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Howling at the Moon
Moon-Touched
Thomas Durling escaped his small-town upbringing for over ten years, until a single phone call draws him back. Told his mother has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, Thomas returns to the small northern Michigan town he once called home to find a mute stranger named Andre taking care of her in his stead. On the surface, Andre seems harmless enough, but Thomas has enough problems trying to deal with his mother's illness. He doesn't need a gorgeous young man to distract him, especially in a town that already drove him away once with its homophobia.
But Andre Nezat has nowhere else to go. A wolf without a pack, he's been on the run since witnessing his father's murder, always looking over his shoulder, never looking ahead. Taking care of Thomas's mother has given him a welcome sanctuary, as well as a place he can call home for a couple months. He wants to stay, but more importantly, he wants to help, even if Thomas isn’t ready to accept that they can actually be friends...
Gay / Dark Fantasy / Werewolf / Shapeshifter
But Andre Nezat has nowhere else to go. A wolf without a pack, he's been on the run since witnessing his father's murder, always looking over his shoulder, never looking ahead. Taking care of Thomas's mother has given him a welcome sanctuary, as well as a place he can call home for a couple months. He wants to stay, but more importantly, he wants to help, even if Thomas isn’t ready to accept that they can actually be friends...
Gay / Dark Fantasy / Werewolf / Shapeshifter
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2011
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Vivien Dean
76 books66 followersVivien Dean has had a lifetime love affair with stories. A multi-published author, her books have been EPPIE finalists, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Nominees, and readers favorites. After spending her twenties and early thirties traveling, she has finally settled down and currently resides in northern California with her British husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 18, 2011
The one thing that appeals me the most about this novella is the character of Andre, the werewolf. Why? Because he is a mute character.
I always happily welcome characters that are not perfect, either physically or emotionally. While Thomas thinks Andre is beautiful, Andre also bears scars on his neck, after an attack that killed his father and made him lost his ability to talk. Thomas is not perfect as well. He suffers from being afraid living in a small town as a gay man (that is why he is away for 10 years) -- and the verbal abuse he endured as a child.
I think how the two guys connect -- and how they communicate is beautiful. How Thomas buys a book to learn sign language so he can understand Andre is sweet.
The sex is subtle and I even can say that it is downplayed. Oh, it's there but the focus is how the two finds their own definition of home in each other. Thomas who thinks Andre (and his Mom) are important enough to face his fear and stay. And Andre, who thinks Thomas is someone he is worth fighting his life for.
I just think it's a lovely story, even if no "I love you" is ever exchanged ...
I always happily welcome characters that are not perfect, either physically or emotionally. While Thomas thinks Andre is beautiful, Andre also bears scars on his neck, after an attack that killed his father and made him lost his ability to talk. Thomas is not perfect as well. He suffers from being afraid living in a small town as a gay man (that is why he is away for 10 years) -- and the verbal abuse he endured as a child.
I think how the two guys connect -- and how they communicate is beautiful. How Thomas buys a book to learn sign language so he can understand Andre is sweet.
The sex is subtle and I even can say that it is downplayed. Oh, it's there but the focus is how the two finds their own definition of home in each other. Thomas who thinks Andre (and his Mom) are important enough to face his fear and stay. And Andre, who thinks Thomas is someone he is worth fighting his life for.
I just think it's a lovely story, even if no "I love you" is ever exchanged ...
November 22, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
3 stars
Moon-Touched focuses on a mute shifter running from a dangerous enemy and a human who has more than a few painful memories. The author does a decent job of setting the scene and establishing why Andre is so necessary for Amy, Thomas’ mother, and for her care. It does seem a stretch to think of letting a complete stranger in to care for this woman, but that’s one aspect of the story you just have to roll with. We don’t know much about Andre’s past and I think a bit more fleshing out of his backstory would have worked to give context and depth. He and Thomas are still intriguing characters and, despite the story’s shorter length, I think there’s still enough here to work.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
3 stars
Moon-Touched focuses on a mute shifter running from a dangerous enemy and a human who has more than a few painful memories. The author does a decent job of setting the scene and establishing why Andre is so necessary for Amy, Thomas’ mother, and for her care. It does seem a stretch to think of letting a complete stranger in to care for this woman, but that’s one aspect of the story you just have to roll with. We don’t know much about Andre’s past and I think a bit more fleshing out of his backstory would have worked to give context and depth. He and Thomas are still intriguing characters and, despite the story’s shorter length, I think there’s still enough here to work.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
November 4, 2011
I loved this one. Andre was such a beautiful character. That fact that he was scarred and mute made him even more endearing to me. I also felt for Thomas, who had to come back to a small town that never accepted him for being gay in order to care for his mother who suffered from Alzheimer's. Even though Andre and Thomas had legitimate fears (Andre of his past catching up to him, and Thomas of an unknown future), it was touching to see them slowly reach out and find comfort and reassurance with each other. You couldn't help but root for them to get their HEA. This really was a lovely emotional story about two flawed and damaged men who found love together. I only wish it had been longer because the ending seemed a little rushed. It would be great if there could be a sequel to follow up on any potential fall out from Andre's former pack and how they fare living as an openly gay couple in a small-minded town.
November 15, 2011
3.5 stars
It was interesting reading a shifter story with a disabled character.
Andre and Thomas made an interesting and believable couple. The part where Thomas actually made an effort to learn sign language made me smile and hope that they can work things out and stay together.
ETA
Another thing that makes this book stand out amongst other shifter stories is the way the shifting itself is described. Instead of being fast and magical it resembles the older werewolf stories and is described as a lengthly and painful process.
It was interesting reading a shifter story with a disabled character.
Andre and Thomas made an interesting and believable couple. The part where Thomas actually made an effort to learn sign language made me smile and hope that they can work things out and stay together.
ETA
Another thing that makes this book stand out amongst other shifter stories is the way the shifting itself is described. Instead of being fast and magical it resembles the older werewolf stories and is described as a lengthly and painful process.
February 5, 2014
I really, really liked this one! One, if not my top, favorite from the entire collection from the Amber Pax collection. I really loved the character of Andre and his muteness and the pain of shifting, which is a bit different than most werewolf stories I read. Very well written, I was just absorbed into the story. Well done!
April 27, 2022
It was a good story and I liked it, but nothing else. Although it read fairly smoothly, I didn't find it very interesting. There was too little action in it, especially for a book with werewolves.
I didn't sense any special chemistry between the characters, and it's hard to believe Thomas' practical lack of reaction when he found out who Andre really was. There were also too few details about Andre's past.
But I liked the character of Andre - his personality, the description of his shift, and this is probably the first book I've read where the werewolf is mute. It was also a nice touch that Thomas made the effort to learn sign language.
Overall it was a nice story.
I didn't sense any special chemistry between the characters, and it's hard to believe Thomas' practical lack of reaction when he found out who Andre really was. There were also too few details about Andre's past.
But I liked the character of Andre - his personality, the description of his shift, and this is probably the first book I've read where the werewolf is mute. It was also a nice touch that Thomas made the effort to learn sign language.
Overall it was a nice story.
December 2, 2019
nice shifter story of Thomas who returns home to the close-minded small town he escaped from when told his mother is suffering from Alzheimers. He finds a young mute man Andre caring for her and is drawn to him, even while a bit suspicious. Of course there is more the story of the scars on his throat and why he's on the run that come to a head towards the end. I like a shifter story and I liked the fact that Andre was mute and they had to find ways to communicate. It's not too long so if you are in the mood for a shifter story it's worth picking up.
February 12, 2012
Vivien Dean’s paranormal books are some of my favorite in the genre. In this novel, Thomas Durling is returning home to take care of his mom who has Alzheimer’s. When he gets there, he finds another man in his childhood home: Andre Nezat. Andre has been helping out Thomas’ mother and his presence intrigues Thomas. Andre, on the other hand, is cautious about everything. On the run from his pack, who murdered his father and tried to kill him, the attack made him mute and afraid. But the minute Thomas shows up, Andre is attracted to him and while his heart wants him to stay, his head is telling him run. Which will win out?
When I picked this book to review, I was immediately curious about how a paranormal book with shifters could also have a serious sub-plot and work. In Moon Touched, Ms. Dean is able to pull that off brilliantly. Thomas’ mother’s illness was an integral part of the plot, weaved in between the romance of Andre and Thomas and the suspense of Andre’s past catching up with him. In fact, the realistic way Andre and Thomas deal with Mrs. Durling’s illness was one of the best parts of the book for me.
Unfortunately, the paranormal aspect of the novel just wasn’t my cup of tea this time. While Andre’s injury meant he was a different sort of shifter, the whole pack in-fighting and grudges did not fit into the Alzheimer’s sub-plot and for me distracted from the sweetness of that part of the book. Along with the fact that I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Andre and Thomas, meant the first couple of chapters weren’t as compelling as some of Ms. Dean’s other paranormal books, as they did not draw me in as a reader from the first page.
So while Moon Touched might not haven been my favorite Vivien Dean book, I still enjoyed certain aspects of it. And despite my lower rating for this particular novel, I will continue to have Ms. Dean on my auto-buy list, as I truly enjoy her writing.
Dark Divas Reviews
When I picked this book to review, I was immediately curious about how a paranormal book with shifters could also have a serious sub-plot and work. In Moon Touched, Ms. Dean is able to pull that off brilliantly. Thomas’ mother’s illness was an integral part of the plot, weaved in between the romance of Andre and Thomas and the suspense of Andre’s past catching up with him. In fact, the realistic way Andre and Thomas deal with Mrs. Durling’s illness was one of the best parts of the book for me.
Unfortunately, the paranormal aspect of the novel just wasn’t my cup of tea this time. While Andre’s injury meant he was a different sort of shifter, the whole pack in-fighting and grudges did not fit into the Alzheimer’s sub-plot and for me distracted from the sweetness of that part of the book. Along with the fact that I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Andre and Thomas, meant the first couple of chapters weren’t as compelling as some of Ms. Dean’s other paranormal books, as they did not draw me in as a reader from the first page.
So while Moon Touched might not haven been my favorite Vivien Dean book, I still enjoyed certain aspects of it. And despite my lower rating for this particular novel, I will continue to have Ms. Dean on my auto-buy list, as I truly enjoy her writing.
Dark Divas Reviews
November 18, 2014
Better than most books. I especially applaud the communication because it was amazingly clear, more so when we take into account one of the main characters was mute and there's that initial fear he'll automatically be obtuse or difficult to deal with. Then again, maybe that is why it's so good. People do tend to complicate things when words are involved. That being said, I also really liked Andre right off the bat. He was thoughtful of everyone around him and a real treat to get to know. Thomas was a little more difficult but rewarding as well. And they did get along very nicely. I still think it was too rushed but, because the author really took her time trying to make everything fit and show us how good they were together and apart, it wasn't as noticeable as in previous books. So...it was good. I enjoyed my time reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2012
Ms Dean is clearly trying to avoid tropes, and she does, that part I was happy with. But the story never picks up and I just did not connect to the characters. There were also a few elements, like the ailing mother sideline that could have been far better explored and instead she was only a means for the son to come back and feel kinda guilty. I have a feeling that this was a case of "wouldn't it be cool if..." without the proper follow through.
November 21, 2011
3.5 stars
moratorium
May 25, 2012Pausing on Chapter 10 because I'm just not getting into it. I love that it has a mute hero and a character with Alzheimer's, but it's just not engaging me right now.
November 19, 2013
3.5 stars.
January 18, 2013
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews