Author: Allegra Hall

Series: Lost Moon: Unravelling Monsters Universe

First Published: 30 November 2023

“You hold my heart in your hands, every moment of every day.”

Ellie never expected to see him again.

Two years after the Unravelling revealed monsters and their hidden realm to the world, garden designer Ellie Harding seems to have her life together, living out her cottagecore dreams on the picturesque island of Motuwai, New Zealand.

What she never expected was for Van Livingston, the wealthy American she grew up with every summer, to walk back into her life nine years after a tragic event destroyed their romantic relationship. What’s more, it turns out Van is a wolf — a hybrid werewolf/wolf-shifter, to be exact — with two wolves and two wolf forms. He’s just as handsome as ever, and without the glamour, his gold eyes and towering height have her feeling hot and bothered all over again.

Van was her first love, and she could never blame him for how things ended… but that doesn’t mean Ellie’s ready to take him back. She has her own problems to sort out, including a secret that’s been eating away at her.

Van’s wolves know that she’s his mate.

He wasn’t supposed to find Ellie yet. After breaking away from his father’s pack, Van’s plan involved settling into his newly-purchased vineyard on the island of Motuwai. Only then did he plan on tracking Ellie down — to apologise, to grovel, and to beg for her forgiveness.

But the moment he scents her in the unlikeliest of places, he’s done for. His wolves won’t let it go — Ellie is his fated mate — and this time around, he’s not going to ruin things.

However, Ellie isn’t quite the same woman he used to know, and something sinister has been lurking in the shadows. Van’s alpha instincts drive him to protect her, but will it be enough to keep the danger at bay?

I am 100% obsessed with A Wolf in the Garden. It is everything I want from a monster romance – a unique, non-American setting, an intricate world, fully realised characters who grow and develop, and sweet slice-of-life moments balanced with so truly steamy monster spice.

In this world, the Unveiling happened two years ago. Where the veil hiding the supernatural and magical world from humans was revealed, and humans had to come to terms with the fact that other beings were living among them. The way Allegra Hall described what happened and explained the prejudice some creatures face felt so real that I would not be surprised if this happened tomorrow. The most challenging part is for those who thought they were human, but the Unveiling has revealed that they are half supernatural and now have Orc tusks or, in Ellie’s case, pointed ears. Ellie has been hiding her pointed ears since the Unveiling after watching the prejudice and discrimination occur to those supernatural creatures. Things settle into a slightly uncomfortable normal, and Ellie is still hiding her ears as it’s been too long at this point that she’s worried she will upset her community and friends by revealing her ears years later. However, things start happening – magic plants are appearing, she has been marked by unknown supernatural, and she can’t hide from her supernatural side. My heart was filled with joy watching Ellie reluctantly reveal her ears, and despite her fear, her friends accepted her with open arms.

Ellie has been hung up on Van since he broke her heart all those years ago, which makes this a pretty unique romance. We have a second chance, fated mates romance. The pair met when they were kids when Van’s family came to New Zealand for the summer. They have one beautiful summer together before tragedy strikes, and Van’s family never returns to New Zealand. The pair are thrown back together when Van moves to Motuwai after buying a winery and hires Ellie to landscape some of the property. I loved seeing Ellie and Van move past their hurt and all the secrets to get to know each other again. Their communication is pretty open. I love that moment they decided that if they want this relationship to work, they must let go of their hurt and start to get to know each other again. The steam is A+++. Also, since Van is half werewolf and half wolf shifter, he can shift into a wolf and turn into a wolfman during the full moon. Hence the monster romance part. Honestly, that scene under the full moon, I needed a cool shower afterwards.

Van is an utter sweetheart under that alpha wolf exterior. He’s broken away from his father’s pack and moved to Motuwai hoping to Ellie again. I loved the pack dynamics here. It helps to justify why Van and Ellie had to break up. Despite knowing that Ellie was his mate, I loved how careful he was with her. He doesn’t want to come on too strong and takes the time to get her to trust him again. When Ellie is in danger, Van uses all his connections to keep her safe, even calling on his father’s pack. The way this man does everything within his power to make Ellie feel loved and accepted about her fairy ears and supernatural heritage made me swoon.

I adore that this book has a small town in New Zealand setting. This is a setting I’ve never seen in a monster/paranormal romance. Ellie is Māori. I adored how Allegra Hall interweaved Māori culture and words throughout the book. It felt so authentic to Ellie. A Wolf in the Garden is an own voice novel, so I love that Allegra took the time to share her culture with us. Ellie is a landscape designer and gardener. I love how she uses the Māori traditions her grandfather taught her to create and care for her gardens.

Safe to say, I could recount all the ways I love A Wolf in the Garden for hours. This is what I want from a Monster Romance. I flew through this book despite it being also 700 pages and was devastated when it ended because I just wanted to see more from Ellie, Van and Motuwai. I am obsessed with this world and cannot wait for the next book, which features a dragon shifter!