"Baby, I'm Howling For You" by Christine Warren
Title: "Baby, I'm Howling for You"
Author: Christine Warren
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: January 30, 2018
Format & Price When Available: Paperback // $7.99
***This book was provided by NetGalley and St Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review***
"Baby, I'm Howling For You" is a paranormal romance read that many readers will find themselves sucked into at the very start. The female main character, Renny Landry, is a wolf shifter on the run from an obsessive coyote shapeshifter and his local pack. With little to her name and isolated, she runs directly into the property owner of alpha, Mick Fischer, also a wolf shifter. Little do they know, their backgrounds and past have caught up to both of them. Their troubles have intersected with each other in the small hometown of Alpha, Washington, a place for shifters of all kinds to come for safety and seclusion from outside threats. From the moment they lay eyes on each other they find each other irresistible and discover a mate - which is for most wolf shifters, a once in a lifetime experience.
I found myself fascinated with this small hometown of Alpha, Washington and I think Christine Warren did a fantastic job of painting us a detailed picture of the world set in this book which makes it an urban fantasy. I really enjoyed the characters I came to learn more about throughout the book. I really liked both the main characters, especially Renny’s good-natured heart. I loved Mick because he reminded me a lot of Luke from Gilmore Girls. I’m a sucker for a “grumpy and old” natured kind of guy that has a rough exterior but is sweet and kind once you melt the cold impression around him by learning about his past. The book's pace was a decent steady flow, the introduction was fast paced, but the middle of the book I feel was somewhat lacking in plot so it seemed to drag on for a while until the last one to three chapters of the book which seemed to come to a sudden halt due to the climax of the story.
My favorite part of the novel was learning about the background of each character. I absolutely adored the feeling of the small hometown setting. In a lot of ways, this story reminded me of a paranormal romance version of Safe Haven, which in my book is definitely a great thing! I think more books need this close knitted humble neighborhood element to them!
Although I didn't care for the author having the main character mate so quickly and leaving the reader with less suspense in the romance department, I would definitely consider trying one of the author's other books in "The Others" series. Among this series, I found another on her list of books and I would more than likely read "The Gargoyle" series! Anything with gargoyles appeals to me. I grew up watching the animated series “Gargoyles,” but I have yet to read a book series about them so that really piques my interest! The fact that Christine Warren is a New York Times Bestselling Author warrants another chance to find a novel from her artillery that I could find myself giving a 4 or 5-star rating.
I recommend this book and author to anyone who loves the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs or the Stray series by Rachel Vincent which give you a great setting for community and characters you will grow to love!
