Author: R. Cooper
Narrator: Robert Nieman
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 7 hours and 43 minutes
At a Glance: This is a sweetly romantic, but also a sexy, love story, between two very different people who get a second chance.
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: Zeki Janowitz has returned to his hometown of Wolf’s Paw to start his wizarding career. Unfortunately, Wolf’s Paw, a werewolf refuge, follows centuries of tradition and shuns human magic and a very human Zeki. He knows he’s in for a struggle, but a part of him has always belonged in the mountain town, or rather belonged to Theo Greenleaf. Years away at school haven’t lessened Zeki’s crush on the quiet werewolf. When town gossip informs him Theo still suffers from his mate’s rejection and does not date, it does little to ease Zeki’s embarrassing feelings. He decides now’s the time to get the man he’s always wanted.
Werewolves usually don’t recover from losing their mates, and Theo barely pulled through by focusing on his love of baking. It’s a daily struggle, and Zeki’s return to Wolf’s Paw shatters his peace. Theo doesn’t know what to think when Zeki attempts to woo him, talking about his wizarding business and settling in town for good. It’s like Zeki doesn’t have a clue how his words years before left Theo a shell of a werewolf.
Beginners in love, Theo and Zeki must seduce each other with a bit of heavenly baking and magic.
Review: While this is the third book in this series, it can easily be read as a standalone. In fact, I’ve been pretty much reading this series backwards and have enjoyed each story on its own.
Zeki Janowitz left his awkward and embarrassing adolescence behind and moved away from Wolf’s Paw to go to college and study magic, as he’s a wizard. Werewolves aren’t too keen on human magic, and apparently, they aren’t too keen on Zeki either. Zeki’s dad has remained in Wolf’s Paw and so when Zeki returns after finishing his education, he moves in with his dad and tries to decide what’s next in his life.
Theo Greenleaf, the object of Zeki’s lifelong crush/obsession, is now a firefighter and baker in Wolf’s Paw. When Zeki first tries Theo’s baking, he can literally taste the emotions that Theo pours into his hobby. He’s stunned because he’s heard that Theo hasn’t recovered from being rejected by his mate years before. Theo is also the object of desire of many as the perfect specimen fireman. However, Theo has also taken some unnecessary risks in the past that need to be addressed.
When Zeki first talks to Theo, he isn’t even sure that Theo recognizes him, as it’s the first time they’ve interacted since high school—which was no picnic for Zeki. He was always picked on, teased and bullied, particularly about his crush on Theo. He and Theo never talked in school except for one disastrously bad conversation on the worst and most humiliating day of Zeki’s life. When Zeki finds out and can feel Theo’s desire to be loved, he decides that it’s time he go for it with Theo.
Of course, there is lots that Zeki doesn’t know and takes forever to put together. This seems quite typical of the young beings in Wolf’s Paw. :) When Zeki decides to try to make a go of his wizarding business in town, and he does some work for the fire department, and particularly Theo—to keep him safe—he decides to also try to make a go of finally getting what he wants. And that is Theo Greenleaf.
No surprise that I am a big fan of this author and this series. There is always something new to discover in this world. As are many of these stories, this is definitely a very slow burn romance with a lot of sexual tension. Both Zeki and Theo are sometimes naïve, and they seem to move one step forward, two steps back at times. But, I loved the way they dealt with each other, their families and the townspeople. This is a sweetly romantic, but also a sexy love story, between two very different people who get a second chance, and Robert Neiman seems to be the perfect narrator for this series. I really love his pacing and his voice characterizations. Highly recommended, particularly for fans of this series.
You can buy A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate here:
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