Publisher: Harlequin Publishing
Publish Date: October 18, 2011
How I got this book: E-arc from Publisher
“For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of “Little Red Riding Hood” catapulted her into another realm—face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man….
Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength. Strength he needed to rescue his royal parents. But as a man, he craved Reda’s heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom…or fight it to save his woman.”
I got this blurb from the Royal House of Shadows website here.
I have not read the previous two books in this series, Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter or Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe, and I have only read one other book by Jessica Andersen so I really didn’t go into this with any preconceived notions except hoping for a good read. Ms Andersen mostly delivered on my hopes but I did have some quibbles. A few I think were caused by the shorter word count required for categories and caught my eye as I read. Others I discovered as I was thinking about the book while writing this review.
I was glad to see a prologue was included to help set the stage and to draw me into the world. I personally enjoy prologues because they remind me of the entrance into a fairytale like many of Disney’s older movies i.e. Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. I also like it as a way to provide some world building without info-dumping during the story itself.
Dayn was told in the last message ever from his father that the spell cast to save his and the lives of his brothers and sister was warped. The impression I had was that the deadline for all four siblings to return was what was warped but according to the blurb it was the fact that after the spell was cast, Dayn became a wolfyn, a mortal enemy of his people. As I continued reading I started to wonder exactly what preparations had been made for this particular spell or if the spell was designed to draw each child to a place and person who would shelter and help them in the hard years to come. Now granted the children would have to do their part to “blend” or at least not get killed but they had to be given the opportunity first.
While Dayn chronologically was the age of a young adult in our world I think Ms Andersen did a good job of demonstrating that the Elden were a very long lived race by giving Dayn some rather juvenile tendencies in a grown-up body. I also understand part of his emotional maturity was stunted by being torn viciously from his family but I wish he had been a bit more prone to thinking with his brain instead of his hormones.
I think Reda was a very complex character that we only got to see the surface of what made her tick. Yes she does talk to Dayn about the most recent traumatic event that involved her but we got small flashbacks and hints about some other events in her past that formed the woman she was in the book, I felt like I was missing some pieces. I never got to understand her motivation for doing things. It seemed like since she was “fated” to be with Dayn they did not have to work at their romance. In my opinion Reda flipped the switch from the person she was for most of the book to a strong warrior-like character far too quickly.
Ms Andersen provided some really nice world-building. She expanded on taste given in her prologue and provided a nice assortment of species some friendly some not so friendly. She also briefly introduced a rather eccentric character that provided the sexy version of Little Red Riding Hood to Reda. I would have loved to learn more about him. I also liked how there was more then one “bad guy” and that they weren’t necessarily working together. I was also glad to see that the Wolfyn pack Dayn lived with was left in a position to move forward into the future instead of continuing to regress.
Overall it was a pleasant read with some flaws but not one that will stick with me. I am curious about the other books in the series and what happens in the final confrontation. I give Lord of the Wolfyn a C.
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Thanks to Harlequin I have one copy of Lord of the Wolfyn to give away, open to residents of the US and Canada only, sorry. To enter leave a comment saying what skill would you most like to have if you were transplanted to a medieval world. This contest closes at midnight 21 Oct. Good luck!
The skill I would most like to have would be the ability to shape shift into any animal I wanted for however long I wanted and retain my own mind the whole time. I know that might be a bit of a risky ability as so many people were killed for having such an ability but I could easily disappear and live as a cougar or something for months while hiding in the wilderness and escaping anyone after me.
I have no Idea what skill I would want to have maybe premonitions of the future!!
I adore everything that Doc Jess writes and I can not wait to lose myself in this book. I have meet Doc Jess several times and she is such a great person! I have read all of her nightkeeper series and I have started reading her intrigue novels but this is one book that I think will just be great!
Thanks for the contest. I would love love love to win this one!!
I would love to be a spell caster as long as there are not witch trials going on! Thanks for the giveaway! I love Jessica Andersen.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
A healer or mind reader. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com
I would love to be a shape shifter. Thanks for the giveaway. The book sounds great.
Thanks for the giveaway! I’ve never had the pleasure of reading this author and I would love to!
I’d have to say if I had a mystical power for a time travel it would be control/harness magic. Kind of a cop out I know, but it covers all the basics 🙂
Thanks again!
I would need my self-defense skills especially with knives if I was suddenly transport to a medieval world. Of course, I would need to blend in with my environment and not give myself away until I can figure how to get back home.
If you mean paranormal skills, I’d like to be able to teleport myself. It seems like a handy trick in a time of swords and carriages.
Thank you for sharing about this very interesting book today. If I were to be transported back to medieval times, I would like to have the ability of telepathy. I think that would help me adjust without having to ask too many questions and I would also know who my enemies were 🙂 I appreciate the lovely giveaway opportunity and wold love to red this book.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
What mystical or paranormal gift would I want? That’s very hard to decide. There are many wonderful gifts out there and it changes from time to time. Time manipulation seems to be a favorite right now
A paranormal skill I would like to have if I were transported to a medieval world is to be able to start fires to cook and keep warm.
I would like a teleportation skill ( not one for walking miles upon miles)
meandi09@yahoo.com
I would want to be able to be able to come back through time whenever I wanted.
oohh thats a tough one.. teleportation (heck i would love to have this now!!) or .. the ability to pick up things really fast (like watching swordfighting one day, and being able to do it the next.. that sort of thing) but i dont know what its called.. it would be really handy though!
I would LOVE to be able to sense danger, kind of like telling the future. But with the twist that it’s only about danger or threats. Awesome giveaway! Lord of the Vampires was really good, can’t wait to read the rest of the books 🙂