Man and Wolf by Kate Roman

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Aside from the cover that caught me in and didn’t let me go (the two men on it are really handsome but with a sweet aura on them and they are perfect for the role they have in the book), this story was surprisingly tender, a paranormal setting with an homemade pie taste.

Rob is a werewolf, but he is not born like that; he was a foster kid and he was used as guinea pig by some crazy scientist, and when he finally managed to escape, it was to a life of loneliness. His only companion is a big female malamute, a stray dog he rescued from the street he named Bella. When Bella is food poisoned, Rob desperately seeks help at Jamie’s vet clinic.

Usually the werewolf partner in a romance is the strong element, and indeed Rob is strong as a wolf, but he is also still that little foster kid who probably only dreamed of a family and instead had a long nightmare. Rob is not self-confident of his wolf nature, he is scared by it; plus Rob has also a sweet nature, he has not the streak of a killer, despite what those scientists wanted from him. He is forced to be the alpha male of his small pack, but indeed I think that Bella is the strongest of them all, the real protector of their little family, and even Jaime, even if he is only a man, is stronger than Rob, at least since he has more steady basis.

Indeed there is a funny intake on the story, who better companion Rob could find other than a vet? Someone who is able to take care of him whenever he is a man or a wolf? But this is only a joke I did with myself, indeed the story has quite an angst development, but as I said, it never goes beyond the space limit of the neighbourhood where they live, of the small apartment where they start to know and love each other. This is not a novel with huge spaces or really dangerous developments, so that, when Rob talks about his past, even the reader has some difficult to believe him, since he is not some invincible paranormal hero, bent upon taking vengeance of who mistreated him, he is more a family guy who needs someone to take care of him and cuddle him at night, when the nightmares come back to haunt him.

The love relationship between Rob and Jaime is sudden but deep; almost immediately they go to the next level, sharing not only sex but also commitment; Rob is very physical, probably the half animal side of him needs the reassurance of the body warm, of the contact and smell. Rob is very intense, demanding a lot in bed but he is never selfish; he is desperate for love but willing to give as much as he receives if not more. He is also very emotional, his heart and feelings are really on the surface, he is easy to hurt but also to please.

Jaime is everything for Rob, and he becomes an almost unwilling protector; Jaime is not usually the character you will see as a hero, on the contrary he is more the type someone else should protect. But he is also generous and open, and those are more important characteristics for Rob than being strong. Strength he has, love he has not.

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Cover Art by April Martinez

Comments

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

you are more than welcome Kate.