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The Eagle and the Wolf
It is May, 1940. France has fallen to Hitler. All of Europe holds its breath.
When the Germans occupied Paris, she never dreamed she might come to love one of them. But she never expected to survive a werewolf attack, either.
THE EAGLE
Klaus von Erstenheim is an aristocratic colonel in the Luftwaffe. Now war has brought him back to Paris, a city he visited - and loved - years before. Yet now everything is changed...including him. Can he survive his conflicted loyalties in a city where the Gestapo watches other Germans as closely as they do the French?
AND THE WOLF
Cecile Geroux is a principal dancer in the Paris Opera. She loves Paris and would do anything to see the German occupiers gone - including the seduction of a German officer to gain intel for the Resistance. But can she spy on someone she grows to love, while still preserving her dark secret?
WAR. PASSION. ART.
Brought together by war and art and destiny, Klaus and Cecile must find ways to accommodate one another in the midst of an occupied Paris - without allowing their respective secrets to destroy one another...
THE EAGLE AND THE WOLF is a Historical Fiction novel with Urban Fantasy elements perfect for introducing newcomers to this fascinating time and place in history, while still adding a zest of interest for those who already know and love Paris of the 1940s.
When the Germans occupied Paris, she never dreamed she might come to love one of them. But she never expected to survive a werewolf attack, either.
THE EAGLE
Klaus von Erstenheim is an aristocratic colonel in the Luftwaffe. Now war has brought him back to Paris, a city he visited - and loved - years before. Yet now everything is changed...including him. Can he survive his conflicted loyalties in a city where the Gestapo watches other Germans as closely as they do the French?
AND THE WOLF
Cecile Geroux is a principal dancer in the Paris Opera. She loves Paris and would do anything to see the German occupiers gone - including the seduction of a German officer to gain intel for the Resistance. But can she spy on someone she grows to love, while still preserving her dark secret?
WAR. PASSION. ART.
Brought together by war and art and destiny, Klaus and Cecile must find ways to accommodate one another in the midst of an occupied Paris - without allowing their respective secrets to destroy one another...
THE EAGLE AND THE WOLF is a Historical Fiction novel with Urban Fantasy elements perfect for introducing newcomers to this fascinating time and place in history, while still adding a zest of interest for those who already know and love Paris of the 1940s.
411 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2015
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About the author
Peter A. Smalley
11 books8 followers"No one is safe around a writer." - Lanford Wilson, American playwright (1937-2011)
Peter A. Smalley was not so much born as he was the object of a suitably ominous origin story. If only Marvel had been more attentive, "I, Writer" might even now be a successful comic and movie franchise starring Colin Farrell. So it goes.
Like so many writers and mad scientists, Peter knew from an early age he was different from the other children. In the third grade he told his teachers he wanted to be a 'cemist' (sic) and although he has since fulfilled that precocious goal, his youthful ambitions in science came too late to fully obscure his first love; he had already written his first work of fiction a year prior, the accurately entitled "A Second Grade Tragedy." Since that tender age these twin abiding passions have illuminated the oft-crooked path leading through both his formal and informal educations.
Peter was raised in Seattle, Washington. In 2011 his picture appeared in the New York Times for something that had nothing directly to do with writing, but coincidentally, his first self-published work also came out in 2011: a speculative fantasy novella "The Burning Times" (amzn.to/NnWUkS). This was quickly followed by the full-length fantasy novel "Grimme" (amzn.to/NQ6mMf), which likewise took place in his alternate-history setting: The Europas Cycle. He co-edited and contributed to the acclaimed anthologie "20,001: A Steampunk Odyssey" (amzn.to/LouVko). His Shakespearean Steampunk novella "Full Fathom Five" (amzn.to/SqSvgX) appears in the anthologie and as a critically-acclaimed stand-alone ebook. "Disbelief," his first Paranormal Romance thriller, came out in Summer 2012. He is also the founder of Kindling Press, an independent epublishing imprint, along with co-founder Jason Vanhee.
Peter can be found on Twitter, FaceBook, Google Plus, and occasionally hither but more often yon.
Peter A. Smalley was not so much born as he was the object of a suitably ominous origin story. If only Marvel had been more attentive, "I, Writer" might even now be a successful comic and movie franchise starring Colin Farrell. So it goes.
Like so many writers and mad scientists, Peter knew from an early age he was different from the other children. In the third grade he told his teachers he wanted to be a 'cemist' (sic) and although he has since fulfilled that precocious goal, his youthful ambitions in science came too late to fully obscure his first love; he had already written his first work of fiction a year prior, the accurately entitled "A Second Grade Tragedy." Since that tender age these twin abiding passions have illuminated the oft-crooked path leading through both his formal and informal educations.
Peter was raised in Seattle, Washington. In 2011 his picture appeared in the New York Times for something that had nothing directly to do with writing, but coincidentally, his first self-published work also came out in 2011: a speculative fantasy novella "The Burning Times" (amzn.to/NnWUkS). This was quickly followed by the full-length fantasy novel "Grimme" (amzn.to/NQ6mMf), which likewise took place in his alternate-history setting: The Europas Cycle. He co-edited and contributed to the acclaimed anthologie "20,001: A Steampunk Odyssey" (amzn.to/LouVko). His Shakespearean Steampunk novella "Full Fathom Five" (amzn.to/SqSvgX) appears in the anthologie and as a critically-acclaimed stand-alone ebook. "Disbelief," his first Paranormal Romance thriller, came out in Summer 2012. He is also the founder of Kindling Press, an independent epublishing imprint, along with co-founder Jason Vanhee.
Peter can be found on Twitter, FaceBook, Google Plus, and occasionally hither but more often yon.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 18, 2016
I have a confession to make. I read this book because I saw Peter Smalley’s name on it. The other books of his that I’ve read have been enjoyable, so I grabbed this without even reading the blurb. I saw a Swastika on it, and the Eiffel Tower, so I figured it was set in Paris in WWII, but beyond that I knew nothing.
It’s a story about Cecile, a French werewolf ballerina spy who falls for Klaus, a German officer who’s stationed in Paris after his plane is shot down and he can no longer fly. She’s not happy about being a werewolf, or a spy, or falling in love with the German officer, but it all happens to her anyway.
The pacing of the story is much slower than the stories I normally read. I think I was about 20-25% of the way through the story before the really interesting stuff started to happen. But the slow build worked really well in this story, and felt authentic.
In fact, it almost felt like the book was conforming to my own thoughts and questions as I went through it. An example: at one point I thought, “I’m surprised none of these German officers are being reassigned to other areas, where the war is going badly.” The next time I picked up the book, one of the officers headed out of Paris!
Here’s something else that I loved about the book, and I don’t think you will ever hear me say this about another book – I loved the werewolves. I HATE werewolves most the time, because they’re always the same mindless monsters when the moon comes out, they tear everyone apart, wake up naked the next day, and cry in a forest, their bodies covered in blood. Blah, blah, blah, they’re boring. And when the werewolf aspect was first introduced in this story, I had a flashback to when I was a teenager and went to see the movie An American Werewolf in Paris. I remember exactly nothing about that movie except that I hated it.
But the way werewolves were portrayed in this book was refreshing. While there is that “uncontrolled animal” aspect (especially for the males, it seems), it’s not always there. The wolf can be bargained with and controlled (with extreme effort). It’s almost an aside for the story. The main focus is on the occupation and the relationship between Cecile and Klaus, and the werewolf angle is a bit of flavour.
This story was thoughtfully put together with a real eye for all the important details that make characters and settings feel true. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the authors had gone back and looked through the phases of the moon to get the actual dates of the full moon right, because everything else is so authentic.
Aside from some minor issues that can be overlooked (“and and” or an extra word/missing word here and there), I really only have one thing that bothered me, and that was that the ending wasn’t an ending; it’s just a pause until the next book. When I got to about the 97% mark, I started dreading that was where the book was going to go. It didn’t feel like it was wrapping up at all. For a first-in-series book, I like more closure so I can stop and say, “Do I want to go on with this series?” and not feel pressure either way. Whether that ending is a triumphant victory, or a twist and failure doesn’t matter so much as the fact that it should end, with some extra ideas to make you want to read more. That said, I’m not sure if there was another spot they could have ended it cleanly, so maybe it needed to (not) end this way.
After thinking about the issue for a while, I think I nailed down why the non-ending here bugs me so much. It’s because the book doesn’t say it’s part of a series on the cover.
In this case I enjoyed the story enough that I want to see where it goes next, so I can let the lack of an ending slide. But I could see how it might annoy other readers who aren’t as invested in the tale.
It’s a story about Cecile, a French werewolf ballerina spy who falls for Klaus, a German officer who’s stationed in Paris after his plane is shot down and he can no longer fly. She’s not happy about being a werewolf, or a spy, or falling in love with the German officer, but it all happens to her anyway.
The pacing of the story is much slower than the stories I normally read. I think I was about 20-25% of the way through the story before the really interesting stuff started to happen. But the slow build worked really well in this story, and felt authentic.
In fact, it almost felt like the book was conforming to my own thoughts and questions as I went through it. An example: at one point I thought, “I’m surprised none of these German officers are being reassigned to other areas, where the war is going badly.” The next time I picked up the book, one of the officers headed out of Paris!
Here’s something else that I loved about the book, and I don’t think you will ever hear me say this about another book – I loved the werewolves. I HATE werewolves most the time, because they’re always the same mindless monsters when the moon comes out, they tear everyone apart, wake up naked the next day, and cry in a forest, their bodies covered in blood. Blah, blah, blah, they’re boring. And when the werewolf aspect was first introduced in this story, I had a flashback to when I was a teenager and went to see the movie An American Werewolf in Paris. I remember exactly nothing about that movie except that I hated it.
But the way werewolves were portrayed in this book was refreshing. While there is that “uncontrolled animal” aspect (especially for the males, it seems), it’s not always there. The wolf can be bargained with and controlled (with extreme effort). It’s almost an aside for the story. The main focus is on the occupation and the relationship between Cecile and Klaus, and the werewolf angle is a bit of flavour.
This story was thoughtfully put together with a real eye for all the important details that make characters and settings feel true. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the authors had gone back and looked through the phases of the moon to get the actual dates of the full moon right, because everything else is so authentic.
Aside from some minor issues that can be overlooked (“and and” or an extra word/missing word here and there), I really only have one thing that bothered me, and that was that the ending wasn’t an ending; it’s just a pause until the next book. When I got to about the 97% mark, I started dreading that was where the book was going to go. It didn’t feel like it was wrapping up at all. For a first-in-series book, I like more closure so I can stop and say, “Do I want to go on with this series?” and not feel pressure either way. Whether that ending is a triumphant victory, or a twist and failure doesn’t matter so much as the fact that it should end, with some extra ideas to make you want to read more. That said, I’m not sure if there was another spot they could have ended it cleanly, so maybe it needed to (not) end this way.
After thinking about the issue for a while, I think I nailed down why the non-ending here bugs me so much. It’s because the book doesn’t say it’s part of a series on the cover.
In this case I enjoyed the story enough that I want to see where it goes next, so I can let the lack of an ending slide. But I could see how it might annoy other readers who aren’t as invested in the tale.
February 5, 2016
More than another love story, more than the average wartime tale, more than just a supernatural fantasy; The Eagle And The Wolf is a gem. It follows the relationship between a Nazi officer and a French ballet dancer during the German occupation of Paris in the 1940s, and the struggles that love endures from opposite fences.
The story is rich in character, deep in plot and thick in art, espionage, friendships and betrayals. By adding a touch of superstition to spice things up, Smalley and Mosley have weaved an engrossing tale set during the Second World War that had me involved with the characters and kept me turning the pages in anticipation.
I look forward to the next installment!
The story is rich in character, deep in plot and thick in art, espionage, friendships and betrayals. By adding a touch of superstition to spice things up, Smalley and Mosley have weaved an engrossing tale set during the Second World War that had me involved with the characters and kept me turning the pages in anticipation.
I look forward to the next installment!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews