It's on! Are you ready? Have you been working on a novel, short story,
etc. that you want to finish? Are you swamped with books to review
after all these read-a-thons this summer? Well, this is the week for
you!
Sign in at the starting line below (please link to where you're
updating...blog, Facebook, Goodreads...to a starting line post
preferably). Stop in on Twitter (or use Tweetchat, Tweetdeck,
Bottlenose) and use the hashtag #sitdownwrite. Maybe we'll have some impromptu writing sprints.
My Goals:
I've have a huge pile of reviews that I just haven't had the time to get
to writing, and the pile keeps getting bigger and bigger with each book
I finish. So for this Write-A-Thon, I'm going to try to get as many of
the reviews listed writtten!
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Blue Exorcist Volume 7 by Kazue Kato
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Broken by Kelley Armstrong
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Immortal Hearts by Ellen Schreiber
Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha by Karen Marie Moning and Al Rio
Taming the Wolf by Stephanie Nelson
Promises by Amber Garr
Frozen Heart by Annabelle Blume
Dire Needs by Stephanie Tyler
Once they are written, I'll cross them out, and once I have them posted
I'll link the review to the title. All updates can be found on the
Write-A-Thon page of my main blog A Bibliophile's Thoughts on Books. All reviews will be posted to Zodiac Book Reviews as well, seeing as this is a book review blog.
Title: Taming the Wolf Series: Anna Avery #1 Author(s): Stephanie Nelson Genre: Supernatural Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy Elements: Werewolves Publisher: Stephanie Nelson Format: PDF, 114 Pages ASIN: B008BKT3UO Release Date: June 13, 2012 Source: Tour Host {Promotional Book Tours} Rating: 3.5/5
Tagline(s): ~NONE~
Summary: Attacked by a wolf while hiking, Anna Avery's life just got a little hairier. Living in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming, with a group of werewolves who are more animal than human, Anna must try to hold onto her human side.
It's not easy when the alpha continues to persuade her into his bed, while another wolf is chomping at the bit to become her mate. To top it all off, dead bodies are showing up and it just so happens that Anna was the last to see them alive. She'll have to work to prove her innocence and taming the wolf who bites first and asks questions never.
Review:
Three months ago, Anna Avery was attacked in the woods by a wolf
while jogging. Anna was found close to death by Adam Everwood, the alpha
of the Everwood Pack. Now, three months after her attack, Anna is a
functioning member of the pack, but because she's the newest member
she's at the bottom of the pack order. She does the chores, gets her
meals last, and is supposed to be submissive to those above her.
But there is just something clawing its way out that won't allow
her to cower. Anna sees herself as being equal to the alphas, and Adam
begins noticing that she may very well be his equal. Eve, the alpha
female, notices this change too, and it's made worse when Adam begins
showing interest in Anna, therefore threatening Eve's place in the pack.
As this power struggle continues, humans are turning up mauled to
death. With each new attack, Anna has a dream-vision of it happening.
Scared of what these visions could mean for her, Anna keeps them to
herself. But as more humans are turning up dead, the Leaders are called
in to investigate, and Anna is the number one suspect.
I couldn't help but love Anna. She's supposed to be the small
submissive at the bottom, but she's way more assertive than a submissive
should be. I love that she doesn't back down from Adam and looks him
right in the eye. Another thing I really liked about Anna was her
morals. She won't give herself to just anyone, and she won't become the
mate to someone who doesn't love her. The one she chooses for her mate
has to be hers completely, just as she would be his completely.
It is mentioned multiple times that Anna is the only snow white
wolf in the pack, and it is believed that it could be a sign of great
things in her future. In the three months that she's been in the pack,
though, Anna hasn't shown any special abilities or the like. Though it's
questionable that the dream-visions she's been having are the abilities
of a seer, because Anna's fur color is emphasized many times, I feel
there has to be something special about her. Maybe even Adam's coloring
being exactly opposite of Anna's means something. Anna is snow white and
Adam is jet black. Or I could be reading way too into things.
And maybe their colors even have a little something to do with
them being each others "Chante." A wolf's chante is his or her heart,
their soul mate, their other half. When I thought of their coloring and
being each others chante, it made me think of a ying-yang, they each are
a half of a whole.
The discovery behind the reason for Adam and Anna's attraction
wasn't smooth and was quite a bumpy, sometimes painful process. Neither
can understand why they feel such a strong draw to each other, and both
try to push against it. But when Anna's life is in danger, they choose
to give in for a night that may be their first and last. It's after that
that they know the chante legend is true. I'm glad that this wasn't an
instant relationship. There were obstacles at every turn. But the end
result was worth waiting for.
There was a surprise revelation concerning Eve that left me
reeling. Not to mention why she framed Anna for the killings (it's kind
of obvious from the beginning who how jealous she was of Anna that she
was the one behind it). Murder, jealousy, and revenge reign supreme
where Eve is concerned.
Taming the Wolf was an exciting read and I can't wait to read the next story of Anna Avery.
Book Trailer:
About this Author:
Unlike most authors, Stephanie Nelson didn't dream of becoming a writer. Her interest laid in photography. It wasn't until four years ago when she picked up her first paranormal romance book and fell in love. Books became her addiction and the local bookstore her favorite place to visit. It wasn't long before her own stories began to form and nag her to try her hand at writing. After countless attempts, Stephanie ended up giving up on writing for a while. But her imagination wouldn't allow her to quit. Deciding to give it another shot, Stephanie began to write the Gwen Sparks series. The first book in the series, Craved was published seven months later and reached #1 on Amazon's bestseller list and #6 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list.
Stephanie resides in the Midwest with her husband and their furry children. When she manages to pull herself away from the computer, she enjoys traveling, fishing, playing board games and spending time with her family.
