The Longing of Lone Wolves
He’s a disgraced fae Guardian. She might’ve helped end humanity. So naturally, fate throws them together.
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What Is This Book About?
Clarke is a human woman out of time, literally. One minute, she’s living in a futuristic Las Vegas destroyed by nuclear war. The next, she’s waking up alone in a wild, magic-soaked world where cities have crumbled, humans are nearly extinct, and fae warriors patrol the ruins. She has no idea how she got there. And no clue how to get back.
Rush is a wolf-shifter and a Fae Guardian cursed to be invisible, exiled after a tragic mistake. He’s been alone for decades, trapped in a body no one can touch and a world that’s moved on without him. Every time he’s tried to be seen, he’s failed.
Then Clarke appears. She can see him. And when they touch, it doesn’t hurt.
That changes everything.
But trust doesn’t come easily in a broken world. Clarke doesn’t understand the rules, and Rush doesn’t want to care about someone he can’t keep. She’s mouthy, human, and far too curious. He’s guilt-ridden, lethal, and very good at being alone.
Still, something draws them together. A bond neither of them can explain. A pull that feels a lot like fate. That’s dangerous. Because fate doesn’t care who it uses.
This world has rules. And a Guardian’s heart? It was never meant to belong to a human.
Decades. It had been decades since he’d touched… anyone without suffering.
Quick Facts
Title and Author: “The Longing of Lone Wolves” by Lana Pecherczyk
HEA: Yes
Tropes: Alpha male, fated mates, forced proximity, slow burn, mate marks.
POV: MMC, FMC
Trigger Warnings: Near miss sexual assault (not by the MMC), violence and torture, child death (referenced), themes of post-apocalyptic SHTF trauma, pregnancy.
Books in Series: 9 as of May 24th, 2025 (Fae Guardians series)
Overall Story: ★★★
World Building: ★★★★
Character Development: ★★★
Plot: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Soon he would look and feel the one hundred and seventy-eight years he’d lived. He would die within minutes. Unless he found a Well-blessed mate.
My Take (Minor Spoilers)
Some books grab you with spice. Others with banter. The Longing of Lone Wolves grabbed me with a cursed wolf shifter, and a heroine who wakes up in the snow like, “Wait—did I just destroy the world?”
While some paranormal romances are fast and filthy, this one is quiet devastation. It’s part dystopia, part fae fantasy, part post-apocalyptic time travel fever dream. I read the first five books in the series in 2021. Now that there are nine books out, I’m rereading from the beginning — and book one still holds up. Maybe more, now that I know what’s coming.
The pacing of this story is slower than most, but for good reason. This is a layered world, and this first installment takes its time building a foundation for everything that comes next. Ancient curses. Magic forests. Vampires. Fae. Shifters. Soul mates. Prophecy. Tech. It’s a lot, but somehow it works. This isn’t your typical shifter romance where a snarky heroine heals a grumpy alpha’s trauma by chapter 10.
Let’s meet our main characters:
Clarke wakes up in this new world with no memory of how she got there, only the creeping realization that she may have helped cause the end of everything she knew. She’s not just a woman out of time. She’s a woman wracked by guilt, waking up in a world that hates her, but somehow, needs her.
Rush is a wolf-shifter and a disgraced Fae Guardian, cursed to be invisible and exiled after breaking one of his court’s sacred laws. He’s the ultimate soft-hearted grump, haunted by everything he’s lost and low-key ready to die about it. He hasn’t spoken to anyone in decades. No one can see him. Hardly anyone remembers him. He’s been alone so long, it’s become its own kind of death.
Until Clarke appears.
She shouldn’t be able to see him, but she can. And he starts to crack the second he realizes it.
The pull between them is instant, but not cheesy. Their early dynamic isn’t enemies, but it sure as hell isn’t friendly. It’s obligation. Irritation. Uneasy reliance laced with heat that they both pretend not to notice. He’s frustrated that he has to watch over a human, but grudgingly does it because, hello, she can see him. She’s pissed and confused, yet stuck with a broody alpha male who’s the hottest man she’s ever seen. He has broad shoulders. Golden eyes. Long silver hair. A perfectly groomed beard. A wolf tattoo spans one of his pecs, while blue glyphs cover his forearm. A teardrop tattoo glitters below one eye.
And under all his lethal snarl? He’s kind. As in, takes her home and makes her stew while muttering “damn woman” to himself and trying not to sniff her hair.
But this fated mates pairing comes with a ticking clock. Rush’s world is full of dangerous creatures, and every time he uses magic, his curse brings him closer to death. So while Clarke’s abilities are rising, Rush’s power is draining out of him.
What makes these two work is that neither of them is clean. Both have blood on their hands and regrets that won’t let them breathe. They wonder if they’re good people. If they even deserve love. And eventually, that shared damage is what lets them see each other fully.
There are two sex scenes in this book, and they are absolutely earned. The buildup is slow and full of the quiet ache of being alone for too long. When they finally come together, it’s not just about physical release. It’s about being seen and known. The first sex scene in particular was sensual and tender, more emotional than explicit, and it hit harder because of it. The way Rush notices her every reaction, the way he revels in her touch, was deeply satisfying. This male comes undone for his female.
If you’re here for quick heat and tropey banter, this won’t be your book. But if you want something richer—something with emotional stakes, worldbuilding, and two broken people learning how to breathe again?
This one’s for you.
“Fuck your magical curse-breaking mate. I’m the one.” She poked him in the chest. “I’m your one.”
Yay!Thank you!
Any book suggestions that are like this,but with a lot more..shall we say..sm*t?