Sandy M’s review of Howling at the Moon (Tales of an Urban Werewolf, Book 1) by Karen MacInerney
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 26 Feb 08

I so enjoy it when an author gives me her own unique spin on things, something I haven’t really read before, and Ms. MacInerney does that quite well in this first book in her werewolf series.  And she does it with a fun and quirky heroine who has a terrific sense of humor.

What was a little different for me in Ms. MacInerney’s werewolf world is her shifters don’t heal nearly as fast or as cleanly as others I’ve read in the past, and Sophie, the heroine of the book, has to shave quite a bit to keep her hair/fur growth under control.  But what was hilarious about it is that when she shaves her legs as often as she does, when she shifts she’s a wolf running around town with no fur on her legs!  Now, I’m sorry, but I laughed quite a bit at that the couple of times in occurs in the story.  Can’t you just see that?  A huge, furry wolf, legs shaved clean.  Now, that’s funny.

Also, when Sophie is tagged by a dogcatcher with a tranquilizer gun, she knows she’s probably going to end up with a scar.  With Sophie’s sense of humor, she laments the fact she’ll have that butt scar while she’s being chased by the dog police. The same is true when she’s attacked by a “made” werewolf, this time she’s left with a scar on her neck, plus a couple of other places, where the bites occurred while in her wolf form. I enjoy it when an author takes license and has a good time writing her book.  I have a good time reading it, and I don’t care if it’s not all that believable.  Laugh-out-loud funny and believable just don’t go together all that well in this book.  I don’t need believable to have a good time.

Sophie is an auditor who’s hopefully going to have a corner office soon. She’s also half werewolf, half human, and her life is beginning to fall apart, starting with the arrest of her mother for murder.  At the same time she’s hunting clues to prove her mom’s innocence, she also meets her first real live werewolf, a hunk as a human or lupine.

Because her father has been scarce her entire life to keep her and her mother safe, Sophie has never really had any kind of education about werewolves. Except for what she’s read and what she sees on TV, and we all know how factual that kind of information is.  And while she truly wants to be more human than wolf, hence a human boyfriend, she has thousands of questions for Tom, a full-blooded werewolf who causes Sophie’s blood to pound just by being in the same vicinity.  They both lust after each other, but because Heath and Sophie are practically engaged and Tom is seeing Lindsay, Sophie’s best friend, they only share a kiss or two throughout the book.  Which drove me as insane as it does Sophie.  I wanted more between them and Sophie would be content with her rolls in the hay with Heath for the time being.  Alas, we have to wait until the next book to experience all that animalistic loving.  It will be something else to see Sophie finally lose her cool and devour Tom.  At least I sure hope it happens then.

We also have to wait to find out a little more about Tom.  He’s almost as mysterious as the killer in this storyline.  We only know he’s a lone wolf at this point, enforces a pack’s wishes for the right sum, and will eventually be Sophie’s love interest after the demise of the love triangle we have now.   ‘Course, as sexy as he is, I really didn’t care all that much that I didn’t know a lot about him.  Him and his wolf eyes, his secretiveness, along with his protectiveness of Sophie, makes him great hero material.  Sophie’s current guy, Heath, is the strong, sensitive type, but because I’m a shifter girl, he just doesn’t do it for me like Tom does.  We do get an ending to this storyline with the mystery being solved, but for the romance we have to hang on a bit longer.  The secondary characters are just as quirky and fun, especially Sophie’s mom, who’s a witch and optimistic her spirit guides will keep her out of jail.

I had fun with this book, even if I didn’t get my true happy ending right now.  As long as I know it’s coming and I get a few good laughs in the meantime, I can hold on for a while.  On the Prowl is the second book in the series and is to be released November 2008, not all that long now.  Of course, I have to hope that everything moves in the direction I’m anticipating, depending on how many books there are in the series.  Please don’t keep me waiting too long for some wild and sexy love scenes, Ms. MacInerney.

Grade: B

Summary:

Romance is about to get a little hairy.

Sophie Garou seems to have it all: a great job at a prestigious accounting firm, a closet that rivals a Nordstrom showroom, and a terrific boyfriend who isn’t afraid to use the “M” word. There’s just one little itty-bitty problem: Sophie is a werewolf—and her time of month has a whole new meaning.

Needless to say, life among yummy flesh-and-blood humans is no piece of steak . . . er, cake!, but regular doses of wolfsbane tea and a mother who runs a magic shop have helped Sophie keep her paranormal pedigree under wraps. Still, when a sexy, golden-eyed werewolf prowls into town, Sophie finds herself struggling to keep her animal impulses in check—not to mention trying to keep things on track with her super hot (and super human) lawyer boyfriend. What’s more, someone is threatening to expose Sophie for what she really is. And when her mother is accused of selling a poison-laced potion, Sophie must sniff out a culprit before the fur hits the fan.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Limecello’s review of Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney
Paranormal romance released by Ballentine Books 26 Feb 08

The first book in the trilogy, Tales of an Urban Werewolf, was a pleasant read. I found the premise of the story interesting and extremely cute. Wolves make us think wilderness, open spaces, and a complete lack of domestication. What happens when you trap a wolf, who is also a glamor girl in the city? Well, Howling at the Moon tells you.

Sophie is an interesting character, but has little depth. You know a lot about her materially- what purse she has, shoes, car, job, and even what her mother wears. But you don’t get a lot about her. The conflict didn’t really seem that believable to me either, and there were too many questions left unanswered. I felt that because this book is part of a series the issues were excessively drawn out and too much was left open. Sophie also was a bit too flaky for me.

I really liked the boyfriend, Heath, but he wasn’t believable. He’s too perfect, with no flaws other than checking up on Sophie a bit too obsessively. (That’s just my opinion – nobody in the book seems to think anything about it.) Also, it doesn’t seem that Heath and Sophie are that into each other, even though they say “I love you” so much it’s nearly nauseating.

Then there’s Tom, the potential other love interest, and only other werewolf Sophie has ever met. He’s hot, and he’s mysterious. She’s madly attracted to him,. Yup – that’s pretty much all you find out about him in 360 pages. Obviously he’ll come back in the next book – so maybe we’ll find out a few more things about him. Maybe like his age, and what he actually (and concretely) does. So, yes, there is a love triangle. Normally I love those, but since so little happens in this book, it’s not developed at all, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a relationship between anyone.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn’t love how it read. This book is extremely dialogue heavy, and the problem is while the characters say many words, they aren’t saying much. The secondary characters aren’t very appealing. I loved that this book was set in Austin, Texas, and that the Saltlick got a shout out (delicious barbecue!), but that wasn’t enough to cover the other flaws. A few of the scenes providing comic relief weren’t that believable. A werewolf in pantyhose, stuck to a bush? Ha ha, right? Unfortunately, I didn’t believe it. If pantyhose stays – what about underwear? A bra? Tshirts, etc. You can’t have one without the other(s).

I normally don’t like series, because I need closure, and a happily ever after. I needed it in this book too. Still, I enjoyed the book and want to read the next one to see what happens, even though I know I’ll have to wait for yet another book for my closure. While there were a lot of things I didn’t enjoy in this book such as the slow moving plot and excessive dialogue, not to mention certain secondary characters that I found irritating … I find myself still eager to find out what will happen with Sophie and Tom (or, I suppose, Heath) in the next book On the Prowl.

Grade: C-

     Romance is about to get a little hairy.

     Sophie Garou seems to have it all: a great job at a prestigious accounting firm, a closet that rivals a Nordstrom showroom, and a terrific boyfriend who isn’t afraid to use the “M” word. There’s just one little itty-bitty problem: Sophie is a werewolf-and her time of month has a whole new meaning.

     Needless to say, life among yummy flesh-and-blood humans is no piece of steak . . . er, cake!, but regular doses of wolfsbane tea and a mother who runs a magic shop have helped Sophie keep her paranormal pedigree under wraps. Still, when a sexy, golden-eyed werewolf prowls into town, Sophie finds herself struggling to keep her animal impulses in check-not to mention trying to keep things on track with her super hot (and super human) lawyer boyfriend. What’s more, someone is threatening to expose Sophie for what she really is. And when her mother is accused of selling a poison-laced potion, Sophie must sniff out a culprit before the fur hits the fan.

     Read an excerpt here.