It's really good.
Full disclosure: I am a sucker for werewolf men (I rooted for Richard during Anita Blake's wavering between Jean-Claude the Vampire and Richard the Werewolf, I was team Jacob the brief time I tried to enjoy Twilight, and Blood and Chocolate remains one of my favorite young-adult fantasy novels) and this author is a friend of a friend. The mutual friend in question is the cover artist.
Initially, I bought the book because it seemed like something I would enjoy and because I wanted to support a friend's friend. I was not disappointed.
First of all, just look at that cover. Look at the hair, at the colors, at the woman. It's beautiful, it's eye-grabbing, and--best of all--it's entirely unique. I love the way the Autumn looks other-worldly with the shadows on her face and the shape of her ears, I love the lift and twist of her hair, and I absolutely love the fire wolf. It's such a beautiful representation of the story.
Here is the book's official synopsis:
"When you live in a small town long enough you learn all the rules, meet all the boys, and participate in all the bar brawls. Autumn is content enough to work at the general store in Stoneriver, leaving all firefighting and smoke inhalation to her sister. But she has to step up, as a fire witch and a fighter, when her niece comes to her with tales of a werewolf who doesn't run with the full moon. The local pack has suddenly made Autumn Von Brandt their unhappy business.
Harper O'Malley is second-in-command of the Stoneriver pack, and sick of an alpha who doesn't know his ass from his elbow. Autumn is his chance to shake up the pecking order. As a bonus, she's beautiful, powerful, and doesn't seem to mind that wet dog smell."
The synopsis does an excellent job of telling you what you need to know and, like the cover, represents the story really well.
Autumn is the star of this book and she's the sort of funny, honest person I thoroughly enjoy in real life. If you're a reader who shies away from romances because you think heroines are too fluffy or flighty, this book is for you. Autumn is intelligent, independent, and confident. I was particularly interested in her hero persona. She's not the strongest fire witch. She's not the matriarch of their family. But she is a fighter, and she is loyal, and she does do what she has to do. Granted, she puts herself in the position to do what she has to do, but in that way she reminded me a lot of Princess Leia and Scarlett O'Hara.
Harper is Autumn's love interest. He's the beta male in the local werewolf pack and, all around, just a decent guy. I really liked that this story was about two completely normal people (well, more than two, but I'll get to that in a minute) who happen to have some supernatural in their lives. He's intelligent, very sexy, and--my favorite!--cautious. I appreciated the way he went about dealing with the pack's leadership problems.
There are some very hot sex scenes in this novella. I must confess, though, that I mostly skimmed them. They were good, but I actually wasn't interested in the sex as much as I was interested in the non-sexual interactions. Friends who know me well might be reading this review with their mouths hanging open. The mystery, the conflict, and the resolution in this story are just that fascinating.
Each of the major supporting characters--the alpha male, the rogue wolf, Autumn's sister, and Autumn's niece--are strong and well-rounded enough that I didn't feel they were props. (I would actually be quite interested in any of them as main characters.) Each of them added to the story and helped move it along.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a quick, interesting read, anyone who likes paranormal romance, anyone who likes strong heroines and decent heroes, and anyone who likes werewolves and witches. This was definitely a solid four-star debut effort from a writer I hope to see more from in the future.
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