they grow up apart and missing each other. Trey's brother is alpha now and he's getting married. Trey has become a famous clothing designer and comes back to the pack to design the wedding party's clothes. Cody is the pack sheriff and is surprised when Trey shows up. He assumed that Trey being on his own, he wouldn't survive. Trey's just there for the wedding and then he's gone again. Cody is determined that the end of the wedding isn't going to be the end of him and Trey. Not everyone is happy that Trey has returned and it doesn't take long for trouble to start.

This book had a really good premise that for me didn't pan out. It was very slow going and I didn't feel very much chemistry between Trey and Cody. The trouble wasn't very much and was taken care of pretty easily. I would have like more tension and confrontation. The book seemed to drag on and on and I was fighting not to skim through. Trey was treated very poorly and I don't feel like anyone truly made up for it. I would think this book would be better if more time was spent on Trey with his made pack, as they really care about him. Several times I felt the dialogue between Trey and Cody was cheesy and no believable. Hoping the next book is better.