Camwolf

Camwolf

by J.L. Merrow

To save his lover, he must become his own worst nightmare.  
Dr. Nick Sewell. Non-conformist. Werewolf. The first puts him at odds with his colleagues’ idea of how an All Saints College lecturer should behave. The second, bestowed upon him by an ex-boyfriend, puts him at odds with himself. There’s his tendency to change into a wolf on the full moon. And his visceral attraction to Julian Lauder, a troubled young German student. Despite his determination not to act on his desire, Nick’s brutal response to seeing Julian with another man frightens them both. At first. Then Nick learns that Julian is not only a naturally submissive werewolf, but one who has learned better how to deal with just being a werewolf. That explains the attraction, but it doesn’t make it any easier when the tables are turned, and Julian—once the student—is now teaching Nick…who still isn’t happy about conforming to the “werewolf way”. Meanwhile, reports of a strange wolf stalking the town barely register on Nick’s radar—until Julian disappears. Accusing eyes—both wolf and human—are turned toward Nick. Even with the help of friends, hope is growing as cold as the kidnapper’s trail. Unless Nick gives free rein to the wolf’s inhuman power…  
 Contains hot outdoor sex, alliterative insults, allusions to abuse, and really awful sherry.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy, Gay

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2011

About the author

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through was a 2013 EPIC Award finalist, and her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards.

JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow

Reviews

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, JL Merrow completely surprised me with Camwolf. This is one dark and edgy tale with unique and unexpected plot twists that kept me guessing! While just as beautifully written as her other novels, it’s nothing like the sweet and charming romances I associate with Merrow’s work. (Please pay attention to the trigger warnings if descriptions of blood and gore aren’t your thing.) Fans of dark, paranormal romance? You’ve got to give this one a try!

Whoot, teacher-student romance, yes please. The story opens with Cambridge professor Dr. Nick Sewell drooling over one of his first year students, nineteen year old Julian Lauder. Musing about how Julian is completely out of his league, and feeling every bit the bumbling ridiculous older man, Nick is 100 percent adorable.

Julian is an Omega wolf. Although he recognizes his strong need to submit to Nick’s dominant Alpha straight away, Julian draws out the chase, making poor, clueless Nick really work for it. These fun and flirty scenes give no hints about the serious damage lurking in both their pasts, and this easy time doesn’t last long. Nothing falls into place for these guys, and the miscommunication between the two men is pretty spectacular, but they’re hot as hell together so it works.

Nick’s character starts to break down as his animal instincts become more pronounced. Though he’s enjoying some aspects of being a wolf, the baser behaviors have him completely freaking out. (Though the crazy-hot sex with Julian goes a long way in easing his distress.) This has Nick questioning his new reality: is a werewolf really a good choice to mold the young minds at one of Britain's finest universities? Mmm, probably not.

The most interesting part of Camwolf is the way JL Merrow explores the phenomenon of lycanthropy. Sweet and playful, Nick and Julian enjoy chasing bunnies in the field one minute and revel in the kill the next. Nick describes the luscious experience of drinking the bunnies’ blood as being, ‘“Hot and thick, spiced with adrenaline and fear.”’ Eeew, well that’s some insight into the mind of a werewolf for ya.

While this is a truly creepy tale, glimpses of humor still make their way into this one. I don’t think Merrow can write a story without a few laughs here and there. She’s so good at highlighting the funniest nuances of British culture, in this case poking fun at the eccentric, stiff, and stodgy academics. It’s always a pleasure to read her work.

One unique aspect of Camwolf is how the story is told from three perspectives. In addition to those of the main characters, we get Julian’s best friend Tiffany’s view of things. Being Nick’s student and Julian’s peer, her observations give an insight we wouldn’t normally get. Between the age gap, the difference in their socioeconomic status, and the teacher-student dynamic, Tiffany’s observations help to emphasize the issues Nick and Julian face.

I’m so glad Camwolf was re-released so I could get the chance to read this dark and lovely tale I might otherwise have missed. JL Merrow is also promising to dust off the accompanying short titled Lonewolf, which has been out of print as well. Fingers crossed it comes out soon because I can’t get enough of her spin on dark paranormal erotica and I hope this isn’t the last we see of it, it’s such a blast to read.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on the shapeshifter sub-genre, and a much darker tale than what I'm used to from this author.

Dr. Nick Sewell is a professor at Cambridge university. He's also a werewolf, bitten and turned by an ex-boyfriend, and still struggling a bit with the wolfy parts of him.

Julian, a new student from Germany, causes an immediate reaction in Nick, even more so when Nick realizes the younger man is also a wolf. Nick is all alpha-wolf, which works well since Julian is more submissive in nature.

Nick is still angry with the ex-boyfriend - he didn't ask to be bitten and turned, and the ex disappeared on him, more or less, so Nick has had to figure out pretty much on his own how to deal with the pull of the moon and the change. And now he's all growly and jealous and finds that he has this urge to be near the new student as much as possible, even though that creeps him out and he knows he sticks out like a sore thumb.

Julian's backstory comes out slowly, and there were moments when what I found out made me so. fucking. mad!

The author did a fine job with her characters - both are complex and flawed, polar opposites at first glance, but in many instances more alike deep down than they realize. The book is told from Nick's POV, switching with Julian's friend Tiffany's POV, which I found unusual and somewhat unfitting, since I really didn't have much interest in Tiffany, but the more I thought about her narrative, the more I realized that she actually brought some depth to Julian's character that may not have been as clear if we'd only heard from Nick.

The thing that bothered me the most was how the situation with Julian's father's Beta turned out - and how his father seemed unapologetic for what he put his child through. Julian's mother seemed very weak, but we only saw her through Nick's eyes, and those were a bit biased. What didn't help was that there was a distinct lack of world-building - the werewolf lore used wasn't really explained, for one, and while Nick learns a bit more about changing into a wolf, he didn't really delve any deeper than what Julian told him.

And it raised additional questions - like, is Crack fully human? And will he get his own book?

It's a rather dark novel, much darker than I expected, but I enjoyed reading it. I am German by birth, and most of the German used in this book was accurate. A few things were, while spelled properly, not exactly how a German would express themselves (at least not one from where I grew up).


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

[Honey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very complex book and not in a good way. This story would have been great if it had stayed focused on the romance because both main characters had a lot of issues to work through which were never really dealt with. I did like however that it was a lot darker than most werewolf stories, the wolves are very in touch with their inner animals, whether they want to or not.

The first part of the book is about Nick fighting his attraction to Julian, the reader hearing about how much of a slut Julian is, being in Nick’s head as he thinks, thinks and does a little more thinking, then suddenly Nick and Julian are together.

Then out of the blue, Julian goes missing for a quarter of the book. It had already taken them so long to get together that I wasn’t interested in reading about them apart again at all, so I did a lot of skimming at this point.

The main characters were inconsistent. Julian is a naturally submissive wolf, yet at the beginning of the story he was too mouthy, smirky, and disrespectful to make me believe it. Sometimes he was great at explaining himself and the werewolf world to Nick, yet when he really needed to open up, he was tight-lipped and frustrating.

Nick is a prim and proper university lecturer, or at least he used to be before he was turned into a werewolf by his ex-boyfriend. Now he fights being a shifter and doesn’t know how to deal with his attraction to a student. He snarls and growls a lot and then hides his face in his hands after because he’s so ashamed. He also does a lot of going off on a tangent about how he has the potential to become abusive.

A lot goes on in this book, but not in a way that makes sense or left me feeling satisfied. So many questions were left unanswered: what was Julian searching for by having all his “back-alley blowjob regulars”? If Julian was such an experienced wolf why didn’t he known Nick was a werewolf too? What does the concept of "mate" in this book actually mean? Are they fated, chosen? Why did Julian’s father give him away to an insane man to be physically and sexually abused when he was only 14? Why did Nick and Julian love each other? With so much going on they didn’t have enough time together to fall in love in the first place. It almost seemed like it was convenience on Julian's part, so used to abuse he was willing to settle. There wasn't really ever a reason for him suddenly wanting to belong to Nick either, it just happened once he found out Nick was a wolf too. On Nick's part it was defintely lust but I never actually understood what made Julian special apart from being beautiful.

With all the issues that were created, I was expecting character growth, but there wasn’t any. Julian and Nick were basically two depressed people for the whole story. I’m not sure I even liked them by the end of the book, I certainly didn’t understand them. None of their issues were dealt with, nothing was explained. They’d have these insurmountable problems, they’d have sex and everything was alright again. When the opportunity arose to explain what was going on and to answer all the questions, the story just became more confusing, complicated and convoluted. And then it ended.

[A.B. Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't normally post my ratings on GR unless they are 4 stars and over. Mainly because, as an author, I try not to do anything that will adversly affect another writer's career. Not that anyone pays attention to my reviews!!! Also, I understand that readers are all different. So what doesn't appeal to me may appeal to someone else.
However, I do post lower ratings if there is an aspect of the book that I don't mind opening for discussion. Perhaps readers who check my reviews can explain or find a reason for what I see as detracting from a book.
Now, before I proceed, I'd like to take one step back. I am a fan of J.L. Merrow's books. I loved "Pricks and Pragmatism" possibly even more than "Muscling Through" so my problem is not with the writing quality or the Britishness of her stories.
Others have expressed dissatisfaction with the shifter aspects of the story. I'm not a fan of paranormal at the best of times, seeing it just as an excuse for insta-love and lots of "Mine.Mine.Mine" plus an excess of over-the-top strengths and abilities. The Uber alpha.
No. My biggest beef with "Camwolf" was having Tiffany's POV. On one surface I can see that the author was trying to introduce a side of Julian not exposed to Nick and create a feeling of a threat to the relationship, but in doing so, the author has prevented Nick from ever discovering those self same aspects for himself.
A reviewer recently stated: "I like books that are angst ridden where the author allows the reader to be aware of things the other MC is not privy too and also builds that information bit by bit. I find it helps elicit strong reader-emotion."
That seems to be the concept here, but to me, that destroys the chance to get totally connected to the POV character. It's the omnipotent God like view where all the characters are pawns on the board and not the "deep third" POV that personally I prefer.
And if we had to get into a second person's head. Why not Julian's?
OK call me a POV Nazi and maybe I am, but unless someone can convince me of a good reason why this is done, I'll stay that way.
There have been very few stories where jumping into a minor character's head works. One was "Hourglass" by Jane Davitt which started and ended in a minor character's head. But in this case, that brief distancing and feeling you were looking in on other people's lives matched the whole plot of a book about actor's lives.
The other danger is that if the minor character is too lovable, then the reader is distracted from the romance which is all about the main characters.
Secondary characters have to be very delicately drawn. Getting the balance right and using them correctly is an art.
This was one of those books, where I would have liked to take the whole plot, setting, action etc and rewrite it into just Nick and Julian's POVs.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I've been sitting on this one for years (have my own copy but used KU for the notes/highlights) because for some odd reason I kept putting it off...mainly because I thought *facepalm* it had some connection to internet porn. Camwolf. Like the kid was doing cam work.

So, when I reread the precis (and a couple of reviews) I realized my mistake. Cam. As in the River. And Bridge. D'uh.

Anyway, loved the setting, the plot and the characters. I do wish we'd gotten Julian's POV as we only see his actions and words through the lens of others. Weirdly, I actually kinda liked that we got the 2nd POV from a (major) side character. Tiff was funny and real. I'm glad she also took a chance on Crack.

[Kassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The more I read Merrow’s work the more I quite like her voice. Her latest, Camwolf, is an entertaining and enjoyable werewolf romance. The story takes a chance with a prominent female narrator but for the most part this works very well. The typical werewolf fight for dominance and animalistic behavior is handled well, contrasted beautifully against a mild mannered college of intelligent but reserved occupants. Some of this shift feels jarring and never quite hits an easy pace but the writing and deft characterization help overcome any qualms. I think most readers will find the story engaging and enjoyable to read.

The story revolves around two werewolves, Nick and Julian. The narrator alternates third person perspective between Nick and Tiffany, Julian’s best friend. Julian is a first year student at the college where Nick is a fellow. Nick has a crush on Julian but doesn’t think the younger man would give him a chance. When they discover their shared secret, Nick and Julian waste no time getting together. However Julian’s painful past comes rearing back with a vengeance forcing Nick to confront his animal instincts.

The plot is well written and moves at a good pace. The basic themes are familiar as are the various elements, but the style of writing and voice elevate the story making it feel fresh and interesting. The prose can be wordy sometimes, loquacious, and keeps the story from a quick pace. It moves well from scene to scene but the writing has a British flair to the style, fitting well with the setting. It’s definitely engaging and keeps your attention from start to finish but it’s not a book where you race to the end. Instead you almost want to savor it. The college setting and various characters are well crafted with great subtly. The near uptight manner of the college is offset with quiet humor, sly glances, and witty dialogue.

This is especially evident with Tiffany, Julian’s best friend and prominent narrator in the story. She’s sympathetic, interesting, and likable as a friend that’s invested in Julian without being overbearing. She’s a good contrast to the violence and emotional whirlwind that Nick presents. Nick is an interesting character but I couldn’t quite feel comfortable with him. He initially comes across as mild manner and quiet, just a nice guy. Yet this contrasts with the near violent possessiveness he feels towards Julian and the very real animalistic urges Nick experiences through his wolf side. Nick is often domineering and quite frankly, sometimes a real ass. He remains interesting and likable through it all, just the back and forth kept me on edge and couldn’t quite settle into his character.

Likewise Julian is a complete enigma. He’s only seen through the eyes of those that love him – Tiffany and Nick – and the reader never gets more insight into his personality and thought process. His choices and desires are suspect, especially given his abusive past, but the reader has to trust that what Nick thinks is true actually is true. This is frustrating sometimes since Julian is intriguing and seems to have a lot of hidden depth. The lack of his perspective and POV is a startling and rather obvious omission. The story overcomes this anyway but the character definitely suffers from that choice. Julian is a lovely young man but he’s more of a plot piece everyone revolves around than a fully realized character you can connect to.

Fans of werewolf books should definitely enjoy this and I think the story will appeal to even non paranormal readers. The werewolf themes are used very well without overwhelming the story. The main couple is romantic while the sex scenes contain some very nice variety and stay fun and interesting. This is an easy book to read in one sitting and probably one I’d read again. Camwolf stands above most of the werewolf stories in the genre and is easy to recommend.

[Bookwatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars

What I liked in this book
* It's a long complex story, full of charming secondary characters
* Nick is a GREAT character, but it worries me A LOT about this tendency to be an abuser (what happened to his ex... it worried me a lot)
* I LOOOOOOOOOVE J.L. Merrow's writing and humor.

I struggle to end it, and decided it's a 2.5 stars because:
* It's too long. No, I never had problems reading long book... a book can be long, or it can look like the end should happen sooner. The second is the case of this book. More than one time I wished the book would end. There is almost none romance, just after 80% you will see it. It was a big problem, to a paranormal-romance. Too much college description, too much inner dialogs, with Nick thinking and thinking and no action.
* Why the hell there is so little about werewolves? It's a werewolf book, with almost nothing about it. It could be a contemporary romance IMO, and I would not miss the little of the paranormal aspect of the story. BTW, from this same writer there is a book (contemporary romance) called Muscling Through. It's not a book I loved, it's one of my favorite book of all times! So yes, I can say I think the paranormal aspect of Camwolf seems almost "forced" in the plot.
* I love this writer humor, but I HATED the trans* joke in this book. It's such a delicate argument, like September 11. Would you make a joke about it? It bring pain to a lot of people no? Maybe the analogy is wrong but a trans* surgery is a matter that could bring pain to a lot people that did the surgery/ think in do it. I get it was an innocent joke, from Tiffany thinking about Julian having to show her something (and getting naked in front of her)... but it was not something I approve. Even if he was trans*, and his sexual organ was the result of a surgery, what the hell this should be the reason to her "freak out" and be "relieved" it wasn't what he had to show her?
* I'm not a violent person (lol, true, even if when I'm angry my reviews can be "violent") but dammit... the result of the big question, if Julian would have to go back to his pack in Germany or stay with Nick was... anticlimactic and boring. I must admit it disappointed me a lot... I don't want to read Nick saying "mine" or stuff like that, but actions, werewolf actions! Any character can say "mine" in a romantic story, that's why I wanted more than it from Nick. And I'm not saying Boris be killed by Nick wasn't enough. I'm saying I wish he would do an behave more like a wolf, even if he was strongly against the wolf violent behave. It could be a wolf against wolf fight, Nick against Julian's father, that was what I was hoping for!

As you may notice, there is more negative than positive observations about this story, so this is why, I decided go give 2,5 stars. I like it, but didn't love it... or maybe I loved TOO MUCH Muscling Through and hope all books would be as good as that one...

2,5 stars

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was provided for free by the publisher and Love Bytes in exchange for an honest review.

This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.

J.L. Merrow is such a quintessentially English romance writer that I am immediately swept away by the atmosphere of her books. I don’t know much about Cambridge or English university life, but I immediately settled right into the high-class academic setting. However, the actual romance mixed with the werewolf element just ends of clashing with the excellent setting, making this an all-around average read that never found its footing.

We get a nice, slow introduction to Dr. Nick Sewell’s life as a respected Cambridge fellow, including seeing his home and meeting his friends. I enjoyed this pleasant glimpse into sort of a stuffy, straightforward character—and his hopeless crush on a very attractive and much younger student made me smile in sympathy. But once the werewolf element was introduced, I got a little whiplash. The two distinct tones just never worked well together, making me wish this wasn’t even a paranormal story.

I was surprised by how little chemistry Nick and Julian actually had together. Julian is so prickly and distant that dating him seems like it would be more like dating a pinecone than a submissive werewolf. And Nick just comes off as clueless and self-centered, always letting his dominant side take over even when it is obvious Julian needs a little TLC. The two men never seemed to be on the same wavelength, and even animal instinct couldn’t make up for the fact that they didn’t even seem to like each other.

This book also loses steam when Julian is kidnapped and taken away from Nick at about the halfway mark. I don’t think we got enough buildup towards their romance for the kidnapping to have a very big impact on us. We hardly got to see them get together, and then they’re immediately torn apart. Instead of making me more invested, it just made me lose interest in the story.

Though this book is well-written and the setting is fantastic, I never felt a ton of chemistry between the main characters. I wasn’t even that fond of either man by themselves—Julia is far too waifish, and Nick is far too pompous. J.L. Merrow is an awesome author, but this isn’t one of her greatest hits in my book.

[Book Utopia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Nick Sewell teaches history at Cambridge University, drifting along in his slightly uptight, anxious way, when a new student arrives and completely entrances him. Julian is blond, beautiful, and far too young for him to be even thinking about, but Nick can’t get him out of his head. Thankfully, he’s not in Nick’s department, though overlapping interests constantly push them into each other’s paths. Nick refuses to act on his attraction, however. He doesn’t date at all, in fact. He hasn’t since being turned into a werewolf three years earlier by a different boyfriend. Too afraid of hurting anyone and ignorant of werewolf ways, he does his best to keep his life focused on work and his few friends, at least until he stumbles across Julian giving a blowjob to a man in an alley. Julian seeks him out then, and Nick discovers he’s not alone.

The first thing a reader will notice is how immersive the environment is. The author is British, and that comes through in her voice, in the details she provides and in the way she provides them. There is never any doubt this takes place in Cambridge. It couldn’t be anyplace else, unlike other romance stories or authors where characters and places can be picked up and plunked down in different cities or even different eras without skipping a beat. Not so here. That remains this work’s single greatest strength.

Technically, too, the writing is strong. It’s clean and efficient, and never set off my internal editor. Descriptions are clear and vivid, while dialogue flows mostly naturally.

But all that aside, I can’t say that I enjoyed the story. In fact, I kept putting it down, and then not really looking forward to picking it back up. It became a very tedious read from very early on, primarily due to the fact that I just didn’t like any of the primary, and most of the secondary, characters.

The entire story is told in two POVs – Nick’s and Tiff’s, Julian’s best friend. I’d imagine it was done specifically to maintain the mystery around Julian’s past and his whereabouts when he goes missing halfway through the story, as well as providing more insight into Julian when Nick isn’t around. But I didn’t like either of them. Nick is whiny and so passive-aggressive for a good part of the story, I just wanted to slap him and tell him to snap out of it. He hates being a wolf, hates the potential of what he might become, hates the fact that he’s attracted to one of his students, and doesn’t do much about any of it until his hand is forced. Tiff, on the other hand, is more lively and upbeat, but she felt so extraneous to the story for the first half, I found myself resenting her every time it cut to one of her scenes. Which it did. A lot. And often for only very short segments. That’s not to say they weren’t well-rounded. They certainly felt like real people to me, which is a credit to the author. But they were people I didn’t particularly want to know any better or hang around with any amount of time.

Both Nick and Tiff are so in love with Julian that he’s idealized for much of the first half of the story, even in spite of Nick’s discovery of his penchant for casual hook-ups. It’s not until he starts spending some real time with Nick that I felt like I started to get a real understanding of who he was. His abused background explains a lot about his behaviors, but at the same time, it colored my perceptions of why he was hooking up with Nick. Nick was clearly an alpha wolf to his omega. It always felt like he was choosing the one most likely to protect him, not the one he actually loved or wanted to be with.

To be honest, the only character that made me smile, and whose scenes I read through with excitement, were Crack’s, the skinny pseudo-Goth guy Tiff enlists the aid of when she’s trying to find Julian. There were unplumbed depths there, hints at the man behind the attitude, that I found infinitely more compelling than anybody else in the story. But his parts are secondary to everything else, and too short to compensate for my disinterest in the others.

The latter part of the book deals with sexual violence and their reactions to what happened to Julian, so readers who are sensitive to that sort of material might want to steer clear. For those who can connect to the characters, or who are invested in what happens to them, there’s heavyduty drama to be had. For me, it was just more of Nick’s woe-is-me attitude that I was already weary of, and Julian’s slinking off to the shadows. I was ready for the book to be done long before I reached this point. Fans of the author are likely to enjoy it anyway.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wolf story with good writing and a bit of originality

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- Merrow creates a nicely rounded picture of academic life at Cambridge without relying on too many physical descriptions of the city or the colleges. The depiction of Cambridge in this book is atmospheric, not just visual.
- There are a few interesting details about Julian’s werewolf life that are unusual and creative.
- Merrow’s writing typically has a serious tone, sometimes bordering on somber. This makes the little bursts of humor stand out. One of my favorite humorous passages is this: “Well, this was all just so terribly British, wasn’t it? All of them dancing politely around the elephant in the room, leaving Nick totally confused as to whether it was in fact an aardvark.”

CONS:
- I realize that as long as the point of view from which a story is told is consistent within scenes, that it’s never technically wrong. That doesn’t stop me from thinking that it’s strange, though, to read a book in which half the scenes are told from the perspective of one of the romantic leads, and the other half are told from the perspective of the other guy’s…friend.
- Partly because we never see inside of Julian’s head, I had a hard time being convinced to like him. He’s a little twit at the start of the story, often intentionally, and other than his physical beauty, I didn’t see much about him that was attractive.

Overall comments: I think those who particularly enjoy werewolf stories (like I do) will find some fun, original details here, and those who don’t will enjoy Merrow’s writing. She explores her wolf character’s psyche more deeply than many authors do, and I liked seeing Nick’s doubts and hesitation, as well as his fear about what it means about him when he allows his wolf side to run free and he turns into a wild animal.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am consistently drawn to paranormal, particularly shifter, stories as the lore can often be manipulated in fascinating ways by the author during the worldbuild. In ‘Camwolf’ the author has created a place where shifters are not known to humans, werewolves are not born – they are only made, and it’s very possible to be turned and then know nothing about being a werewolf. Which is exactly the situation Nick found himself facing three years ago when he was bitten by a boyfriend and then said boyfriend disappeared, leaving Nick confused about a number of things. Not just confused, but basically in the dark and feeling his way through this new life he suddenly found himself in.

It’s not until Nick meets Julian and discovers he’s a werewolf too, that Nick learns he can shift more often than just at the full moon, there are other werewolves and some live in packs, and that he’s an alpha while Julian is a submissive. The first time Nick and Julian shift and run together, Nick is so worried that he’ll attack Julian because that’s what happened between Nick and his ex-boyfriend. Julian has to explain that only two alphas would naturally fight over territory and dominance. Since Julian is submissive, Nick is thrilled to discover they can be together in wolf form and it brings such a feeling of peace to him. Unfortunately, there are a few other things Nick discovers about himself and his wolf, within Julian’s presence. Things that Nick struggles with as a human being.

Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews

[Liade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. And on some level I loved it. I loved the description of Cambridge (which I know very well) and all those great little snide comments on the students/staff. Nadia, Tiff and Crack were fabulously real 3D characters, described extremely well (probably more interesting than the main characters), resulting in frequent giggles.

The German characters however, as is far too often the case in English language fiction, seem to have sprung straight from NS fanfiction. For example the "Untermenschen" dig, or the name/character Peter "Herrscher", for God's sake, quite how glaringly obvious can you get? The actual German used was mostly ok, only a couple of spelling mistakes. Actually I think some more (correct) German would have helped to establish the German-ness of some of the characters, better than that Teutonic/Nordic jibe.

Nick and Julian: I wanted to knock their stupid heads together more than once: TALK, if you please, men do this occasionally, even if werewolves don't.

3.5 stars alltogether, mostly for for the fabulous description of location/atmosphere/secondary characters; both main characters need to grow up (together?); and the German ones badly need to acquire a third dimension... dear oh dear.

[Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars.
A werewolf m/m romance with some unusual twists.

"What the hell was so bloody fair about a fair fight anyhow? It didn't make you any more right if you won. It just meant you were bigger and could hit harder. Or, as if might be, had sharper teeth."

Nick is a professor and a werewolf - turned by an ex-boyfriend, without a pack and very few ideas what being a werewolf entails. He has a serious crush on one of the students, Julian, a beautiful young man, he admires from afar. The story unfolds as they get closer and Nick learns that Julian is also a werewolf - with a different history though.

This novel is a charming mix of English student/university life and werewolf m/m action. The characters were interesting and especially Julian and Nick had depth. The side characters were funny and pleasing. The "enemies" were also not stereotypical and so the conclusion was very satisfying.

I also liked very much, that the German in this novel was 100% correct - I hate it when authors use a foreign language to give their work a certain flair or atmosphere and then don't research it enough to have it correct.

A very enjoyable read.

[Cole Riann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A smartly written werewolf paranormal about two very different characters with different lives, but without the knowledge of how to move in a werewolf relationship in common. I liked that the POV was from a good man triumphing over his baser urges with no knowledge of what it is to be a werewolf. The setting of Cambridge was like a main character, even to someone who has never visited. The choice to limit the knowledge of Julian's past was an interesting one and I thought, smart one. Deductive reasoning isn't difficult in this case, and serves to make Julian's sometimes strange behavior more stark against a regular 19 year old.

I've learned by now that I prefer JL Merrow's contemporaries, but her paranormals always surprise me, and certainly have until now served to give me a completely unique experience to count on.

Recommended to readers under the stipulation that they're not getting a typical paranormal m/m romance.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I'm not sure I can adequately express why I couldn't seem to put this one down. I'll try. It had it's fair share of flaws, but I thoroughly enjoyed Merrow's college world, her take on werewolves, and the slow unfolding of the plot. The Brit-isms kept me on my toes! I liked Nick very much, but found a few of his actions inconsistent with his established personality. I even liked Julian but wished for a slightly more assertive man. I understand he's an omega, but I still wished. I didn't want to see him as a needy "heroine", and it never went that far but I kept waiting for it to happen. Took a little zing out of the story. All in all, a pretty darned good shifter romance even if I wished for a longer story. I love JL Merrow's writing...ever so good.

[KristyAnne Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book’s concept, and the storyline was definitely attention-grabbing. An older professor pining over a handsome student, yes, please. Add in some paranormal shifters, and I want to happy dance. The characters are very different from anything I’ve read. The alpha in this genre are usually dominating and possessive but not in the same way as this alpha. It was very refreshing. The author did not stick to the general alpha stereotype. She gave him flaws and they were well written. I wanted to punch him and hug him at the same time. Each character adds a different dynamic to the story, and it works.

Dr. Nick Sewell is a professor at Cambridge but also a recently turned alpha werewolf. He’s content with being alone after the brutal way things ended with his ex. That is, of course, until a certain breathtaking young man catches his eye. Now I get to play devil’s advocate and say that although Nick’s character is quite unique, there were a couple of things that bothered me. He claims not to be obsessed with Julian, but he clearly is. Before they even properly meet, Nick is practically stalking the guy. Then he does a complete one-eighty and wants to take things slow because Julian is too young. The conflict is a little I want him until I have him and then let’s slow down and be adults. It didn’t gel.

Julian fits the omega stereotype until he doesn’t. He is very unique in that he’s strong enough to escape an abusive ex and the pack he was born into. I wish it explained a little more about why he participates in sexual situations that he’s clearly not comfortable with. Is it a compulsion caused by his omega nature? Is he doing it to spite Nick? Julian has so many facets to his personality that I really enjoyed getting to know him.

This is not my first JL Merrow book, and it will most certainly not be my last. I love the heart and soul put into the characters. They are all so uncommon that I don’t feel like I’m just reading the same old books on repeat. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the plot and the different facets of the characters. Just don’t expect this to be anything you’ve read before.

https://optimumm.blog/
Optimumm 4 Stars

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

I’ve only read handful of werewolf stories and Camwolf offered me something a little different from the previous ones. Nick is a university professor, Julian one of the University’s students. Not only are Nick and Julian werewolves, they also have a romance with a large age gap and, to some extent a student/teacher romance, so there are plenty of issues for our couple.

I enjoyed the romance between Nick and Julian although at times their inability to communicate was a little frustrating. I wasn’t as emotionally involved with this couple as I would have liked. I’m not sure if this was because of the age gap or just because I needed to spend more time seeing the story from Julian’s point of view.

I did like the English setting of the story. I love the way the English are so polite and proper but I did think there was far too much time dedicated to what various people were drinking. I also liked seeing Nick, who is a new werewolf, dealing with his animal side and trying to integrate this with his human life.

Overall Camwolf is an enjoyable story. 3 stars from me.

[Jayhjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published on my blog Joyfully Jay.

Cambridge professor Nick Sewell has found himself obsessed with student Julian Lauder. Something about the young man just calls to Nick, but he doesn't dare hope Julian will have any interest in him. Yet when he comes across Julian having a back alley encounter with another man, Nick's instincts kick in and he can't help but intervene, scaring off the suitor and tipping off Julian to what Nick really is... a werewolf.

Nick is shocked when Julian tells him he knows his secret. And even more so when Julian tells Nick that he is a werewolf himself, part of his father's pack in Germany. Turned by a former boyfriend and abandoned, Nick had no idea that there were even other wolves in England, let alone that the object of his affection was a wolf himself. Nick realizes that Julian is his mate, causing his possessive instincts toward Julian and his strong desire for the man. Yet Nick is still fighting the wolf inside himself, afraid that he cannot control his inhuman side.

Although Julian is able to help Nick learn more about being a wolf, all is not easy for the couple. While not specifically prohibited, a professor dating a student is not easy on campus. And both Nick and Julian have personal issues that impact their relationship. Nick is still not totally in control of his wolf side. He had a bad experience with jealously and possessiveness with a former boyfriend, and worries that he can not control his instincts where his young lover is concerned.

Julian's problems are even more profound. He grew up in a violent pack with his father "giving" him to an older man for training and who turned out to be horribly abusive. Although Julian's mother ultimately got him to safety, Julian has physical and mental scars from the experience. He only knows how to be submissive to an alpha and doesn't quite know how to stand up for himself in a relationship.

Things are even more complicated by danger lurking in town. When Julian disappears, Nick becomes a suspect. Aided by Julian's friend Tiffany, Nick is determined to find Julian, but that may mean opening himself up to his baser wolf instincts he has been trying to keep hidden.

I found this such and interesting and unusual werewolf story. I loved the way the book explores the two different ways the men react to their wolf sides and how much that affects their relationship. Nick is afraid of his inner wolf. He has been isolated from the rest of the community and has never really learned much about himself or what it means to be a wolf. His fear keeps leading him to make missteps in his relationship, as he inadvertently pushes Julian away in an attempt to protect the man from Nick himself. It is only when he accepts who and what he is and that part of his nature that he is able to not only save Julian, but really begin to build a relationship with him.

On the other hand Julian's background has lead him in the opposite direction. He has become totally submissive, both out of a natural deference to Nick as his alpha, but even more because of his background of abuse. He is promiscuous and doesn't form real relationships with any of the men he meets before Nick. He has trouble speaking up for himself, and is so deferential to Nick that they have trouble having a real partnership. It is not until he really takes a stand for what he wants and needs that Julian is able to really find himself and move forward.

I also really loved the side characters in the story. Julian's best friend Tiffany is a great addition to the book. She is so much more than they typical gal pal we so often find. Tiffany faces many of her own issues. Aside from being in love with her gay best friend, she struggles with a lot of insecurity of her own about her looks, her background, and fitting in at school. I loved that she is tough and strong, facing the truth about Julian with barely a flinch, and then being instrumental in helping to find him when he disappears. I thought it was quite an interesting twist that the book includes Tiffany's point of view in many passages, which I found really unusual for a secondary character, but I thought worked quite well. I also really enjoyed Nick's confidant, fellow teacher Nadia. Again, she adds a lot to the story, and acts as a great sounding board for Nick as he works through his issues with Julian (as well as giving him a kick in the ass when needed).

I think my only issue with the story is that I wanted more of Nick and Julian together. In the early parts of the book the men are having trouble really settling in together due to all their assorted issues. So we know they are mates and that Nick is strongly attracted to Julian, but they are still sort of dancing around each other and the connection didn't quite feel there between them yet for me. So it isn't until after Julian is found and they are able to work past their initial problems that they really seemed to fit together for me. So I wish there had been time for a bit more relationship development between them.

Overall I really enjoyed Camwolf and felt it has a lot of depth that I really appreciated. If you are looking for more than the usual werewolf story, I would definitely recommend it.

[Tj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one but prefer the tongue in cheek humor in the Plumber’s Mate series.

[Josephine Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I certainly can’t claim to be able to give an objective review of JL Merrow’s first novel, as she’s a good friend and I helped to beta read it. However, I still wanted to share my thoughts about Camwolf and hopefully help readers to decide whether it’s the right story for them.

When Jamie first sent me the manuscript of Camwolf, I was a little perturbed. I’m not particularly interested in werewolves and never intended to read a novel about them, but she asked so nicely I didn’t feel I could refuse. I’m so glad I didn’t. Camwolf is a dark and tense read at times, but it’s shot through with Jamie’s characteristic humour and her incredible talent with words.

The narrative viewpoints are an unusual choice, with Nick and Julian’s best friend, Tiff, taking turns. This means we never get to find out exactly what’s going on in Julian’s head, and he remains intriguingly enigmatic. Nick’s sections of narrative are much darker as he’s an angst-ridden man, finding it hard to accept his werewolf nature and terrified that he will hurt Julian when he shifts. He’s not always easy to like and it took me a while to warm to him, but in the end I was rooting for him after seeing his better nature revealed through his love for Julian. I appreciated the fact that he was a refreshing change from the stereotypical bumbling academic, exhibiting a dominant, moody and, at times, aggressive personality.

Tiff, on the other hand, is instantly likable. A working class girl thrown into a world of privilege, she often feels vulnerable but she’s courageous and loyal, with a consistently amusing way of looking at the world. It may seem like an odd choice to give a female character so much of the point of view in an m/m romance, but I think it works. Tiff gives us a perspective on Nick and Julian that just wouldn’t come through any other way, and increases our sympathy for them. I was glad to see her get her very own romantic subplot, although rest assured, the het content of this novel is very low and doesn’t ever get explicit.

Speaking of things explicit: the sex scenes in Camwolf may not be all that frequent or lengthy, but what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in wild, animal excitement. Scorchingly hot, they make the most of the Alpha/omega dynamic without me ever feeling that Julian was being taken advantage of.

Camwolf features a cast of engaging and vividly drawn supporting characters who all have their parts to play, and I hope we’ll see some of them again when Jamie ventures back into the Camwolf universe. I was particularly fond of Nadia, Nick’s friend and fellow academic, a feisty Hungarian. Couple all these fantastic characters with the beautiful setting, tense mystery, hot sex, wry humour, and flawed, complex heroes, and you have all the ingredients of a thoroughly compelling first novel. Even if you’re not a werewolf fan, I urge you to give Camwolf a chance as you might just change your mind.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys werewolves, suspense, quirky humour and difficult heroes.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy stories about werewolves and this was an interesting twist in that one was a recent convert and one had been born that way so understood how the whole system work. University Professor Nick feels awkward about his attraction to a young student, but eventually they manage to hook-up after some skirting around the issue, and Nick is stunned when Julian says he’s a werewolf too. He actually offers Nick some helpful hints, but it’s obvious Julian is deferring to Nick as the more alpha wolf and Nick’s not quite sure how to deal with that and ends up pushing Julian away “for his own good” and through ignorance of the whole pack system.

When Julian disappears, it doesn’t take long until they figure out that his abusive ex has him and Nick is forced to work with Julian’s abusive father to find him. Julian’s best friend Tiffany also helps find information to track down Julian.

Okay, a few times I wanted to smack Nick. Tiffany is told they are wolves and while slightly freaked out, if she REALLY wanted to help, she should have given Nick a copy of some m/m werewolf books so he could figure it all out. Sheesh, I’m more aware of pack dynamics than he was. I could sort of forgive Julian’s behaviour and blame it on being young, raised in a wolf-environment and not understanding why Nick didn’t get it combined with his submissive nature. Also the whole “push you away for your own good” makes me crazy.

On the other hand, the women in this book were great. Nick’s coworker and her lesbian partner were great and not afraid to metaphorically smack Nick upside the head. And Tiffany was a gem. Parts of the story are told from Tiff’s POV and while unusual, was a perfect feature. She was the common sense brains of the group. Yes, she was kind of afraid of Nick at times, but she wasn’t above telling him he was being an ass with regard to Julian. I sincerely hope she and Crack find a HEA, I would actually read a book about her. She was so real, a straight girl crushing on her gay best friend, but knowing it wasn’t going to happen and being the friend he needed, and like I said, good head on her shoulders.

There was quite a lot going on during the search for Julian, the cop who suspects werewolves, Julian’s parents and the weird relationship they had going on, but despite Nick frustrating me at time, I did enjoy the story and I think Tiffany was the one who made it truly enjoyable. Okay, I’ve gone on and on about her, when she’s not the main love interest here, but she was just great. Read it for Tiff. :-)

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grad student teachers are never supposed to have a crush on their students, even if the cute boy isn’t technically *his* student. That’s the dilemma haunting Nick. Not only is he a werewolf, which cuts down on potential boyfriends to begin with, but he’s got a terrible crush on freshman Julian. Knowing that Julian is too young and likely not interested Nick tries to put his feelings behind him. But when Julian reveals he’s also a werewolf but with a dangerous past, Nick is torn between wanting to protect the young man and walk away. The choice may be the hardest Nick has ever had to make.

Camwolf is an intense and interesting werewolf tale that definitely stands out from the pack. The story is somewhat familiar – two werewolves get together but are haunted by abuse from an earlier pack. The difference is of course the writing and the characters. Both men feel real and genuine as they struggle with their past and present. Julian is quirky, flawed, interesting, and definitely an easy scene stealer while Nick’s more gradual change is subtle but as important. Together they make a compelling couple with good chemistry and a lot of romance. The sex scenes especially are well handled and hot enough to make you squirm.

The story moves along quickly with good characters all around. The solid supporting players definitely add a lot to the story, so much in fact one of the secondary characters, Julian’s best friend, shares narrating duty with Nick. Julian never actually has a narrative voice, though he definitely has a lot to say in the story. Instead he’s seen through others’ eyes, which makes for a different kind of story. I think it mostly works and works well here but may not be to all readers’ tastes.

For those shapeshifter fans this is a must read. It’s intense, engaging, and never lets your attention waiver. Even those romance fans that are not always big on werewolves will appreciate the great writing, smooth style and interesting story. It’s an easy one to recommend.

originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

[Julesmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My very favorite thing about this book was the atmosphere. It's set at Cambridge, and the descriptions of the college they're at and the town and surrounding lands are fantastically vivid and gothic and great.

I also really enjoyed that the story was told both from Nick's POV and from Tiffany's. I know that some other reviewers didn't like this, either for the perspective shifts, or for the vastly different views that the two had. I actually liked the perspective shifts (I could only handle being in Nick's head for so long...) and I liked that Nick and Tiffany each helped us understand more about Julian than we could have if only one of them was the narrator.

Now, what I didn't like so much: I didn't like that I spent most of the book not liking any of the characters. Nick at the beginning is just so filled with self-loathing and fear that it was depressing being in his head. And Tiffany being in love with her gay best friend and hoping he'd change his mind and love her back made me feel so embarrassed for her that it was uncomfortable being in her head. And Julian just seemed so self-involved and clueless about everything that I wasn't sure I WANTED to know more about him.

I'm glad I stuck through the first 2/3 or so of the book, because the last bit is when I finally started liking the characters and actually hoping that they would find a way to get over themselves and be happy.

So, overall, a unique take on werewolves set in a beautifully vivid gothic atmosphere, with characters that I learned to love as they learned to love themselves and each other. Idk if I'd read it again, but I'd definitely recommend it just for the setting alone.

[Hal Evergreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

After reading J.L. Merrow's Muscling Through and Pricks and Pragmatism, both of which are a bit outside-the-box, I picked up Camwolf in hopes that it would have the same fresh, unexpected feel. Instead, it turned out to be a very standard m/m werewolf book in which instinct and a mating bond replace actual relationship development between the main characters. I never felt a real, emotional connection between Nick and Julian, and I was frustrated by how much of the book they spend apart. Julian in particular feels underdeveloped.

For a short novel, Camwolf has a distractingly large supporting cast. Most of these characters could have been cut without weakening the story, but I did love Julian's best friend, Tiff. In fact, she was my favorite character in the novel. I found myself taking much more interest in her than in the main characters, and I had to wonder if the author did, too. Maybe Merrow should take a break from m/m and write Tiff's story. That's a book I'd like to read.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started slow. I almost put it down, but like this author so kept reading. Glad I did.

I was an unusual take on the werewolf saga. Nick was a college professor (as we would call him in the States). He was smart but he knew nothing about being a werewolf. The person who had turned him had not taught him. They had only fought. Nick did not trust himself in relationships with others. He thought he would hurt a lover. He had before. He did not understand the force of his attraction to Julian. He knew nothing about finding his mate.

Julian had been abused by his father's Beta with his father's permission. His mother had taken him to England to get away from the Pack, his father and his abusive lover. Julian was just 19 years old. He was an Omega. He knew what his attraction to Nick was.

We then went through of a mess of bad or no communication. This became irritating. I did like the descriptions of the characters. It was mostly through Nick that the story is told. The second half of the book was better than the first, but the story of the ex-lover seemed less developed.

Overall an interesting story.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darker than I expected from JL Merrow.
Nick was a hard character to like at first and it was hard to connect to Julian as we never got his POV. Having the second POV being a supporting character seemed strange at first but having the POV of someone not guided by their wolf was essential and Tiff was an instantly engaging character. In fact the cast of supporting characters were far easier to like than the leads. (Even the grumpy policeman, and yes, I do want to know his story) I didn't really like either of the leads until they stopped letting their wolves guide their actions.
All in all it was an interesting read and different to your standard shifter story.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes J.L. Merrow gets me. Other times, like say, when she wrote this book, she does not.

I wanted to like it. The story is somewhat unique and I always love the older guy/younger guy thing, but seriously, would it have killed Nick to stop being such a fucking wanker? He just...wanked. All over the place. Constantly. And how was everyone so sodding stupid? It was like everyone was inept at even the most basic things.

Obviously not one I'd read again. And I certainly can't recommend it to anyone who gets frustrated with almost willfully obtuse characters.

[Tiya Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't fall in love with the story or get invested in the characters - except Tiff and Nadia - but Merrow is a strong storyteller, so I kind of had to give a fuck. There was a bit much going on with the werewolves and the age gap and how I still couldn't figure one character out even after the book's finished, but the ride was nice and Merrow has gift for humor, so there was always a big grin moment.

[Marsha Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story and I really enjoyed the English college setting. Also, it was nice to have a fun and engaging female supporting character in Tiffany. She was fun and entertaining and there was none of that "evil female character" stuff you see in some M/M writing. Great story!!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a Cambridge fellow who becomes fascinated by one of the students - a student with secrets and a past darker and more painful than his own.