Derik's Bane

Wyndham Werewolf #4

by MaryJanice Davidson

Derik's a werewolf with alpha issues--and a body to die for.Sara is the personification of unspeakable evil--and smells like roses.

Now if they could just stop drooling over each other long enough to save the world.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Werewolves, Humor, Urban Fantasy

292 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 4, 2005

About the author

MaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD

MaryJanice's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/maryjanicedav...

http://us.macmillan.com/author/maryja...

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story in this book is adorable! A werewolf and King Arthur’s reincarnated sister are on a quest to save the world...hilariously.
Then we go to the second novella. Hmm. Not as good. To me, anyway. We have a vampire who meets a werewolf girl. She gets called in by her pack master and therefore must stand up the vampire. And how does he handle it? He knocks her out, ties her to his bed and has sex with her against her wishes. Do we call it rape? Umm, yeah. He keeps her incarcerated until the full moon. During this time they fall in love. Umm, Stockholm syndrome, anyone? So, when she changes to a wolf he finally believes her. She escapes and then finds her way back to mend his broken heart and settle down to wedded bliss? Wait, that’s not a question, that’s how the story ended.
So, the first story is excellent and I’ve told you the plot of the second, so you can put it down after the first story and move on if the story bothers you. But if you like a little ‘Fifty Shades’ in your stories, keep reading. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Lavande · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you've seen my last review, you'll wonder why I read another one. I have no answer. There is only...shame.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've not previously read a Wyndhma Werewolf Tale, so I came into DERIK'S BANE with no preconceptions. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the typical MaryJanice Davidson wit, although I did find the ending (which happened in about two pages) a wee bit far-fetched.

Derik Gardner, hottie and member of the Wyndham Pack, has recently been feeling a little out of sorts. When he loses control one morning and gets into it with alpha Michael Wyndham (his leader and best friend since childhood), he realizes that something has to change.

And change they do. Derik has been informed that the reincarnation of Morgan La Fay, great sorceress and sister to King Arthur, not to mention historically believed to be a betrayer of a nation, has now taken the body of spunky, cute nurse with a doctorate Sara Gunn. His mission? "Take care of" Ms. Gunn, and prevent her from destroying the world.

Sara is a little perturbed by Derik's arrival on her doorstep, but no more so than she was by the guys in red monk's robes who tried to kill her at the hospital where she works later that day. It seems strange things are always happening to her, but her "luck", as she calls it, in turn causes weird things to happen to the bad guys.

As Derik attempts to take care of Sara by killing her, he realizes that he, superior body be damned, can't hurt her. So if you can't beat 'em, you join 'em, right? Sara and Derik set off cross-country to Salem, Massachusetts, where the sect of King Arthur resides, determined to save the world from destruction.

DERIK'S BANE is a fun, enjoyable read. In typical MJD style it's got passion, hilarious dialogue, a yummy hero, and a spunky heroine. What it lacks is a try believable ending (Sara KICKS the baddie to destroy it), but overall this is a fun way to spend an afternoon.

[The Flooze · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm used to MJD's stories being light on plot. They're usually more focused on romance and laughs than on finer details and I've been okay with that.

But this was ridiculous.

Derik's Bane started off relatively well. Derik is sent on a save-the-world mission thanks to Antonia's visions. He hunts his target, only to find a hot redhead he instantly lovelusts. Naturally.

What follows is not terribly amusing or all that sexy, so the plot problems become painfully obvious. Even though an enemy is established, they only appear twice and offer very little in the way of challenge. The whole story boils down to a cadre of misunderstandings that aren't even of the forehead-smack variety; nothing is developed enough for us to appreciate how things got confused. At times it seems as if whole scenes or sections of dialogue are in outline form, offering us the bare minimum of information.

My not-so-fond memories of this will center on Derik manipulating his way into Sara's pants and werewolves hating the smell of Off. My only pleasure is in conquering another book in the Own It Must Read It pile. Next victim!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Maryjanice Davidson is an amazing writer. I love how all her stories have a seriousness with comedy. I never read a book by MJD that I never liked. This is the 3rd book in the Wyndham Werewolf series and it follows the story of Derik and Sara. It is also the longest of the series. Most of her books are not that long, and that's the only thing I wish different. I really took to this series, the werewolves and their love lives always have interesting, fast plots and steamy scenes. I liked Derik's personality and alpha dominance. Derik and Michael are my favorite of the series. Michael is the Alpha of the pack but Derik finds himself in a dilemma when he finds himself not wanting to bare his neck for his alpha anymore. He loves Michael but he needs to fix his life and that can't happen around his pack. While this is happening there is a bigger problem at hand, Sara is doomed to destroy the world and Derik is sent out to take care of her.
I highly recommend this series to fans of MJD and fans of the werewolf genre. I look forward to more!

[Jessica✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I gave it two stars. Some of the stuff didn't make sense. The story was lackluster, the "romance" was to sudden no build up and the whole story just came off one tone. The ending didn't even a really big ahhhh moment....I will be finishing Monster Love by this author and I won't be reading another of her stories.

*I have decided not to read Monster Love as reading the reviews have really disheartened me* Rape is a horrendous ordeal. To have an author (female no less) have a victim fall in love with someone who continually rapes them is something I cannot get myself to read. You have the ability, as an author to create beauty, hope, faith, but instead you create something horrific, I find it mind boggling.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Both of the main characters, Sara and Derik, were lovable and funny. Derik is a werewolf and Sara is the reincarnation of Morgan Le Fey. He thinks he is supposed to kill her in order to save the world, but ends up falling in love with her instead. She has no idea who she is and ends up falling for him, too. They end up going on a journey to stop the "bad guys", save the world, and prove she is not evil. It may be just the teeniest bit far fetched... Ok. It wasn't the most thought out or detailed storyline, but who cares? I had fun reading it.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author is just not to my tastes, I guess. Too rude, lewd, crude, and with very weak plots. I don't care for the constant (and creative) cursing, and the 'romance' is anything but. I'll be passing on anything else by this author.

ETA: Oh, and a word of warning to those that hate such; the story at the end of this one "Monster Love" is a trite sample of the "kidnapped and raped repeatedly, she can't help but fall in love with him..." school of 'romance'. I'd avoid it, personally.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several kinds of fun!

First, I found this fun spinoff from the Queen Betsy/ undead & … series that was already a fun, silly series to begin with.
The anthology Dead & Loving It was the first time I encountered the Wyndham Werewolves so I decided to search for more. Unfortunately some of these novellas are out of print. So this book is actually a long novella combined with Monster Love which is a good “meeting of two worlds” kind of story. 😃

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally so bad bro. The annoying and rude and lying love interest and the casual misogyny had me screaming. Wtf was the ending 😐 it would be a waste of time if I didn’t like to yell about how much I hate it

[Book-addicted · Rating 2 out of 5]

In diesem Buch geht es um die Wyndhamer Werwölfe. Die Wahrsagerin des Rudels prophezeit die Auferstehung der mächtigen Morgan Le Fay (Schwester des Königs Artus), die die Welt zerstören will. Nur Werwolf Derik ist in der Lage dies zu verhindern, also macht er sich auf die Reise nach Kalifornien mit der Absicht, die Magierin zu töten. Die hübsche Krankenschwester mit Doktortitel, Sarah Gunn soll die Reinkarnation der bösen Magierin sein, hat davon jedoch keine Ahnung und es beginnt ein ständiges Katz und Maus Spiel zwischen den beiden.
Derik fühlt sich von Anfang an stark von Sarah angezogen und die halbherzigen Versuche sie zu töten misslingen alle. Irgendwann beschließen die beiden, dem Schicksal auf den Kopf zu spucken und die Sache anders anzugehen. Nun muss nurnoch eine Lösung gefunden werden - wie umgeht man sein eigenes Schicksal und rettet damit die Welt vor dem Untergang?

Nachdem ich von der Betsy Taylor Reihe der Autorin sehr begeistert war, muss ich sagen das mich dieses Buch eher enttäuscht hat. Die Story lässt eher zu wünschen übrig, sie hätte viel besser ausgebaut werden können, die Spannung fehlt fast ganz, sogar beim finalen Showdown ist alles viel zu schnell und unglaubwürdig aufgebaut. Außerdem findet man sich ständig in der horizontalen wieder, alles was Sarah und Derek tun, läuft auf Sex hinaus. Die Charaktere an sich sind eher flach gehalten, es fehlt ihnen die Persönlichkeit, alles wirkt doch sehr gekünstelt. Man hat nicht den Eindruck als ob wirklich Gefühle im Spiel wären, die die Protagonisten zu ihren Handlungen treibt. Den übliche Davidson Humor sucht man in diesem Buch vergeblich, alles was man findet sind ein paar flache, gezwunge Witze. Schade! Alles in allem kann ich diesem Buch nur 2 Sterne geben - dabei klang die Story so interessant. Die Bonus Geschichte am Ende des Buches ist übrigens der reinste Porno - und die "erotischen Szenen" der guten Mary Janice Davidson hatten auch schonmal mehr Würze. Ich hätte mehr erwartet.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I have read and really enjoyed the first couple of books from Ms Davidson's 'Undead' series, so I was looking forward to reading this werewolf tale. Although it is a fairly fun, quick read, it didn't engage me as much as the 'Undead' books.

The story is an interesting one: a werewolf sent to kill a powerful sorceress who is about to end the world. Derik, the werewolf, is tall, blonde and very good-looking, and Sara, a doctor who doesn't actually know she is a powerful sorceress, is a red head with a feisty personality to match.

At only 200 pages 'Derik's Bane' doesn't go into any real depth. Neither do any of the characters or their relationships between each other. In fact, everything is quite shallow and rather unrealistic. I found it difficult to like the characters and with not much inner dialogue or reflection, it was difficult to get a feeling of who they were. Most of what you learn about Derik and Sara is via dialogue, but as the dialogue is a continuous barrage of snarky retorts, I didn't learn anything about them other than they love to bicker!

There are a few other characters which try to flesh out the novel, however none of the characters have particularly distinct voices due to the fact that they all have the same kind of witticisms as each other, which became quite tedious. I just wanted some 'normal' dialogue!

VERDICT:

Although 'Derik's Bane' falls short on many counts, it's still a fairly humourous read, if you can get past the incessant repartee.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortunately, even though Derik is an alpha werewolf, he’s not in the way of behaving way too alpha for me to enjoy reading about him. Derik is given a mission by the Pack’s seeress to go take care of an “evil sorceress” before she ends the world. But, she totally isn’t evil. So, that’s nice. But, they’ve still got to save the world. And that’s cool.
There’s a lot more plot to this latest installment of the Wyndham Werewolves than the last, which makes me pretty happy. I’m not a fan when a story, even a romance one, is just an excuse to write a bunch of steamy sexy parts. I really liked both Derik and Sara and they both grew as people throughout. The snarky dialogue that Davidson excels at was evident here as well. A very entertaining and satisfying read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're reading or had read MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series and want more Antonia and the Wyndham Werewolf Pack, pick up this fun-filled quick read. Derik is Antonia's best friend in the Pack and leaves on a quest to "save the world" after Antonia has one of her visions of the future. He's to find the most powerful sorceress EVER, Morgan Le Fay (from King Arthur) reincarnated at Dr. Sara Gunn and "take care of her" which he interprets as a hit order like from the Godfather or something.

Derik's Bane has a plot (yay!) and just the right amount of snarky, sarcastic humor mixed with romance and yeah, great sex. I only wish Davidson would write a Wyndham Werewolf series.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous book where a werewolf goes to kill the reincarnation of Morgana Le Fay to save the world. But he soon finds while he didn't want to kill Sara, he can't as she has remarkable luck and always escapes. They decide to team up and search for the monks devoted to Arthur that were also trying to kill her and hopefully save the world.

There road trip is funny and her luck always manages to save them.

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just cracks me up. It's so funny. Maybe you have to 'get' MJD sense of humour to fully appreciate it but I adore it. I wish I'd written it! The plot is preposterous but works. The characters are totally over the top and that works. Her turn of phrase is just perfect. Third time I've read it and it's a keeper. If I ever needed a book to make me smile - I'd turn to this one.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was an impulse pick up at a Little Lending Library totally based on the idea of a werewolf. (I'm a huge Ann Rice/Vampire/True Blood Series fan). I realized it was going to to be quick Chick Lit read and it was that and less. Major plot holes, quick and easy resolution in the last three pages that pretty much invalidated the rest of the story. Won't be seeking out the rest of the series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I read it while stuck in an airport for 3 hours. It was quite entertaining & I laughed aloud in several sections (much to the curiosity of my fellow travelers). This is a really fun read.

[Jane (PS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing out of the box. Could have been much better but the characters were selfish and ultimately boring.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the zaniness of this book but I really hate the sexual aspect of this supposed romance. Maybe I just don't like how MJD writes her sex scenes but they leave me cringing and feeling angry tbh. Derik worms his way into her pants by insisting on taking her to his Pack's safe house posing as his mate but they would smell if they'd been intimate or not so to "sell" the mate thing she has to buy her safety by having sex with him. Such a sexy scene btw when she gives in, wanting to get it over with so she can enjoy some luxuries in life like a shower and warm bed.

"No, no, no. We're gonna do it. We have to do it, to save the world." She groaned and massaged her belly. "And to sleep in a warm bed tomorrow night. And to have a shower! Think of it, all that warm water . . . and soap, think of the soap!"

"I can't do this," he announced. "It's too much like taking advantage."

Ya think?
Tell me if this gets you hot and bothered:

and then they were rolling in the grass beside the truck, kissing and groping and moaning and for a minute Sara forgot about her grotesquely distended belly, and the mosquitoes munching on her legs.

And then he was easing inside her and that was fine it was a little uncomfortable because he was large and she wasn't ready, but it was all right because she just wanted this over with, but oh, oh, she hadn't expected it to feel good, she hadn't expected .. . expected this.

He rocked against her, obligingly smacking the mosquitoes he saw on her, and then his rocking speeded up, and she wriggled in the grass to give him better access, and then he stiffened all over, the cords on his neck standing out like steel.

"Ooofta," she said when he collapsed over her.
"I swear," he mumbled into her neck. "I swear I'm usually much better at this."

That definitely got me hot and bothered... as in pissed off and repulsed by her male "heroes" who always seem to take what they want and never even make a token attempt to prepare their partner to ensure they enjoy the act even half as much...

If you're hoping that the next sex scene is any better, it's not. It's basically the same with 40 more seconds of "foreplay" and then he sticks it in, the heroine is thinking to herself that it hurts and he finishes.

With my experience reading this book and enjoying the fun zaniness being ruined by the male MC's selfish and gross behaviour, this would work better for me as a YA novel with fade-to-black sex scenes where you can imagine moments a lot sexier than the above drivel.

[Jyoti Dahiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derik is a werewolf. Based on a prophecy that the reincarnation of Morgan le Fay is shortly going to be involved in the end of the world, he sets off to California to put paid to her. But the ditzy Dr Sara Dunn is too lucky to be true.

Lots of side-splitting dialogue and sitcom, with lots of romantic tropes mixed in. (A few very steamy scenes, so not really suitable for under-18s).

Sample this:
'You have to save the world.'
Derik fought to keep his jaw from dropping. 'Me?'
'Yes, brain-drain, you. In fact, could you get started on that right away?'
Moira clapped her hands. 'A quest! Just what you needed, oh, it's perfect, perfect!'
'A quest? Do I look like a Hobbit to you? I have to save the world? From what?'
Antonia smirked. 'From who, actually.'
'From whom, actually,' Moira corrected.

It's totally funny. I laughed out loud so many times, the next person took the book away from me and started reading it himself--laughing from page to page while at it. Ha.

The end is a bit of an over-neat wrap-up, but you will forgive it for being a bit of a let's-finish-this-before-the-interval speed-solution since it could have well been dragged out beyond 198 pages, and become a drag itself. As it is, frothy and light, silly and funny.

Recommended for the laughs, and I for one am going to keep an eye out for more MJ Davidson books.

[Reviewed in 2013; uploaded here now]

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

MaryJanice Davidson- Derik’s Bane
292 pages

This book made me really happy. I like the Wyndham werevolves, and this is there first full length novel. The three stories were really good, but there’s only so much you can get out of a short story. Derik was always one of my favorite wolves. Don’t get me wrong, I like Michael and Moira just fine, but Derik just resonates with me better.

Like with the Undead series (the one intertwined with this one), this book has a very silly lighthearted vibe. The plot line is solid and interesting. Watching how Derik’s story plays out is fun. This is the kind of book you read when you want a break from the serious and just want to have fun with it. Sara is a really interesting character too. I love her personality. Maybe that says something about me that I like strong, stubborn, sarcastic main characters! All in all, I love this addition to the series!

Rating:
♥♥♥♥♥

For more reviews, click here!

[Deana Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous and hilarious tale of werewolves, King Arthur, nurses, reincarnated sorceresses, love and luck.

I have adored MaryJanice Davidson since I read her first story, years ago and she just keeps getting better and better. This book is about one of the Wyndham Werewolves, the easygoing and charming Derik Gardner and his quest to save the world. This is a seriously funny novel which introduces Derik to Sara Gunn who may or may not be Morgan La Fay, reincarnated. There is attempted murder, romance, automatic weapons, lust, car theft, horniness, psycho's, and sex. Add two eggs, three jiggers of gin, a clove, a stick of cinnamon, a shot of O.J., stir briskly, drink and gag. Happy Reading

[Sarah Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book as two stories in it, and according to the author the second story is number 1.5 and the main story is number 5. They don’t really have overlapping characters. The pack leader mainly.

The first story was a little short but fairly good. Typical snark from MaryJanice Davidson characters.

Not a fan of the second story because the girl was raped. You can’t say that she asked for it simply because she chose for him to finish. It wasn’t believable and I wish it was done differently because it had a potential of being better.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derek has been happy as just another werewolf in his best friend's pack but suddenly things are starting to change, he's gone alpha.

Fortunately, or unfortunately there's a task that only he can perform that will get him out of the area for a while. He really doesn't want a to the death fight with his best buddy.

Morgan La Fay has been reincarnated, the world could come to an end if Derek doesn't find the right solution.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing, lightly, frothy tale of a werewolf who crosses the country to kill the reincarnation of Morgan le Fay only to discover she is a beautiful and intelligent (though slightly ditzy) red-head who has luck, which is frequently other people’s bad luck. He can’t kill her—and he doesn’t want to, now that he’s met her, so they join forces.

Truly escapist.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved many of this author's book and series...there are other books in the Wyndham Werewolf series and they are much better than this one. It was good, but weird. Too jumpy. And the woman's power was too unexplainable.

[Saidah Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better than the other Wyndham Werewolf book I read. The plot went nowhere important but it was a very funny and engaging read nonetheless. I was laughing out loud throughout and quickly finished it in a few hours

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derik is becoming an Alpha and driving his family crazy so he sets out to California to take care of Sara who is the reincarnated Morgana La Fay whom they believe will end the world. Enter the hilarious world of MaryJanice Davidson. I always fun her books very fun to read.

[Roger Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its not often i find a funny writer, and even less often I run out of breath from laughing so hard from reading a book. I ran out of breath...many times...and worked on my abs while laughing doing so. So could this be considered a workout book as well?