A pack for Winter by Eliana Lee

 

Published by Putnam on October 28^th, 2025

336 pages

I read the paperback

Back Cover

Ivy Noelle Winter is content with being a 31-year-old unbonded omega with no prospects of a pack. She adores teaching fifth grade, she has wonderful friends — and that baking show marathon isn’t going to watch itself.

Until a snowstorm and power outage traps Ivy in her classroom after hours…with three men.

Rome, the new alpha music teacher.

James, the flirtatious beta vet he’s bonded to.

And Logan, the town’s grumpy alpha electrician.

Their scents call to Ivy and her body answers, setting off her first-ever mini heat. When the pheromones settle, she gets a proposition beyond her wildest dreams—a chance to be a pack.

But there’s no such thing as a perfect courtship, especially when the biggest roadblock to happiness might be Ivy herself.

My review

I recommend this book for people over 16 years old. It might have a cute cover, but you will find really spicy scenes that might not work for young readers. It will be a series of 4 books, but you can read them separately. Even though, I think teachers deserves the best, the fact that three men are courting her can be a problem for some readers. In my case, it didn’t brother me because I saw it as a story and nothing else. Believe me, I wouldn’t want to be in Ivy shoes.

I found that Ivy was a cute character, but sometime she was too insecure for her own good. I admit that I also think sometimes that I am not good enough, but I like to read stories about strong enough to get after what they want. I gave her a chance and she was likable at the end. She opens up and I imagine she was a good teacher, so some reader can find themselves in her.

About the alphas, I could say the same thing. They weren’t the alphas type you usually find in that type of books. Sure, they were worried when she came back from work in the dark and she didn’t answer while she was working, but I wish they had confidence in themselves. For once, I was glad to find a vet in a book. I love animals and I could easily fall for a vet because of that interest.

Excerpts

Scents were a natural lure between alphas and omegas. But after twelve years of being an omega, I was fairly practiced at not letting it go to my head. (p.4)

Don’t bother. It’s not like anyone ever shows interest. You’re just Ms. Winter. Wrangler of children, and – I glanced down at my shapeless woolen sweater-sexless caterpillar. (p.8)

I spent a lot of my teenage years lost and angry. Angry that my fresh starts always seemed to come with the grime of judgment- my name, my skin, my interests. College in New York was deliberately chosen, yet it didn’t make it right. I eventually grew, uneven and odd-angled, out of whatever childish whim drove me. I finally let go of the feeling I was chasing that had no name. (p.19)

Rome spun suddenly, facing me and walking backward. “Did you think I was going to serenade you?” he asked with an incorrigible smile. “Take you to a karaoke bar where I’d blocked the first ten songs for myself?” (p.90)