Wild Wolf

The Pack #9

by Karen Whiddon

Turning her back on humans because of her ability to shape-shift into a wolf, young and beautiful Raven doesn't believe she needs anyone. Until the day a darkly handsome man appears near her remote cave ... and she watches him turn into a wolf.
Simon Caldwell has been sent to assess the threat of a new feral wolf prowling the Rockies. But he's wholly unprepared for his intense attraction to Raven. His investigation is about to take a deadly turn as he and Raven become the hunted. Now their very survival depends on Simon's ability to win what this wild wolf holds most dear!

The Pack books (list from Karen Whiddon's website):
#1 One Eye Open; #2 One Eye Closed; #3 Soul of the Wolf -- Beyond the Dark Anthology; #4 Secrets of the Wolf; #5 Cry of the Wolf; #6 Touch of the Wolf; #7 Mate of the Wolf (can be found in 'Midnight Cravings'); #8 Dance of the Wolf; #9 Wild Wolf

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Romance, Paranormal, Harlequin, Fantasy Romance

175 pages, ebook

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Karen Whiddon spun fanciful tales for her younger brothers as early as the age of eleven. Growing up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, then the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she found enough magic in the rugged peaks to keep her imagination fueled for years.

Now making her home in North Texas, she shares her life with her hero-like husband and three doting dogs. She writes paranormal tales for Harlequin Nocturne including the popular Pack series and romantic suspense stories for Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

She's also written Fae novels for Lovespell and a long time ago, she wrote five Precious Gem Romances for Kensington publishing. These she now owns again and has put them up for sale on Amazon.com among other places

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that 90% of this book was great. There was lots of andventure, danger, and romance. The ending however fell short of my expectations from the whole story. Overall considering it was an ok read that I don't regret spending my time on.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start but really disappointing ending - far too rushed.

[Fuchsia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had rather low expectations when I thrifted this book, thinking it would just be one of those pocketbooks that are full of heavily indulgent romance with plot that's either bare-bones at least, and light at best.
Consider those expectations subverted.

The book starts off with a note from the author, detailing the story's themes of healing from past wounds that still linger to this day, not unlike trauma. And the story does a good job portraying it with its main protagonists—one more-so than the other—and does not shy away from how it affects her.
Of course, I'm talking about Raven, who at the start of the plot lives in seclusion away from human society, with only the company of wild wolves (title drop!). This stems from her greater distrust of humans, as it's revealed early on that she was mistreated and abused, treated no better than an animal due to her shapeshifting abilities, and was overall no more than an experiment. (The book even outright states that she had been raped by the professor who had kept her caged and experimented on, the aftermath of which is emphasized with her discomfort when Simon even does so much as smile her way, even without any malice on his part.)
On the other end, we have Simon. While his background isn't as fleshed-out as Raven's, his personal arc has him coming to terms with his past actions of indiscriminately slaughtering "Feral" shifters, earning him the title of the "Terminator" among his peers in the workforce. As he takes on the assignment of dealing with the "Feral" Raven, he slowly begins to question his loyalty to the greater shifter Council that had trained and essentially raised him his entire life, as well as his stance towards the "Feral" shifters he used to have no problems eliminating—were they all truly as dangerous as he'd been led to believe, or was it only because he'd never really given them a chance to reform?

As Simon gradually sees the "Ferals" in a new light, Raven does so as well towards the society and civilization she's spent the past few years running away from. The two develop feelings for each other, but I like that their relationship is somewhat of a slow burn, and they don't just immediately jump into sex. In fact, Simon has been nothing but patient towards Raven—due to knowing about her past—and elects to hide any instance of arousal towards her (despite it apparently being a natural effect of shifting) knowing any hint of potential sexual interest makes her uncomfortable. Even on moments where the two are naked and/or physically close to each other, he never initiates or brings up sex despite his attraction to her, and when they do get physical the first thing he prioritizes is protection (i.e. condoms), not wanting her to deal with unwanted pregnancy.
Which is why I was disappointed with how Raven chooses to move forward from her traumatic past. Her finally choosing to have sex with Simon is seen as her way of taking her power back...but she does so while Simon is asleep, touching him and kissing him constantly, and when he does wake up in shock and proceeds to resist her and continuously pleads for her to stop, she continues touching him, insisting how "right" it is, and then forces him inside her.
She essentially sexually assaulted him.
Just because Raven is a victim of rape doesn't mean it was right for her to keep forcing herself into sex with Simon, much less initiate it while he was unconscious and thus did not consent. And it's not even like she was ignorant of the implications from having been isolated by the professor or living among the wilderness; she has stated multiple times throughout that she knows about things in the modern world, she even knew what her adoptive father and professor had done to her was a horrific thing.
And yet this is somehow justified because...he happens to have feelings for her, too?!
Or is this not that big of a deal because it's a woman doing it to a man? Either way, reading that part made me feel disgusting all over.

That particular scene aside, Simon and Raven's dynamic and blossoming relationship comes off as organic and earned as can be, given what they've gone through in both past and present circumstances. Their respective personal struggles are explored and the pay-off for the most part feels earned, albeit admittedly the main plot that brings these two together is resolved easily with a few conversations and the main antagonist (revealed in a twist) is just as abruptly dealt with afterward. If anything, the journey getting to the end was more impactful than the eventual resolution.
As such, certain characters who are more connected to said main plot aren't given proper development and are resolved in a rush. Cee, another shifter who, like Raven, was taken in by the professor—and was later revealed to be a clone of Raven, explaining their stark similarities upon introduction—is introduced during the last few chapters of the book, and doesn't harbor the same resentment towards the professor due to having been "raised" by him her entire life to the point she views him akin to a father figure. Cee constantly making excuses and attempts to justify the professor's horrific actions portray her as the kind of victim who ended up normalizing her abusive situation, and her dynamic with Raven could have been an interesting arc on its own with the latter helping the former see past what she had been conditioned to simply accept...but instead after they part ways, the next time Raven is reunited with Cee they've already gotten along and are close like sisters. So...we're just led to believe whatever rift between them is immediately resolved now that the main crisis is averted?
Gee, sure haven't seen that recently....

Other than some notable flaws in the plot—well, really the main plot with how it's handled—and some of the choices in the characters' personal arcs, this is surprisingly good for what one might expect from your typical romance pocketbook.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

After escaping a life of captivity and abuse, wolf shifter Raven has retreated to the Colorado mountains to live among a pack of wild wolves. Her life is difficult, but she is content with it. Raven thought she was the only wolf shifter in existence until she sees an unfamiliar camper in her area change into a wolf.

Simon has been chosen and trained to be a Protector, and it's the only life he knows. His job is to evaluate feral shifters to see if they can be rehabilitated. If not, he's tasked with exterminating them. Dispatched to make contact with a feral in the Colorado mountains, Simon isn't prepared for the stunning beauty he encounters. Spending time with Raven soon has him questioning everything he's been taught about ferals, but questioning his superior puts Simon's career and life on the line as well. Going on the run with Raven, Simon begins to suspect she's his mate, and he'll stop at nothing to protect her.

I'd like to say that, for once, misogyny didn't rear its ugly head in a Nocturne book, but we learn that Raven was sexually assaulted, repeatedly, while in captivity. Sigh. Can any Nocturne author write one damned book where the female lead is tough, competent, and not subjected to sexual assault? Please? At least the male lead wasn't too much of a condescending jackass.

So-so story. Not as gawd-awful as others in the line, but nothing much to redeem it, either. Three stars.

[Gerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

CN: Mentions of sexualised violence.

Well written, with great pacing the book only loses a point for the way the final confrontation fizzles out.

I bought Wild Wolf because I love the cover, and because I got it in a sweet 2 for 1 deal together with Secrets of the Wolf. Not having read any of Harlequin's nocturne novels before, nor anything by the author, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it and ended up pleasantly surprised that it plays out a lot more as Urban Fantasy than as Paranormal Romance.

Wild Wolf also happens to be mostly my kind of sexy, with short, not overly detailed, sensual sex-scenes that never take away focus from the main story.
Although I did feel a bit uncomfortable with the way the female lead intiated the sex with the male lead while he was still asleep. In a ways I guess this fit the characters healing journey from sexual abuse, allowing her full agency over her own sexuality. But can't help but balk some at the lack of full consent here.

[Adrianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books started off really interesting. I loved the premise of the book and how independent and resourceful Raven is; she's a wolf shapeshifter that has lived among real wolves for years. She comes across a "protector" Simon whose job it is to investigate her. The first half to the book follows the main leads trying to escape from the mysterious "Society". This book gives enough background about the "Protectors" that reading the previous books is not necessary. Given how short these Nocturne books are, sometimes they lack world-building, but this did a decent job. The prose was decent, the background of the characters interesting enough, but by the end the action just starts getting rushed and just doesn't feel as interesting as the first half. My other qualm is the fact that the heroine of the novel was a victim of brutal sexual violence. This is mentioned very briefly in the book and not dealt with well, ie, it's mentioned but there's really not much insight into how the character dealt with it and seems to have little impact on the development of the hero/heroine relationship.

[Melindeeloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Whiddon's pack and have been a fan of these short 'shifter reads from way back. I enjoyed Wild Wolf, but there was a great deal going on in this one and really thought that Whiddon had the makings for a full length novel here. Still I liked the pairing of the by-the-book Simon who learns to appreciate shades of gray after living a black and white life and also the wild Raven who ends up asking insightful questions since she's the outsider looking in at Simon's world.

[Stacie]

Raven is a shapeshifter who think she is the only one who can change into a wolf. Then she sees a man change into a wolf and realises that there are others like her. But Simon has been sent to assess the threat that she poses to the general shapeshifter population. His orders are to kill her but he finds that she is not the feral animal everyone thinks.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting premise but nothing really out of the ordinary

[Kate]

Mills & Boon does Werewolves! Gotta give this a try!!