Judith’s review of Dreaming of the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #8) by Terry Spear.
Werewolf pack leader Jake Silver is an acclaimed photographer. He sees a beautiful woman at the art gallery where his photos are on display, and his intrigue turns into wolfish protectiveness. Alicia Greiston has never met anyone like Jake-he’s sexy, alpha, and totally irresistible, and he calls to something primal in her soul.
It’s a great day for wolf shifter paranormal fiction lovers when another of Terry Spear’s “Heart of the Wolf” series appears. It is also another opportunity to check in with some of the characters who have been featured in other books in this series. However, this book is one that I particularly enjoyed because of the realistic content re: wolves as well as a new concept known as “dream mating” which Ms Spear has made a pivotal part of the love story between Jake and Alicia.
This is a story that is chock full of good stuff. Of course, there is the hunky alpha male wolf shifter whose brother is the pack alpha but who is an important individual in the pack leadership. There is the human female who attracts Jake and who brings out all the protective instincts in his powerhouse body as he finds out that this diminutive woman is a bounty hunter who has decided to take on some really heavy hitters in organized crime. There are hot love scenes and chases; intrusive federal law enforcement and local detectives who must be kept in the dark about the existence of shifters; there is the whole dilemma that the reader experiences as Alicia is “turned” and has to go through the first weeks as a shifter without any kind of guidance or information about her new life; and there is the whole shifter mating phenomenon known as “dream mating” and the connection between Jake and Alicia that is strengthened through this unusual process.
This is also a novel that grabs the reader from the very first word, that keeps the tension surrounding the crime figures at peak level throughout, and one which develops the relationship between Jake and Alicia relentlessly in spite of numerous ups and downs. There are surprises and some plot twists that keep the reader off balance. I certainly didn’t expect some of the developments that I encountered. It is a story that is well written by an author whose command of the language enables her to craft word pictures that create this alternate species in such a way that it all seems so real and “normal.” Alicia is a study–a woman whose early life and relationships have not been the best, whose own mother has not been a good role model for choosing wisely in regards to her romantic involvements, and one whose loyalty and close friendship with her mom have launched her on this path of finding and apprehending her mother’s killers. Yet as brave and really well trained as Alicia is in many ways, she is also vulnerable and needing to find the love of a good man, one who will respect and cherish as well as protect and encourage her to be her very best.
Readers familiar with this series will also enjoy the continuation and involvement of Jake’s brother and sister-in-law whose story were featured in an earlier novel. The strong bonds of family and pack loyalty not only form an important social structure in the novel but are an important factor in giving Alicia the strength to go through some daunting experiences as she becomes the target for the mob killers who killed her parents. All in all, it is a fine paranormal romance and is well-balanced between the suspense and the romantic aspects. It is one that has already become a favorite of mine and I am looking forward to reading more of this pack, especially Jake’s brother Tom who is now coming to really desire his own mate after the experiences of his two older brothers. Something to look forward to, and as always, this author is sure to please.
I give this book a rating of 4.25 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.