Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
After a rough time in his early years, Wade Espinoza has found a home and a family with the New York City god pack. Patrick, Jono, and the others saved Wade from a life where he was forced to fight to the death and sold to the rich for their entertainment. But now, Wade is a key part of the pack and has people who care about him and protect him. So when the group gets a call from the Boston god pack in need of help, Wade is happy to step in and represent the others by going to Boston.
It turns out that there is a fae lord, Niall, who is making a grab for territory in the city. He has started by threatening the god pack alphas and moved on to going after the selkies. Riordan Maguire is the leader of his selkie clan and his sister has had her sealskin stolen by the fae in an attempt to exert control over the clan. If Riordan gives himself up and forfeits clan territory, his sister will have her sealskin returned — if not, she will become a virtual slave to Niall. However, neither Wade nor Riordan are going to let that happen. After years of his own virtual slavery, Wade doesn’t take kindly to anyone being forced under someone else’s control. And while the selkies and the wolves may have found themselves backed into a corner with Niall, Wade has a secret weapon Niall doesn’t realize — he is a powerful dragon.
As Wade and Riordan work to enlist the help of the other Boston supernaturals and try to formulate a plan against Niall, it gives the men time to get to know one another better. Wade feels a connection to Riordan in a way he never has with anyone else before. And Riordan realizes that he is equally drawn to Wade and beginning to imagine what a life with him might be like. But Wade lives in New York and Riordan in Boston, making a relationship challenging. Not to mention that Riordan is still half certain he will need to sacrifice himself to Niall to save his sister. And when they discover more about the threat facing them, it may be more than even Wade can handle. But if the supernaturals can move past their territory struggles and work together, they may all just make it out alive.
Jay’s Review
Rating: 4.5 stars
Secondhand Skin is a side story set in Hailey Turner’s fabulous Soulbound universe. After the Soulbound series tied up, Turner has rewarded us with two spin offs featuring side characters from the main series. Wade has always been one of my favorite series characters and so I was thrilled to hear he was getting his own story. Wade was an older teen in the main series, but some time has passed since the events of the final book, so he is in his early 20s now and grown up. I loved that he feels like he has matured into adulthood, but is still perfectly Wade. He is still a little wild and a little sassy… and still constantly hungry. He loves his family and will do anything for them. But we also see Wade reflecting on how Jono or Patrick might approach a problem, and thinking about things he has learned from Sage. He knows his skills and isn’t afraid to throw his weight around to protect others, but he is not reckless or out of control. It is a really nice balance, making Wade feel like a familiar character, but also aging him up and showing a more mature side of him.
I also appreciated that Turner sets up a plausible scenario where Wade would be handling this complex and dangerous problem on his own. It would seem logical that Patrick and Jono would be stepping in for a crisis like this, but this is obviously Wade’s story and his adventure, so they need to be on the sidelines in a way that make sense, and I think it works here.
Turner is so good at both the world building for this series, as well as the big action scenes. When Wade arrives in Boston to help the god pack, it soon becomes clear that there is a much larger problem ahead of them. Wade and Riordan have to work with the other supernaturals in the city — or try to at least, as not everyone is willing to team up to help the wolves or the selkies. They also have to dig into what Niall is up to, what he wants, and who else is involved. The story is well developed and engaging, with one of Turner’s epic battle scenes at the end to bring it all together. I loved how Turner delves into the selkie lore here, as they aren’t covered much in the main series, and there are such great details. And, of course, we learn more about Wade’s dragon side. He is so incredibly powerful, yet everyone underestimates him, as they have no idea he is really a dragon. It adds a nice bit of playfulness and humor to the story that works well.
The relationship between Riordan and Wade is sweet and develops at a natural pace. Wade has dealt with a lot of past abuse and he really hasn’t had interest in relationships. He also needs to take things slowly and Riordan is very gentle and sensitive with keeping things at Wade’s pace and comfort level. There is just this lovely ease between them as they fall for one another that I enjoyed. The relationship is a little more in the background, with the conflict with the fae taking the main focus. But I enjoyed the men together and seeing them find a way to make it work between them.
I so enjoyed being back in this world that I love so much. Turner brings in some familiar faces, and it was so great to get Wade’s story and see him all grown and finding his happily ever after. If you are a fan of the main Soulbound series, I can highly recommend this story.
Kris’ Review
Rating: 4.75 stars
Like many readers, I’ve been a fan of Wade Espinoza from the moment he showed up on page. Watching as he learned to trust Patrick and Jono, as he settled into himself and became the man he was meant to be, was a wonderful journey to be a part of. Wade became a much needed point of levity in the Soulbound series, but he also had his serious moments. He’s integral to the pack and I loved watching him grow into his abilities and confidence. So I was very much looking forward to his story and seeing him get his happily ever after.
Turner has crafted another story filled with myth and legend, and I love the way these play together into the world that she’s created. Wade is a dragon through and through, and that comes out in his personality and character traits. He’s known for always snacking, but of course he’s always hungry. He might be in a human shape, but he is a dragon, and it’s hard to fill one up. Hoarding plays a role as well, and I liked that it popped up throughout the book. He’s also impervious to most every kind of magic, and that lends itself to Wade’s confidence. He knows he’s nigh indestructible, and therefore he can tackle whatever is in his way, as he is certain he can handle it. It’s lovely to see the scared kid we were first introduced to in book two of the series, now five years later and taking care of business.
Wade is in Boston to help the god pack there with a very interesting and troublesome problem, and in the course of it, he meets Riordan, the selkie clan leader. I love the way Turner really dialed into the myth of selkies, how their skins work, and their position within the fae hierarchy. It’s really well done. Riordan is a self-sacrificing kind of man, determined to do whatever he must in order to save his sister, and what is best for his clan. But while he’s trying to fight against the bad guy, he’s also fixated on Wade, and for a selkie, that can only mean one thing: Wade is his mate.
This book largely focuses on the greater problem of the evil fae essentially trying to take over Boston. Wade is instrumental in bringing together opposing factions, and those who might never cross paths, for the good of everyone. I thought the storyline was sufficiently complex and had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged without going too over the top. I loved seeing some familiar faces again, and I liked that Wade was the focal point that not only came up with the plan, but made sure it was executed.
As for the romance side of things, I have some mixed feelings. It’s the B plot line, which is to be expected for a spin off in this series. Wade and Riordan had great chemistry from the start, and I really liked the way Riordan doted on Wade. Considering Wade’s past and traumatic history, I thought Turner handled the physical side of things really well. There was a bit of a slow burn aspect to it, which worked well, and Wade taking time to really figure out what his feelings were. On the other hand, for me, the romance was a bit rushed at the end. We spent a majority of the book focused on the Big Problem, and Wade and Riordan growing ever closer, and then they went full on to forever very quickly at the end. I would have liked to see this part of things happen a little earlier so that it wasn’t so rushed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved being back in this world, loved seeing that our pack is doing well, and Wade truly coming into his own. I’m a big fan of this author and the world she created, and I loved seeing more mix of magic and mythos. While this is probably the last book we’ll see in this world, it was an excellent coda. While the book wasn’t entirely perfect, it really worked well for me, and I can’t recommend it, and the series, enough.
