Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: ARC from the publisher
Anny Conrad is a single thirty-year-old librarian—a cliché complete with two cats. Dragged out to a local bar, she’s rethinking her life plan over a few drinks when a man walks up and asks her to dance. And what a man. Tall, rugged and more than a little untamed. Before she knows it, she’s in his arms and throwing caution to the wind.
With a pack war in full, deadly swing, the last thing Armand LaForge needs right now is a woman in his life, much less a human. But one thing is certain, he’s met his mate, the one woman in the world for him.
The kindest thing to do is give her all the hot sex she wants and then leave her alone. But when the morning comes, fate isn’t done screwing with them. Anny is confronted with the fact that the myths in her library books are real…and now she’s one of them.
This blurb came from the author’s website.
A few months ago I read and reviewed Wolf at the Door, the first installment in Walters’ Salvation Pack series. While I had some issues with it, I was intrigued enough to request the second one. Unfortunately, I ended up with the same sort of mixed feelings so I think this will probably be the last Salvation Pack story I read.
I enjoyed the beginning because it caught me up on the characters I met in the previous story, showed me their reaction to the climatic events that ended it, and the meet cute between Armand and Anny. Walters did a great job of showing the contrast between the Salvation Pack and the brutal one Armand and his friends left on several different levels.
I really liked how Armand was large, scarred, and rough looking but extremely gentle on the inside and just treasured women. His apparent contradiction was a lot of fun to sit back and watch. Armand’s character remained relatively steady throughout this story, so the impression I had of him initially from the first installment really didn’t change. This was slightly disappointing because I wanted to see more than the realization that he now had a mate to protect. Armand already had a protective nature, so continuing to show that aspect while adding a sexual element wasn’t much of a stretch for him.
Anny – apparently, I have a thing for librarians because I have read several lately – was also interesting. She was very dedicated to her job and bringing the world to her patrons, especially the children. She also had a best friend so she wasn’t alone in the world, but her parents were rather self-centered and neglectful. Unfortunately, her character started to fall apart for me not too long after the beginning. I could understand taking a chance but what she did the night she met Armand seemed completely out of character given how conservative and private she was before and after her encounter. Anny seemed to settle back into character but just as I was fully engrossed in the story and the increasing action, she did another completely out of character action. At that point, I was once more thrown from the story because I kept wondering at first when later if she would correct what happened or if the problem would be “magically” taken care of.
Armand and Anny were a joy to watch together. The way they felt about each other and their internal reactions whenever anyone else was around made me laugh. I did have issues with the insta-lust/love between them initially, however as the story continued and they had a chance to get to know each other I felt better about the depths of their attraction. The same “instant” care and concern occurred with the other wolves in Salvation Pack, which made me slightly uneasy as if it was all chemicals and hormones with nothing to do with who anyone was as an individual.
I liked how Walters handled part of the overall problem Salvation Pack faced while also dealing with Armand and Anny’s nightmares. However, what I really did not like was all of the sacrifices Anny was forced to make. Not only did she have to deal with all of the changes involved in become a werewolf and gaining a mate but also the thread of violence, death, and potentially bringing those same threats down on those she cared about. In addition, she also lost her independence because she was a known target and area of vulnerability for the Salvation Pack. What I didn’t see and really needed to feel better about her sacrifices was something to replace the interaction and freedoms she no longer has.
Wolf in Her Bed had some interesting ideas and I enjoyed several different aspects. Sadly, my enjoyment was not enough to counteract the areas I found problematic which kept pulling me out of the Walters’ world. While I am still curious about how the Salvation Pack is going to solve their problems I found myself frustrated with the characterization too many times to consider picking up future installments.
I give Wolf in Her Bed a C/C-