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Heart of the Wolf #2
Wolf In Waiting
Noel Duprey, the fiercest and noblest of his kind, is convinced that beautiful Victoria St. Clare is a traitor, bent on destroying his destiny, but he soon learns that all she wants is his love, forever. Reprint.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Flanders
50 books12 followersaka Donna Ball, Donna Carlisle, Donna Boyd
With Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol, Taylor Brady
Donna A. Ball born in 1951 in Georgia, USA. Her ancestors were one of the first pioneer families of North Georgia, and her family still lives on the land they purchased from the Cherokee in 1782.
Her first book was published in 1982 as Donna Ball, since them she has written over a dozen works of commercial fiction under her name and under diferent pseudonyms: Rebecca Flanders, Donna Carlisle and Donna Boyd. She also signed novels with Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol and Taylor Brady. And a novel with Linda Dano as Felicia Gallant. She is known for her work in women’s fiction and suspense, as well as supernatural fantasy and adventure. Her novels have been translated into well over a dozen languages and have been published in virtually every country in the world. She has appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and has been featured in such publications as the Detroit Free Press, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and even T.V. Guide. She is the holder of the Storytelling World award, 2001, the Georgia Author of the Year Award, 2000, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Awards for consecutive years 1991-1996, the Georgia Romance Writer’s Maggie Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times, among others.
Donna lives in a restored turn-of-the-century barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northeast Georgia with her dogs, they have won numerous awards for agility, obedience, and canine musical freestyle. Her hobbies include oil painting, hiking and dog obedience training.
With Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol, Taylor Brady
Donna A. Ball born in 1951 in Georgia, USA. Her ancestors were one of the first pioneer families of North Georgia, and her family still lives on the land they purchased from the Cherokee in 1782.
Her first book was published in 1982 as Donna Ball, since them she has written over a dozen works of commercial fiction under her name and under diferent pseudonyms: Rebecca Flanders, Donna Carlisle and Donna Boyd. She also signed novels with Shannon Harper as Leigh Bristol and Taylor Brady. And a novel with Linda Dano as Felicia Gallant. She is known for her work in women’s fiction and suspense, as well as supernatural fantasy and adventure. Her novels have been translated into well over a dozen languages and have been published in virtually every country in the world. She has appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and has been featured in such publications as the Detroit Free Press, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and even T.V. Guide. She is the holder of the Storytelling World award, 2001, the Georgia Author of the Year Award, 2000, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Awards for consecutive years 1991-1996, the Georgia Romance Writer’s Maggie Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times, among others.
Donna lives in a restored turn-of-the-century barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northeast Georgia with her dogs, they have won numerous awards for agility, obedience, and canine musical freestyle. Her hobbies include oil painting, hiking and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 6, 2010
I can't recall reading a romance like this one before, written in the first person, with each chapter switching from his point of view to hers. It took a little getting used to but I enjoyed it because I got a first person account of the quirkiness of the characters and their intimate thoughts about a previous scene. I laughed more than once as his viewpoint ended and then we got to see her real thoughts about the last scene.
Victoria is an anthromorph. A what, you ask? This means she's a defective werewolf. Born to two werewolf parents but with a defect that prevents her from shapeshifting, mating and having little werewolves. But she does have all of the other benefits of a typical werewolf such as heightened senses and extreme beauty. Because of her disability others in the pack treat her with indifference and blatant prejudice. She's been passed over for promotions and has had all of her creative ideas stolen from her. Surprisingly she's not bitter, she just accepts this as her fate since she's been treated this way since birth. She's a little bit of a doormat but I immediately liked her and once she meets Noah she's anything but passive!
Noah's a full-blooded werewolf (and all of his parts work), who's recently been appointed head of the business and will one day be leader of the werewolf pack. He has some misgivings about the whole thing because up until lately he loved his playboy/slacker lifestyle and now his Grandpere, who doesn't seem to have any confidence in his skills, is making him work like a dog but not giving him any real responsibilities. When he's assigned to work with Victoria to locate an employee bent on sabotaging the company he figures he being played for a fool. After all he is the Big Boss and she's a measly peon with little brains, or so he's led to believe - at first.
As they begin to spend time together he realizes he and the rest of the pack were all wrong about Victoria. He soon respects her talent and lusts after her body. He begins wanting to spend time with her just because he likes being around her and he tells her so. She's flattered by the attention but thinks he's only trying to get her to do more work, off hours, and is too cheap to pay her overtime. They start to fall in love and can't keep their hands off of each other but it's a seemingly hopeless cause because of his responsibility to the pack to produce an heir, something Victoria is unable to do.
This is a great werewolf romance. The characters are lovable (although I must admit I had my doubts about the arrogant playboy hero who was a little snobby but the strong woman in the novel didn't let him get away with it and he turned out to be a big softie). It has a little angst, a little humor and a lot of sensuality. The love story was developed slowly and the couple become friends before realizing that they were in love, always a plus when one reads a romance. And I also liked the way the werewolves looked at things so differently from humans. There were a few scenes where I thought I saw a petty argument and a "big misunderstanding" coming but the author surprised me and avoided it with a fascinating explanation that made lots of sense about the wolves nature. I did figure out the intrigue part of the story early on but all in all this was an entertaining romance that I feel will appeal to even non-werewolf fans who like a contemporary setting, a working class heroine and a well developed love story.
I should probably make note that this book is a sequel to SECRET OF THE WOLF (Silh. Shadows #54) and if you have it you should probably read it first because past occurrences are mentioned several times. But if you don't have it I think you'll still enjoy this one but when you're done I can almost guarantee that you'll be dying to get your hands on a copy to read more about Michael and Aggie's story!
Victoria is an anthromorph. A what, you ask? This means she's a defective werewolf. Born to two werewolf parents but with a defect that prevents her from shapeshifting, mating and having little werewolves. But she does have all of the other benefits of a typical werewolf such as heightened senses and extreme beauty. Because of her disability others in the pack treat her with indifference and blatant prejudice. She's been passed over for promotions and has had all of her creative ideas stolen from her. Surprisingly she's not bitter, she just accepts this as her fate since she's been treated this way since birth. She's a little bit of a doormat but I immediately liked her and once she meets Noah she's anything but passive!
Noah's a full-blooded werewolf (and all of his parts work), who's recently been appointed head of the business and will one day be leader of the werewolf pack. He has some misgivings about the whole thing because up until lately he loved his playboy/slacker lifestyle and now his Grandpere, who doesn't seem to have any confidence in his skills, is making him work like a dog but not giving him any real responsibilities. When he's assigned to work with Victoria to locate an employee bent on sabotaging the company he figures he being played for a fool. After all he is the Big Boss and she's a measly peon with little brains, or so he's led to believe - at first.
As they begin to spend time together he realizes he and the rest of the pack were all wrong about Victoria. He soon respects her talent and lusts after her body. He begins wanting to spend time with her just because he likes being around her and he tells her so. She's flattered by the attention but thinks he's only trying to get her to do more work, off hours, and is too cheap to pay her overtime. They start to fall in love and can't keep their hands off of each other but it's a seemingly hopeless cause because of his responsibility to the pack to produce an heir, something Victoria is unable to do.
This is a great werewolf romance. The characters are lovable (although I must admit I had my doubts about the arrogant playboy hero who was a little snobby but the strong woman in the novel didn't let him get away with it and he turned out to be a big softie). It has a little angst, a little humor and a lot of sensuality. The love story was developed slowly and the couple become friends before realizing that they were in love, always a plus when one reads a romance. And I also liked the way the werewolves looked at things so differently from humans. There were a few scenes where I thought I saw a petty argument and a "big misunderstanding" coming but the author surprised me and avoided it with a fascinating explanation that made lots of sense about the wolves nature. I did figure out the intrigue part of the story early on but all in all this was an entertaining romance that I feel will appeal to even non-werewolf fans who like a contemporary setting, a working class heroine and a well developed love story.
I should probably make note that this book is a sequel to SECRET OF THE WOLF (Silh. Shadows #54) and if you have it you should probably read it first because past occurrences are mentioned several times. But if you don't have it I think you'll still enjoy this one but when you're done I can almost guarantee that you'll be dying to get your hands on a copy to read more about Michael and Aggie's story!
December 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this story.
It was different from your the werewolf stories I come across. I liked the idea that these werewolves didn't seclude themselves out in the wilderness, but used their "superior" senses to make money in western consumer culture.
The story here wasn't all too surprising, I had a good idea about how many of the issues were going to be resolves, but I still enjoyed watching everything play out. The main characters are interesting because of their complexity and their romance grows slowly.
This is the first book I read in the series, and I am not interested in the reading the first installment based on the synopsis and what we see of those characters in this book.
This book definitely acts as a stand-alone, and I really enjoyed it. I bet I would read it again in the future.
It was different from your the werewolf stories I come across. I liked the idea that these werewolves didn't seclude themselves out in the wilderness, but used their "superior" senses to make money in western consumer culture.
The story here wasn't all too surprising, I had a good idea about how many of the issues were going to be resolves, but I still enjoyed watching everything play out. The main characters are interesting because of their complexity and their romance grows slowly.
This is the first book I read in the series, and I am not interested in the reading the first installment based on the synopsis and what we see of those characters in this book.
This book definitely acts as a stand-alone, and I really enjoyed it. I bet I would read it again in the future.
July 16, 2016
3.75 stars. First published in 1995 so it feels dated now but the alternating POV's are very effective. They added sweetness and humour to the story and left me feeling like I knew something the MC's didn't. I always have a soft spot for shifter romance.
June 13, 2015
Not bad. I haven't read a werewolf romance in a long time, and I wasn't really that interested, but this was pretty good. The political aspect of the werewolf romance was there, but not the insta-love. What I liked was that the heroine was pretty smart and capable, and this was not undermined (or stated, but not shown), and the hero appreciated this about her. What I didn't like was that it was told in alternating first person: first her perspective, then his. I could have dealt with it all being told in first person from her side, but I don't enjoy head hopping.
Read
December 13, 2011I remember loving this book. So I'm re-reading to remind myself. :)
November 18, 2015
I read lots about this book which had been reduced in price as part of Harlequin's 10,000 books celebrating a decade (or something like that) with lots of people saying how much they loved the book. I found it fascinating how different this book was to contemporary shifter novels.
The werewolf community is ruled by the St Clare family and the embodiment of the wolf community and its wealth is the St Clare company and the perfume arm.
Victoria St Clare is practically an outcast. As a member of the family that rules the werewolves she ought to be treated like a Princess, especially given her extraordinary beauty. Unfortunately, she is unable to fully shift to wolf and consequently she is considered useless. There are some fascinating parallels to be drawn between the way that the wolf community (and her superiors/colleagues) treat Victoria and the way in which society has in the past treated women, black people, gays, people of other religions etc. Victoria has consistently been passed over for promotion, her ideas are stolen and she receives abysmal performance evaluations. She is so poorly treated by the wolf community that her only friends are humans - something that no self-respecting wolf would do.
Noel Duprey is the newly appointed heir to the wolf Alpha. Formerly a playboy dilettante he is now struggling to live a more responsible life whilst not feeling that he is actually doing anything. He is summoned by the Alpha and instructed to investigate the theft of several valuable new perfume formulas to rival perfume houses. His only instruction - he must work with Victoria. Noel immediately suspects that Victoria is a St Clare spy for the Alpha (although I haven't read the first book in the series it is clear that Noel has replaced the Alpha's son as heir and is resented as a result). Then when he meets her, Noel suspects that Victoria might be the industrial spy - if only as revenge for the way she is being treated.
There are some subtle differences between this world and the contemporary accepted wisdom in regard to werewolves/shifters. First, procreation only takes place in wolf form - hence Victoria could never produce a wolf child and Noel needs to find a mate and beget an heir to continue the dynasty. Also, the wolves expect and respect tricky dealing, setting traps and baiting them is considered admirable.
Although marginally dated (as someone pointed out they refer to floppy disks) this book stands up well, the narrative voice is unusual, different to what I am used to but I don't know if that is the author or a different era having a different voice. Maybe its because the hero and heroine are clearly real grown ups and not barely out of puberty. As Noel and Victoria investigate the industrial espionage they become increasingly involved in a doomed love affair. As they uncover plot after plot the clues point to an unlikely source of the leaks ...
Whilst I don't have the great love of this novel that I might have had, had I read it when it was first written, I still really liked it and enjoyed the differences between it and contemporary werewolf novels.
The werewolf community is ruled by the St Clare family and the embodiment of the wolf community and its wealth is the St Clare company and the perfume arm.
Victoria St Clare is practically an outcast. As a member of the family that rules the werewolves she ought to be treated like a Princess, especially given her extraordinary beauty. Unfortunately, she is unable to fully shift to wolf and consequently she is considered useless. There are some fascinating parallels to be drawn between the way that the wolf community (and her superiors/colleagues) treat Victoria and the way in which society has in the past treated women, black people, gays, people of other religions etc. Victoria has consistently been passed over for promotion, her ideas are stolen and she receives abysmal performance evaluations. She is so poorly treated by the wolf community that her only friends are humans - something that no self-respecting wolf would do.
Noel Duprey is the newly appointed heir to the wolf Alpha. Formerly a playboy dilettante he is now struggling to live a more responsible life whilst not feeling that he is actually doing anything. He is summoned by the Alpha and instructed to investigate the theft of several valuable new perfume formulas to rival perfume houses. His only instruction - he must work with Victoria. Noel immediately suspects that Victoria is a St Clare spy for the Alpha (although I haven't read the first book in the series it is clear that Noel has replaced the Alpha's son as heir and is resented as a result). Then when he meets her, Noel suspects that Victoria might be the industrial spy - if only as revenge for the way she is being treated.
There are some subtle differences between this world and the contemporary accepted wisdom in regard to werewolves/shifters. First, procreation only takes place in wolf form - hence Victoria could never produce a wolf child and Noel needs to find a mate and beget an heir to continue the dynasty. Also, the wolves expect and respect tricky dealing, setting traps and baiting them is considered admirable.
Although marginally dated (as someone pointed out they refer to floppy disks) this book stands up well, the narrative voice is unusual, different to what I am used to but I don't know if that is the author or a different era having a different voice. Maybe its because the hero and heroine are clearly real grown ups and not barely out of puberty. As Noel and Victoria investigate the industrial espionage they become increasingly involved in a doomed love affair. As they uncover plot after plot the clues point to an unlikely source of the leaks ...
Whilst I don't have the great love of this novel that I might have had, had I read it when it was first written, I still really liked it and enjoyed the differences between it and contemporary werewolf novels.
September 15, 2023
Noel Duprey, a formidable and honorable individual among his peers, suspects that Victoria St. Clare might be a betrayer with intentions to thwart his fate. However, he eventually discovers that her sole desire is to have his eternal love.
This werewolf tale stood out from the usual stories in the genre, presenting a unique twist where these supernatural beings integrated themselves into modern consumer culture rather than isolating in the wilderness. Victoria emerged as a captivating character, embodying intelligence, strength, and all-around awesomeness. Noel, on the other hand, exemplified integrity and honor, making them an obvious and heart-wrenching perfect match despite the obstacles in their path.
The storyline, while somewhat predictable, still offered an enjoyable journey as it unfolded. The complexity of the main characters added depth to the narrative, and their romance developed gradually, making for a compelling and engaging read.
This werewolf tale stood out from the usual stories in the genre, presenting a unique twist where these supernatural beings integrated themselves into modern consumer culture rather than isolating in the wilderness. Victoria emerged as a captivating character, embodying intelligence, strength, and all-around awesomeness. Noel, on the other hand, exemplified integrity and honor, making them an obvious and heart-wrenching perfect match despite the obstacles in their path.
The storyline, while somewhat predictable, still offered an enjoyable journey as it unfolded. The complexity of the main characters added depth to the narrative, and their romance developed gradually, making for a compelling and engaging read.
April 6, 2016
This was a new and different approach to a werewolf book. I really liked it for those reasons and more. I liked the first person POV that alternated between Noel and Victoria. It gave a good inside look into how they felt and what they were thinking. There were many times that something would happen and I would be thinking what the...? But Victoria would explain it away saying "humans wouldn't understand but to a wolf we look at it this way" and that would clear it up.
I loved loved Victoria. She was smart, strong and awesome. And Noel was a man of integrity. It was heartbreaking to read about a couple so obviously perfect for each other who could never be together.
This is the 2nd in the series and I was able to understand everything without having read the first.
I loved loved Victoria. She was smart, strong and awesome. And Noel was a man of integrity. It was heartbreaking to read about a couple so obviously perfect for each other who could never be together.
This is the 2nd in the series and I was able to understand everything without having read the first.
November 22, 2015
This was so incredibly dated and sad. I signed on for the misunderstood, martyred heroine. However, five minutes in Victoria's head space was enough to sour the tale, as she looked with contempt on humans but blithely accepted her low status in her society. Noel, on the other hand, was a tiresome playboy pouting over his new responsibilities, and easily led by his hormones as well. Not the most attractive couple, although this early werewolf story has all the plot elements that were to become wildly popular a decade later.
Read
August 31, 2008Not to accept things at face value and never underestimate the manipulative and matchmaking tendencies of family. I enjoy romance mixed with the supernatural and this story incorporates the best of both. Unfortunately there are some sex scenes to be skipped for those who don't care for that (like me), but the story is worth the inconvenience.
June 14, 2015
One of my favorite romance novels, and one of the very best (if not THE best) category romances ever published.
Longer review here:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
Longer review here:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
October 9, 2021
The vibes this book had..............impeccable
Hers was the heartbeat that pulsed with mine, hers the breath that frosted on the cold air.
Victoria. Victoria.
Before that night, I had never known desire. After it, I would never be the same.
January 23, 2016
Rating~ 4.5 stars.
March 9, 2015
I loved it. Not the usual clichéd werewolf romances. Reading this was like a breath of fresh air from the ones I'm used to.
June 27, 2015
I loved this until the incredibly disappointing ending. I won't spoil it, but I was astonished at how bad the story got in about 10 pages.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews