Wolfhunter River: Stillhouse Lake, Book 3

I loved the first 2 books of this series, so I was disappointed with this one. It failed to live up to the others. The same characters are in the book, but, to me, this book was very disconnected from the story line. We have now made Sam and Gwen amateur detectives solving crimes that have nothing to do with them.It was an empty novel with lots of "fluff". I sped read it in a few hours.Sorry Rachel, I think this third novel could have potentially been so much more. I felt you were just in a hurry to get the last one done or ran out of storyline. 😟

I really expected to enjoy this book a lot but the best I it's really just 'okay'. I was particularly disturbed but the fact that the author felt that she needed to call out the race of anyone who is black in this book. Why was there a need to state that someone is 'African American' or 'Black'? Why was there a need to say someone is 'White'? The author did not make these distinctions in the other books in this series and race was affirmed by her descriptions of the characters. Is this a sign of our times that an author feels the need to make these sort of commentary just for the sake of calling out someone's race? I am disappointed that this author felt the need to do this and probably will not read any more of her books.

“I’m always scared that I’m going to get hurt, even when nobody wants to hurt me. Which is why I reject people hard, first. I’m trying not to do that anymore. I fell in love with Dahlia; she makes my heart race and makes me want to cry inside when we’re separated, and that’s what love is, right?”*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.Gwen Proctor is back in the public eye as the relative of one of her husband’s victims renews her efforts to seek revenge via media and internet smear campaigns. Their goal is to continue to paint Gwen as a partner in her husband’s murder spree, when in reality, she was also a victim of his lies and manipulation, and nearly killed at his hand. All Gwen wants to do is to raise her kids, Lanny and Conner, in peace, but the public wants them all to pay dearly for their imagined crimes.A phone call seeking help provides the perfect excuse for the Proctor family to flee their problems, however, nosing into the case of a young girl accused of killing her mother in cold blood brings more trouble for Gwen and puts a new target on her back. Meanwhile, she discovers a secret that could rupture her relationship with Sam. Not only does she need to protect the lives of herself and her kids, she also must protect her heart.WOLFHUNTER RIVER is told through the points of view of Gwen, Sam, and Gwen’s children, which provides each of their unique perspectives. There is no shortage of action in this installment due to the enormous number of people setting their sights, literally and figuratively, on Gwen and her loved ones. I believed this series was originally set to be a trilogy, but a fourth book, BITTER FALLS, is in the works, and WOLFHUNTER RIVER provides a great set up to take the series in a new direction. Each book in the series stands on its own and delves deep into the hearts of the characters as well as providing an engaging plot. Watching Lanny and Conner develop and grow into their own people is a treat. I look forward to continuing the journey with this great series.Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to experience this book in advance of its release.*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

I appreciate the reviews on bad editing in a book. I appreciate the reviews about some of the storyline and that there are twists. Sometimes the reviews sound like English teachers and professors grading the works. I am not reading for Pulitzer prize-winning essay. I read for entertainment and escape. I look for strong fighting and surviving women. This author checks all my boxes. And the heroine grows with each challenge that is forced upon her. You go Rachel Caine!

This author should have stopped after #2. I enjoyed #1 and #2 but the final effort in this trilogy was forced and unbelievable. Gwen has become a cress between Wonder Woman and Joan of Arc.

When I began reading Wolfhunter River, I wasn't sure which way Rachel Caine was going to be taking Gwen Proctor's character. Yet, a couple of chapters into it, I was sure the ride had to be a good one. If you read the first two books in this series, you know a big baddie is no longer a threat to her or her family.In case, you're not reading them in order, Gwen Proctor is the ex-wife of the famous serial killer, Melvin Royal. She changed her name and the name of her kids after Melvin was convicted. She moved many times and lately, Stillhouse Lake, is what she calls home. Her kids, Lanie and Connor have confronted many ugly things since learning about their father and they had to grow up sooner than they should have.Wolfhunter River begins with Gwen agreeing to do a live interview on a TV show, but getting ambushed in the process. The only thing productive that surfaces from the interview was discovering that a new enemy is out to get her and her family. A woman's from Sam's past is making it clear that this is war.When Gwen receives a call for help from the town of Wolfhunter, at first she doesn't want to do much. The second time someone calls her from the same town, she knows she has to go and maybe it's time for the whole family to leave Stillhouse Lake for a while.In Wolfhunter, nothing goes the way it should. The town reeks of deceit, abuse of power, and endangered lives. It's up to Gwen and her family to uncover the evil.Kudos to Rachel Caine for writing another entertaining book in this series. I like Gwen, she's not a doormat. She's strong and she will fight for her kids until her last breath. The kids are also becoming more involved in the process. Connor is smart and handy with a computer. Lanie is protective of her younger sibling. She tries to keep him safe.I'm excited to see what is going to happen in the next one, now that I know how this one ended. Gwen is going to open so many can of worms! I'm sure I don't want to miss it.Cliffhanger: No4/5 Fangs

5 Stars.The past two books are a must read before Wolfhunter River. Though Wolfhunter River is a turning point for the series, Killman Creek has some of my favourite scenes that make Wolfhunter River even more riveting, as you are waiting to see what the revelations within the last book has done to Gwen (and to Sam and the kids).If you have read Stillhouse Lake, and Killman Creek, you already know Gwen has been through so much - as have her children and the victims families, and Sam... poor Sam. From realising her life was a lie, realising she was a victim herself with a target on her back, she moved with her children from place to place unti Stillhouse Lake, but was tracked, stalked, threatened and almost murdered twice. The first time by a copy-cat in league with her husband (who also kidnapped and planned to murder the children); the second time, by her husband hell bent on revenge and on the loose from Death Row. EVERY BOOK, they have all been a chilling, bad-ass read, but Killman Creek set a whole new level of SHE HAS TO SURVIVE THIS, and the moment you know no one is coming to rescue Gwen, is the moment Gwen fights to survive in a bloody battle that she had trained for for if she ever faced Mel or one of the sic-o-fans out for blood seeing the lie not the truth - She never helped Mel commit the murders nor did she support him; she let the police do their job as her family was dragged through the blood trails of the victims and the fans, as Mel sat back waiting for the verdict watching with hate in his heart for his wife as his victim count piled up and his children turned against him.Wolhunter River.OH. MY!As her world revolves around seeing and being forced to relive the devastation her husband, now ex-husband commited... His actions only had one consequence and result in Killman Creek that almost killed them both. AS she and her kids recover from the events in Killman Creek, she tries to face the past head on. In a way she becomes a rebel and a voice - she has had enough - and her level of strength as she tries to face her past back fires... The person who she is, she deserves a lot of credit for the type of character Gwen is.As people witness the live interview she walked out on, life is about to kick her in the teeth once more. The victims families, some of them want to see Gwen pay for Mel's crimes. Sam, the guy she is in love with, but trust is arms length (an armoured heart for the question of what if she was a apart of Mel's crimes), was one of those people for a time. He admits to what he was a part of. And the story is not pretty.A haunting phone call. A girl sentenced to death.She wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble is what Gwen finds. A phonecall, gun shots, and a plead for help leads Gwen to a town called Wolfhunter River.It's a place you wouldn't want to visit. People go missing. And it seems the town has a lot of secrets.As Gwen tries to help the girl accused of killing her mother, the choice is out there on who could have done it. As the girl learns to trust Gwen, as Gwen learns of what happened on the night the girls mother was murdered, news spreads to some of the town folk and to those who commited the murder.As Gwen overhears their plans, she knows they are (Gwen, the kids and Sam) are in danger. It's time to leave, but will the town let them.It's about to become another fight for survival and by this point, Gwen, when backed into a corner... she is a mamma bear with claws bared ready for a fight knowing what she has to lose. They know who she is. What her husband was... And play with her, taunt her, warn her to leave knowing they will follow her. In the meantime, Sam is caught in a shootout that not only leaves someone dead, but with Sam under arrest and Connor the only witness.As the plot thickens, you are left questioning two things: Who killed the girls mother? And does anyone in Wolfhunter River abide by the law. (This book has a feel of the T.V show Banshee.)As Gwen is forced to stay in Wolfhunter River, the start of the book is about to draw to it's conclusion, as one of Mel's victims, her mother is out for blood, to see Gwen hang for what happened to her daughter. She has stalked, pressed, confronted Gwen on live tv, created her own spin on WHO Gwen is, and created a self-help group to cover up the fact she is using it to prove Gwen was a part of the murders - what Sam was apart of. When Mirander comes to town, not only is she there to throw more gas on the fire, she makes it clear, she isn't going away and will take her/them down.Sam.... Sam is a beaut character and P.O.V to read in these books. Not only do we get to see into the mind of the the victims family... But it gives the book the missing parts we'd have to guess at.Sam is an angry soul for good reason, but his intentions towards Gwen once he realises the truth, they are genuine, he loves her.As the reader, I breathe for that kind of romance in these books. Their relationship. The up and down's. The relationship he has with the kids... He becomes what Mel should have been... their father. And all the feels that comes with it. I always want MORE. SAM!The kids Connor and Lanny: They have come so far. They learned the truth as much as Gwen could hide from them until she couldn't anymore. They've been through hell, but by the end of this, not only have they stuck together, but they have also made mistakes that could have cost them their lives. In Wolfhunter River they have their own voices. They have grown stronger. Time shows the cracks of their past, but time also heals. They fear the world and what has happened in the past, but they are also not afraid to live. Gwen has to remind them of the dangers.... But when it comes to it, those kids, when under attack, they become allies and if it became a you or them situation... I bet on them. They follow their instincts.This book leaves you devided as the plot thickens and becomes one with it's 2in1 plot - that will make sense when you read it, frustrated as the lies unfold because if like me, You love Sam's character... Who he is, in his darkest moment, is about to be revealed, but it is still one hell of a thrill ride as the characters come together and take down the secrets of the town.The town is damned with little redemption for its population. But with Gwen, Sam and the kids help, light is shining over Wolfhunter River, that is what makes this such a fantastic book. I cannot wait for the next installment. Because what Gwen, Sam and the kids bring next... the word family and stick together come to mind as the blood of Mel's victims isn't yet dry and the end isn't in sight.As for Gwen, what has happened in the last 3 books... she has changed. To me, they have woken something up within her. She was lost and damned by the victims families. But through a promise to her kids and Sam secrets becoming known... she has a future. And she is becoming feirce. In a way, something to be feard. I wouldn't want to cross paths with her. She now knows she has nothing to prove, because, not that it is pointless to try... she has realised there are too many opinions and judgements to fight.I believe by the very last book of this series, whenever that may be, we will have a HEA. But Gwen has a long road a head. And the journey is going to be bad-ass if not a blood bath.

I love this series! There's so much to say, but I really want to keep things vague so that the people who may not have even started the series aren't spoiled... And I definitely don't want to rehash the sociological debates that I had with myself (a couple of times, at least) in the notes on my kindle...Caine masterfully manages to set you on edge, pretty much immediately, and keeps you there for the book's entirety. And yet again, on book three, I'm still shoved into Gwen's shoes, in a state of unbearable paranoia, feeling all of the stress and every betrayal just as deeply.Miranda Tidewell was an interesting antagonist. Interesting in that she is kind of the opposite side of things after Melvin, being the mother of one of his victims; and I was sympathetic for a hot second and kept looking for some chink in her horrifying armour, but I just f*ing hated her. Sam could also be put on that other side of things; however, there's a big difference. He was able to see the truth through his grief, whereas Miranda managed to let her grief take over and turn her into the monster that she's so staunchly trying to tear down.So much happens in Wolfhunter River. So many situations and adversaries coming from every direction, but I was sucked in so quickly, eagerly inhaling the story, that I never had a chance to piece anything together until it was revealed to me.There are two reasons that I'm docking a star from my rating.Firstly, the "suspense" surrounding Sam and the something that he was reluctant to reveal seemed weird to me. Yes, there were some specifics that were unknown, but I thought we'd already been through this and everyone (Gwen and the readers) knew what Sam used to do and how he came into Gwen, Lanny and Connor's lives. Maybe I need to reread? But I'm pretty sure...My second reason is that the wrap-up was way too fast. It really needed at least another 20 pages. But other than that:Read this series now!Not to be too dramatic or anything, but I will recommend this series until the day I die.

Gwen gets two telephone calls for help coming from Wolfhunter, a remote, rural small town in Tennessee. Gwen has to deal with problems arising from her past, does she have the time to help another woman in distress?I am really enjoying this Stillhouse Lake series. Wolfhunter River follows on from book 2 and although it can be read as a stand-alone, I feel it is better to read these books in sequence. Rachel does not annoy returning readers by droning on about the history of her characters.I love the linear time scale and that the four central characters, Gwen - Sam - Connor and Lanny each have their own first person narrative chapters. The relationship between Gwen and Sam was very strongly developed in Wolfhunter River. Male readers will fully identify with the emotions running through Sam when he receives a new job offer with very good pay and conditions.I liked how there were 2 plot lines running through Wolfhunter River and the dynamics of living around Wolfhunter were very creepy. I think this book is a GOOD reliable 4 star read and a series I am very comfortable living with.

I have rated this book five*, as yet again Rachel Caine has given us another amazing read!If you have read books 1 and 2, and you need to do so, to understand and feel the hell that our main character Gwen Proctor (Gina Royal) lives in, at the hands of the people who believe she helped her evil mass murdering husband Melvin Royal. These people are known as The Lost Angels.... In this book Gwen is contacted by a woman who lives in the small town of Wolfhunter who says she needs help, and was told that Gwen could help! But Gwen is unsure if she needs her help, or just wants to lure Gwen into a trap. A trap that could be set by many people, groups, or even the ultimate psycho group Lost Angels, who have been after Gwen and her family to find their revenge, to get justice for all their loved ones! A fantastic read from the first page, I love these books, keep them coming!!

Enjoyed the first two books which told a strong story and reached a great conclusion. The third book is fast-paced and a page-turner but the plot from the first two books is just being strung out now, so that this book is nowhere near as good and I'm calling it a day on the series.