Howl For A HighlanderAuthor: Terry Spear
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Werewolf Series Book 10
ISBN: #978-1402258930
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (352 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Purchased with my own funds
About the book:
Duncan MacNeill is a Highlander at heart with a mission—find gray wolf and former stockbroker, Silverman who has stolen the family fortune and is purported to be living in the Grand Cayman Islands. As a Highland wolf, Duncan rarely leaves his native homeland and taking a trip to an island paradise doesn’t appeal. But keeping the MacNeill’s ancestral castle depends on making Silverman pay. What Duncan doesn’t plan for is the American botanist who distracts him from his mission and makes him realize what an island paradise really means.
Shelley Campbell is teaching botany at a Florida college, when she receives an email from an old girlfriend, who’s renting a villa on the island and wants her to come to stay with her. Figuring she can study the old growth forest while she’s there, and lecture about it when she returns home, she has no idea the secrets she might uncover. When her girlfriend’s a no-show, a Highlander turns up instead, and she has a choice—share the villa, or send him away and pay full price for the accommodations—which on her teacher’s salary is stretching things pretty thin. Since he promises to be no trouble at all, she lets him stay. And that’s when the trouble really begins!
What B is talking about:
A reluctant traveler in a Caribbean paradise, Duncan MacNeill is seeking not only the return of his family’s fortune from the wolf who stole it, but justice for the theft according to the laws of their kind. Since no wolf can be allowed to enter the human legal system for fear of exposure to humans, punishment is always swift and final, and Duncan is looking forward to the task. But, vengeance on a shoestring budget is tricky business, especially when the cheap hotel Duncan is supposed to be staying loses his reservation.
Getting paid to do research for the university she works for in a private villa by the sea sounds like the perfect getaway for Shelley Campbell—until the grant money she was counting on to fund the trip is stolen, along with the rest of the university’s money. Now, she’s stuck renting a place she can’t afford, and no way to continue with the project she came for. Luckily, a gorgeous Highland wolf with a chivalrous streak is in need of a place to stay, and she’s got enough room for them both. If, that is, they can manage to keep their hands to themselves.
Howl for a Highlander is a sweet, oftentimes funny, love story that has plenty of action and intrigue to keep the pages turning. Much of the plot involves a lot of coincidences that might not work in a heavier tale, but even when Shelley and Duncan are in danger, this story is a lot of fun. The ending was actually quite surprising, and I very much enjoyed seeing all the wolves working together to fight for what’s theirs. My favorite parts of Howl for a Highlander, though, were definitely the scenes between Duncan and Shelley as they grew closer together.
The relationship between these two wolves is highly amusing in that Duncan has every intention of calling the shots for the little, female wolf, deciding what’s best for her in order to keep her safe, but Shelley has other ideas. She has work to do, and Duncan is at once so enthralled with her and frustrated by her resistance that he ends up going along with just about anything she says. There is some very nice friction between the two lovers, but a warrior like Duncan needs a woman who can keep him on his toes, and Shelley is just the girl for the job. As a bonus, she comes with some very opinionated and demanding relatives, leaving Duncan flailing between duty and irritation.
Mating between the wolves in this series is always interesting, given that they live very long lives, and mating is both instant and permanent. While Ms. Spear’s wolves can have sex with humans without any real risk, having sex with another wolf could have disastrous consequences if a mating is a bad one. As with the other couples in the Werewolf series, however, Duncan and Shelley are perfect for one another, and once they give in to their mutual need to belong each other, things heat up quickly. Being curious by nature, these wolves find some creative, playful ways to explore their sexual bond, which was a lot of fun to read.
Howl for a Highlander is another fine addition to the Werewolf series. It is full of action and romance, and the main characters are extremely well written for each other. Duncan is completely lovable when it comes to Shelley, and watching him try to balance the two halves of himself is both charming and entertaining. Ms. Spear keeps the narrative light without it seeming overly simple, making Howl for a Highlander a relaxing, enjoyable read. I’ve been hooked on this series for a while now, always happy when I have the chance to continue reading about the wolves, and this newest entry easily carries on the tradition.
B’s Rating:
Enjoyed – strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Awesome review!! I can hardly wait to read this one, I read Heart of the Highland wolf and just loved it, so I can’t wait to read this one!!! I really like how fun and playful her books can be.
I love Ms. Spear’s wolves – I’m glad to see you gave this a good rating. Looking forward to reading this one!