Publisher: Signet
Publish Date: Out Now!
How I got this book: NetGalley
The full moon is their mistress. They are predators of pleasure and pain. Feared by humans, envied by werewolves, the Dire Wolves are immortal shifters, obeying no laws but their own bestial natures. Once they were many, but now only six remain, a dangerous wolfpack forever on the hunt…
Rifter leads the pack, embracing the lifestyle and ethics of an outlaw biker even as he battles an ancient enemy who has become a new, powerful force. But with his Brother Wolf raging inside him, howling to be unleashed, he needs to satisfy his hungers. And when he meets a drop-dead gorgeous blonde drinking alone in a bar that caters to both human and inhuman, Rifter’s primal instinct is to claim her.
Gwen has her own desires, long unfulfilled. She hopes a passionate night with the leather-clad, Harley-riding biker will ease her suffering. The seizures that have wracked her body her entire life are incurable—and they’re killing her.
But none of that will matter if Rifter can’t stop the growing threat to them all–trappers who are determined to enslave humankind and use the Dire wolves as part of their nefarious plan.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I was so looking forward to this book, especially when the words bikers and werewolves appeared on the page together. Unfortunately for me, the book just didn’t live up to the high expectations I had going in.
Rifter is the leader of the small Dire wolf pack and fighting day in and day out to keep life as he knows it from imploding. The weretrappers are after them, the witches have plotted against them, and the werewolf packs are in a state of civil unrest that has him wishing his immortality was a thing of the past. When he meets the frail human Gwen, he finds that for the first time in a long time, he has a reason to want to live.
Gwen knows she is dying and has a few things she wants to scratch off her bucket list before she does. When she gets pulled into Rifter’s world, she never expected that they might possibly know a way to save her. Although their world is in turmoil, Gwen will do everything in her power to help Rifter grow stronger, save his pack and live to fight another day by his side.
Tyler is known for her alpha heroes and phenomenal skills in creating realistic romantic suspense, but for me, this paranormal just didn’t suck me in as much as I hoped. I was hoping that the new biker, Dire wolf and ex-military heroes would stand out and have me flipping pages faster than ever. Instead, I felt as if nothing jumped out as fresh and original. The writing was wonderful and the suspense done well, but it just didn’t have that extra bit of pizazz I was hoping for.
I have to say, I really enjoyed Rifter though. Tyler has always been able to create incredible and wonderful alpha males that rock my world. He was an alpha male to the extreme, without being a total jerk. He almost had a little bit of a reluctant hero thing going on, especially when it came to leading his Dire wolves. He knew he could kick some ass, and wasn’t afraid to do it on the battlefield, but he was humble enough to not want to be their king. I liked his own internal struggle with that, and has final acceptance of the role. I can tell you that I would FOR SURE follow Rifter anywhere he wanted me to. *wink*
I thought that the potential for Gwen’s character was off the charts, especially when she came across so bold and strong in the first chapter. But for me, she seemed to never quite live up to her potential as a character. It took her awhile to get to the point where she was not only comfortable in her own skin, but was comfortable with Rifter. I wanted her to be a stronger presence in their lives, and just didn’t connect with her until the very very end.
One other aspect I really enjoyed was the suspense. I can always count on Tyler to keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I do think the overall story arc of this series will be an interesting one to follow, and I am excited to see where she goes with it. While I wish the romance was a bit more steamy and developed, I think the world she created has some wonderful potential.
All in all I thought the first book in the Eternal Wolf Clan series has wonderful potential and a good starting point for the series. The world has a great overall story arc going and I am excited to see in what direction Tyler takes things. The band of brotherhood between the Dire wolves reminded me of so many other paranormal romance series, and is one that I continue to love. While I would have loved to be pulled more into the romance between Rifter and Gwen, I enjoyed their story.
I give Dire Needs a C+
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