In A Wolf's Eyes by A. Katie Rose

By Ed

Raine is a slave, a gladiator.  Known as the Bloody Wolf, he is the champion of all champions in the Empire of Khalid.  Ly'Tana is a warrior princess of Kel'Halla and is set to wed the heir to Khalid's throne, Crown Prince Broughton.  When Raine and his new wizard pal, Rygel, accidentally murder the High King, they setin motion events which rapidly spiral out of control.  Ly'Tana discovers the true, and violent, nature of her betrothed, a man nicknamed Prince Brutal for his vicious nature, and escapes her marriage.

Brutal will stop at nothing to have her for his wife.  To entice his runaway bride into a trap, he brings down and captures her griffin bodyguard, Bar.  Ly'Tana vows to have Bar back or die trying, and seeks the help of Raine and Rygel, to free Bar from Brutal's clutches.  In doing so, Raine and Ly'Tana are forced to flee for their lives, hunted by Brutal's secretive assassins.

Can they escape the hunters and silent, evil hounds?  Can Ly'Tana evade Brutal's hungry need to marry her and seize her beloved country?  Can Raine keep Ly'Tana alive and still save himself from capture and torture?  Can they stop themselves from falling in love?

Thus begins the first novel of The Saga of the Black Wolf series.  (taken from Amazon description)

This book, which I learned is the author's first, is very well written.  The story and characters feel well thought out.  It's told from the first person perspective of two different people, Raine and Ly'Tana, something I haven't read since Susan Kay's "Phantom" (one of my favorite books.)  Having more than one protagonist helps flesh out the world better than trying to describe one person's point of view alone.

One observation I would make, is that the relationship between Raine and Rygel seems forced.  Yes, it may be setting the scene for something more, but in the beginning it puzzled me and didn't seem true.  Their brotherly banter later on becomes endearing, especially after Raine helps Rygel overcome his drug addiction.

Ly'Tana and Rain's relationship, while only mutually beneficial at first, clearly sparks into something more.  Being a fan of a 'good' love story, I'm very interested to see how this relationship develops.

Fantastic escapes, near misses, and a chilling cliffhanger ending left me wanting more.  Bravo Miss Rose!!