Poised to run. Aching to stay. What lies between is sweet torture.
For nine years, Scott Lund has been erasing himself. Making sure his own kind-those who can control people's minds-can't track him down. It has been a lonely existence. So lonely, that when he makes a real connection with a stranger, he breaks his own cardinal rule and falls asleep in the man's arms.
Rory McIntyre has been sent by his pack alpha to keep a protective eye on Scott. Seduction wasn't part of the plan, but once he lays eyes on the Minder, Rory isn't satisfied to keep his distance.
The moment Scott opens his eyes, he panics and flees-straight into a Minder trap. The handsome stranger from the night before turns out to be his rescuer, who whisks him away to a safe place. Wolf Town.
Overwhelmed by Rory's family, Scott knows only two things for sure. His attraction to Rory is growing by the minute. And to keep his lover safe, he must put as much distance between them as possible .
Warning: Contains dangerous mind control, bone-cracking violence and full-body-contact sex with an irresistible wolf shifter.
Joely Skye has written for more years than she can remember. Her latest writing passion is romance and shapeshifters. She lives with her husband and two children in Canada.
To learn more about Joely Skye, please visit www.joelyskye.com or her Yahoo Group.
Ok, I read the third one in this series first, which I think actually worked out well for me, since it gave me a little more back story that was missing from this (first in the series) book. Scott lives in constant fear of being discovered by other 'minders' and lives a lonely and isolated life. Rory was sent to watch him and protect him if necessary, but of course Rory can't just look he needs to touch! When the minders come get Scott , Rory is there to save the day . It's a fast short that leaves a lot open so the second book is next on my list!
I loved this but it was way too short. When it ended, I was completely shocked there wasn't another chapter. I expected but no. I'm kind of thinking this is more like a serial maybe. At least the next book is the same characters.
The story was very sweet and I loved the characters. I want to know more about them and am glad there are sequels. I like the world and this community of wolves. I loved how gentle they were and peaceful, not the typical violent posturing constant vying for position and status.
If it had been longer, maybe with a big action sequence, it would have been five stars. Now I have to rush out and get the next one!
Great story, but the way it ended so abruptly kinda threw me off my game a little to a Huh? Done already?
A very cool addition to the Minder series, but that's all I have to say really and allow the rating to speak for itself. Must be the heat that's left me without words to give a proper review and mushed with my brain cells.
I wish there were more, but I did rather like what was there. But then, there was a lot of whump, and I like whump, so there's that...
It ends with a not-ending. It ends with "let's cut this off at a point that's not the ending." It ends with "buy the next book to get a continuation, and maybe an ending eventually."
Wolf Town is a beyond suspicion light novella. Slightly connected to the other shifter romances by Joely Skye, Rory is a young wolf who is sent by Trey to protect a minder, Scott.
The feeling of danger is soon diluted by Rory’s attitude, almost bored by his task; Rory is the alpha son, and even if he is no more a teen, he has still some issue to relate with the authoritative figure of his father. Rory loves very much his alpha and father but needs to find a way to detach him from his family, without breaking the bond but finding his space.
Both for boredom than for a real interest in the quiet and lonely minder, Rory approaches Scott and surprisingly, for him and for the reader, Scott is receptive. This lead to a night of “innocent” sex, barely more than making out, and the morning after Scott is thinking to leave unnoticed. But obviously that doesn’t happen and Scott finds himself with a close-to-close protector whisked away in a country town, Wolf Town, where everyone is a wolf and no one is influenced by Scott’s psychic powers.
Both a victim from physical than mental violence, Scott is weary to give his trust; but even if he chose to stay far from any real human contact, Scott sometime needs that contact, he above all needs to love, to freely give his love to someone.
As I said before, this is not really a thriller, on the contrary, it’s more a sweet romance; not only the sex we find in it is light and good, but also the two characters gave me the feeling of being young and innocent, at least in their behaviour if not in age. Rory being so “light” in his approach to Scott is probably the perfect tactics, even if I don’t think he is doing it purposely; Scott needs protection, and he also needs to feel it, it’s clear in his welcoming hugs and kisses, but he also needs to be free and to be able to take decision on his own; if someone comes to strong onto him, Scott runs away.
The relationship between Rory and Scott is only at the beginning, and maybe when, in a far away future, Rory will take his place as alpha of his pack, then they will need to find a new balance; but maybe, in time Scott will also learn to trust Rory and Rory’s family.
Scott Lund has been living a very lonely existence for the past nine years. A Minder, he has psychic abilities that allow him to manipulate others minds. He is able to push thoughts into people to make them do his will. Scott was abused once when he lived in a pod, with other Minders. Never wanting to experience that again, he has been on the run for years – trying to stay one step ahead of those who hunt him down.
Rory, a werewolf has been tipped off that Scott might be in danger. Being a wolf, he is unaffected by Rory’s mind tricks. His mission is to just be an invisible bodyguard, but after a few days of just being bored, Rory makes contact. Scott is extremely wary and skittish, but he recognizes Rory as not a threat – and there is also an attraction between them.
Wolf Town is a pretty good novella that introduces us to Scott and Rory and we get to see just the start of their relationship. Scott is so scared of being found and forced to live in a pod with other Minders. He is also not used to being around people – so Rory baffles him. There is definitely trust issues throughout the book which I liked. But I do question why Rory initiates sex with Scott the first night they meet. It didn’t make sense that Rory would make this step and Scott would let it happen. It felt very rushed to me. But, after this scene – Scott definitely keeps his distance and Rory respects that and from here I really enjoyed how their relationship unfolds. It is very complicated and I can why this is a trilogy. Their relationship will grow throughout all three books. Rory is lovable and patient, and I like them together.
Although we get a brief glimpse of the Minders who are the bad guys in this book, I really wish we would have seen more of them to understand Scott’s fear. I love how his fear is portrayed, I just wanted to see more of why he acted that way.
Run-of-the-mill story that left me mostly unsatisfied
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 5/10
PROS: - The idea that Scott is a “Minder” intrigued me because I wanted to know what that meant about him, especially when Rory starts mentally distinguishing between Minders and werewolves. - Scott’s had a rough life, and Rory instinctively moves into protective mode when they’re together. As a result, the romance is sweet, and I even believed (mostly) that a connection could form as quickly as it does between them. - There are some dark moments in the story that are also quite funny, like when Rory puts a call in to his superior and the first thing he says when the man answers is, “Dead body.”
CONS: - Scott lays out a couple of ground rules (“I don’t want that” and “I do want this”) before the two guys sleep together the first time, and Rory ignores both of them. The thing that bothered me the most about that was that Scott doesn’t make any sort of fuss over it. - Much of the action happens too quickly and is over with just as it’s starting to get interesting. - At times, the writing is a bit jumpy and disjointed. Sentences don’t always seem to flow logically from what came before.
Overall comments: I enjoy werewolf stories, but there’s honestly not much in this story to indicate that one of the characters is a werewolf. I didn’t think the story was terrible, but I didn’t particularly like it either. The background information is scarce, and the ending is abrupt, with almost nothing resolved. Some of these issues are probably resolved in the sequel, but I didn’t find this first installment engaging enough to want to pay for the story in pieces.
There were some interesting and new concepts in this shifter story. The Minders were a great concept, very imaginative.
However, as compelling as this plot tried to be, I wasn't drawn in. I was also less than excited about Rory and Scott. Rory was the butch man with a heart of gold, taking care of the weak ones (as evident from his past relationship with Iain) and now moving on to another lost soul. Scott was hard to understand. Most of his actions and words didn't really seem to add up to describe his personality. Or better said, I couldn't see that there was a personality pattern in the things he did or said. Perhaps I might have accepted this ambivalent behaviour, if I felt it originated from something.
With that said, there wasn't much else to the story. Other than a couple of references to the Minders' abilities, this thread wasn't very developed. It was too easy to just have people obey words. I was expecting some clever mental battles, trying to overcome this power or bend it so it doesn't mean the same. Instead, the story revolved around Scott taking his time in deciding if he wants to stay with Rory.
My favourite character was Aileen. She's the one who firmly pushed this to a 2 star rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you're looking for a quick light read with paranormal aspects, this is a good choice.
This is the story of Scott, a "minder" and Rory a wolf shifter who has been sent to protect him. A "minder" is a human with the psychic ability to control other humans - but it doesn't work on shifters. Rory is attracted to Scott and actually picks Scott up in a bar while he is watching over him. Scott is threatened by other Minders and Rory protects him and takes him away to Wolf Town, Rory's home in Northern Ontario. Scott is terribly insecure and can't understand why Rory would want him and he tries to leave. Scott's insecurities and Rory's determination to convince him that he's worthwhile are the main focus of the story.
Some things that would have made the story better for me:
1)I would have liked to know more about the Minders and how they work, but maybe more in the next story 2)What's the deal with Trey - the guy who sends Rory in the first place? We don't know really anything about how/why Scott is so important and needs protection.
Hopefully these questions will be answered in other books.
1. What is the point of having a werewolf/shifter character if he doesn't display any wolf attributes except an inclination to sniff? If I wanted a snifter instead of a shifter I would go to my local wine snobs.
2. Hand-waving. Something bad happened to Scott. He was abused. He betrayed someone. The pods messed up his life. But at no point in time are you given an actual backstory. So what's the point of hinting? To make Scott more pitiful?
3. A lackluster, uninteresting story. It's the clone of the Generic Wolf MM Story and it doesn't even try to break that mold. Flat, basic characters with an abrupt as heck end. No explanation on the minders, how pods work, and many other things. As the first book of a series, the duty falls to it to explain the world. It explained nothing.
Not recommended. If you need a wolf fix, look elsewhere.
This is my least favorite story of the Minder/Shifter so far. First, I don't feel any connection between Rory and Scott. I don't understand the attraction. I don't understand why they want to be together. I don't even believe that they will get HEA. I just don't get it. Plus, I think in previous books there are bits of information or background about the characters but this is very lacking. So yeah, not my favorite at all.
Wolf Town followed Scott Lund, a Minder, and Rory McIntyre, a Shifter. As the son of the alpha of his pack, Rory is constantly wondering whether he is valued for himself or for is elevated status. When he is assigned to protect Scott, a Minder who is being sought out to by other minders to create a new pod, the scene is set for the two to help each other to overcome the fears they have held onto for far too long.
Scott has remained in hiding, dodging the Minders for nine years, but his hiding has come to an end once the Minders find him. Luckily, Rory is there to save him from being drawn back into a life of controlling the thoughts and behaviors of others.
Back in Wolf Town, Scott must not only acclimate to being around others, but must struggle with his attraction to Rory, who in so many ways is the opposite from him. Outgoing and social, Rory doesn’t care that Scott isn’t a wolf. He feels the connection with Scott and is drawn to him. He knows Scott wants him for who he is, and not for his status as the son of an alpha.
As far as shifter tales went, Joely Skye presents a sweet tale with an engaging plot. Rory is a highly likable character and Scott has a brooding depth that makes him interesting. There isn’t a tremendous amount of erotica in this novel. Rather, Skye has allowed the heat to remain at a simmer, with an occasional boil over into sexual activity. This allows for the focus to remain on the relationship and not on the sex.
As far as the plot, this story felt a bit rushed to me. As a novella, a certain amount of moving from one action scene to the next is expected, but I never really got the satisfaction of seeing any one particular plot line developed completely and stretched into an emotionally gripping storyline. There are pockets of intense moments which are exciting and the entire story is well written, but in terms of building the tension itself, this story could have benefitted from more time devoted to the various conflicts. Had they been fleshed out a bit more, with more emotional punch, I would have felt a greater investment in the characters and greater satisfaction at the conclusion.
Taken as a whole, the story was enjoyable. The concept of Minders was new and I found her description of their abilities to be interesting. Rory and Scott are both likable guys and you do want to see the two of them together. I could see myself sitting on a beach while the kids are running around reading this and truly enjoying the story, knowing if I had to put it down, it would pick right back up when I came back to it.
Another great addition to Joely Skye's Minder-verse.
Scott and Rory are a charming couple, Scott so intent on being forgotten and Rory so intent on not only protecting him but showing him that sometimes being remembered can be a good thing. Like all in the "Minder" series, the relationship is a push-and-pull, give-and-take. Sometimes Rory would be in charge, sometimes Scott, and both showed care for the other. Scott sometimes did things toward Rory he didn't want to do and felt bad about, but it was done in order to help and protect - at least from his mind. Same from Rory. Yet nothing they did ever crossed - or even came to - the border between 'acceptable' and 'discouraging' or dampened the view on either character.
For instance, at one point Scott feels like he's a prisoner because a wolf is set to guard him outside of Rory's house and, frightened, he stays inside. Rory is confused later that night when it's brought up and explained that the wolf wasn't put there to keep Scott IN, but rather to protect him and keep others curious OUT. Rory shows an innocence in the fact that he truly hadn't known it would come across to Scott like that, and Scott, once it's explained, cautiously tests it out the next day. The wolf - Aileen, a character from a previous of the Minder novels and who I was happy made another appearance - was friendly to him and guided him wherever he wanted to go.
It was a learning process, as most relationships are, and the ending left it feeling as if there was more to be done - the road wouldn't be easy in the least, but both men were determined to try. Those, in my opinion, are always the best endings.
From the get go this book dropped you right in the middle of everything. I really enjoyed reading this, and I think I finished reading it in a bout 4 days, which considering how long it normally takes me to read a book that is an accomplishment.
I liked the different take on 'abilities' in this, with the addition of werewolf's, it was nice that the author didn't explain about the werewolf's all the time, they were just there as though it was normal. If that makes sense.
I also liked the main two characters in this, and really, really liked the young girl wolf (who's name escapes me right now) by the end. I'd love to find out more about the Minders Pod, how far his abilities could go and just exactly what happened in his past. I will be reading more from this author definitley.
My only sort of criticisim and am not sure if it is due to the length of the book or if it was just how my kindle had formatted it. 82% and the story was finished. There was another small excerpt from another book for the last however much percent, which I didn't particulary like. I wanted more Wolf Town story, not a new one.
But overall, really good read, really enjoyed and I look forward to reading more. :)
A very good book. A novella that got you into the mind of her characters better than most novellas. They were very well developed than each one stood out as a individual. You got to know their faults, fears and dreams.
Rory was sent to look after Chris. Rory is a werewolf, humands know about them now, and Chris is a Minder with telepathic powers and the humans know about them now too. Chris exposed his people when his 'pod' - their family units - were kidnapping humans and using them for perposes against their will. Now for the past nine years Chris has been loiving buy himself, cut off from his own kind because of the actions he took. He doesn't let himself linger in hman minds becaause the Minders are always looking for him.
Rory was just supposed to watch over him because the Minders after him. Rory likes what h sees, and ends up in bed with Chris. Chris runs in the oppist direction in the morning and Rory has to save him from the Minders after him. He takes Chris back to his pack and sets about making the older man his own.
A delightful read that kept me glued the pages until the last one.
Joely Skye writes great world-building stories, and WOLF TOWN is a good beginning to a new universe populated by Minders, Normals, and werewolves. Minders are human with the extrasensory ability to influence other people with mental projections. I thought of Star Wars’ Obi-Wan telling the Imperial Troopers, “These are not the ‘droids you seek,” and they go away. Normals are humans who behave normally. Werewolves are the usual wolf shifters. This is an exciting story and I can hardly wait to read the next installments in the WOLF TOWN series. There is no HEA at the end of the first book in the series as the ending is a cliff-hanger. I’m eager to read more about Scott and Rory but also to find out exactly why the Minders are so feared by another of their kind. This series reminds me of the Saturday morning serials that I enjoyed so much as a child. Tune in next time to find out what happens to Scott, Rory, Aileen, and all the rest of the inhabitants of Wolf Town.
This looks like it will be an enjoyable series. I've really liked the author's other series which has at least one overlapping character in this book.
Scott is a minder and he's on the run from more powerful minders when he meets Rory. Unknown to Scott, Rory is a wolf and impervious to any minder's influence. Rory has been quietly following Scott in an effort to find out more about him and offer some anonymous protection as well but something about Scott really resonates with Rory and Rory makes a move at a local bar.
The two become closer, though Scott is always holding himself back. When other minders threaten Scott, Rory takes him home to offer more protection. There the two become even closer but Scott is still holding back.
Poor Scott. He's emotionally damaged and the fun in this story is in watching him gain some measure of self-esteem and watching Rory finally win him over.
The story is fairly short but there's a sweet romantic theme to it, without a lot of heavy explicit sex. It hit the spot because I wasn't in the mood for something heavy.
I read the blurb for this and instantly knew I had to read it. It was tedious once I started it, however, because it started with the sex, and I'm not really a fan of sex in stories. They're fine, but I mostly skim them, and as this started with sex, it started with me skimming.
That being said, once the sex was over and it was the morning after, the action started to pick up and I was suddenly immersed in the story. It is a short story and short stories has its limitations, but I enjoyed it quite a lot once the first two chapters or so were over.
There were some questions I would've liked answers to, such as
I hope this will be answered in the sequel though, so overall I did like this book. Ms. Skye has created an interesting world of werewolves and Minders. I want to read more!
Ehhhh. This one didn't really work, in my opinion. It was short, and rushed, and the relationship between the two guys didn't really make sense?
They have a one-night stand that gets way emotional very quickly. That doesn't bother me, as Joely's wolves are super about touch/sensuality and tend to crave slow cuddly sex more than banging. Sure. But then afterwards, Rory starts acting like they're dating, like he has a claim to Scott, and pushing for a romantic relationship despite Scott clearly not being ready for that.
And Rory jumps to talk of Scott being his mate waaaaay fast. And besides physical attraction, I don't understand how these two have anything to even base a romantic relationship on?? Rory's attachment to Scott makes very little sense, in my opinion. He gives a sort of lame "he likes me for ME and doesn't see me as the Alpha's son!" But like, everyone else in the book gives him these looks and are like "uhhhh no." hahaha. Like literally everyone in this book makes more sense than the romantic relationship between these two.
Werewolf Rory is sent to Toronto to watch Scott, who is a Minder (can control people with his mind). Usually Minders end up in pods and use their powers for nastiness but Scott has been on the run for a couple of years. When Scott is attacked by some nasty Minders, Rory rescues him and takes him to Wolf Town. Scott is freaked and runs because he fears bringing down the Minders on the town. Rory and his father manage to track him down in … Ottawa, (how funny) and convince him to come back and give a relationship with Rory a go. I think this might be part of a series of books the author writes about Minders but I read it as a stand-alone and it was fine. I liked Rory’s openness (reminded me of a big puppy) and Scott who was so used to being alone and on the run but desperately wanted human contact. It was a fun quick read for me. I think it’s the first I’ve read by this author and I would definitely try more.
I think I needed more background. I don't understand why Rory made contact to begin with. Was it truly because he was bored? If so, then why does he want Scott to stick around?
Scott, who is this best friend you speak of and why can't he trust you anymore?
Who is the mysterious Trey? Why haven't we met him?
Angus...ummm...huh? Overprotective but a doormat. I didn't get him at all.
I felt like this was incomplete, but that's just me. I felt like I was missing too much. I know this is a series, but I still feel like the first one should be the most informative as far as backstory goes.
It ends abruptly and while I want to know what happens next, I am not in a hurry to read the 2nd.
Things you should know about this book: This was really low-key in terms of plot, and had very little emphasis on the supernatural parts of the setting and characters (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
My thoughts: The story just kind of starts, and stops rather abruptly. Though to be honest, it was all worth it to see the two characters grow and bond together. Some books also place too much emphasis on the dominant/submissive characteristics of wolf-characters, but it was much more subtle in this story, which is refreshing. It didn't feel like every character was just an angry jock on too many 'roids.
Conclusion: Though rough on the edges, this story really has a lot of tender, steamy, worthwhile facets to show off. It's also a very quick read, and I was left wanting more from these two characters. All in all I definitely recommend it.
3.5 stars For the Gang Bang Challenge rec by Cassandra. There was a lot I liked about this story and I really enjoy everything I've read so far by Joely Skye. However, I had to downgrade this due to the length of the story which led the author to rush the story and to an abbreviated ending. Even with there being a sequel this just felt a little like cheating. A short story or a novella should not mean an incomplete story. I'll of course get the next book in the series to finish the story. I just wish writers in this genre wouldn't keep doing this type of thing as a book should be able to stand on its own.
Sweet Scott is confused and scared all the time. Rory is so cute and protective. I like him. He's the boyscout everyone wants as a friend. I'd want him as a friend. The fact that he's an accountant kind of makes me laugh. It's such a dichotomy for me to think a wild shifter to be so precise as an accountant. Or I guess, an impulsive wolf like Rory.
This short story is a great start to a series I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy. I want to learn more about these Minders. I want to see if Scott mates with Rory. Who I really want to see more of is Trey. I like Trey. Angus is hot, but he's not really catching my interest yet. I like the man of mystery.
First I like shifter stories. Rory is an intriguing character. He has a confident, alpha exterior but does have hidden doubts. He is the Alpha's son and is never sure if a wolf, male or female, wants him for himself or for his position in the pack. With Scott, Rory has no doubts. Scott doesn't have any knowledge of the pack or Rory's position in it. They both just want to protect the other. A lovely, tender story of their finding each other with a background of danger to Scott. I wish it had been a novel and not a novella as I wanted more background and more of these two characters. An enjoyable read. I want more of these stories.
The main reason I love this ww mm romance above all others (except "Infected" series) is because there is no "Mate, chosen by Fate" nonsense. I really hate the idea that someone else would be choosing your soul-mate. What if he's a complete **** like the evil characters in Langly's "With Caution" and "With Abundance"? The whole idea of "written in stone" is alien to me. Also, world mrs. Skye creates in her several series have some very nice and inventive ideas like the cat shifter's philology, minders exc. It's definitely worth reading. And the sit humor is very well done. :)