Wolf for Hire

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Allison Jane Avery (AJ) is a recent accounting graduate juggling mundane jobs to afford rent, car payments, and massive student loans. Stuck in a cycle of financial instability, AJ’s life takes a turn when a wild night out leads to an even wilder morning—waking up naked in a park with a mysterious tramp stamp and the unsettling realization that she’s become a werewolf. Not the bloodthirsty Hollywood werewolf that hunts under the moon, but one content with stalking stray animals and digging through trash. AJ’s more concerned about dealing with the fallout of turning into a mindless creature every month—from losing her favorite pajamas to repeated offenses of public indecency and trespassing. The judge warns she’s one misdemeanor shy of a felony, and her landlord is evicting her for violating her lease’s “No Pet” policy. Struggling to keep her job, her dignity, and a roof over her head, AJ’s life is spiraling out of control as she picks up ever-odder jobs. Anything will do if it saves her from having to work again as a part-time stripper or, worse, move back in with her parents. AUTHOR'S NOTE:I'll admit that the above synopsis is a little inadequate to describe a story that has, since its inception, evolved into an odyssey of misadventure involving anAverage Janetrying to get her shit together before the full moon. But I like keeping it around, if only for posterity—it was this very prompt that got me writing in the first place, after all. OnceWolf for Hirenears completion (or, at least the first installment, if it continues to garner strong support), I intend to make numerous revisions and edits it in preparation for proper publication. And that includes the synopsis. So, in the meantime, I invite you to leave comments during your reading experience. Your feedback is valuable to me. Hope you enjoy.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Quirky Corgi

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 524
Views: 133,943

What readers say about Wolf for Hire

“AJ, a semiclueless down-on-her-luck newly-werewolf girl, is roped into caring for her old acquaintance's menagerie of exotic animals and dogs. I found this story incredibly funny and especially well-paced compared to some other stories I'm following on this…”
the jossbatRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Nothing like supernatural sapphic horror to make you realize that Hell is empty and temperate, and that the soul-crushing hellspawn were the landlords all along. The main character is transformed by the institutionalized discrimination of all things non-wh…”
Catbask3tRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(9)

the jossbatRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
AJ, a semiclueless down-on-her-luck newly-werewolf girl, is roped into caring for her old acquaintance's menagerie of exotic animals and dogs. I found this story incredibly funny and especially well-paced compared to some other stories I'm following on this site, haha. We're on chapter 12 (though they are quite lengthy chapters) and I'd say we have an excellent grasp of AJ, the side characters, and the plot at this point. It's proceeding like a regular, professionally edited novel and not a 4,000 page stat-grinder LitRPG, which is off-genre for this site, and which I am loving! I'd classify this as a comedic urban fantasy mystery/adventure. It's set in Charleston, SC, and the details about the real world location are very good; I wouldn't be surprised if that's where the author is from. I couldn't stop laughing while reading this! Strong characterization, magic shenanigans with a bit of learning because AJ is a noob (but no magic school or cultivation asides which I find to be sooooo boring [they also wouldn't fit in the setting]), animal character hijinks, fun werewolf alter-ego interactions and self-discovery. Not an omegaverse werewolf story, thank whatever higher powers that be 😌, and there's no sex-- but by Lord, there is certainly naughty comedy.
The author has a fairly descriptive style, with plenty of imagery and showing instead of telling, without getting too bogged down in details. The story is in a first person limited perspective and is told in (generally simple) past tense, with insight into AJ's thoughts and observations, including descriptions of her environment, that she was making at the time. Most of the line-to-line writing is dialogue or AJ's thoughts, but they're both sprinkled with actions and observations alongside, making it a treat to read and picture everything occurring as it is told.
The story is exciting, and I find AJ's starting circumstances to be a particularly good hook. It makes you feel bad for her, gives you an understanding of he
Catbask3tRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Nothing like supernatural sapphic horror to make you realize that Hell is empty and temperate, and that the soul-crushing hellspawn were the landlords all along. The main character is transformed by the institutionalized discrimination of all things non-white-male-human-straight into a beastial woman, who must gather her army of other beasts [likely representing the full spectrum of allies and neurodivergents] in order to survive until the next dawn. From there she will mount a rebellion by literary and metaphorically parading around as a wolf-in-sheeps clothing, dismantling these systems of oppression from the inside by failing upward the whole time [for the kryptonite of these systems of male authoritarianism is the free feminine spirit, represented by the wolf]. It is only right that the author uses their thinly disguised fetish to attack and cripple these modern day, horrorific notions of late-stage-capitalism-as-acceptable-violence.
AJ, having been involuntarily release from her servitude to the instruments of capitalism and authorian control (i.e. landlord elitism, the criminal justice system), will continue to find herself the scapegoat [/scapesheep] by the scavengers of a oppressive capitalist system [likely other supernatural entities like Cults, representing religious charlatans, vampires, representing parasitic humans that join the ranks of the exploitative system to further exploit the poor, and possible even dragons, representing the dehumanizing force of inherited capital]. These Scavengers will misidentify AJ as the discarded scraps of this infernal engine of capitalize (a sheep), and their folly will be their undoing, but not because AJ is a predator (as would be implied by the wolf), but because AJ is a liberated force of true humanity and mother nature.
Gur_QentbaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am absolutely hooked, and devastated that there isn't an unlimited number of chapters. I have a lot of words before RoyalRoad accepts this reveiw, so a list of things I like:
1. I'm from Charleston, I can imagine the setting pretty well. I'm not good with place names, so I'm not sure where everything is, but everything feels like a real place. If there were a house full of crazy magic animals, I'd know where to look now.
2. The characters are great. Everyone makes sense, especially out protagonist. That doesn't mean she's making good life choices, but every decision we see drives home exactly what she's like, the stress she's been under, and the way she is/is not dealing with any individual problem.
3. Style - the pace is good. Every chapter drives the plot forward, without skipping the groundwork that sets up meaningful character or setting building to give it emotional impact.
4. Elmo is great. That doesn't mean anything to you yet, but it will.
5. I'm absolutely fascinated by the mysteries that are set up, and I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing what the resolution is.
The problems:
1. I forgot to blink while reading, and now my eyes are very dry.
NepenthusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a very fun contemporary werewolf story. It does not start at the classical start of these kind of novels, the bite and first transformation. It is more about trying to live a normal human life while struggling with the curse.
The story does a great job introducing characters and giving them depth, even if they are literally animals.
The author also really manages to get the feeling correct, you care about the MC potentially ruining her life, you feel disgusted at some of the things a wolf/dog would do and you can feel how the MC is really barely hanging on to some sort of normalcy.
I found this by accident but ended up really enjoying it, definitely recommended for fans of urban fantasy.
TheacupRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I was just aimlessly browsing RoyalRoad for my next fix when, before I knew it, hours had flown by.
The story’s description didn’t exactly grab me at first, and I went in with pretty low expectations - but I’m so glad I gave it a chance. What a hidden gem of urban fantasy. The author excels at bringing the characters to life, giving them real depth, flaws, and believable struggles that make them feel human (or non-human? Heh). The writing is clean, the grammar impeccable, and the pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish.
Can't wait to read more and follow along!
deedreeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
** I feel like these are not spoilers but they might be. **
You should definitely read this! Feels like it’s written by a professional writer.
The characters of all the animals are awesome! AJ needs to learn to trust people though. Haha
I read this in a couple of hours and now I’m sad there isn’t more. Boden where are you! You dumb lug! You better be okay.
And where’s Sandy, who’s Solomon? Too many mysteries are still not uncovered. I feel like these are not spoilers but they might be.
BudgiePRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
AJ's life is spiraling, and that was before the werewolf condition showed up. Author is doing a great job at finding increasingly creative ways for her to dig herself even deeper into the hole.
Whether AJ allows her lycanthropy ruin her life, or embraces it - making it the best thing that's ever happened to her - remains to be seen. Minor grammar errors like double full stops are easily forgiven.
Definitely in my top 5 favorite stories on Royal Road.
nerodotusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
"The wolf, still savoring the last bit of bone, gnawed contentedly while my mind reeled in silence. Not just because of what we’d done, the food we'd stolen, the people we'd terrorize—with Elmo's help of course—but what it meant going forward. This night would be burned into the wolf's memory, something visceral and unforgettable.
A core memory.
And now that she’d tasted real food—good food—she would want more.
So would I.
And neither of us could afford it.
Three hundred dollars for a single night of eating out. Three hundred dollars I didn’t have. Worse, this wasn’t going to be a one-off. A once in a blue moon spending spree. This was going to be every full moon. At least three to five times a month. And I'd already maxed out my credit cards. I couldn't go into more debt even if I wanted to."
Oh, well - Just like the wolf in the spoiler above from Chapter 11, I found this story, ate from it and now I am doomed. I want more, and not only at the full moon, but three to five times every month!
You don't believe me? Just take a bite - I mean read a chapter - and see for yourself!
jadecriminalRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Absolutely do read if you can stand or love the messy mess of a protagonist incapable of any sort of forethought and think it's funny or adorable.
This really is a pretty decent story, but the protagonist i just way too much of a contradictory mess for me to continue reading because I know people like this and holy heck.
All the problems she is having? Completely her own fault because she should have been thinking about fixes months before the story starts. Heck she still isn't thinking beyond the immediate now.
I had to stop mid chapter 12.
There's being a scattered mess of impulses in stead of a person and then there's being self destructive.
Let me set things up:
Your landlord has been looking for any excuse to kick you out because profit and has done so for others that had the cheaper pre-gentrification lease contract.
You know this. You still choose to be a werewolf in your apartment, causing damage and such.
Judge rules in landlords favor. (And the judge still does you a favor in doing so as is revealed later)
Surprised Pikachu face.
Or:
You know your car will be repo'd because you aren't paying for it. You know how annoying the local towing services are. You know about the damn GPS on the damn clamp that they put on your car. Proceeds to put the clamped tire in the boot.
Still she whines about the car, which she left all her cash in because clearly it's safer in the car, which gets found and towed like it's a major damn surprise.
Even if we assume it isn't repo, then don't park where your car will be towed.
All that, the sheer lack of thinking things through? Months on end of knowing you'd end up naked in the streets with the full moon, arrested with a judge slowly losing their patience with you?
Slowly ruining her own life and not doing anything about it because thinking is hard and stubbornly clinging to your delusions and complaining in your own head is easier.
I'm hand waving the whole handsome dude bro going "Hey so I'll come over to the house I hired