Paranormal picks: Our 11 all-time favorite wolf shifters

The wolf shifter category is one of the most popular in the entire paranormal romance genre. Why you ask? Maybe it's because wolf shifters in romance today aren't like the brutal, uncomplicated monster werewolves we saw so often in old movies. Maybe romance readers are just drawn to the wild, raw, primal power of a rough-around-the-edges bad boy who just so happens to shift into the form of one of nature's most lethal predators every so often. Or maybe it's all because of that shirtless kid from the Twilight movies. Who knows? But more importantly...why question it? The simple fact is that romance readers love wolf shifters, and here at Romance Rehab, we're certainly not immune to their, um, animal magnetism. With that in mind, here are our top 11 all-time favorite wolf shifters in romance today, listed in no particular order.

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A Hunger Like No Other
Author: Kresley Cole

Amazon blurb:
A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her...

After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy...
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae—and their notorious dark desires—ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all-consuming desire . . .
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?

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Ready to Were
Author: Robyn Peterman

Amazon blurb:
I was a top notch Were agent for the secret paranormal Council and happily living in Chicago where I had everything I needed –  a gym membership, season tickets to the Cubs and Dwayne – my gay, Vampyre best friend. Going back now would mean facing the reason I’d left and I’d rather chew my own paw off than deal with Hank.

Hank the Tank Wilson was the six foot three, obnoxious, egotistical, perfect-assed, best-sex-of-my-life, Werewolf who cheated on me and broke my heart. At the time, I did what any rational woman would do. I left in the middle of the night with a suitcase, big plans and enough money for a one-way bus ticket to freedom. I vowed to never return.

But here I am, trying to wrap my head around what has happened to some missing Weres without wrapping my body around Hank. I hope I don’t have to eat my words and my paw.

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Semi-Broken
Author: Isabel Jordan

Amazon blurb:
Wolf shifter Lucas Cooper is usually up for any wild mission Harper Hall throws his way. But impersonating a doctor and breaking a woman out of the psych ward at a supernatural prison? That’s a little crazy even for him. Until he sees her. One look into her haunted blue eyes and every protective instinct he has flares to life. He’ll do anything to save her. Not that it’ll be easy. Break her out of prison? No problem. Convince her she’s not broken, undeserving of love, and incapable of redemption? That might be trickier.

She’s 754821 and she’s a perfect killing machine. A nameless Sentry cleaner raised from birth to destroy paranormal threats, she’s the thing monsters fear. But then Lucas rescues her and everything changes. According to him, she has a family, a home, a purpose. To Lucas, she’s not just a number; she’s Seven, and she’s beautiful.

They’re nothing alike. He’s warm, open, easy to talk to. Her? Not so much. Violence is all she’s ever known. 

And none of that matters when she’s in his arms. 

But when a threat from her past emerges to destroy the new life she’s worked so hard to forge, Seven knows she’ll need to rely on her killer instincts to protect the future she longs for with Lucas. She can only hope she doesn’t lose what’s left of her humanity—and Lucas—in the process… 

Note: for more information, read our full review of Semi-Broken, a new release, here. ​​

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Wolf Protector
Author: Milly Taiden

Amazon blurb:
A woman with a secret…
The Federal Paranormal Unit is an elite squad of supernaturals dedicated to solving missing persons cases. Erica’s gift allows her a special connection with the crime, but it comes at a deep personal cost… Until now, she’s kept her gift a secret, even from the other members of the team. But this case will throw her together with Agent Trent Buchanan. He’s the object of her secret desires, but he’s also a cocky womanizer. She’d rather swim in shark-infested waters with a paper cut than admit she has feelings for him.

A man with one desire…
Wolf Shifter Trent wants Erica more than he’s ever wanted any woman. He’s spent years patiently waiting for her to admit that she wants him too. 

Working one-on-one in a race to find a serial killer, Trent’s patience and Erica’s resolve wear thin. When Trent discovers the truth about Erica, will he accept her for who she is? And can he protect her from the horrors that her gift brings?

A case that pushes them to the edge…
Erica will have to risk it all if she wants to stop the killer, and when she does, Trent may have to put his own life on the line to make sure his mate is protected…

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Bayou Moon
Author: Ilona Andrews

Amazon blurb:
Cerise Mar and her clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands. When her parents vanish, her clan's long-time rivals are suspect. But all is not as it seems.

Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge-and Cerise's life.

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Feral Sins
Author: Suzanne Wright

Amazon blurb:
When female wolf shifter Taryn Warner first encounters Trey Coleman, an alpha male wolf shifter with a dangerous reputation, she’s determined to resist his charms. After all, Trey—who was only fourteen when he defeated his own father in a duel, winning the right to be alpha of his pack—can’t have anything to offer the talented healer besides trouble, or so she thinks. Taryn finds herself drawn in by Trey’s forceful demeanor and arctic-blue eyes, and she eventually agrees to enter an uneasy alliance with him. If the two succeed in convincing their respective packs that they’ve chosen each other as mates, Trey will win valuable political allies, while Taryn will escape an odious arranged mating.
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But there are a lot of potential pitfalls to this plan—including the very real possibility that the wolf shifters, overwhelmed by their growing attraction to each other, will be unable to maintain the clear heads needed to pull off the deception.

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First Bitten
Author: Samantha Towle

Amazon blurb:
A love story with bite…

Walking home after a night out drowning her sorrows with her best friend, Carrie, Alexandra Jones stupidly takes a phone call from her cheating ex-boyfriend, Eddie, and in her anger hurls her phone into the forest before her. But when Alex goes to retrieve her phone from the undergrowth, she and Carrie come face-to-face with a monster they never even knew existed, a Vârcolac (a nightmarish vampire-werewolf hybrid) and he's in search of fresh blood.

The next thing Alex knows, she is staring at the impossibly handsome but mysterious Nathan who has helped bring her back to life, but not to the life she left.​

To her horror, she discovers she has now become a blood-drinking Vârcolac herself and she is the only female of her kind, with the potential for breeding a whole new army of Vârcolacs if they can only track her down and press her into service. And while Alex gets to know Nathan and his shape-shifting family as they offer her the protection she so desperately needs, unbeknown to all of them, the Vârcolacs are getting closer…

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Wild Things
Author: Jennifer Ashley

Amazon blurb:
Wolf Shifter Mason McNaughton is tired of the crazy feral living in his house, endangering him, his brothers, and his sweet auntie Cora. Ferals are Shifters who’ve reverted to the wild stage, forgetting all about the joys of pizza and satellite TV. Not to mention, Mason is sick of waking up to the feral’s rampages, one of which nearly killed him. The feral has been given sanctuary, so Mason can’t throw him out—the only thing to do is to find a way to cure him.

The problem is, Shifter healers—elusive, Goddess-touched Shifters who have the healing gift—are few and far between. Mason volunteers to go in search of one, and is sent to a psychic in New Orleans who might have an idea of where to start looking.

Mason doesn’t believe in psychics, but Jasmine, the psychic in question, seems to at least put on a good show. Jasmine believes in Shifters all right, but she vowed to never have anything to do with them.

The easiest way to get rid of the growly Lupine, Mason, is to help him, but Jasmine never dreams what that help will drag her into.

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With Everything I Am
Author: Kristen Ashley

Amazon blurb:
One night, Callum is driven into the woods by instinct, an instinct to protect. In the form of wolf, he meets a young human child who he is instantly drawn to in a fierce way he doesn’t quite understand.

Sonia Arlington has lived a lonely life. She has certain abilities that make her strange and she has a rare disease that, if untreated, could kill her. Her father makes her vow that she will never let others discover her abilities. This forces Sonia to stay distant, always guarding against exposure.

Intelligence leaks that Sonia is Callum’s human mate. He is now King of the Werewolves and has war on his hands. He’s forced to claim his mate and integrate Sonia into a world that is strange and frightening.

As Sonia attempts to adjust, Callum attempts to cope with the knowledge that his mate is mortal. He will have her beauty and gentleness only the length of a mortal life making their union unbearably bitter even as Sonia makes it unbelievably sweet.

Note: we also interviewed Kristen Ashley on our sister site! Check it out.

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To Covet the Fae
Author: L.E. Wilson

Amazon blurb:
Brock Hume is a born hunter, and right now he's hunting the most tempting prey he's ever encountered through the early morning streets of Seattle. He really can't help himself. Her scent reminds him of the heather blossoms of his homeland, and she has thick, womanly curves that he can't wait to get his paws on. And she was running from him: A werewolf. But he has all kinds of plans for when he catches her, and catch her he would. For her, he would do just about anything. Except the one thing he really needs to do - tell her the truth about his past.

Heather Knight has to be the worst faerie ever, but being that she grew up as a human, that shouldn't really be a surprise. Besides, she likes humans. Her best friend is human. And Heather would do anything for her, even fly all the way to Seattle just to keep her company. 

The fact that Brock, the hottest guy she's ever laid eyes on, also came along for the ride has absolutely nothing to do with it. But when they land, Heather discovers that there's a lot more to him than he let on. Like the fact that he howls at the full moon. So, she rushes to the nearest light rail stop to catch a ride back to the airport. 

But she's not quite quick enough. In a strange twist of fate, Heather finds herself standing in front of the one person she never expected to see - the Fae prince. He's a little bit off, and not exactly thrilled that she's managed to stay hidden from him for this long. And now that he's found her and her new pet, he has some plans of his own for them.

In a move that would rival the white rabbit's, they find themselves thrown into a game of Survivor meets Alice in Wonderland with nothing but the clothes on their backs. To win the game, and the girl, Brock has five days to find Heather and return them to where he started. 

Yet the real games begin when they come back. 

Note: for more information, check out our full book review of To Covet the Fae!

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Cry Wolf
Author: Patricia Briggs

Amazon blurb:
Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country is about to recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.

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What about y’all? Did we leave your favorite wolf shifter off the list? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

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