Tracy‘s review of Moonlight Protector (Ashton Groves Werewolves, Book 1) by Jessica Coulter Smith
Cole Andrews, biologist by trade and werewolf by blood, is tired of being alone. He and his two brothers live in the large Victorian home that had belonged to their parents. He’s always wanted to find his mate and start a family. Now that he’s in his thirties, he’s starting to give up hope. He’s already seen all of the women available in his small town of Ashton Grove and so far none of them are “the one.”
The blurb pretty much covers the basics of this book. Marin was given to dealers by her brother to pay off a drug debt and then sold to the highest bidder. She was raped repeatedly by her “owner” and then given to several of his friends. She manages to escape but gets in an accident. She pleads to a wolf for help before she passes out. It just so happens that Cole Andrews is the wolf that she is pleading to. Cole gets his brother Gabriel, alpha of the pack, and they get her to their house. Gabriel, being the alpha of the pack can scent that Marin is part of his pack, though human, and therefore will be a mate to him or one of his two brothers – but Marin will do the choosing. Cole already knows that he wants Marin to choose him because he feels a strong pull to her. Cole watches over Marin during her recovery in his wolf form.
Here’s where things got a little tricky for me in the book. Marin wakes up and Cole has involuntarily shifted back to human and, of course, is naked in bed with Marin. She’s dreaming, he’s dreaming and they end up kissing, until interrupted by Gabriel. Ok, Marin has just been through this totally horrifying ordeal and been raped repeatedly yet she feels safe with the brothers. Then the whole kissing scene comes and I’m just shaking my head. I just can’t suspend belief like that. A woman who is raped is not going to fall into a man’s arms (one she doesn’t know) and feel desire. From having a friend that was raped years ago I know that it takes a long, long, long damned time for a rape victim to recover and feel comfortable with anyone touching them. I’m a very forgiving reader and can suspend belief with the best of ‘em but this was just too implausible. Going on in the book none of her issues are dealt with and not even mentioned unless to tell someone the details. I don’t know it was too unbelievable for me.
The book goes on with Cole and Marin getting together, her getting a job at his work and of course being stalked by her “owner”…the scum of the earth that raped her. Of course there’s an HEA which is always wonderful.
I have to say that I liked the premise of the book (besides the rape recovery issues) but it was told in a way that I felt like a story was being narrated, but it was done unemotionally. I couldn’t relate with the characters – even the brothers because I was being told what was going on, not shown. Little, unimportant parts of the book were described in detail and I found myself skimming a few paragraphs here and there and didn’t feel like I had missed anything.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
This book is available from Wild Horse Press in e-format only. You can buy it here for the Kindle or here in e-format.
