Audiobook Review: To Tame A Wolf by Susan Krinard

Author: Susan Krinard
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Title: To Tame A Wolf
(Historical Werewolf #5)
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy
Pages: Audiobook
Published: 2005 
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)



Her innocence destroyed, young widow Tally Bernard swore that she would never trust a man again. But when her brother disappears, she has little choice but to make a pact with the devil.

Though he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on a ranch of his own, Simeon Kavanaugh can't escape the legacy of his werewolf father. The animal instincts that keep him from being fully human also make him a brilliant tracker, forced to survive on the desperation of people in need.

The attraction between these two wounded souls is immediate, primal, and dangerous. And if Simeon has any hope of saving Tally, he must do what he has always resisted and merge both man and beast within him. But if she cannot accept what he becomes, his choice may cost Simeon the only thing worth having - Tally's love....

I honestly was not looking forward to this one since Sim annoyed me earlier. However, I got the audio version to try instead. 

The story follows Tally who is a young widow with a dark past. She has been hurt by so many men including her own selfish brother, so her trust in men is...well...not there. Things happen and Sim comes into her life to help her find her missing brother and run the ranch. He's had a rough life so he is a rough man.

I started this off still hating Sim. It took me a while to warm up to him. He has had a rough life, sure, but he's still an ass. He is SOOOO rude and he is such a jerk. Eventually, I did warm up to him but he was an idiot for sure. I wanted to kick him! I'm glad he got better near the end when he realized he needed to change. 

Telly was sweet. I felt bad for her. She had been so misused and so abused. I'm glad she didn't let that break her. She was able to stand up on her own and be her own mistress. I liked her a lot. 

The side characters were adorable. I loved the little side romance. So cute. They both deserved happiness too. 

Now the story was interesting. SO many secrets, SO many betrayals. Everyone has their secrets and I honestly didn't know who to really trust including our "hero". It kept my interest for sure. I was so unsure on how everything was going to be resolved. I was especially worried about our lovebirds. Yes, it is an HR so of course, they get a HEA...but...it seemed so impossible.

The narrator did an amazing job. She had me hooked and I loved all her voices. You could tell who was talking. Each character (even side characters) had their own voices. I wouldn't mind listening to more. I honestly think she made me really hooked to the story. 

All-in-all, I did enjoy this much more than I thought I would. I didn't like Sim until near the end, but maybe that is the point? He has a lot of rough edges and he had to really work at redemption. Now...what to give this? Mmmm....I think I'll stamp it with 5 stars even though it took me a long time to like and think Sim deserved Telly. It oddly made this better. 

There were a few that this one could fall under...but I picked the animal one since that seems harder

Audiobook Review: Secret of the Wolf by Susan Krinard

Author: Susan Krinard
Narrator: Vanessa Hart
Title: Secret of the Wolf (Historical Werewolf #3)
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy
Pages: Audiobook
Published: January 1st 2001 
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Amid the lush vineyards and majestic hills of Napa Valley, hypnotist Johanna Schell has founded Der Hafen--a sanctuary for those who know the pain of being "different." For desperate, frightened people whose souls are lost to grief. For lonely, tortured men like Quentin Forster....

Frightening spells of amnesia have plagued Quentin for years, and Johanna wants nothing more than to ease his unspeakable pain--and find out if his claim to werewolf blood is just a delusion. But she is horrified to discover that, under hypnosis, this tender, thoughtful man becomes violent, vengeful ...evil. And now--caught in the balance between reality and illusion, truth and deception, simple desire and absolute destruction--she must find the courage to trust him. To love him. To save him... 

Finally back on track with this series. I read the first two and now this one. I've been nervous about Quentin's book because I liked him (from what I remember) and know he has a lot of demons and I was scared. 

But yes, Quentin is the twin of Rowena (from book 2) and the younger brother of Brandon (book 1). He ran away to America for a numerous amount of reasons. The main is that he is having issues with his brain. He drinks and blacks out. He has lots of blank spots in his memory and he is suffering. During one of his blackouts, he finds himself waking up in a bed of a sanctuary and a woman doctor, Johanna, who is there to help him. 

It was a curious and unique storyline. Not a lot happens at first. We get to meet all the patients along with our hero and heroine. I liked that a lot! It was nice to feel like I was there. It was really fun. The patients all have their own issues. I want to see more of them in the future. Maybe some short stories! Especially Logan (?gods I am blanking on his full name). There has to be more to his story! That actress needed a good kick in the romp. I get she is insane and full of delusion....but she is mean. HORRIBLE. I liked Louis even though he is a psycho priest. May was cute. Johanna's dad was cute. I feel so bad for him. 

Okay - enough about the side characters. 

Quentin was sweet. I liked him. 

Johanna was a fun character. I liked her a lot. I saw a lot of myself in her, but she is for sure the doctor version of me. I'm not smart enough for that ;)

The drama was good and you could see it slowly coming but what could anyone do? So good. I loved it. It was well paced. Sure it takes to get there, but there was a lot of character building, world-building, and tension to be built. It was so good. I had no idea how everything was going to be fixed. 

The romance was done well too. 

I do have ONE issue with the ending...I wanted more of an epilogue. Like...what do they do?  Do they go to England? Do they stay? Maybe there will be more of a conclusion for them in the next book? I really want to know!!!!!!!

Now...the narrator...I had to grow to like her voice. It was hard to hear her half of the time and some of her accents were off. The American and German were okay. The Russian and English? Ehhh. For the accents she could do, she did well and I enjoyed that. So yes - not a huge fan. 

In the end, I enjoyed this quite a bit! I wanted more of a conclusion and the narrator was eh to me. However, the story and characters! Loved it. I would encourage reading the other two before this one though. Not a great standalone for sure. Now....the rating???? I will still give it a 5 since the story and characters outshined the two issues I had. 

Audiobook Review: Bride of the Wolf by Susan Krinard

Author: Susan Krinard
Narrator: Karen White
Title: Bride of the Wolf (Historical Werewolf #6)
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, 
Pages: Audiobook
Published: February 16th 2010 
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Rachel Lyndon yearns to escape her scandalous past, but her dreams for a better life seem ruined after she buries her fiancé on the Texas plains.

Heath Renier has been evading the law by the skin of his teeth for years. Now he's found a new identity as Holden Renshaw, foreman of Dog Creek Ranch. But the arrival of his boss's mail-order bride, now a widow, upsets his fragile peace and threatens to expose his deadly secrets.

Rachel knows that the mysterious and savagely handsome Holden is the last man she should trust—especially once she's seen glimpses of his true nature. When he's suspected of killing his employer, she has a terrible choice to make. But the heat of his gaze ignites something seductive and irresistible within her. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, she's determined to give him the one thing he's never truly believed he deserves: her undying love.

How do I keep doing this with this series???? I keep reading them out of order. Lucky for me, this one can be read as a stand-alone. 

So, the story follows Holden the foreman of Dog Creek Ranch. He discovers the body of his boss' body who was murdered on the way home. Not only does he have to deal with that, but Rachel lands on his doorstep. She is the mail-order bride of his boss. What to do? What to do? But there are a couple of threats pounding on the door. 

I felt bad for Rachel. She just wants to be happy and have a good life. She decides to make the move from Ohio to a husband who she never met. The man is missing and she has to deal with this ranch and an orphan baby they find. Poor girl. Oh and she has to deal with Holden who is kind of a jerk. Not kind of...flat out asshat. 

I still don't truly know why or agree with Holden keeping it a secret that the boss is dead. Maybe he was worried the finger would point to him? I guess, but it just looks worse if people found out you knew this whole time. Sigh. 

Holden gets better as the story goes along, but I wouldn't have put up with him if I was Rachel. Sure, he had a bad childhood, but c'mon. 

The story was interesting. It took forever for anything to happen. Lots of set up. Which I get, but too long. 

The narrator was pretty good. I wonder if she does any of the other books in the series. Hmmm

Overall, I did enjoy the story. The characters were interesting even though Holden was an asshat. It took so long for me to get into the story and to like Holden. The narrator was pretty good. I'll stamp this 3 stars.  

Book Review: Once a Wolf by Susan Krinard

Author: Susan Krinard
Title: Once a Wolf (Historical Werewolf #2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction, & fantasy
Pages: 388
First Published: July 5th, 2000
Where I Got It: My Shelf (B&N)

In the unspoiled expanses of the American West, Tomás Alejandro Randall was called El Lobo, the desperado and sworn enemy of powerful financier Cole MacLean. Few humans knew his true identity: heir to a wolf bloodline that made him as much an exotic beast as a devastatingly attractive man. It was Tomás's plan to lure Cole MacLean's elegant fiancée, Lady Rowena Forster, from her New York mansion to the wild frontier. There he planned to seduce the golden-haired beauty as revenge for the destruction of his family at MacLean's hands. But once she was in his possession, El Lobo found himself unable to resist the call of his own untamed passion - a passion that would claim the beauty for his own. As for Lady Rowena, she desperately hid her own wolf heritage behind an icy, controlled exterior. Yet the famous "Lady Ice" found her inhibitions melting and her true nature emerging in the presence of this handsome desperado. Both knew the danger of their pairing, but their wild hearts would risk everything - even death - for a chance at everlasting love.

I've read the first book and the fourth book (don't ask how I did that...I can't read apparently) and I've been meaning to read this for a while now. I was worried because I didn't really care for or understand Rowena in book one. However, I finally got myself to read it. 

Rowena was better, but I still didn't understand her or really like. I did, however, pity her and feel bad for her. Even though she ran away to America to escape Cole, she still ended up getting engaged to him. Cole is a bad man and very manipulative. She got lucky El Lobo, Tomas, kidnapped her or she would've been stuck in a miserable life with an emotionally abusive man. 

Buuuut Tomas is not precisely the best of men....he's a rogue, desperado, and has a dark family history. However, at least he's way better. However, it's not an easy romance since he did kidnap her and all. Sure there was some lust...but the love took FOREVER. Which I'm glad. 

The beginning was really good and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. There was a huge LULL in the middle. I almost gave up, but I pushed through and it was totally worth it. I had no idea how everything was going to be okay and get fixed. It seemed impossible. I did guess the twist, but I had no idea how that was going to be revealed and how it was going to go down. 

Some honesty? I actually liked Esperanza's and Weylin's point of views better. They are really interesting characters and I want to learn more and follow their stories. Sim was interesting too, but I hated him even at the end.

In the end, this was okay. Not as good as the first book. It was an interesting love story. I am curious to read the next one in the series since it is about the other brother. I'll give this 3 stars.

Book Review: To Catch a Wolf & SMPH

Author: Susan Krinard

Title: To Catch a Wolf (Historical Wolf #4) 
Genre: Historical Romance, Fantasy, paranormal
Pages: 369

First Published: September 2nd, 2003
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library



"When crippled Denver socialite Athena Munroe sees werewolf Morgan Holt in a traveling circus, she will have to fight tooth and nail to keep her passion for him at bay-or discover her own extraordinary destiny.."





This is the fourth book in the Historical Wolf series by Susan Krinard. However, you can read this as solo book, because it has nothing to do with past books. I personally haven't read #2 and #3 yet, so worry not.

Well, I'm going to divide and conquer this review:

The Good

• I simply love that Susan Krinard likes to use handicapped heroes and heroines  I especially loved this one, because Athena was bound to a chair.
• I loved all the side stories, they didn't overwhelm the main story, but it added to it.
• I loved how there wasn't really a "bad guy" in this one. Everyone has done good things and bad things. Neill, Athena's brother, may have been a jerk in a lot of instances, but it didn't make him a baddie.
• The whole circus thing was pretty cool. I've never read a book where the majority of the cast was from the circus.

The Bad and the Ugly

• Mmmmm, I hate to say this, but it was rather boring. Yes, there was a lot of drama going on, but it was just.....gah.
• The ending was SO unrealistic  and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at it. Yes, it was suppose to be the big reveal and everything was suppose to come together and shock the reader, buuuuutttt.....mmm.
• Athena annoyed me. Yes, she was stuck in a chair but her self-pity really grated my nerves.
• Morgan....mmmm......that is all.

my face when Morgan opened his mouth

The Conclusion

All in all, this book was okay. It fed my werewolf need, so I'm content. It wasn't as good as the first book, but it was entertaining. I defiantly want to read the other books in this series. Susan Krinard is a good author and I enjoy how well she blends fantasy and historical together. I would recommend this to those that love werewolfs, historical romances, and circus people. Out of five stars I stamp this novel with 3 stars. It is more like 2.5 but I don't give decimals so I round.

Favorite Character(s): Caitilin, Ulysses, Athena (at the end), and Harry.

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Athena (at the beginning), Morgan, Neill, Cecily (stupid girl), and Tamar

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======================================= <3CaroleRae

A Late Thursday Book Teaser: To Catch a Wolf

Thursday Book Teaser is a Carole-version of all the other book teaser memes out there. Every Thursday, I'll share a little tease of a book I'm currently reading. I'll randomly pick a page or I'll give some random number and flip to that page. I'll just share a few sentences to try and tease you. Anyone can join in! Just remember ...no spoilers! By the way this picture I found on Google and edited it myself.

Sorry about being late with this post. I completely forgot about it yesterday. I was so busy with work and then coming home to do chores and whatnot for my bonfire on Saturday. I'm surprised I remembered today to have this posted! Oh well. ^.^ At least I remembered. 

This week I'll be sharing a little teaser from 'To Catch a Wolf' by Susan Krinard. I literally flipped to a random page, then closed my eyes and let my finger land on a random word/sentence to start on. 

Page number: 234

Starting at Sentence: 8

"...The full weight of Niall's threats pushed Athena deep into the chair, paralyzed her will as the accident had stilled her legs. She could see no way out. If she defied Niall, she would lose everything - all she had worked for, the funding for her charities, the ball, her place in Denver....and Morgan's life as well...."

That's all I'm going to tease you guys with...I feel like a major spoiler lies behind this and I don't want to spoil anything for you or for me (I'm WAAAAY near the beginning).

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<3CaroleRae 

Book Review: Touch of the Wolf

(I actually finished this a couple days ago, but I was having a hard time finding time this weekend to type this up. Well, now that my hectic weekend is over, I have found the time! Woot woot!)


BOOK:
Author: Susan Krinard
Title: Touch of the Wolf (Historical Werewolf #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Romance, Werewolves, Paranormal
Pages: 416
First Published: 1999
Where I Got It: Borrowed it from Library


"Braden Forster, Earl of Greyburn, has devoted his life to restoring the purity of his clan's werewolf blood. He spent years searching in vain for a distant American cousin, a woman whose pure wolf bloodline is a vital link in his family's heritage. Braden had thought Cassidy Holt was lost forever--until she appeared one rainy night on the steps of his London mansion...her raven hair in disarray, her skin scented with sunlight and sagebrush. As Braden whisks young Cassidy to his family's secluded country estate, both can sense their undeniable attraction. 


But Cassidy soon learns that they can never satisfy their mutual passion; Braden has already betrothed her to another. Her only hope of claiming the one man she'll always love is to unravel the dark and lustful secrets of his past--"


Alright. I had a reaaaaaallllly hard time getting through the first few chapters, because 1) I was very confused and 2) it seemed to drag on and on, even though it was quick paced. The reason why I was confused was because I skipped the prologue (which I always do), but then I realized I actually have to read it this time and I did and it cleared EVERYTHING up. Thank goodness. Perhaps I would've been more into the first few chapters if I had read the prologue first. I guess there is a good message for all of us prologue-skippers....


Anyways, once I got past the prologue and the first few chapters, I was sitting pretty. I could hardly put the book down! The characters and the plot were intriguing and interesting. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and what the character's futures were. Each character felt real and had real human/werewolfy flaws. I may not have liked every character, but by the end of the novel I understood why they were the way they were.  I also loved the fact that the author had Braden (the main dude) be blind. I'm not saying that being blind is a good thing, but I do get really tired of perfect characters and having a blind hero is a risky step to take and I applaud Susan Krinard! 


The Cause caused a lot of pain and hurt to all the characters, especially Braden. The Cause was Braden's whole life and he was addicted to being the leader of this movement to preserve the werewolf bloodlines. I loved how Susan Krinard created this "Cause" and intertwined it into the story. It created a lot of hurdles for our two lovebirds and even for the other characters. The Cause, in my mind, was a double-edged sword, because it was saving the werewolf bloodlines, but it was also forcing people into marriages and tearing the Forster family apart. 


Besides for the beginning, there was one more thing I didn't like: Throughout the book I felt....confused and baffled. I can't really say why, because I don't want to spoil the book, but there were many rumors flying around about Braden and his late wife...I know that Susan Krinard wanted the reader to feel unsure of the truth and whether or not Braden was a bad guy or good guy. However, the truth flipped flopped so much that by the end I wasn't even sure if the "final" truth WOULD be the FINAL truth. It's really hard to explain, but I tried.


All-in-all, I really liked this book. It was a fun read and it featured my favorite paranormal being: the werewolf. I guess you can call me a werewolf gal. It is the first of the series and I do plan to read the others sometime in the future. I recommend this to those who love a good Historical Romance and Paranormal mix. Out of five stars, I grant this one 4 stars. In all reality it would be 3.6, but I don't give decimals so I rounded. 


Favorite Character(s): Is it bad that I didn't have any real favorite characters? I mean I didn't hate everyone, but I didn't really LOVE anyone. Huh...I was neutral to many of them.
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Rowena, she (along with many of the others) was very selfish. Yes, I know she wanted to be free to make her own decisions and blahblahblah, but really? If she had just stuck it out....*sighs* oh well. 

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<3CaroleRae