Gone with the Wolf by Kristin Miller

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
E-book: 207 pages
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Covet
Release date: April 23, 2013

Series: Seattle Wolf Pack #1

Source: eARC via Netgalley

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon

CEO and alpha werewolf Drake Wilder has given up the search for his one true love. When he discovers that she’s a secretary in his company, Drake’s primal instincts kick into overdrive.

What he wouldn’t give to have her fingers rake over his body instead of the keyboard…

Free-spirited bartender Emelia Hudson wants nothing more than to make her Seattle-based bar succeed. But when profits decline, she slips into a dress suit and secures a nine-to-five. After learning that her bar has become property of Wilder Financial, Emelia is determined to get some answers.

Two can play the ruthless business game. If only her attraction to the boss wasn’t so intense…

When Drake’s twin brother senses that Drake has found his match—and now inherits their father’s billion dollar estate—he hatches a plan to take Emelia out. Drake vows to protect her at all costs, but he might have to pay with his own life.

GONE WITH THE WOLF has been making the rounds on the blogosphere lately so I had to give it a try, especially after all of the good things I heard. This novel is a lot of fun but the romance didn't resonate for me as much as I had hoped it would.

Let's start with what I liked. Emelia is a great heroine. She's feisty and determined and independent, all traits I love in a clear character. And she's just a regular old human who gets dragged into the werewolf world when she goes after the mysterious CEO of Wilder Financial to try to get her bar back after Wilder Financial bought the building out from under her. She meets cute with Drake at a company party, not realizing that he's the man she needs to talk to, and their chemistry just leaps off the page. It took me a little while longer to warm up to Drake because I felt he was a little cocky and autocratic but I was definitely won over as the novel progressed. His personal history is nicely complicated, and it added a lot of excitement in the latter part of the novel. I also really liked the way Emelia wasn't afraid to stand up to Drake in all of his alphaness, but not too stubborn to understand her vulnerabilities as a human in this world. Despite this, I didn't feel emotionally connected to these characters the whole time, which was a bit of a disappointment.

The werewolf society that Miller has created is also pretty interesting. I liked the way we learned about it gradually, as Emelia learns more and more about this secret world she finds herself in. I hope that we'll get to see more of this universe in future novels, since Goodreads tells me that this is the first book in a series. I like what I've seen so far but there's still a lot to be explored.

My final point is a small quibble. This cover really doesn't match my mental pictures of Drake and Emie. It's not such a big deal because covers are rarely exact matches for what's going on in my brain but this seems really off to me. Emelia looks really petulant and Drake looks really young. I realize that authors don't a say in their covers but I feel like this cover lets the novel down.

Although GONE WITH THE WOLF didn't completely win me over, I did generally enjoy it. I'd suggest reading the excerpt linked below and decide for yourself. There's some good stuff in this novel, even if the execution wasn't perfect for me.

Read an excerpt (scroll down)

Posted by jenn at 07:01

 Entangled, Kristin Miller, Review, werewolf  1 Person left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.