Narrated by Gary Furlong

Secondhand Skin is the second spin-off of Hailey Turner’s fabulous Soulbound series of inventive, action-packed urban fantasy novels set mostly in an AU New York City. Probably the most beloved secondary character of the series is Wade Espinoza, whom we first met as a traumatised teen who had been enslaved by a trickster god and then rescued and sort of adopted by the two progagonists of the series, Patrick Collins and Jono DeVere, becoming an integral member of their family and pack over the course of the series. Wade often provided excellent comic relief in the stories – his habit of eating everything in sight and being constantly on the look-out for his next snack (he’s a growing fire dragon, after all!), combined with some typically teenaged surliness and snark was pitch perfect and he very quickly established himself as a reader favourite.

But the final book in the Soulbound series wasn’t the last we were destined to see of Wade. After an important secondary role in last year’s Resurrection Reprise, he’s back as the hero of his own story (and to get his well deserved HEA) in Secondhand Skin – and I’m delighted to say that the author has done him proud.

While this story stands alone, I hesitate to recommend reading or listening to it without having at least some familiarity with the characters and storylines featured in the Soulbound books. (And there may be spoilers for that series in this review.)

Although Patrick and Jono’s territory begins and ends in New York City, it’s not unusual for them to receive requests for help from outside, and when one such request comes from the Boston god pack, they send Wade to deal with it as they’re unable to go themselves. The pack’s dire refused to discuss the problem over the phone, so Wade has no idea what he might be heading into, but that doesn’t faze him in the least so he heads to Boston to find out what’s going on.

It turns out that the god pack alphas were kidnapped by local fae mobster, Niall Noígíallach, who then bound the rest of the pack with some kind of secrecy spell meaning they can’t speak about what happened to anyone in the city. It was their dire, Ella, who saw and exploited the loophole by asking for help from outside Boston, but she can’t answer Wade’s questions about whether any other supernatural creatures have experienced problems from the same quarter because she literally can’t ask them.

Riordan Maguire is chief of the selkie clan that has lived and worked around the harbour area for centuries, and he and his siblings – Donal and Saoirse – run a number of successful businesses including a popular pub by the seafront. Two weeks earlier, disaster struck when Saoirse was out with friends; she was attacked and her sealskin was stolen – which is every selkie’s nightmare, as whoever holds their skin, if not someone of their choosing, holds their very freedom in their hands. Riordan and Donal have been searching for the skin but have not found it so far, and they fear for their sister’s safety and sanity, knowing that the longer she and her sealskin are parted, the higher the risk that she will eventually heed its call – and they will probably never see her again. One evening, Niall shows up at the pub with Casey Jenkins – one of the missing alphas – in tow and acting as his muscle, and confirms the brothers’ worst fears; he has the skin and demands that Saoirse go with him. When they refuse, Niall suggests a different bargain; he’ll return Saoirse’s sealskin if Riordan will surrender his. They all know that Niall will gain control of the clan either way – by holding their sister hostage or by controlling the clan chief. He gives them a week to make their decision. But Riordan already knows what it will be. He’s not about to sacrifice his sister.

Wade and Riordan met briefly when Wade accompanied Patrick, Jono and the rest of the pack to a grand fae wedding at the Seelie Court. Wade couldn’t help noticing that Riordan is runway model hot and thinking how much he’d love to hoard him (!) but that’s as far as his thoughts went. Wade doesn’t date and has never been bothered overmuch by his single status, although he thinks he might like to have the sort of loving relationship Patrick and Jono have, someday. Sure, he’s noticed attractive people before, but has never thought beyond that – yet he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Riordan. He hadn’t expected ever to see him again, so is surprised when Riordan and his brother show up at Ella’s place, angrily demanding to see her alphas.

Once tempers have cooled and Riordan has got over his shock at seeing Wade again,he explains what happened the evening before. Riordan’s story confirms Wade’s theory that Niall is fighting for territory by taking hostages from the various supernatural communites in and around Boston’s seafront. And Wade isn’t about to let that happen. He asks Riordan to act as tour guide around the city while they call on the leaders of the packs and clans in Boston to find out who has been targeted and who they can count on as allies.

Hailey Turner has, once again, crafted an imaginative, swiftly moving plot full of magic and intrigue, and has combined it with the rather sweet, tender romance between Wade and Riordan. They’re all kinds of cute together, and Riordan is kind, gentle and intuitive, picking up subtle clues from Wade about his past and never pushing for more than Wade wants to give. He’s charming and funny and clearly head-over-heels for Wade from very early on, recognising him as his mate, the only one he would ever want to give his sealskin to because he knows Wade will always give it back.

I’m not the biggest fan of the whole fated mates thing because it smacks of insta-love, but I could go with it here because Riordan is so clearly perfect for Wade and Wade is so… well, Wade – endearingly awkward and shy in this area of his life despite being so confident about pretty much everything else.

And speaking of… the author has done an absolutely spectacular job with Wade, keeping him very much in character as the sometimes petulant eating-machine we all came to know and love while showing how much he’s grown in the years since we last saw him. He’s still very much ‘him’ – snarky, always hungry and big-hearted, and I loved watching him let people underestimate him and then put them in their place – but he’s got a very sharp mind, has gained confidence and maturity, and has learned a lot from watching Patrick and Jono working and negotiating to resolve disputes and maintain relations with other packs in other territories. I was impressed with the way Ms. Turner so cleverly side-steps what could have been something of a story-telling pitfall; as a dragon, Wade is immensely strong, impervious to magic and pretty much invincible, which could have made for a dull story. But the author pulls a neat trick here by setting the book somewhere by the sea (and making Wade’s love interest a creature of the sea), because water is the one element where dragon-Wade is vulnerable.

I enjoyed the various cameos by Soulbound characters – even the unexpected appearance by a couple we love to hate – it was great to catch up with Patrick and Jono and seeing them settled in their lives and their roles. Their relationship with Wade has always been full of warmth and affection (and exasperation!) and the strength of their feelings for each other permeates their interactions.

Gary Furlong is the voice of the Soulbound series and his ability to find unique voices for a large ensemble cast continues to impress. His terrific interpretation of Wade as a cheeky but irascible teenager has always been a highlight of the stories in audio, and his portrayal of a slightly older and wiser Wade (he’s twenty-three now) is just as on point. Wade’s natural nonchalance and good humour come through strongly, the hints of steel beneath the surface insouciance are perfectly judged, and his awkwardness around Riordan is utterly adorable. The smooth, deeper notes of Riordan’s voice are a good contrast to Wade’s more upbeat brashness, and Mr. Furlong’s excellent comic timing and his ability to convey genuine emotional connection shine through in their interactions. The pacing is spot on, the vocal acting is flawless, the secondary cast – from fae Ladies to sea monsters – is clearly differentiated and voiced appropriately, and the recurring characters all sound the way I remember them from the other books. It’s a terrific performance and I enjoyed it very much indeed.

Secondhand Skin is a fabulous romp of a story that fits firmly into the Soulbound universe while being sufficiently different in tone that it doesn’t feel like a clone of other books in the series. Hailey Turner has, as I said before, done Wade proud and given him a terrific send off – and if this is my final visit to this universe and these characters, then I’m more than happy that things have ended on such a high note.

Breakdown of Grade: Narration – A; Story – B+

Running time: 9 hours 21 minutes