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Animal Rescue Shifters #1

Operation: Wolf Rescue

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Four puppies (one of them his lost nephew… but which?)
Three days trapped in a motel with his oblivious fated mate.
One bed.

When someone on the mountain wants to surrender a pack of wolf-hybrid pups, animal rescue volunteer Pearl Nguyen throws some puppy chow and her biggest crate into the back of her station wagon, and she's on her way. She can handle four wolf-hybrid puppies, even if she was only expecting three, but she didn't expect the storm, and she definitely didn't expect Cassidy Madsen.

Cassidy Madsen, six feet of tough cowboy wolf shifter, only wants one thing: to find his lost nephew and to get him home safe. Then he lays eyes on Pearl, his fated mate, his one and only, and suddenly everything is much more complicated.

Stranded in a motel with a pack of adorable puppies and only one bed during the storm of the century, Pearl's losing her heart faster than she ever imagined possible. Cassidy has to figure out how to tell her they were made for each other and that he and one of her rescue pups are wolf shifters without sending her screaming into the night.

Can Cassidy convince her that she belongs with him, and will he ever figure out which puppy is actually his nephew?

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2022

333 people are currently reading
199 people want to read

About the author

Zoe Chant

326 books1,505 followers
Zoe Chant loves writing paranormal romance. Over a cup of tea (or something stronger) she whips up sexy tales of hunky heroes and adventurous heroines to tantalize and satisfy her readers. Sizzling hot romance, no cliffhangers!

While series should ideally be read in order, all of Zoe’s books are standalones and can be read in any order. This includes books within series.

To get a free book for subscribing to her mailing list, please follow this link: https://www.zoechant.com/join-my-mail...

Zoe's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/32545...


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5 stars
998 (56%)
4 stars
489 (27%)
3 stars
237 (13%)
2 stars
33 (1%)
1 star
12 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
Profile Image for Lindsay.
219 reviews277 followers
June 18, 2022
Puppies! A cute short, love story.

As always I will not be summarizing since Chant’s synopsis reveals a lot. 4 stars is a strong showing for a shifter novella. For 123 pages, a fair bit of character development occurs. This was quite a fun return to my experiences with Zoe Chant that of a wolf shifter romance but managed to keep the mythical whimsy of her more recent novels. I’m not gonna spoil but Alf would be well suited to contact some characters from Chant’s other novels, Angel from Unicorn Vet or Waylon from Bear Vet.

But let’s discuss our couple for this book.

Pearl was a sweet animal rescue voluteer who was sent out to help some wolf-hybrid pups but ends up with more than she volunteered for. Namely an extra pup and a true mate? Pearl’s Vietnamese heritage brought a more diverse cast into effect. Also, her friendship with her cousin is just making me want a book for Deanna.

Cassidy when he went out looking for his nephew he wasn’t expecting to meet his one. I really like Cassidy but I feel like we don’t have enough information about him and his life. He is a cowboy with a wolf inside him and that is all the info we get about him. Why was he away to the point, he couldn’t visually figure out which wolf was his nephew?

Anyway, I’d recommend trying it out and I hope Zoe Chant continues to try and increase representation for different cultures in her writing. But seriously, this book only covers like three days and I know instalove is hella there for Chant’s shifters but show us more development even post bonding where they get to know each other.
Profile Image for Gwendolyn.
16 reviews
April 27, 2022
A very sweet story with a new twist I hadn't seen before. A lost wolf shifter pup mixed up with 3 wolf-hybrid puppies, and an uncle who can't tell them apart. A protective wildlife rescuer determined to keep all 4 little ones safe. I liked the diversity added by Pearl's Vietnamese heritage and family. There were a wonderful variety of secondary characters, with a best friend/cousin worthy of her own story. I received an ARC copy of this book.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews543 followers
December 10, 2022
This one was short but packed a lot into it. I found myself laughing at Cassidy when he found the wolf puppies, but only after they had been loaded up and taken away. I was stunned when he found Pearl and the hotel and helped her from the feral wolf/dogs and then had an in with her. Funnier was how Cassidy wasn't sure which of the 4 puppies was his nephew and even turning wolf didn't help him figure it out, but it did help him show Pearl what was up with him. It made talking about being a fated mate so much easier. Finally the boy changes back to human, they get the pups where they need to go, then there is the big family meeting on both sides, which went well, leading to them finding their own HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for DJ.
769 reviews
January 3, 2023
Easy to read, entertaining,with great storyline!

Zoe Chant has done it again with this first in series Operation Wolf Rescue. Once again Ms. Chant has written an entertaining novel with great characters. Operation Wolf Rescue was very easy to read,the story moved quickly, and I was able to finish reading it in less than a day. Being able to complete a novel in less than a day was a great way to end the year as it helped to complete my 2022 reading challenge!

I fell in love with Cassidy, the male main character. Zoe portrays him as a strong alpha wolf shifter, but as he plays with the wolf pups trying to figure out which is his nephew Cody, I knew he was my perfect male, strong on the outside but gooey sweet ,with a big heart on the inside! YUM! No wonder Pearl, his fated mate, falls for him, minutes after meeting him.

Writing witty dialogue, especially between a male and female who are just exploring a new relationship, is something I struggle with in my own writing. I enjoy reading Zoe Chant's paranormal romances as she is a master at flirty repartee! I highlighted many conversations between Pearl and Cassidy that I read over and over, savoring the word combinations, like a fine wine rolling the flavor over my tongue before swallowing. Maybe if I read enough of her novels I will absorb some of her talent! At any rate, the dialog between the two characters is delightful, and is laugh out loud funny at times. It was like sitting in front of a fireplace sharing stories and waiting out the storm outside. The whole book gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling with every word I read.

I found the storyline involving a lost wolf shifter youngling accidentally mixed in with a group of rescued wolfdog puppies and rescuer and shifter stranded together in a storm, extremely entertaining. I have a soft spot for animal rescue groups. I am a sucker for commercials about puppy rescue having fostered plenty of rescues in my time. I admit I am an easy target for scammers because if it is a lost or abused puppy you want money for I will find away to give it to you! Likewise, if I am trying to decide what to read next, if it involves animal rescue in anyway, I will choose that over any other book. I like how Zoe Chant wove facts about the problems of wolf hybrids and the ins and outs of rescue agencies into the story. Operation Wolf Rescue was a novel that was easy to get wrapped up in.

All in all, Operation Wolf Rescue was a great start to series about animal rescue shifters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
1,603 reviews12 followers
April 30, 2022
This is a cute shifter romance novella. It was very short, so there wasn't time for as much character development as I normally like. It also contains instalove, which is typical in shifter romances. It gets 3 stars from me.

I liked both Cassidy and Pearl. I did think, though, that she would have been a little more shocked than she was when Cassidy first shifted.

I enjoyed the part where the animal rescue had batwing kittens and a hellhound chihuahua. Imagining a hellhound chihuahua made me laugh out loud. I thought that was very creative.

I liked that Pearl's and Cassidy's families both accepted their relationship almost immediately, and even encouraged it. Pearl and Cassidy were good together.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
Profile Image for Dawn Siemer.
1,311 reviews6 followers
April 28, 2022
Cute little love story

Puppies? Little kids? Sexy wolf shifter? Yes, please.

I give this book extra points for having a non-white character born in the US (I think she started Korean and ended Vietnamese, so Asian). I also liked the female sexual aggression and foreplay.

I would have given the book five stars, except it covers about 3 days. I didn't feel like we got a chance to get to know the protagonists, and I was disappointed that the heroine went from "let's get to know each other first" to "let's hop in the sack" without anything happening to drive that decision.

One other thing happened that annoyed me. Faced with a threatening wolf dog, the animal rescuer thought about running. Anyone who knows anything about dogs or predators would know that's a terrible mistake. I was taught anything that runs looks like dinner by the time I was two. Back away. Don't look them in the eyes. If he looks like he's going to pounce, prepare to defend yourself.
Profile Image for Dasha.
1,568 reviews21 followers
June 19, 2022
2.5 estrellas

No ha estado mal. Es una historia bastante tierna, sin grandes dramas. Aunque con algunos detalles un pelín peregrinos. En algunos momentos me he sentido identificada con la protagonista porque se dedica a colaborar en el rescate de animales. Algunas reflexiones son bastante acertadas y realistas:

She sighed, because if you were going to work animal rescue, you had to accept the fact that people were going to be people, or you couldn't do the job very long at all.(pág.9)


*voy a dejar de traducir las citas de libros que no estén publicados en español por razones obvias.

Una novela del montón, o quizás debería decir novela corta.
Pero la verdad, promete. Creía que había leído antes a esta escritora pero parece que no.
*edito: pues no, sí había leído, o intentado, a esta escritora. No salió bien. Tendré que intentar elegir mejor la próxima vez.
La tendré en cuenta para mi próxima lectura de este subgénero que, para mí, es como comer pipas 😁
Profile Image for Tammy Moldovan.
1,976 reviews28 followers
November 27, 2022
A cute swoony shifter romance

I loved Cassidy and Pearl’s sweet swoony shifter novella with a side of slight danger. I was feeling all the feels with this one. Cassidy is a wolf shifter who is searching for his three year old nephew who’s caught in a shift. Pearl rescues animals and picks up a trio of wolf hybrid pups to take to a local rescue. She is fine when there are four pups to collect instead of three. Cassidy and Pearl meet when a fierce storm forces Pearl to stop for the night and Cassidy catches up to her. Now Cassidy just has to explain shifters and fated mates while they are virtual strangers sharing a hotel room. Despite the book being short, the story included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters, and an engaging storyline. This book has a little bit of everything - sweet moments, steamy scenes, real life issues, imperfect characters, laughter, cute animals, and so much love. This is another great Zoe Chant book.
Profile Image for Darla Taylor.
1,851 reviews
December 9, 2022
Pearl Nguyen is an animal rescue volunteer who's picking up some wolf hybrid puppies. She's surprised when she gets four instead of the three she was told about, but she takes them all with her. When a storm hits, she takes refuge at a motel where she gets the last room which she winds up sharing with Cassidy Madsen. Cassidy is a wolf shifter and one of the puppies is actually his nephew. In addition, Pearl is his fated mate. Can Cassidy tell her everything without Pearl freaking out?

This is the first book in a new series and I really enjoyed it. The book's well-written plot-wise, but there were several errors/typos that detracted from the story for me. Otherwise, I was drawn into this quick, fun read and kept hooked. The characters are wonderful and the sweet romance offered humor throughout. I'm looking forward to the next book and do recommend this one.
Profile Image for Holly Fincher.
189 reviews2 followers
September 14, 2023
Wolf rescue..love....

Pearl works for an animal rescue worker. She gets a call about some wolf hybrid pups needed to be rescued. She goes out and instead of three pups there are four. So she picks them up and then it starts storming really bad so she went to a hotel. Luckily there was one room available. She is trying to unload the pups when she realizes there is a big feral wolf fixing to attack her. She jumps in the car. Cassidy is a wolf shifter and is trying to find his nephew. Pearl doesn't know it but one of the pups is really Cassidy's nephew. So Cassidy saves her from the wolf and ends up in the hotel room with Pearl and the pups. Cassidy knows Pearl is his mate. Pearl can't figure out why she is so attracted to Cassidy but she knows she loves him. Together they made a food team.
1,281 reviews9 followers
May 7, 2022
Cute and fun read!

Paige is driving out to pick up 3 wolf-dog pups. When she gets there she finds there are 4 so she takes them all. Cassidy is looking for his nephew when he finds him in a cage with 3 other pups! Now how will he figure out which is his nephew? And even harder than that, how will he convince Paige that she is his fated mate? Add in a horrendous storm and you have a super fun and quick read!

The pace is fast and the tone is hopeful with a character oriented storyline that has some action and only one steamy scene. The characters are vibrant and endearing. There are a lot of scenes that will make you grin. I am hoping that we will see more from this family of shifters and this area.
Profile Image for Dina.
53 reviews2 followers
December 8, 2022
An enjoyable read but...

Overall, this was a pleasant, lighthearted story with likeable characters, a few tense moments, & a good amount of humor.

While there is a smattering of typos throughout that I wish weren't present, my major issue is the consistently inaccurate information regarding wolf hybrids.
I really did enjoy the plot and would have liked to be able to rate it four stars or higher, but I couldn't get past the incorrect wolfdog facts that were present. I'm not sure whether the author just winged it or their research led them to a bad source, but either way, that aspect of the story left me disappointed.
38 reviews
April 30, 2022
Puppies, babies and a hunk of a man!

An animal rescue of puppies turns into a life-changing moment that turns Pearl's world upside down. Stopping at a motel due to a ranging storm and meeting up with a pack of wild dogs were just the start of her troubles. To the rescue comes Cassidy who with one glance rocks her world. Secrets will have to be divulged making her doubt her own sanity.
Loved this book! Fell in love with the pace of their romance. Also need to find myself a batcat. Want to know more? Definitely a quick and satisfying read.
Profile Image for Jamoz23.
5,338 reviews46 followers
May 10, 2022
Short and so sweet I needed to brush my teeth.
Loved this cute little insta love story, fleshed out by a lost nephew who is mixed up with hybrid wolf pups.
A horrendous storm that causes a quick connection in close quarters which helps explains the insta love angle in this one.
I just would have liked more discussion of their pasts, what they want from the future and their plans moving forward in their mating when they were stuck in the motel.
But we do get two family get togethers and those bat kittens reminded me of another series by one of the Zoe’s.
Read through Kindle Unlimited.
1,551 reviews4 followers
April 29, 2022
A cute short story

This story was a fun read. Love the wolf puppies and the fun they created. Bat wing kittens were a nice surprise. I had to laugh at the hellhound chihuahua! I so can picture what a nightmare that dog would be! I enjoyed the little saying they had, they made for a fun read. Family meals were so fun. Nothing like meeting the family a few days after meeting each other. I needed a fun light read and this story filled that need.
101 reviews
April 30, 2022
Cute but needs better editing

I'm glad I got this on KU instead of purchasing it. It really needs to go back to the editor. One or two mistakes I can usually get over. But once we get past the seven mark, I start obsessing over it. The vast amount of punctuation errors in this book detracts from the story. Sorry but it's true.
I liked the characters and I liked the plot but it needs work.
Profile Image for LiLu.
4,429 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2022
Awesome !!

What a fantastic story! I enjoyed how the story evolved. I loved how she just went with the flow the first time she saw his wolf. That was so cool. I enjoyed his kindness and understanding, that it could all be too much, yet he was patient with her. I enjoyed how things just fell in place, that things made sense with people she knew, but didn’t ‘know’. The acceptance of both the families was awesome.
Profile Image for Alex E..
525 reviews17 followers
November 28, 2022
This was by far the funniest and most original book I read in the last year....

It's not too much in the smut level but I mean our hero is trying to find his nephew among a bunch of puppies. It was hilarious and so sweet...

The fact the he finds his true mate is actually the base story and their interaction is great and the revelation slowly sinks...

I loved it after all the dark stories I have been reading!!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
122 reviews
February 4, 2023
Entertaining enough, but it was easily the most poorly edited Zoe Chant book I've read. I liked the premise, but it was poorly executed. Overall, this one just didn't do it for me.
Profile Image for Raquel.
204 reviews1 follower
December 3, 2023
(3.5/5)
Rounding up because this was just adorable. Sweet enough to give you cavities with just the right amount of spicy. (Just around 🌶️ , not too spicy).

Loved the Vietnamese rep! It’s always such a pleasant surprise when I find these short shifter romances with BIPOC MCs 💕💕

There are a few errors in the text that would’ve been solved with one or two additional edits but I was having such a good time that I forgot to mark them.
Profile Image for Georgen Charnes.
Author 3 books7 followers
April 22, 2024
The Animal Rescue Shifters series is a fated mate HEA shifter romance series. Two people meet, the man's a shifter, the woman's not, they're fated mates, and they have an light adventure and then have a steamy time together, forever. They're short and sweet, and pretty charming.

However, there's definitely a lack of substance. There's some mention of a community of shifters, but not much actual development of one. In fact, it feels like a spin-off series, developing minor characters in another series. I don't think it is, but that's the vibe.
Profile Image for Teresa .
1,902 reviews3 followers
April 25, 2022
Original storyline

Stand alone book short story but sweet and funny, I hope there is more with her best friend.The storyline was original that don't happen much with supernatural, it is short so not much to it but it's a fun read and as always a HEA.no ex showing up no bad guy.maybe a bad wolfdog (yeah really) but a quick girl meets shifter love story
128 reviews
April 30, 2022
Adorable

An excellent fast read. The story flows so well you feel like it only took a few minutes to read . I want to call it sweet but that's not quite right. The characters are just likeable without being one dimensional and there's a thread of good natured humor throughout. If the book description sounds like you might like it, you will.
Profile Image for Wyrd Farm Reads.
25 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2022
A perfect light read with an easy romance. This is not a plot heavy book, boy meets girl, they're perfect for eachother, minimal complications, happy ending, but it is well written, with believable characters, and good detail. If you're looking for an nice, happy, easy, werewolf read, I highly recommend it!
765 reviews2 followers
May 2, 2022
extremely sweet

I can not be disappointed when it comes to a book by Zoe Chant. I love the insta love of fated mates and the shifter mindset.
This one was extremely sweet and had some comical parts and some hair raising parts too.
A super sweet, quick read with some nice steam at the end.
I love the pups with his wolf too.
253 reviews1 follower
May 3, 2022
I want a batwinged kitten

Fun read with engaging characters Pearl and Cassidy who meet when she collects some hybrid wolf/malamute pups plus his missing nephew. Factor in a dreadful storm and then being true mates and you had good story. The addition of bat wing Kiya just puts the icing on the cake
202 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2022
Great story

What a fun read!
The story flows with just the right amount of humor and flirting.
As a shifter, Cass knows the minute he meets Pearl that she is his fated mate.
Pearl knows nothing of shifters or fated mates, but knows Cass is special. And she's going to find out exactly why he makes her heart sing!
315 reviews
November 17, 2022
Always my go to!

I have been a big fan of Zoe Chants' since I discovered Paranormal romances, and she is always a go to author for me. I know I will be getting a great read when I One-click her books. I highly recommend you read any and all of her books, because they never disappoint. Mature eyes only due to hot 🔥 Shifter/Human loving!!!
Profile Image for Lori.
803 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2022
Love this one!

This is a fun book! It's got a great story that is filled with humor. The characters are so likable and it's easy to care about what happens to them, making the story more interesting. The book has everything you want, great plot, fun characters, action, humor, romance, and puppies! What are you waiting for?
🐝✋🐺
1,655 reviews
January 12, 2023
Brilliant Series

Operation Wolf Rescue (Animal Rescue Shifters Book 1) by Zoe Chant. Pearl picks up 4 wolf hybrid puppies instead of 3. Cassidy, wolf shifter, is looking for his nephew and he’s 1 of the 4 Pearl has. A storm has them all in 1 motel room. Pearl is Cassidy’s mate but he can’t figure out which puppy is his nephew.
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