Psychotherapist Riley Dawson was abandoned on the Appalachian trail as a newborn. A well-to-do young couple adopt her and life seems great, until her lycanthropic genes reassert themselves and she turns into a werecoyote. First love and sexual exploration with her best friend Fiona trigger the change, but having her parents witnesses the transformation leads to the end of her idyllic life. Abandoned for a second time, Riley becomes a therapist and carves out a life alone. Chosen family replace what she’s lost. When, twenty years later, Fiona Bell walks into her practice with huge problems of her own, Riley must find a way to help her. She also has to find a way to deal with her emotions – and stop Fiona finding out she’s a werecoyote. Can she help Fiona without putting her own future on the line?
I really like Riley. She was strong and capable, despite the enormous hurdles she had to overcome. Fiona was the love of her life, but circumstances and family kept them apart. They needed each other, but how on earth could they ever be a couple when the world seemed to be conspiring against them? The secondary characters were also well written. I especially liked Barbara. Her interventions were spot on and she made the other characters stop and think.
‘Coyote Blues’ is a story with many layers. Thwarted love, the fear of being found out, intense peril and ever-heightening tension . But there was also friendship, chosen family and hope. There was always hope. An excellently plotted story with twists that had me gasping. I really enjoyed this book.
I was given this ARC for review.
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