Medieval Fantasy with (hidden) werewolf and woman who can shift to look like others. 2010 or earlier. Magic.
Three very important parts of what I remember and am SURE of (knowing that I didn’t get to finish because I didn’t check it out intending to buy later)=
1-Fantasy novel I started in a library FALL of 2010. It seemed to be written for adults.
Cover Art MAYBE(not sure if I am conflating with another cover): A castle top left in the background with a valley before it and one of more characters heading towards it on the other side of the valley bottom left cover. I used google to mock up a cover. It’s not right but the cover was similar. See link.
mock up of cover art
All suggestions will be searched. No stone unturned.
Feels like an ensemble quest kind of book with 2 groups divided up intending to assemble later.
2-Group A= Two members(or more) were an ingénu character traveling with a veteran who is hinted to be a werewolf. And has some magic. THE MAGIC/WOLF is secret.
I’m SURE of this detail. And that the person keeps it hidden at the beginning at least. Their little party goes from campfires to Inn taprooms. They survive attacks in the woods I think. Maybe the veteran warrior rescued the younger one and then felt obliged to protect him. But her secret magic beast change is hinted at a lot in those first chapters.
Set in á fictional medieval European-ish universe.
Can’t remember whether they were male or female but there at least these two and maybe another few in their party traveling. If I had to bet i’d say the veteran was female and the ingenu male.
Group B-A second group is intending to pull off some kind of INFORMATION HEIST or spy on an enemy by IMPERSONATING some female noble. The plan depends on a young noble(?) WOMAN who can change her appearance either magically or like shape shifting. Weird detail: maybe the disguise LAYS o er her face and body so she has to be careful not to move in a way that causes objects or people to touch and see the body and image are different?
3-Ongoing List of answers that turned out NOT to be it:
Twelve Houses Sharon Shinn
A Diplomacy of Wolves
The Briar King
Leigh Bardugo 2015 (published too late)
Nothing by Eddings, Sanderson Guy Gavriel Kay, Orson Scoot Card or Patrick Rothfuss. I know them too well.