Howl For It

Title ~ Howl For It

Author ~ Shelly Laurenston/Cynthia Eden

Publisher ~ Brava

Published ~ 28 August 2012

Genre ~ Paranormal/Romance

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Kensington for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Howl For It contains two paranormal stories by authors I love. To read. Authors I love to read. *cough*

Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston is about Eggie Ray Smith and Darla Mae Lewis, parents to the scary Dee-Ann Smith of many Pride books. Eggie Ray is one scary killer and Darla Mae is a pacifist. Well, she’s as much of a pacifist as a wolf shifter can be. The two shouldn’t have a thing in common, but their chemistry is off the charts and they find they can rub along quite well together. Now, if they can just keep their annoying families out of their business then Eggie won’t have to kill any of his, or her, kin.

My only complaint about this story is that it is too short. I can read Pride books forever and never want them to end. I love the snarky conversation, the descriptions, the shifter interactions and the humor. When I open a Pride book I know I’m going to be entertained and I was not disappointed in this one. I actually rate this a 5 biter even if it was more of a snack than a meal.

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden seems to be set in the same world of her Night Watch and The Fallen series. Same world but maybe only loosely connected though I’m not positive. Anyway, Gage Ryder is a wolf shifter, the Alpha of Las Vegas and he’s being hunted. Kayla Kincaid is human, but she’s also something else. A Hunter. When her boss orders her to get close to Gage she does so. And when Gage asks her to marry him, her boss orders her to do so. But when he tells her to stab Gage in the heart with a silver blade on their wedding night, she just can’t do it. So with a Hunter team closing in, Gage and Kayla make a run for it together though neither one trusts the other. And that makes for a shaky start to a marriage.

I always enjoy Cynthia Eden’s writing and characters. The plot on this could have used a bit more in the pre-planning stage instead of starting with Kayla walking down the aisle. I was a bit confused as to what the hell was going on and it made me a tad cranky. However, the plot picks up, things are explained and I was soon on the same page as the characters. If this is a short story introducing us to a new series I look forward to reading more. 4 bites and a nibble out of 5.