"An incredible romance of the paranormal"

Wow! This story packs a punch! If readers want an incredible werewolf story with a twist, then this book is one that must be read.

Officer Jessie McQuade has seen much in her job as a policewoman, but strange things have been happening in Miniwa, Wisconsin lately. The normally subdued wolves in the area are striking out, attacking humans for no apparent reason. As she investigates deeper, more and more leads don't tie up, and many doubts surface. Everything comes back to the huge, lone black wolf she keeps seeing everywhere. So her practical nature causes her to turn to a professor for help.

Will Cadotte is an expert in Native American mythology and the logical person for Officer McQuade to turn to when an animal totem charm is found. He has a lot of answers, but even more questions are raised as he helps in her investigation. The things he talks about are unbelievable to Jessie, things that just cannot be. And what's the matter with her? She's inexplicably drawn to this enigmatic man, and he makes her toes curl in the most delightful of ways.

As things grow stranger and the time for the full moon, a rare Blue Moon, draws near, danger is more imminent and Jessie doesn't know what to believe. All of the evidence is pointing to something she can't even begin to comprehend or accept. Is it really something supernatural and therefore beyond her control? And what about Will, is he friend or foe, incredible lover or deadly enemy, man or man-wolf? Want to know the answers, then drop everything and read this book!

Welcome back to the paranormal genre, Ms. Handeland! This story is one of the best this reviewer has read in quite a while. The plot leaps and bounds forward, like the running wolves, but is not in the slightest bit confusing or disturbing. One will become entrenched in the story from the very first line, and want to keep reading uninterrupted through the end. The Native American mythological spin on the legend of the werewolves adds depth to the story, making it all the more intriguing for the tantalizing glimpses into those beliefs.

Jessie is a great character, full of sass and with a delightful, sarcastic sense of humor. One will laugh out loud many times as a result of her unexpected witticisms. Will is a hero to drive women crazy, tall dark, handsome, and yes he's got a brilliant mind to go with it! Who wouldn't fall for a guy like that? Jessie didn't stand a chance. Add in the very elderly police dispatcher, Zee, with the mouth of a sailor, who loves her job and loves Jessie like a daughter, a very frightening wolf hunter who may be more then he seems, and a score of townspeople, and this story has incredible life built in to it.

This story is absolutely incredible and the only bad thing about it? That it can't go on forever! Have no fear readers, there are already at least two more books in the works to extend this foray into the otherworldly. Ms. Handeland has a breakout hit with this series! This reviewer is one fan who will be impatiently awaiting the next chapter in the saga.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2004. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted October 9, 2004

Read an Excerpt

Summary

By the light of a blue moon, danger prowls—

Miniwa, Wisconsin is under siege, but not by the usual summer tourists. The area's normally shy wolf population has begun stalking human prey, and their victims have been disappearing... or worse. Something is happening in the woods. Something brutal and primitive...

and desire is unleashed...

Officer Jessie McQuade has seen plenty in her years on the force—but nothing as intriguing as the gorgeous, naked man she encounters while tracking a rogue wolf. Professor Will Cadotte is a Native American activist. He's also the only man capable of distracting Jessie from her work. And for a cop, distraction—no matter how pleasurable—can be deadly. It's against Jessie's better judgment to accept Will's help in her investigation, yet she soon finds herself doing exactly that—and more. Will's dark, penetrating eyes see into a part of Jessie's soul she never knew existed. It's exhilarating...and terrifying.

Now, as a town's deepest secrets come to light, no one is safe: not friends, lovers, or strangers. And as Jessie follows a bloody trail to the shocking truth, she'll have to decide who she can trust when the moon is full...