Beauty and the Beast with a horror twist? Where do I sign up? That’s the premise of Jacque Stevens’ series. The first book in the series, Cry Wolf, was a page-turning retelling of Belle and her half-man/half-beast rescuer named Howl. In Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, we get a deeper character study into what it means to be human, what two people will give up in order to be together, and how the codes we live by shape who we are.
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing plot summary
It’s been two months since that fateful night in the woods. Howl is living with Belle in their decrepit castle among their wolf pups. Belle decides that she wants to mate with Howl but only after they perform the human ceremony of marriage that she holds so sacred.
Howl agrees, and they go to town to get married. But things go wrong when an old enemy shows up. As a result, Belle finds herself imprisoned again. Only this captor has a sinister plan for revenge.
The sequel
It goes without saying that ending a book on a cliffhanger is a great way to get readers excited for the next in the series. What’s interesting is that Cry Wolf ends pretty much where every Beauty and the Beast story ends – only without the happily ever after. As a result, there is still much more story to tell.
Belle is not a Disney princess. She makes her life choices hesitantly and with reservations. Her decision-making is always done with one foot in the past and one in the present. She embraces many of her adopted wolf customs while holding on to some of her most baseline human ideologies.
Likewise, so does Howl. What’s so interesting about their relationship is this entangling of lifestyles that the two individually struggle with yet mutually attempt to work out.
As with most conflicts, though, their hardships are caused by what they don’t discuss. As a result, words and actions get misinterpreted. This causes singular decisions to be made that lead to further conflict.
Two creatures from such different backgrounds have a lot to learn about each other. It also allows their great enemy, the presumed dead Jean, to slide in and wreak havoc on their wedding plans.
The Stockholm Syndrome debate
Stevens writes in the book’s epilogue that Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing was written to explore a very clear cut version of Stockholm syndrome. This version wouldn’t work as effectively between hero and heroine as it would for heroine and villain. Without giving too much away, this time, Belle is held against her will. She’s tortured, manipulated, and forced to break out by any means necessary.
Her imprisonment in Cry Wolf was clearly a rescue attempt that led to her willingness to stay. Every event leading up to her stay in Howl’s castle, while at first misconstrued as a kidnapping, is set up to make the situation nothing more than a good-intentioned rescue.
It’s a tightrope walk of an update to a muddier premise in the classic story, but it’s pulled off perfectly in book one. This provides so much to play off in book 2 in presenting the complete opposite situation.
Inner-monologue
Like the first book, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing flip flops between Belle and Howl’s perspective. Only this time, Howl’s chapters are longer and more reflective now that he is human enough to express himself in a more articulate way.
The reader gets a deeper insight into his vulnerability. He’s conflicted about giving up his clear Alpha status in his pack in order to appease Belle. In this way, he’s more human than he realizes as he navigates the waters of masculinity and dominance over respect and partnership.
Both have to give up in order to be together, but many of Belle’s temptations to remain in the human world are resolved from the events that occurred in the previous book, from losing her father to any marriage prospects to her disillusioned loyalty to the human world. Howl still has very much to lose, and his loss will be a conscious, sacrificial choice rather than a series of unfortunate events.
My recommendation
If this book shows anything, it’s to lead with your heart and your head rather than your ingrained beliefs. The world is gray, and no one set of rules fits into every situation. Humans are complicated, and animals are instinctual. The great thing about Belle and Howl’s relationship is how they are able to merge the two, even if they don’t always fit perfectly.
If you’ve read the first book, you won’t be disappointed by the second. It’s the perfect mix of action, romance, and morality-tale. It will make you think while entertaining. To me, that’s the perfect combination for a successful novel.
You can read my review of Cry Wolf here.
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I am such a chicken when it comes to horror films and books alike. *head in hands*. But your review definitely sells the book to those who enjoy this genre, and can enjoy having a second part to read after the first novel too. Helen 🙂
Thanks for reading! The horror in this series is pretty tame so I wouldn’t let that put you off, especially if you are a fantasy/romance fan, which are not typically my genres, but this is a series that can appeal to many different types of readers.