Frozen Pines

by Ian Thomas

How to Werewolf #37
You can try and outrun your problems but you can’t outrun the full moon

Someone, or something, is preying on the good people of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Rivers of blood, piles of corpses, that sort of thing. Freshly-sired werewolf Jason Harrison suspects he’s the aforementioned one, or thing, responsible. Which would be a great reason not to stick around...only there’s a guy. And not just any guy. Zach Holtz is struggling with his own problems. True, they’re strictly of the non- supernatural variety, but they’ve forced him out of college and put his life on hold. The last thing either of them expected was to meet, fall in love, have to survive vampires, a prophecy, parents, an ex-boyfriend, and well...each other.

Running away from problems is never the best course of action. Stopping to face them is good, but running toward someone is even better.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 2021

Reviews

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I could not wait to sink into. Partly because of what the book was about and partly because it was out of my “normal” reads. Let's look into that a little bit.
We have the two main characters Jason and Zack. Both have their own issues in the book. Both are trying to work through them, then they end up meeting each other. BTW one of my favorite moments in the book. I loved how these two characters blended together, while still holding their own in the story. They have a wonderful romance that adds greatly to the story.
There were also a good amount of side and side side characters. Thomas balanced all the characters well in the story. His placement and use of each character only added to the book without getting confusing or mixing up the story. I love how Thomas was able to create so many additions to the story, adding more to an already great book.
The plot was one that drew me in from the first page. Honestly the description of the book doesn't do the plot any justice. And was what made me know I was going to love this book. “Frozen Pines” has everything a supernatural story needs. Werewolf vs. Vampires, small town romance, parent/family troubles, self growth, and so much more.
To tell the truth this has been one of the hardest reviews I’ve gotten to write. Due to how much I loved this story. There are also so many good parts in this book. That it was extremely hard not to give a spoiler or talk about a Aha moment. This book is in my option, a book for both for older teens and adults. It is one book that I feel should be added to anyone’s library, who enjoys a book full of twists and turns.

Thank you Thomas for sending me your book. It was a joy to read.

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#werewolf #vampires #smalltown #comingtogether #buildyourownfamily #growth #couldntputdown #tbrshelfagain #amazing #newfavoritebook

[The Bibliognost Bampot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarcastic, flippant, funny, action-packed, sexy - at it’s heart a story about love conquering all … I mean ALL, like everything, just so many obstacles and so much drama to overcome for this couple, and even a global pandemic thrown in at the end there! This is a story about Werewolves and vampires and suspiciously open-minded, accepting adult role models, but it’s also a lot about pop culture references, small town American diners and the truly evil bad guys - who are neither werewolf nor vampire!!!

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/26/2021)! 🎁

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖 Summary: Jason is a newly sired werewolf who finds himself in Carlsbad, NM while running away from his problems. He meets Zach, a gay college student, who’s parents are traumatizing and homophobic. The two form a connection as they deal with suspicious deaths, their new knowledge that the supernatural are real, and vampires who want a pet werewolf 🐺

💭 Thoughts: I really struggled with my rating for this book. I loved the concept and the characters. And of course I always love when main characters are part of the LGBTQ+ community 🏳️‍🌈 The author includes aspects of a newly turned werewolf’s life that I never really though about before (like what happens when they turn back human). The chemistry between Jason and Zach was palpable 🤍, and Zach’s reaction to learning the supernatural exist was more realistic than I normally see in fantasy novels.

Unfortunately, there were frequent misspellings, grammar issues, and confusing sentences/passages. I’m not sure if some of the confusion stemmed from me not knowing certain colloquialisms or what… But either way, it broke my focus and took me out of the story. Also, the plot continued a little too long after the main conflict that I lost interest on occasion.

All that aside, I thought this was such a good werewolf/vampire fantasy. It had a lot of darker themes including mentions of conversion therapy, homophobic statements, death/killing, and suicide, which took the plot deeper emotionally.

Overall, definitely a good read and perfect for pride month 🌈

(Actually rated 3.5 out of 5. I rounded up for Goodreads)

[Sylvia Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Werewolves, Vampires and Love!

What hooked me first was that the story takes place in Carlsbad, New Mexico (I grew up there). As I started reading this book, what kept me interested was the storyline (who doesn’t love werewolves) and the excellent writing.

There are werewolves and vampires and some twists and turns in this book but it’s definitely the love story between Jason and Zach that is the heart of this story. Also, the main point of this book is that blood doesn’t make family but love, support and understanding is what makes a family even if they are not related by blood.

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town romance ...Werewolves and vampires . Loved the writing style. Amazing characters, I loved Zach and Jason's relationship. Every page was thrilling and filled with twist. I loved how Ian put these little how-to Werewolfs thru out the book.

How to Werewolf #37
You can try and outrun your problems, but you can’t outrun the full moon

How to Werewolf #14
Don't get attached to clothing, especially shoes. Even Crocs can't survive a werewolf

[Zoi Gauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent book and while it's a standalone, it's very obvious a part of a larger series. There's a lot of references to things that happened before the book that I had to piece together. Zack and Jason's relationship was cute and it was fun to watch it progress (you know despite the supernatural creatures trying to tear them apart). And even the third act breakup was well done. I loathed Star and Zack's parents and they got what they deserved. The only issue I had was that there were a lot of flashbacks and there was nothing to let the reader know it was a flashback. I would be reading and then suddenly it would jump to mentioning people that weren't in the scene or hadn't even been introduced beforehand. There were secrions that were completely confusing because I didn't know what was going on or how it linked with what I was just reading. If there was obvious indications that a flashback was happening, it would have been easier to read and would have been a full 5 stars.
Also, there is very little spice and the few instances it is included, there's barely any detail. So, if you're wanting hot werewolf action, this isn't the book for you.