Forever

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Forever

Tom Culpeper will not rest until the wolves in Boundary Wood are dead. And this time he may get his wish. He's petitioning to lift the protection off the wolves and wipe them out with an aerial hunt. With Grace in the woods, Sam and Cole must come up with a way to save the wolves on their own, but time is running out.

Even though as a whole I love this series, there were some moments in Forever that made me take away a star. Sam was less endearing in the third book. He was still fiercely dedicated to Grace, but his hesitation to help and make decisions without her made the story slow down. Beck raised him to be the new leader of the wolves, but I found Sam falling short of that title. Cole took up the mantle more often than Sam, even if Cole acknowledged Sam was higher in the pack.

Cole became the highlight of Forever. His character arc had an explosion of development as he struggled to become comfortable in his human skin. His life took on a new purpose and with it, Cole became someone that was damaged but fought to be a better person. A well-written redemption story will catch me every time, and Cole certainly redeemed himself in Forever.

There was also a tendency throughout the series to push aside secondary characters. While they at first seemed important to the plot, they were used and cast aside never to be seen again. But despite having characterization flaws, Forever is still an emotionally gripping addition to The Wolves of Mercy Falls. The danger to the pack has increased and lives hang in the balance as their time slowly begins to wind down. Revisiting this series was a walk down memory lane with characters that will forever be close to me.