Tag: Westfield Brothers

Guest Review: The Wolf Who Loved Me by Lydia Dare

Posted April 13, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Tracy’s review of The Wolf Who Loved Me (Westfield Wolves #5) by Lydia Dare

Lady Madeline Hayburn Has Money Problems…

Specifically, she has so much of it that she’s dogged by fortune hunters, including her bewilderingly attractive, penniless neighbor, with his wild nature and uncouth manners…

Weston Hadley Has An Identity Crisis…

Specifically, he’s just turned into a wolf while Madeline was watching. Now it’s up to the regal lady to tame the wild beast…if she can…

We met the Hadley brothers back in book 4 – they are the half brothers to the Earl of Brimsworth (who in this book they kept calling Eynsford so that was confusing) and Brimsworth is the alpha of their pack. You see they are all wolf shifters and hide that fact from the ton.

The Hadley brothers are not good ton. Sure the oldest brother is a Viscount but they really are quite disreputable and receive invitations quite rarely. They are friends with Robert Hayburn and are therefore invited to Castle Hythe for a week. Others that were invited by the Duke of Hythe are there to vie for the hand of the Duke’s daughter, Lady Madeline. Weston Hadley has been in love with Madeline since he saw her 3 years before but has never even spoken to the woman. During the week Madeline and Wes get to know each other a bit. When Madeline sees Wes hit a man and then pick up the unconscious body she’s concerned and head to the stables to find out what’s happening. What she sees is Wes turning into a wolf – which of course freaks her completely out and she tries to run for help. Wes manages to get her into the woods and then they hop a carriage and are off to Gretna Green to marry because only mates of wolf shifters are to know about them and if Wes marries her then all will be well.

Madeline is none too pleased to be kidnapped and forced to marry but as the trip continues she finds herself liking Wes more and more. He makes her understand that he can give her the passion that she seeks. She’s all for that but unfortunately Wes is dirt poor. He lives off of his brothers and has no means to make money. Madeline is used to the finer things in life and he’s can’t quite figure out how he will support her (as he knows he won’t get her dowry). This ends up being the crux of the couples problem with Wes eventually thoroughly believing that he’s not good enough for Madeline and that causes all sorts of issues.

I gotta tell you that I’ve really enjoyed the books that Lydia Dare has put out – whether they’re wolf shifters or vampires the books are always fun and engaging. This had humor and love as well but it was definitely a little short on both the romance and the paranormal aspect and that was a bit disappointing. Besides Wes shifting that once and them talking about his other powers – sensitive hearing, can run fast, uber strength – there were no other paranormal parts to the book. So sad.

Madeline was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She’s always had everything she’s ever wanted and what she got was the best of the best. Now she’s been kidnapped. Attacked in the woods when she was frightened out of her mind and rolled in the mud. She’s less than perfect and we constantly hear about her hatred of being dirty and her need to be clean. I understood that this was a major point because it was that issue – Madeline wanting and Wes not having – that truly was the major angst point. I know that Madeline was written as a snob to drive home the differences in their stations but that girl really got on my nerves at points. lol I do have to say that Madeline matured substantially during the course of the book. She realized that there were things she needed to give up for love and it shed a whole new light on her life.

Wes was great. He was kind of lost in the shuffle of life at times and his self-esteem has really taken a hit because of it. His face had been scarred so people had a hard time looking him in the eye. (Madeline didn’t have an issue with the scar at all and I liked her all the more for it.) He hadn’t planned on being married although he loved the fact that he was going to be able to marry his lady love. He wanted what was best for her but in the end he cut off his nose to spite his face and that just didn’t work at all. He was willing to give up something he loved to make someone else happy. As much as my heart ached for him I wanted to shake him and tell him to cut it out!

In the end it all worked out – of course, with a great HEA. I do have to say that the scene where Wes and Madeline come back together was a bit too much for me. Madeline actions and words, while seeming romantic at first, were highly inappropriate and I was almost embarrassed for her.

I will continue to read this series as I can’t wait to see Wes’s brothers, Gray and Archer, fall in love.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Sourcebooks Casablanca. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Guest Author: Lydia Dare – Paranormal Historicals

Posted November 4, 2010 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 20 Comments

Today author Lydia Dare is here to talk about writing paranormal historical romances as a team. Her latest novel, The Taming of the Wolf is available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

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One of the best things about writing with a partner is that we get two perspectives on any given subject. All right, sometimes that is the most maddening thing about writing with partner too. But in the end, we are of the opinion that if we can agree on any given subject, that we are moving in the right direction.

We were in complete agreement when it came to the genre we were going to write together. Of course, there are other paranormal/historical romances on the market, but not too many. And we each brought something different to the table. Tammy was working on a paranormal romance and Jodie was working on a Regency romance when we decided to team up. Therefore, it was only natural that we merge our two interests and create a world that was uniquely ours.

And we have been having a blast ever since. Jodie has adored the freeing aspect that comes along with paranormal characters and world building, while Tammy has enjoyed the more restricted rules that come along with Regency England. In this new world that we’ve created together, we each have a niche where we feel comfortable.

When we embarked on creating this alternate historical world with all sorts of paranormal creatures, neither of us expected that a mere two years later we’d be talking about a series of books and certainly not one with ten possible titles. In fact, we weren’t certain we’d even be able to write one book. It seemed a little daunting that we’d have to collaborate and actually agree. As it turned out, we actually work well together and have had the best time creating our world and filling it with paranormal creatures of various kinds.

Our first four books starred werewolf men (or Lycans, if you’d rather) and a couple of them also include witches from a coven based in Edinburgh. Readers may or may not pick up on our first vampyre who is briefly introduced in The Taming of the Wolf which is now on shelves. And the trilogy due out next year features vampyres of one sort or another cast as the main heroes. So our world of paranormal creatures is growing a bit. But the island that is Great Britain is only so big.

And that makes us continually wonder if we are growing our paranormal world too quickly, or if we should stick with those three staples of paranormal romance – werewolves, witches and vampyres. What do you think? Is there room in Regency England for other paranormal creatures? And if so, what would you like to see?

Lydia Dare is an active member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and sits on the organization’s board of directors. She lives in a house filled with boys and an animal or two (or 10) near Raleigh, NC.
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We have a full set of The Westfield Brothers series – A Certain Wolfish Charm, Tall Dark and Wolfish, The Wolf Next Door – to giveaway to one lucky winner today. Leave a comment on this post answering Lydia’s questions from above and you’ll be entered. US and Canada only. Contest ends 11/8 at 11:59pm.

This book is available from Sourcebooks Casablanca. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Guest Review: The Wolf Next Door by Lydia Dare

Posted August 23, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment


Judith‘s review of The Wolf Next Door (Westfield Brothers, Book 3) by Lydia Dare

They can’t even be in the same room together . . .Ever since their failed elopement years ago, Prisca Hawthorne has taunted, insulted, and in every way tried to push him away. If only her heart didn’t break every time Lord William Westfield left her.

But staying apart is even worse . . . Lord William throws himself into drinking, gambling, and debauchery and pretends not to care about Prisca at all. But when he returns to find a rival werewolf vying for her hand, he will stop at nothing to claim the woman who should have been his all along. Can Prisca forgive the unforgivable, or are the moon-crossed lovers going to be forced into a battle of wills that could be fatal?

This third novel in the Westfield Trilogy tells the story of the second of the Westfield siblings, gentlemen who have romped through all three of these books. However, this third book deals with a relationship that is already in deep trouble. Four years earlier these two lovers plotted to elope to Gretna Greene when Prisca was barely 16 years old. He waited and she never came; she never came to meet him because she had been told that he had impregnated a village girl (later conclusively disproved). However, the deep hurts and anger just stayed with them both and after all the recriminations and accusations, in spite of the truth having been aired, they were both deeply wounded and continued to harass one another endlessly. Here we find Prisca’s brothers plotting to finally get the lovers together. Prisca has been serving as family matchmaker for her five unmarried brothers and they want her out of their lives and into the home of a strong husband who can manage her willful ways. These five decide that Lord William who has been in the picture for years is really perfect as they think he is the only man who can manage their sister.

Enter Dashiel Thorpe, Earl of Brimsworth, a friend of one of Prisca’s brothers, who comes to their family home for the holidays. Lord William is greatly concerned because he is a Lycan and there is a feral edge to his manner and his pursuit of Prisca. He will play an important part in this story and in stories to come. Those who know William and Prisca well know that they still love each other deeply, but neither will let go of the past. Not only are they still carrying the burden of the original misunderstanding, but now there is layer upon layer of insult and verbal wounds to drive them even farther apart.

This is a very funny book, in spite of the sad nature of the love relationship between the main characters. The brothers are a complete hoot and the repartee between William and Prisca is sharp and edgy. Without her even knowing it, Prisca has had a long-standing routine of being in the garden on the night of the full moon, and there William as a wolf visits her. She talks with him for hours and tells him all her deepest feelings and secrets. She even wears the painting of him as a wolf in the locket she never removes. Ms Dare has written a really wonderful love story full of wit and fun, family and deep affection, and the ups and downs of being in the country society during the English Regency period. All of these people are flawed; all of them are trying their best to adhere to the stringent code of behavior into which they were born; yet all of them are connected by blood as well as years of long friendship as neighbors, school experiences, and shared days. There is also pain and betrayal, trying to build a lasting relationship on contrived information, manipulating circumstances in order to achieve personal goals. And of course, as in all paranormal romances, all is not as it appears to be.

It could be said that the conflict between Will and Prisca is to be expected in Regency romances. And in part that is true. Yet there seems to be an additional level of deep hurt between these two because of their shared growing up as well as their shared disappointment and history. It is almost as if the two families share in this deep divide between them. Perhaps the greatest lesson here is that through the years both Will and Prisca have allowed what they thought the other was feeling to guide their actions and reactions. I think that is true in so many relationships that go sour. It could be argued that Prisca was far too young to be married at age 16 and that’s probably true. But one can almost feel the deep emotion and sense of loss when Lord William reminds her that they could have already had four years together and all that time is now gone. I think there is a better than even chance that the author is telling the reader to claim what you can without allowing old hurts to cheat you out of what is truly good. Certainly I wouldn’t have wanted my daughters to marry at age 16, but this isn’t Regency England either. My sense while reading this book was that William and Prisca never stopped blaming the other long enough to claim what they truly both wanted. And I have to add that while I rarely believe it is all one person’s fault, I think Prisca kept the anger at a low boil far longer than necessary. On the other hand Lord William’s descent into debauchery didn’t help either.

So, is there a “happily ever after?” The reader will have to see for themselves. Suffice it to say that Prisca and William had to walk their own “lonesome valley” as they tried, with varying amounts of energy, to slog through the mess of feelings that had built up over the years. If “wanting” could have solved their problem, they would have been in paradise in a New York minute. But as we have all learned, sometimes through painful experience, “wanting” cannot always solve the deeper issues that divide human beings.

This is a very well-written book, a worthy sequel to the first two novels, with a good plot and a well-developed story line. Ms Dare has once again proven her writing prowess and given historical romance fans a good book in which I am sure many will take great delight. It is, indeed, a really good read!

I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

The series:
A Certain Wolfish CharmTall, Dark and WolfishThe Wolf Next Door

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place

This book is available from Sourcebooks. You can buy it here or here.


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Guest Review: Tall, Dark, and Wolfish by Lydia Dare

Posted August 12, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 2 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Judith‘s review of Tall, Dark, and Wolfish (Westfield Brothers, Book 2) by Lydia Dare

He lost the most important part of himself . . . Lord Benjamin Westfield is a powerful werewolf–until one full moon. His life now shattered, he rushes off to Scotland to search for the healer who can restore his inner beast, only to find she’s not at all what he expected.

She would make him whole if she could . . .Young, beautiful witch Elspeth Campbell will do anything to help anyone who calls upon her healing arts. Until Lord Benjamin shows up and she suddenly discovers she may need him even more than he needs her.

This is the second in Lydia Dare’s Westfield Trilogy wherein she is telling the stories of three brothers. In this particular novel she tells the story of Lord Benjamin, youngest of the Westfield siblings who is now seriously damaged within himself and is seeking to find a person, a healer who can restore him–actually the beast within. Because of the increased carnal desires that afflict all Lycan near the full moon, he lost control of his wolf and seriously injured a woman. He is now fearful and unable to shift. The woman he seeks in Scotland (and that was a two week journey by carriage from his home) is now dead and her daughter Elspeth has inherited her powers as well as all her recipes and potions. As an acclaimed rake, Lord Benjamin is certainly attracted to the powerful and fiery redhead. Elspeth cannot deny that she is drawn to Ben in the same way. When it appears they are “compromised” because of a situation during Elspeth’s own illness–when she was completely drained physcally after healing one of her sister witches, they are married. Their relationship is, at times, gentle and loving. At others it is rocky and mixed with hurts and misunderstandings. Sounds about right, eh? Somehow they must find not only a healing for Ben’s inability to be a normal Lycan but a resolution to their relational ups and downs.

This is a delightful historical romance filled with magic and mystery, with people of wit and wisdom, with the paranormal and with wizardry. There is love aplenty here, deep and abiding affection and friendship, romantic and passionate love, and the fears and jeolousies that complicate relationships when people are at their most vulnerable. Ms Dare has also continued the stories of individuals that were highlighted in the first novel so that their stories are allowed to continue. The personalites of the characters are very well-developed and the interrationships between the five witches of the ancient Ciog make for delightful dialogue. Lord Benjamin is a person of wit, accurately styled as a rake of the first order, and yet he is growing tired of his life, frightened that this change in his Lycan abilities will make him less than what he wants to be. He is even afraid to love in his deepest heart and emotions, and he is certainly now afraid to be with Elspeth in the days just preceding the full moon.

It seems to me that this story is really about the damage that hurt and pain can do, not only to those who are injured, but to those who inadvertently cause those injuries. It is about the power of insecurity and self-doubt to change and inhibit who we really are down to the very core of our being, and it is about the willingness of those who truly love us to put themselves, their energies and their abilities, their love and their futures on the line to insure our wellbeing. This story ranges all the way from Edinburgh to London and back, brings a father and a daughter together, reveals facts not previously in evidence, and resolves some significant hurts in the lives of the characters. It is not a simple story but one that will bring joy to any lover of historical romance and to those who love the paranormal. That a rich and powerful peer of Regency England is a Lycan is, in and of itself, an interesting twist.

So I recommend this book as a very good adventure and a delightful journey into the world of magic and the paranormal, and a heartwarming story of love and family. It will be educational and entertaining, and might even be good for the libido. I really think I will be re-reading this book somewhere down the road.

I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Sourcebooks Casablanca. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Guest Review: Tall, Dark and Wolfish by Lydia Dare

Posted May 5, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance
Tracy’s review of Tall, Dark and Wolfish (Westfield Brothers #2) by Lydia Dare

The reckless, rakish younger brother of a powerful duke, Lord Benjamin Westfield transforms into a wolf under the light of the full moon—until one fateful evening when he doesn’t change and his life is shattered. Fearing he may never be able to change again, Benjamin sets out for Scotland in search of a witch who can heal his inner beast. The noble werewolf is drawn to the beautiful young woman, but what does he have to offer in this broken state?

Benjamin Westfield had an incident with a whore. He knew better than to be with a woman when the moon was waxing but he ignored all the signs and signals and did it anyway. When he was too rough with her – meaning scratches on her back, etc. (no beating or anything like that), and was duly reprimanded by his brother the duke, something happened to him. He lost confidence or…something and now he lacked the power to change into his wolf during the full moon. Seeking help from another Lycan friend he’s sent to Scotland to look up a healer aka a powerful witch. When Ben gets there he meets a healer but not the one he’s looking for.

Elspeth Campbell is a powerful witch and a healer – she’s also bastard born and looked down upon by society. But that doesn’t stop Elspeth from attending some pretty fine balls as she has some pretty powerful friends – namely the families of the other girls in her coven. When Elspeth, who is party Lycan but doesn’t know it meets Ben she is mesmerized by him. But her friends are determined to keep them apart as the seer of her coven had a vision and predicted that a man would come to take Elspeth away. Despite her friends’ machinations Ben and Elspeth have a certain bond that they share. They each have the mark of the beast and it definitely works in strange and mysterious ways. But Ben still doesn’t have his confidence back enough to change at the full moon. Elspeth is determined to heal him.

This is book 2 in the Westfield Brothers series and it’s a good one. In the first book the brother was determined to keep his Lycan side forever hidden from his wife and I was hoping that it wasn’t the same for Benjamin. I can say that it wasn’t. In order to heal Ben, Elspeth needed to know exactly what the problem was so it was nice to be able to see them working out the problem together. I can’t say that I agreed some of the decisions that either Elspeth or Ben made regarding their future at times, but I understood them.

Ben and Elspeth were great together, I thought. They just got along from minute one and felt the bond that they shared without having the inst-love that we see so much in shifter stories. I very much enjoyed how Ms. Dare portrayed their friendship and eventual love as something that was deep and meaningful but still fun. Overall a very good book and I’m looking forward to reading the last in the series.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

The series:

A Certain Wolfish CharmTall, Dark and WolfishThe Wolf Next Door


You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Sourcebooks. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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