Title: Gentleman Wolf
Series: Capital Wolves Duet: Book One
Author: Joanna Chambers
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 216 Pages
Category: Historical, Paranormal/Fantasy
At a Glance: There were some very fine elements of suspense and imagination in this novel as well as several side characters who supported the story in interesting ways. Joanna Chambers leaves readers with a BIG ‘To Be Continued’, and the anticipation of it is rather delicious.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: An elegant werewolf in Edinburgh…
1788. When Lindsay Somerville, the most elegant werewolf in Paris, learns that the man who held him in abject captivity for decades is on his way to France, intent on recapturing him, he knows he must leave the Continent for his own safety. Lindsay cannot take the risk of being recaptured—he may have been free for a century but he can still feel the ghost of his old chains under his fine clothes.
… on a mission…
While he’s in Edinburgh, Lindsay has been tasked with acquiring the “Naismith Papers”, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It should be a straightforward mission—all Lindsay has to do is charm an elderly book collector, Hector Cruikshank. But Cruikshank may not be all he seems, and there are others who want the papers.
… meets his match
As if that were not enough, while tracking down the Naismith Papers, Lindsay meets stubborn architect Drew Nicol. Although the attraction between them is intense, Nicol seems frustratingly determined to resist Lindsay’s advances. Somehow though, Lindsay can’t seem to accept Nicol’s rejection. Is he just moonstruck, or is Nicol bonded to him in ways he doesn’t yet understand?
Review: Anyone who’s read author Joanna Chambers’ Enlightenment series knows full well she’s a deft hand at writing historical romance, so my confidence going into this book was already high. What I wasn’t sure of is how the werewolf aspect would play out, but I needn’t have worried because Chambers handles that with aplomb as well. And that cover? Well, it all came together in a trifecta of goodness in Gentleman Wolf, and now I can’t wait for book two in the series.
The Prologue hits its mark in its intent to draw readers into the story. That’s done quickly and with an urgency that allows us to feel an immediate sense of empathy for Lindsay Somerville, a newly made werewolf who is the prisoner of the vicious Duncan MacCormaic, Lindsay’s sire, a diabolical man who has one goal and one goal only—to see Lindsay suffer—the reason for which is detailed further as the story continues. Everything from the atmosphere of the opening volley to the end of it, when Lindsay is rescued by a pair of strangers, baited the hook and leads to a one-hundred year time leap, to Paris in 1788, where we soon meet not only Lindsay’s saviors, Marguerite and Francis, but are introduced to the plan to see Lindsay back in Scotland and the reason he needs to be there rather than in Paris. Staying put while a madman, who can compel Lindsay to obey all manner of evils, is hunting him is simply not an option.
The introduction of the man who will become Lindsay’s focus of interest, Drew Nicol, plays off the familiar bonding trope, but there is a nice twist to that, which I appreciated. This is not an insta-love story. In fact, Lindsay seems more interested in teasing and seducing his ‘prey’, grateful for the relief of his boredom, than in getting to know and connect with Drew. When he begins to develop an inexplicable desire, bordering on and then growing into an obsession, to see and be near Drew, it only serves to further confuse Lindsay—if not his wolf.
Drew is not at all enticed into becoming Lindsay’s plaything upon their initial meetings, to the point that there is an immediate dismissal of Lindsay as someone Drew has no personal interest in or even regard for. Eventually, however, an undercurrent of reluctant curiosity evolves into a grudging attraction, though Drew does not give in with ease. He is inhibited by propriety and the danger of that attraction, which is appropriate to the time the novel is set. Moreover, I love that Chambers broke some of the rules of the romance genre and gave her readers much to anticipate on the relationship front for the next book, Master Wolf. We’re talking BIG relationship cliffhanger, and the anticipation is delicious.
There were some very fine elements of suspense and imagination in this novel as well as several side characters who supported the story in interesting ways. I grew especially fond of Lindsay’s manservant, Wynne Wildsmith, and hope to see much more of him as the series progresses. One thing I can say with some confidence is that everything promises to get so much worse before it gets better. Much, much worse. There is no end in this novel. What this book is, is a solid To Be Continued, and it leaves a lot to prepare for where Drew’s feelings for Lindsay are involved…as well as for the clear and present threat of danger still looming out there for Lindsay.
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