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The Wald Pack #1

The Rabbit's Foot: The Wald Pack

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All rabbit shifter Alpin Dawkins wanted was some peace and quiet. Being kidnapped and trundled off to a lab to undergo six years of sadistic experiments wasn't what he had in mind. And now all he wants is to go home.

Although Malachi Kurian spent years training to be a First, the leader of his wolf pack, he had no desire to be at anyone's beck and call, so he ran. Life as a lone wolf worked out great - until the night he heard the screams.

He might have escaped, but Alp is certain this time he's going to die. When a wolf kills his pursuers, Alp fears he's about to be on the menu.

He never expects the wolf will save him, or come to love him.

Now all they have to do is rescue the others still held in the labs....

218 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2021

74 people are currently reading
196 people want to read

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Parker Williams

62 books291 followers

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5 stars
210 (40%)
4 stars
181 (35%)
3 stars
94 (18%)
2 stars
24 (4%)
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6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Susan.
2,349 reviews460 followers
dnf
October 16, 2021
DNF at 52%

Apparently it's DNF day for me. ☹

I thought this started out very promising (like so many other books I started lately), but just when I expected some relationship development, it turned into this insta-love fest on steroids.

Alp is a bunny for the first 24%. And while that was incredibly cute, I couldn’t wait for these two to meet for real. But by the time I hit 36% they were already mated and exchanging I love yous!

I get that they were planning on taking on the men that held Alp captive for 6 years, so there was a lot of story to tell. But I really wanted them to slow down in the relationship department.

At this point I’m not invested enough to continue.
Profile Image for Kaje Harper.
Author 91 books2,730 followers
July 22, 2021
The set-up for this book makes it sound dark - and in fact there is a lot of trauma and some violence in the story line. But much of that happens off page, or is matter-of-factly mentioned. There's more sweetness and warmth than pain and angst (although some of both) as you read through this story of rabbit-shifter Alp, who escaped 6 years of captivity and torture in the name of "research" and was saved at the last moment by wolf-shifter Mal.

Mal is a big guy, tough when he needs to be but mostly an even-tempered good guy, drifting a bit since leaving his home pack. When he hears a scream in the night, he's not the kind of man who can just ride on off on his bike and forget it. And when he finds a frightened, injured bunny shifter, after the first flash of anger at the human culprits, all of Mal's nurturing instincts come into play. And it turns out, he has a lot of those, and a cute soft and squishy side that Alp brings out in him.

The interactions of these two, with Mal's protective warmth and Alp's spunky determination, add a lot of fun to the story. Their relationship is fast, but with pack and mate factors involved, that fits with the story set-up. I appreciated that Alp didn't let Mal coddle him, and that the seriousness of the situation wasn't downplayed, even though it was kept from diving too deep into trauma and angst. They fit well together.

This book has its own individual take on shifters, with enough uniqueness to make it fun. There are also some strong women characters, which I really like to see in M/M.

The end is a solid HFN, with a lot of outside challenges to come, but a relationship that looks unsinkable. And there are all kinds of secondary characters who might be worthy of a book of their own, so I'm pleased to see a series name on this one.
Profile Image for Sandra .
1,987 reviews347 followers
February 8, 2022
I forget how I heard about this book (probably on FB), but since I now have KU, I went and got it, and then read it and read it and read it some more until it was over, and I felt bereft because there's not a 2nd book yet.

It's not a perfect book. Alp(in), the rabbit, spends a good chunk of this book in his rabbit form, for reasons found within, and the interaction with Mal(achi), the big not-so-bad wolf, is largely one-sided, because, ya know, rabbits can't talk.

But eventually Alp regains his human form, and it's very quickly apparent that he and Mal are meant to be.

There's snark (loved that), and action and suspense, and family, and one crazy motherfucker scientist who is the primary villain in this story, and who... nah, y'all read this for yourself.

This being the first book in this series (where is book #2, dear author??), there was obviously some world-building required, but it was handled rather organically and woven within the narrative and dialogue.

I need book #2 now, please.
Profile Image for peach.
565 reviews40 followers
October 25, 2022
I really enjoyed the first half of this book, Alp was really cute and I loved Mal's protectiveness. It was fun to see them develop feelings before they could even communicate properly, and to then see those feelings grow when they could finally speak.

Unfortunately the momentum really dipped two thirds in, and the last part of the book felt boring and tedious. The side characters were uninteresting and took away a lot of focus from the MCs with overly long, pointless dialogues and speeches. Most egregious was when one of them went on telling Mal and Alp about how it was warranted for them to kill the people who hurt Alp, when Mal had already been planning that from the start and was the one who called those side characters in in the first place. And Alp, who had kept insisting that he come along in several overly drawn out arguments with Mal, suddenly says that he now realizes that while he'd prefer to run away, he has to help the other people trapped there. But wasn't that his stance all along? I couldn't make sense of it.

At this point I lost patience with the book, and found it hard to enjoy the rest of the story when it should have been at its most exciting. The drawn out, awkward dialogue in what was supposed to be tense action moments felt unrealistic and had no sense of urgency. The book then had a very dragged out ending and it felt like it stopped focusing on the relationship between the MCs and became all about the survivors and building a pack. This book started as a 4 star read and ended as a 2-2.5 star, so I averaged it out to 3.
Profile Image for Claudia.
219 reviews4 followers
July 16, 2021
This shifter book about bunny shifter Alpin and wolf shifter Mal was sweet. The main plot follows Mal, a loner who left his pack fifteen years prior after realising he didn’t want to be the next pack First (aka leader/Alpha), finding Alpin in rabbit form, disfigured and being hunted by the men who have been torturing him for the last six years in the name of science.

The first 50% of the book is Mal nursing Alpin back to health, Alpin reconnecting with with family, the two men bonding and becoming mates - leaving only a need to resolve their revenge plot for the last 50%.

It was at this midway point I sort of lost interest because I didn’t really care about the revenge plot and all the romance plot points had been hit already. I skimmed the second half and read the ending and it was fine, but the pacing was definitely off.

The characterisation is solid, Alpin is a bunny with an attitude, his spirit has in no way been broken by what he’s experienced and he’s just as bloodthirsty as Mal is when it comes for exacting justice. In comparison Mal is your typical stoic loner wolf, protective and loyal to a fault.

The romance is Insta-love with very little build up of tension and the sex scenes are good but not particularly spicy or Adrenalin filled.

Overall an enjoyable read but one I’m a little annoyed I paid $6 for, wish it had been a Kindle Unlimited book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for The Word Nerd Reviews Blog.
986 reviews58 followers
August 14, 2024
What a beautifully addictive read! The Rabbit's Foot grabbed me from the first few pages and didn't let go until the end. The story is both heartbreaking but also healing.

Alp's experiences, and those of the shifters left behind in the lab, are truly horrific. But Mal helps Alp heal, and together with an extended found family, they fight for what is right.

I can't wait to read more in this series and discover what is in store for this rather unusual pack. I'm looking forward to continuing on the journey with Alp and Mal and seeing their family slowly come together.

If you are looking for a paranormal fantasy that will have you both needing tissues and smiling, then I highly recommend The Rabbit's Foot. The ending certainly makes the tears worth it!

Profile Image for Megan.
143 reviews5 followers
August 23, 2021
I struggled with this book. It seemed like Alp was in rabbit form for a large portion of the “getting to know you” period and I just didn’t feel a connection between him and Mal by the time they mated. Besides that, I was really confused by Alp’s missing foot. The wound was apparently inflicted several years in the past, but some of the descriptions made it sound fresh. Things got more interesting for me when the focus was off the relationship, but there were still some things about the lab that bugged me and I just couldn’t hold on to my suspension of disbelief.
782 reviews6 followers
July 10, 2021
4.5 Stars!

I really enjoyed this story; I tore through this book because I couldn't wait to see what happened. I loved watching the lone wolf become so protective over a rabbit shifter he finds in dire straits. Mal thinks he has everything he needs in life until he comes across Alp, then he just can't seem to walk away from the rabbit shifter.

I loved how careful Mal was with Alp before and after Alp healed enough to shift back to his human form. Mal is a natural leader, he just needed the right situation and people to connect with. Alp was amazing. I can't imagine living in the conditions he had for so long and still doing all that he could to help others, even facing his greatest fear. Alp was perfect for Mal.

Lydia was an amazing character, and I was so happy that she stood her ground and helped in every way she could. I really enjoyed when she told Mal things that he didn't want to believe about himself, opening his mind to the possibilities. Mal's old First Damon and his mate, Cece, were a blast. I hope that we might get to see a book about at least one of Cece's "boys", Ivan and Teddy at some point. They deserve some happiness after all they went through.
Profile Image for Becca.
3,223 reviews47 followers
July 10, 2021
I LOVE paranormal and this a dang good one. I would say some other words but you know amazon lol. This is a heart wrenching story though, not going to lie and not for the faint of heart. Because a sweet little guy has to go through some trauma but get rescued by the unlikeliest of saviors. It's a story of love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. And a bad a** mama wolf who takes no crap (ask her alpha hubby) and also takes no prisoners. It's one heck of a ride and one I'm so glad I got to read.
Profile Image for ....
2,069 reviews15 followers
August 20, 2024
RE-READ 8-20-24: I picked this up again once the second book in the series came out, since it's been long enough that I really didn't remember the first, lol. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time through. It's definitely night light, fluffy shifter fun. The on-page depictions of what happened to Alp are definitely tough reading, and I skimmed a bit of that for my own peace of mind. Also, much like the first time, after the big climactic moment when I ended up skimming a bit to the end. Not that I didn't enjoy hearing about everything that came after, but it definitely felt more like series set-up than simply a satisfying conclusion to Alp and Mal's story, and I think the author's style made that bit drag for me. Anyway, I still really liked this the second time around, to the point that I'm upgrading my original 4-star rating to 4.5 😁

ORIGINAL 4-STAR REVIEW 8-15-21: I skimmed a bit but overall enjoyed it. Alp the bunny was fab. 🥰
715 reviews2 followers
September 9, 2021
Great at beginning but slowed down at end!

This was a good read starting out and the characters were great too; but the rabbit character started to lose my liking in the ending chapters (tortured for six years even losing a hand) because he was so nice he couldn't kill the person who did it to him!!🙄😠. I guess I'm more vicious than I thought🤔😠.
Profile Image for Grace.
214 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2022
DNF for me. I originally picked it up because the rabbit wolf combination sounded intriguing despite normally avoiding romances featuring one MC being held in captivity for a long time. However the initial set up just wasn’t engaging enough for me to get over my own personal squicks about these type of romances.
Profile Image for Dani Elle Maas.
1,011 reviews14 followers
December 31, 2021
4.5 stars
I have to start by saying I totally missed this release, so when I found out I quickly contacted the author asking if I could still get an arc.

I always enjoy stepping into a world created by Parker Williams. I like the world building or the setting depending on the genre and I appreciate the easy connection with the characters because of his writing.

That being said I was very curious to start this new series. For me a good shifter story makes me want to step into that world, walk the road with the characters.

From the start of this book it tugs at your heartstrings and you cannot help the feelings that happen when you meet Alp and find out his story.

And then, of course, there is Mal, big strong wolf. He’s a lone wolf by choice, who could never have guessed that his world would get turned up side down by a little tiny rabbit shifter.

Alp’s story is heartbreaking and yet he feels he needs to do what is right and like the blurb says, he sets out on a quest to save others.

What I really liked about this story is that this is not just Mal and Alp and their coming together. It is so much more. It doesn’t end there and full disclosure it even gets better after that.

With Mal contacting his former pack it introduces us to his former First, Damon and his First Mate Cece, as well as their entourage (or should I say Cece’s entourage 😉 ) and I just love them all. I sure hope there is a story there for the two brothers serving as Cece’s sidekicks.

I noticed that I got totally involved in their background stories, their quest to do what was right together with Mal and Asp and it made this story even better and more developed.

Do I need to mention the easy writing and storytelling by the author? I think that has been said within the lines and anyone who has read a story by this author has come to expect that.

As this is book one in the series, I can assume author Parker Williams is setting us, readers up for an exploration of all these characters The guys from the lab or the former packmembers perhaps?

Time will tell. I for one am excited and looking forward to the next story, for sure.

Profile Image for M'rella.
1,463 reviews174 followers
December 6, 2024
Technically, I DNF-ed this book at 87%.

I am drowning in sugar and sap here - a non stop kumbaya filled with "I love you, you love me, we are happy family" and likewise mush.



No plot to speak of and what is there is filled with contradictions and holes.

Now, imagine this sick, injured, three-footed bunny outrunning four human hunters, while he is making his escape from a modern underground experimental facility. Can you? I can't - any way you look at it, the bunny is f*cked.

But let's continue, because the author can. This poor buns miraculously escapes the afore mentioned evil lab where evil Dr. Hyde (because of course he is 🙄) experiments on poor shifter children. A lone wolf finds the buns in a forest, with evil humans in hot pursuit. The wolf saves the buns, kills the humans and takes the buns to the vet. Yay!

After that it's all about sex, reconnecting with various packs and families, more sex, more packs, more people/shifters, more strong independent women, more "you are amazing, don't die", more sex, more "no, you're amazing, stay behind", "no I won't stay behind, I will fight with you and won't let you die" and so on and on and on from multiple characters as they are talking - not planning, because there is no actual plan to speak of, except one lonely paragraph, - about storming the evil lab, beating the shit out of labworkers and gnawing on evil Dr Hyde's bones.



Finally, they stop talking, storm the lab, and just like that all bad humans are gone and peace on Earth ensues.... or some such BS, I don't know, cause I didn't stick around to the very end to find out.

1 star.

Profile Image for Xenia Melzer.
Author 189 books95 followers
July 17, 2021
The Rabbit's Foot is a well-paced story I loved despite the gorier parts mentioned and taking place in it. Alp and Mal are a wonderful couple and watching them grow into their relationship and new responsibilities was definitely interesting, in some parts funny, in others heartbreaking, and always worth the ride. The secondary characters were fleshed out in a way that helped me form a connection to them, and the past between Mal and his former First was handled with flashbacks and mentions here and there, making it all a very smooth read. If somebody has problems with graphic violence against helpless beings, this book needs to be read with caution, but the problematic bits are few and can be left out without losing the thread of the truly beautiful love story.
I received an ARC of this book.
Profile Image for FairyG.
401 reviews
September 7, 2021
Good shifter story

Enjoyed the whole werewolf/rabbit dynamic and the world building, nice to see slight differences in the alpha/pack hierarchy trope.

I thought the story would have wound up at 40% when the two MC's realise they like each other, like so many others in the genre, but that was only the groundwork for a larger story arch that I was engaged in thoroughly.

Be warned if you are triggered there are a couple of graphic violent scenes , however they are appropriate to the storyline. (Trying to be vague to avoid spoilers) The tension surrounding the level of violence necessary are part of the narrative.

Loved the HFN/HEA. Some of the writing is a little clunky so not 5 stars, but highly recommend to all readers of shifter M/M genre.
Profile Image for Altivo Overo.
Author 6 books19 followers
September 11, 2021
Funny, tear making, real

Trigger warning: some bloody violence

On the whole though, this is a delightful story of an unlikely pairing that nonetheless works and achieves great things because of the communication it fosters. Mal is a wanna be tough lone wolf biker. But he has principles and lives up to them. Alp thinks he is a loner but his experience as a victim of inhumane experiments has made him one tough bunny who still cares about others. The combination moves mountains, almost literally. I loved all the characters here, human and shifters alike. And the villains get what they darned well deserve.
66 reviews
July 16, 2021
Great new series - great MC's

I saw this book commented on in Mary Calmes newsletter and immediately it resonated with me. So purchased it and read from start to finish in one sitting. Strong main characters and not a typical shifter book either. Background was covered well and set the scene without being overly descriptive such i really liked. Family is what you make it and we will see in the coming books hopefully of what that family looks like. This is a complete story No cliff hangers and a happy ending with lots off potential for future stories.
328 reviews5 followers
August 28, 2021
Spoiler...this is one of my favorite authors, so my expectations are always extremely high when I open a Parker book.

This is an outstanding book. The m/m shifter genre tends to stick to specific species- wolf/wolf, bear/bear, so a story centered around a rabbit and a wolf is refreshing and brilliant!

Mal and Alp are are written beautifully, their love is palpable despite their challenges, physical and emotional.

Btw, bringing “normal folks” in the shifter circles should be done much more often!

Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Leelah🍁♋️ Orion.
1,444 reviews56 followers
October 5, 2021
3.5

This was a fated mate kinda insta love story so know that before you read. I enjoyed this. I enjoyed the kick butt abilities of the first’s mates. I enjoyed the suspense at the end and the family ties in the middle. I wish there was slightly more battle and intrigue but I did enjoy the build up to it all. Two people looking for escape only ending up saving each other. The writing was good the smexy was ok(there were no knots involved) and the side characters let’s just say CeCe needs her own book and Lydia needs her mate.
Profile Image for Erica Montrose.
Author 5 books16 followers
March 6, 2022
Shifter Perfection

Who would have thought a bunny and a wolf would make such a perfect pair?

William's story is compelling without being angsty, intense without being traumatizing, loving without being sickly sweet- and I loved all of it!

There's violence and sex and trauma, but all of it is tempered with love and caring and understanding. There were no real communication issues, no overdramatics, (well, maybe Alp is a little dramatic,) and I wasn't left feeling like there were pieces missing.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Deb Kel.
2,458 reviews8 followers
August 26, 2024
Good storyline

This is a new author for me and I have to say I was completely hooked with this storyline. Alp was just so adorable after everything he went through and I really liked Mal's character development as he became the person (first) that he deserved to be.
Brilliant storyline full of angst, love, sex, hope and retribution. But luckily they won against the bad guys and a lovely unexpected outcome as they resolved all the problems for the rescued.
Great read and looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for llv.
2,327 reviews14 followers
August 10, 2021
Rating: 4 stars
A friend lent me her copy of this book and I was glad because I like this author and I hadn’t realized that they had put another book out. I liked this book. I loved how Malachi stepped up right away and took care of Alpin. I do wish the author would have shown the struggle that Alpin went through adjusting to only one hand. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as easy as it seemed in the book. Overall, I really liked this book and would read more set in this world.
116 reviews
August 21, 2021
Brilliant!

I loved this! The author is new to me but the premise sounded intriguing, and it’s turned out to be an absolute gem. Well written with great pacing, plenty of action but with great depth of emotion as well. It was heartwarming and horrifying by turns and I’m so very glad I gave it a go. The only disappointment is that it ended.

MM shifter romance with hurt/comfort and some triggering themes, but a fantastic read.
13 reviews
Read
September 3, 2021
Cute but with severe inconsistencies & grmmar issues

It was a cute heartwarming story, but it had several grammatical issues and inconsistencies with the story and characters. I wish it had been properly edited, or at least seen by more beta readers. And some parts really dragged on.

My favorite parts were with the rescued children, and I wish those parts were longer and we got to know them better and maybe seen some reunions of the children with their original families.
Profile Image for Linda Ackerson.
27 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2021
Not what expected...it was better

What does a tortured and dying rabbit have in common with a big lone wolf? Love, friends, bonding, and so much more. Mal is a lone wolf thinking he got the world he has always wanted until he smell a scared and dying bunny. Saving the bunny changes Mal in ways he never knew he wanted or needed. I am glad the book ended the way it did because family is not always about blood but about the connection we make that enriches all our lives.
Profile Image for Raven and Chris.
3,304 reviews30 followers
November 16, 2021
the wolf and the rabbit

This book has some pretty horrific images of torture but the sweetness and love override the bad. The scenes aren’t too graphic or drawn out. I admit my imagination took what was given and ran with it. This story does make you question who the real monster is and let me tell you, it isn’t pretty. Alp and Malachi are a perfect match, even if they are a wolf and a bunny. I would love to see more stories as the pack grows and heals.
Profile Image for Cynthia Osborne.
382 reviews5 followers
July 9, 2021
A powerful story of survival. Alp has been abused in the worst way. He has seen things that are horrible but he wants to live. He runs one night and while he’s being hunted Mal finds him. Mal is a lone wolf and he does want he wants. Together they make an amazing pair.
Once I started I could not put it down.

I did receive an Arc for a review.
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