Review – Secret of the Wolf by Cynthia Garner

Publisher: Forever
Publish Date : Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley

As a werewolf liaison to the Council of Preternaturals, Tori Joseph is used to straddling the world between humans and immortals. She plays by the rules and always delivers justice, no matter the cost. But after a string of increasingly brutal attacks results in humans turning into werewolves, Tori doesn’t reveal her horrifying suspicion: Someone very close to her might be responsible.

Investigating the paranormal violence, no-nonsense detective Dante MacMillan believes Tori is hiding something. His search for the truth draws him into greater danger as he gets closer to the dark realm of the immortals-and to the sexy werewolf who stirs his primal lust. Now with evil closing in around them, Dante must convince Tori to trust him . . . before her deadly secret destroys them both.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I love the concept of the Warriors of the Rift series, and when I found book two would be all about the wolves, I was even more excited. I do love me some werewolves!

Tori is a werewolf liaison, and loves her job dealing with both other wolves and humans. Although she is happy with her life, she also longs for a family of her own, so when her brother shows up after being apart for over a hundred years, she is so excited to have a second chance at a relationship with him. Along the way, she also starts to actively pursue things with the sexy human detective Dante.

Dante isn’t looking to be in a relationship. He wants to focus on his job and taking care of his sister. But the case of the rogue wolf turning humans has him and Tori working closely together, and the attraction between the two of them is something that Dante can’t keep putting off. But when the rogue wolf goes after someone Dante holds dear, will Tori’s desire to keep her family close be the reason they can’t make their relationship work?

One of the things I love about this series is how original it is. Who would have thought that having creatures come through some kind of cosmic rift would create the supernatural creatures we know and love today? I adore the concept and think that Garner does an incredible job keeping that aspect of the story fresh and new and exciting.

After reading the first book I was so glad to see an author who didn’t create a bunch of additional drama that kept the hero and heroine from being together. I loved the romance in that book and was hoping for much of the same in this one. Unfortunately, I felt as if the romance was the weakest aspect of this book. Both Tori and Dante danced around each other for much of the first part of the book, and once they started having an actual relationship – a commitment – I just felt as if things moved very quickly from the “lust” to “love” territory. Then, when Tori’s secret is revealed and Dante’s sister is attacked, I just felt as if there was a lot of extra emotional drama on Tori and Dante’s behalf that didn’t need to be there.

I’m very anxious to see how the series wraps up. The on-going story with Natchook didn’t really seem to go anywhere, and I am awaiting to see what is going on with the rift device that Tori and Dante had then lost. I can’t wait to see the final showdown and who is involved and how it becomes resolved. I really wish that aspect of the storyline had progressed a bit more, or that we had been given a little bit more insight into how all that is going to resolve.

All in all I was a bit disappointed in the second installment of the Warriors of the Rift series. I really enjoyed the first story, and look forward to continuing with the series, but the romance really dragged this story out for me. The plot itself seemed to stall in some parts and accelerate too quickly in others. While I enjoyed both Tori and Dante as individuals, I had a hard time really believing in the romance.
I give Secret of the Wolf a C

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