Her innocence destroyed, young widow Tally Bernard swore that she would never trust a man again. But when her brother disappears, she has little choice but to make a pact with the devil.
Though he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on a ranch of his own, Simeon Kavanaugh can't escape the legacy of his werewolf father. The animal instincts that keep him from being fully human also make him a brilliant tracker, forced to survive on the desperation of people in need.
The attraction between these two wounded souls is immediate, primal -- and dangerous. And if Simeon has any hope of saving Tally, he must do what he has always resisted and merge both man and beast within him. But if she cannot accept what he becomes, his choice may cost Simeon the only thing worth having -- Tally's love....
Trained as an artist with a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Susan Krinard became a writer in 1992 when a friend read a short story she'd written and suggested she try writing a romance novel. A long-time fan of science fiction and fantasy, Susan began reading romance -- and realized what she wanted to do was combine the two genres. Prince of Wolves, her first romance novel and one of the earliest to feature a werewolf hero, was the result. Within a year Susan had sold the manuscript to Bantam as part of a three-book contract, and the novel went on to make several bestseller lists.
Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment", with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cat Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts.
Amazing story....face was a mess at the end...I LOVED this book! The entire series is a winner for me, and one of the secondary characters in a previous book got his own story in this one! I was never bored, didn't find that the story dragged at all, and continue to recommend to anyone who reads for pure pleasure and loves paranormal/historical romance!
I lived this book more than I thought I would. It was very slow moving at the beginning, which I liked but it made it difficult to get into sometimes. I liked the way the romance of the book was not simple and it took it's time to bloom while the characters dealt with other difficulties. All in all, I really liked the message of the book and how it was presented, a very good read.
First book by this author. Appreciate the research she has done so that the story rings fairly true - semantics feel authentic. Good story and characters have some depth.
Determined to make her new life a success despite cattle theft and a less then dependable brother, the heroine dons men's clothing and works hard for everything she has. In their little ranch in the Texas valley, she has her family and her business and her previous life is secreted away. There's no way she'll allow her brother's gambling to destroy her and she travels into town to find him and see him returned safe and sound. But he's not there, hasn't been for some time and despite her anger, she's worried for his safety. The hero uses this as an in to find the man responsible for stealing a map from him that will lead to a hidden treasure, and to the life the hero desires above all others. He offers to track down her missing brother for a fee and together they take off. He's not an easy man to like or to be around. He is surly and completely different than the men the heroine's has come into contact with previously but his honest ways and lack of charm are actually virtues to a woman so abused. Not trusting men in general, she is confused by the hero and even more confused by her growing feelings for a man forbidden to her. Even though he knows she's a woman, he makes her attempt to sleep with her, makes little attempt to even show any attraction to her at all. She knows of his lady love, the Angel he's willing to change his life for and this makes him safe in her books. His devotion to this other woman is commendable and it allows her to let her guard down with him. They do share a bond created by mutual respect and a sense of trust and he shows loyalty to her. Though they both hold secrets and darkness of theirs past, they are very much alike and this creates a friendship that develops into more. See, regardless of how much he may idolize the woman he's convinced himself will save him, he doesn't love her. He doesn't even desire her, not like he desires the heroine. This is because one cannot love an Angel. Not when a flesh and blood woman is ready and willing to smooth any the pain. She may have a dark history of prostitution and an unhappy marriage but the hero is the only man who's ever made her happy. When he feels the pain and rejection from the woman he thought to be his wife, the heroine is the one to comfort him and offer a piece of the redemption he seeks. For a time, they could pretend everything was fine. No need to label what is between them or to feel any sort of rush to do anything other then be. Then, as it's known to do, the past comes back to haunt them. Maybe not the hero's past or his secrets as the heroine already knew about his criminal past and forgave him for it. She already knew about his shapeshifting ability and showed no fear or disgust for the beast within him. But her secrets are not so easy to dismiss. The fact that she was once a whore strikes a cord within him, makes him remember his childhood growing up in a whore house with a whore for a mother. He uses this as an excuse to distance himself from his feelings for the heroine. But regardless of how he may feel towards her nothing will change her love for him.
Another great book by a phenomenal and gifted author. I don't know how she manages to take a paranormal subject and make it seem normal but she does. I believe the secret lies with her characters. She creates well drawn out, deep and engaging characters with real issues and a strong presence. Nothing overly dramatic or extravagate, just real people (who can happen to turn into wolves) living and dealing with the ghosts of their pasts that weigh them down. The romance between the characters was slow and built up chapter by chapter but always their was that sense of respect. Well, at least before he discovered her secret and then he became real disrespectful. The story had a great sense of fluidity and purpose set in the old west with cowboys and a tortured pair of lovers who found each other despite all obstacles and their own fears. Can't say enough good things about this author and really REALLY wish she'd continue with this series causes it's a favorite for sure.
1866 - 1882 - Texas and Arizona... 6 lives intertwined...
Andre Bernard - brother, lazy, gambler, get rich quick schemes... and he sells his 14 year old sister to be a higher class prostititue in New Orleans to pay off his debt... years later they are reunited, to her he accepts her past, takes her in at the ranch he is partner in... but he steals a treasure map from his partner & turns his partner in for rustling, train robbery, & murder and takes his sister & Eli and Miriam, and after a year where they are homesteading a new ranch in Arizona, he takes their money to buy more cattle but buys prospecting gear and heads to the hills to locate the treasure - where he is confronted by Eli, falls down a cliff, and is unconscious when his sister finds him... they nurse him, but he is rarely lucid.
Eli - black man, educated, raised on east coast - father was an established boatmaker until the civil war when his warehouse was burned down and they lost everything. Somehow he had the treasure map, and wantered west to find the treasure... Eli joined the army, fought valiently; he joined the 10th calvary in the west after the war, but deserted when he didn't have a taste for killing any more an dto locate his father... he falls in with Andre, Tally, and Miriam and goes to Arizona where he is partner in the ranch. He is hardworking, loyal, and loves Miriam - finally proposing to her. He feels guilty about leaving Andre, but saw that Tally was on the way and figured if he could be saved, she would do it. When push comes to shove, he is unable to kill Caleb in spite of every reason to.
Miriam - black woman, exslave (freed after the civil war), values freedom, religious, compassionate, wise, was a maid in the madam's house and made friends with Tally, leaving with Tally.
Caleb - sheriff's son, sheriff ignored wife, beat son, spent money on his mistress, tolerated Caleb's mischief. Little regard for people, dreams of finding Aztec gold, easily moves into illegal lifestyle. In his youth and young adulthood is friends with Sim - they are blood brothers, and he feels a certain loyalty to Sim. He burned Eli's father's warehouse, stole the map, took and earned money where he could find it. Once jailed by Andre's betrayal, he sends Sim to locate the map. When he breaks out, he goes to the ranch to find Andre and/or Sim. By this time Sim is feeling a loyalty to Tally, and chases him off - though he still has full expectation of finding the map for him and the treasure - and he gets his agreement to leave their cows and people alone and wait for him. Caleb uses a neighbor teen girl with grander ideas as backup to make sure Sim & Tally do what he wants, but it fails. and he is frightened when he sees Sim change to wolf - then goes half crazy for the treasure - shooting Eli (after getting his copy of the map), killing Andre, and threatening Sim.
Sim - Simeon - a whore's son, raised in a whore house (they did teach him to read and to please a woman when he was old enough), both loved and hated his mother. His mother, when dying, told him the name of his father - a mean, local rancher. He goes to the ranch, and his almost beaten to death by his halfbrothers. He goes off with Caleb, but when Caleb gets a bit too callous about killing, they start to separate ways. and he meets Esperanza (hope) - a beautiful woman who can see the good in people, can see into people, and who is kind... he begins to have an idea of a different kind of life... he kisses her, and leaves - and when Caleb offers him half the treasure, he decides to help for the money so that he can marry Esperanza and buy his own ranch. Part of that is tracking Andre, and this is how he meets Tally - they are both in Temptation when she is looking for her brother, and he offers his services. Though Tal is dressed/disguised as a man, he knows she is a woman. She contracts for his tracking is she can go along with him. They keep their distance from one another, but the beginning of friendship and attraction are there. They find her brother, and he connives to return to the ranch and hire on for a few months (in spite of Eli's lack of trust) to stay near Andre to see if he'll talk. and here we learn that he is a werewolf, he can change to wolf, and he has an affinity with animals, and he 'meets' with the local wolf pack to gain their help in monitoring the property. He accepts this part of himself mostly, and doesn't hesitate to draw on it when it needs it. He works hard to keep his image of Esperanze in his mind, but dreams of Tally. Towards the end of summer, he finally locates the map (Andre hid it in a layer of his mother's wedding dress). But then Tally invites him to join her in Mexico to buy more cattle, and to keep her safe and to see Esperanza, he goes. he finds that experaza is considered a saint, healer, and angel by those in the town he left her in... and then they find her at the ranch where they have business, having healed the daughter of the ranch owner. Esperanza is gentle and accepting of him, but he realizes that she has no room in his life for him - she has a bigger mission... and Tally, watching out for him - talks with Esperanza (who tells her to tell him the whole truth)... and when he returns, and she realizes she, who never expected to want a man - loves and is attracted to him, and she goes to his room - to comfort him, to make love for the first time with a man (not just sex)... on they way home, he reveals himself to be a wolf to chase off Indians, and after a short bit of rationalization, she accepts it... and he gets absolution for his past from Esperanza, and now he;s not sure what his life will be... He goes to Tally's room once home, and she accepts him into her bed and into her life - and he finds that there is as much pleasure in just holding her as there is to making love with her... ahhhh... but he doesn't tell her of the treasure and she doesn't tell him of the prostitution... finally, once all truths are revealed, and after harsh, defensive words are spoken... and he is tempted to leave humaness behind and be wolf, he finds he cannot forget Tally, and goes home to her - to marry her asap.
Tally, Chantal - innocently went with the man her brother told her would marry her and give her a good life with money to send home to mom - and knowing no way out, becomes a high class prostitue - Champagne something... until a man wants something from her she cannot do - and in saying no to one, realizes she can say no - so she and Miriam make a new life for themselves. Her disguise as a man to the world in general is as much to protect her future and give her freedom as to protect her from the past.. and in her love for sim and some acceptance of the past she finally finds the strenghth to give it up... Though aware of her brother's duplicity in selling her, she knows her brother's faults, and tries very hard to think the best of him... As her attraction to Sim grows, and she must (as Miriam tells her) forgive herself the past, to fully realize that it isn't who she is... and she respects Sim's boundaries and feelings for Esperanza, and takes his actions over words.
and in the end, there is not treasure except a story to remind all that love is the most important... and Tally gives Sim his freedom, and welcomes him back when he comes... ahhhh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I honestly was not looking forward to this one since Sim annoyed me earlier. However, I got the audio version to try instead.
The story follows Tally who is a young widow with a dark past. She has been hurt by so many men including her own selfish brother, so her trust in men is...well...not there. Things happen and Sim comes into her life to help her find her missing brother and run the ranch. He's had a rough life so he is a rough man.
I started this off still hating Sim. It took me a while to warm up to him. He has had a rough life, sure, but he's still an ass. He is SOOOO rude and he is such a jerk. Eventually, I did warm up to him but he was an idiot for sure. I wanted to kick him! I'm glad he got better near the end when he realized he needed to change.
Telly was sweet. I felt bad for her. She had been so misused and so abused. I'm glad she didn't let that break her. She was able to stand up on her own and be her own mistress. I liked her a lot.
The side characters were adorable. I loved the little side romance. So cute. They both deserved happiness too.
Now the story was interesting. SO many secrets, SO many betrayals. Everyone has their secrets and I honestly didn't know who to really trust including our "hero". It kept my interest for sure. I was so unsure on how everything was going to be resolved. I was especially worried about our lovebirds. Yes, it is an HR so of course, they get a HEA...but...it seemed so impossible.
The narrator did an amazing job. She had me hooked and I loved all her voices. You could tell who was talking. Each character (even side characters) had their own voices. I wouldn't mind listening to more. I honestly think she made me really hooked to the story.
All-in-all, I did enjoy this much more than I thought I would. I didn't like Sim until near the end, but maybe that is the point? He has a lot of rough edges and he had to really work at redemption. Now...what to give this? Mmmm....I think I'll stamp it with 5 stars even though it took me a long time to like and think Sim deserved Telly. It oddly made this better.
Susan Krinard spins a great story! Her characters were very solid and well-developed. A strong woman, who occasionally, disguised as a young man, takes on running a ranch. She takes in some other people who are struggling to survive in the hardcore Southwestern countryside too. Add in a very complicated wolf shifter posing as a tracker/ranch hand, and it's a great plot! When she writes about traveling through the blazing Arizona heat on horseback, green hills laden with wild flowers, mountains surrounded by rocky spires and fragrant pines with the wind blowing, you feel like you're right there. Oh, and a lost treasure!! I recommend this story and author!!!
3.5. It was long and full of vocab words I hadn’t heard to describe the southwest since middle school. Did not realize this was part of a series, probably will not find the rest of it. Nothing really wrong with the story, but this authors style just wasn’t for me.
Set in the 1880s. good read. I read a couple of the first books in the series but the library didn't have some so I skipped ahead to this one. Stands alone nicely. Hopefully they will have later ones in the series.
Engaging histrom paranormal. Some of the reveals seemed more than a bit arbitrary, considering how much went into the first, and I’d have liked more about how he came into his powers, but overall I liked it.
Read this series after I had my first baby. Got me through some seriously long nights and early mornings. Super entertaining and totally enjoyed the series:)
I have some trouble getting through this book, it dragged at points. But was a good read overall. I am not a true fan of historical romance so that takes a little bit out of it for me but all in all.....worth reading