Sandy M’s review of You had Me at Wolf (Wolff Brothers, Book 1) by Terry Spear
Paranormal Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 25 Feb 20
I haven’t read Terry Spears in a while, mostly because the last book or two I did read were in her Jaguar Shiters series, and I wasn’t that thrilled with them. But I’ve always enjoyed her wolves, so when I came across this latest release, I thought I’d get a good dose of shifters. However, there was hardly any shifting at all, and this story doesn’t give readers much in the way of anything we haven’t read before.
Josie is a PI and her current case has led her to a ski lodge just outside Silver Town, which is where all Ms. Spear’s wolf stories have taken place before. We even met up with some of those previous characters here. Josie is after a couple of insurance fraud jokers who are about to get caught – she’s that good at what she does, mostly because she’s a gray wolf and is able to use her heightened senses to track criminals.
The initial meeting between Josie and Blake Wolff, co-owner of the lodge, is quite cute and enjoyable. Then Josie takes it a step further, planting a good one on Blake when she’s in need of a boyfriend to help with her surveillance. Turns out all the Wolff siblings want to help her in her case and do whatever they can to do so. There’s a lot of skiing, a lot of spying, a lot of banter, and a lot of fun. But none of it is done in a way that will make you want to keep reading. No action scenes, and the villains end up being not all that bad in the end.
Then there’s the issue of minimum of shifting by these wolves. Apparently if a wolf family is not of the royal line, they can shift only at certain times. Not something that makes me happy, because that’s the main reason I read shifters – I want them to shift, for heaven’s sake. This family shifts only a few times and they run at night. That’s it. On top of that, the only wolf/animal trait they end up mostly using in this story while in human form is their sense of smell – at least that’s the one that Ms.Spear chose to use. I prefer to have shifters be true to themselves, no matter what form they’re in, in any given scene. Nalini Singh is a master at that, someone Ms.Spear can learn a thing or two from.
I do like Blake and Josie, as well as Blake’s siblings. But unless I know I going to get a somewhat different story than the romance books I’ve read before, I don’t think just liking these characters will be enough for me pick up the next book.
Grade: C-
Summary:
A wolf on a mission needs a partner…even if it’s only for one date…
The hot, powerful Wolff brothers have moved to the outskirts of Silver Town and opened a ski lodge. They’ve always wanted to live in a wolf-controlled area, and now they have their chance. They’re settling in for a quiet winter, when their lives suddenly become way more exciting than they’d ever planned.
Private Investigator and gray wolf shifter Josie Grayson is hot on the trail of a dangerous criminal hiding out at the ski lodge when her partner takes ill and must leave her to pursue the mission alone. Blake Wolff steps in—he can’t resist the allure of this brilliant and focused she-wolf whose presence awakens a long dormant yearning in his heart.
As pursuit of their quarry heats up, Blake has a mission of his own…to convince Josie that there’s more to life than work…and that she’s his perfect mate.
No excerpt available.
