Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper

You know you're reading a Molly Harper book when the main characters are stuck in a crazy, life threatening situation but the author still manages to make you laugh. Molly Harper has this wonderful recipe for paranormal romance novels and it's infallible. I've never been disappointed by one of her books, probably because I understand her type of humour. Her characters are relatable, despite their peculiarities and you can't help but get attached to them. Where the Wild Things Bite, despite being short, is a wonderful addition to the Half-Moon Hollow series.

Anna, a rare book expert on the paranormal, is on a mission to return a valuable book to none other than Jane Jameson, after having appraised it, and confirmed it as an authentic and important document in the history of shifters. However, things go wrong as soon as she enters the plane that is supposed to bring her to Half-Moon Hollow. The pilot is deranged and threatens to kill her with a knife if she doesn't hand over the book, and when that fails, he tampers with the plane and crashes it in the middle of Kentucky lakeland. Anna would have crashed and died in it if it wasn't for Finn, the only other passenger of the plane. Anna accuses him of throwing her out of the moving plane but Finn guarantees her that he jumped, cradling her in his arms.

Together, they're lost in the woods, with no supplies and no sign of civilization. Only an old, but valuable book. So valuable that people are willing to kill for it. Anna, a germaphobic and very anxious person, quickly learns to survive in the woods. With shifters after her, she relies on Finn, who happens to be a vampire, to find her way through the woods. However, smart as she is, she soon realizes that Finn has somewhat questionable reasons for helping her. A liar, a thief and a con man, Finn tries to convince skeptical Anna that he really wants to help her, despite his previous motives.

Anna is a wonderful and realistic character, despite her neuroses. Her tendencies to learn every survival statistics and her obsession in reading survival guides to everything, helps her survive the Kentucky woods. Finn might be a liar and deceitful but I think he really wants to help Anna. I don't know exactly when he started to like her, but their close proximity leads up to steamy scenes. They're the most unlikely couple, but I think that's what so charming about the pair.

I really wish we could have gotten more out of Anna and Finn's story. Their trek through the woods was hilarious and entertaining, but what happened after the woods just went by so quickly. I'm glad Jane and the Half-Moon Hollow gang made an appearance but they didn't have much to do with the story. In a way, that made Anna and Finn the focus of the story. A delightful read, Where the Wild Things Bite is a must read for Jane Jameson fans.

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by Tynga at Monday, September 05, 2016

 Half Moon Hollow, Library, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Shifters, Simon amp; Schuster, Vampire, werewolves  Leave your mark

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The Single Undead Moms Club by Molly Harper

It's no secret that I absolutely adore everything Molly Harper writes. It probably has a lot to do with her creative wit and her inherent geekiness. There's also the fact that most her her heroines are just your average Jane (mostly--if you ignore the supernatural elements). However, I think what truly captivates readers are the fun and romantic stories that she delivers time and time again.

The heroines Molly Harper creates are always easy to associate with. Despite the fact that I have very little in common with this book's heroine, Libby, I still feel for her as she transitions into a vampire. Unlike her, I might not have in-law problems, child custody problems, PTA problems or blood issues, however, they are realistic enough that I can't help but root for her as she discovers her new self. Libby is a strong woman that has made the ultimate and final choice in order to stay alive and raise her son. It can't be easy suffering from cancer and knowing that you'll leave your son an orphan in just a few short months. I want to say, in her position, I probably would have done the same thing. I'm selfish enough that I would want to survive and not die so young because of bad genetics.

Wade was a nice surprise. He's definitely not the kind of guy you would expect a good PTA single mom to end up with. A Harley riding man full of tattoos isn't the kind of guy anyone expects to end up with. However since his and Libby's son form an inseparable childhood bond, they are forced to be civil, despite their bad initial meeting. I really like the fact that Libby takes it slowly and Wade respects her wishes without having to discuss it. Everything Libby does is in her son's best interest but at some point, I think she realizes she has to live for herself too.

It wouldn't be a real Molly Harper story without someone trying to kill the female lead. And I'm not talking about the racist/vampire hating PTA president who's out to socially destroy Libby. It isn't clear why a man dressed in a black ski mask is trying to kill her, but new vampire luck seems to be on her side every time she encounters her attacker. Luck, and the fact that her more or less absent sire is keeping tabs on her and secretly watching over her.

In the Half Moon Hollow world, vampires have "come out the the coffin" years ago, yet vampires still face prejudice and countless hate crimes. I think one of the books messages is that everyone should be given a chance, and you shouldn't hate someone because of who or what they are. In today's society, we might not be facing vampires, but we will be experiencing an influx of Syrian refugees. We can't judge these people because of their heritage or their religion, simply because it's different from our own. We have to respect them and try to be as accommodating as possible. We can't use fear as motive for hate because that would revert human society back centuries. (And don't twist my words as I compare vampires to refugees! I'm just saying their situations are similar.) Here in Canada, the government has done much to help the new refugees. In the USA, I just hope that when it comes to electing party candidates and a president, Americans will not let fear and hate guide their choices.

Fans of Molly Harper will love this book. Or fans of paranormal romance, for that matter. I've come to expect certain things from Harper yet she always surprises me with new stories and ideas. Libby and Wade make a great couple despite the fact that they're not your typical paranormal romance pair. The PTA and school activities might be new territory for Miss Harper, but her writing is still the same: fun, snarky and outrageous!

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by Tynga at Monday, December 14, 2015

 Chick Lit, Half Moon Hollow, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Purchased, Review, Simon amp; Schuster, Vampire  1 Person left their mark

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The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper

Honestly, Molly Harper can do no wrong when it comes to writing paranormal romance fiction. She literally has me laughing out loud while reading her paranormal romance books. Combining snarky, remarkable and witty female characters with supernatural hot men is always entertaining, but somehow, Molly Harper is a genius when it comes to humor in paranormal romance. The funny banter and the hilarious situations is what keeps me coming back to this series or her books in general.

Realistically, the plot of The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire isn't all that extravagant, nor is it very detailed, but it does serve the purpose of advancing the story between Gigi and Nik. Gigi has landed the greatest summer job for a computer science undergrad and she's actually looking forward to working for the Vampire Council. However, she never expected to meet up with her mysterious vampire who kissed her and enthralled her during her last Christmas break. She was hurt when her mystery man left her after giving her the earth shattering kiss, without even saying a word. Now, what hurts even more is when Gigi and the mysterious man cross paths again, and he doesn't remember a thing about their heated kiss. Nik feels bad about his selective amnesia, but over time he starts to realize every thought in his mind about Gigi is muddled. Despite the mutual attraction, Nik can't stop trying to kill Gigi (involuntarily), and then forgetting about the attacks, almost as if he's being controlled by magic or something supernatural.

Amnesiacs are always fun to read because you never know how things will turn out. Reading about Gigi and Nik definitely was fun even though their relationship wasn't very believable. It felt too much like love at first sight. Gigi's older sister and brother-in-law forbid Gigi from seeing the centuries old vampire, but obviously forbidden love trumps over murderous fugue states from your vampire boyfriend. More scenes and more development between Gigi and Nik would have been fun and desirable.

The nerd in me is thrilled that Molly included so many pop culture references. Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, and Dr. Who references (and many more) were mentioned. Oddly enough, the references were not just thrown into the text for the heck of it. No, they were actually in context and they added an interesting layer to Gigi's character.

A light and fun supernatural read, this book is a definite read for any Molly Harper fans. It may not be the best book in the series, but it's a definite must if you want to read more about the comings and goings of the beloved vampires of the little town called Half-Moon Hollow. I'm glad the original Half-Moon Hollow vampire couple Jane and Gabriel were present, despite their brief appearances, because I really missed reading about their craziness. Gigi and Nik are a great addition to the gang, but I felt their story was a little bit too short, a little rushed for my tastes. I really hope Molly Harper has more vampire or werewolves stories to write because this girl needs her paranormal/pop culture fixes.

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by Tynga at Monday, April 06, 2015

 Half Moon Hollow, Magic, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Purchased, Review, Shapeshifter, Simon amp; Schuster, Simon Schuster, Vampire, Witch  2 People left their mark

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How To Run With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

When it comes to Molly Harper books, you're always guaranteed at least a few laughs. HOW TO RUN WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF is no exception. Her books can always get me out of a reading funk because while they aren't necessarily great literature, they're fun and easy to read. I completely forgot that she was writing another book in her Naked Werewolf series, but I'm really glad I finally picked it up since it might just be my favorite out of the series.

In the first few pages, we are introduced to the main character "Anna Moder" but we don't really know her real name until well into the book. Anna is on the run, jumping around from city to city to avoid her abusive husband. Her case is the type where the law has a really hard time protecting abused women so she takes matters into her own hands and restarts her life with fake identities whenever her husband gets close to finding her. As a computer tech, her husband is very resourceful so she never feels completely safe, even on the run.

In comes Caleb Graham, an unlicensed private investigator/bounty hunter. She witnesses him being shot by one of his targets and her old car get blown up in the process. As a trained medical doctor, her first reflex is to help him and get him to a hospital. Despite him being a stranger, she lugs Graham into his truck, gets behind the wheel and drives towards the closest hospital near the remote Alaskan town they were in. Delirious, Graham refuses to go to the hospital so they end up in a motel room where she treats his already healing gunshot wound. Obviously, this situation isn't very realistic but it's a great setting for laugh out loud moments. Especially since Anna obviously knows that he's a werewolf, but Graham doesn't know she knows, and never admits it.

Anna and Graham find themselves on the road together, travelling the picturesque Alaskan roads, working his bounty hunting jobs together and getting to know one another in the process. Steamy motel room situations, stripper bar fights and awkward fugitive apprehensions are a few of the awesome situations Anna and Graham find themselves in. The longer they're together the closer they get. It's obvious their interest for one another becomes stronger, and their bed sharing turns into a lot more than just bed sharing.

For a chick lit, Holly Harper was still able to incorporate darker themes like marital abuse and stalking. For entertainment purposes, situations were obviously exaggerated but I applaud Molly Harper for taking a chance with this novel. The fact that she writes books with amazing and strong female leads, only emphasizes how resilient and capable women can be. The expected happy ending enforces the fact that abuse situations can take a turn for the better with encouragement and a strong support group. The story gravitates around Anna and Graham but it wouldn't be possible without the cast of great secondary characters. The novel is well rounded, an absolute page turner and definitely up there on my list of awesome chick lit.

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by Tynga at Sunday, October 12, 2014

 Chick Lit, Library, Molly Harper, Naked Werewolf, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Simon amp; Schuster, Simon Schuster, werewolf  2 People left their mark

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The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires by Molly Harper

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Molly Harper’s writing style. The humor and sarcasm is right on par with mine and her characters are so easy to like. THE CARE AND FEEDING OF STRAY VAMPIRES is no exception to that, even if I have been reading this series out of order. While there was nothing extra special about this book compared to Harper’s other ones, I really enjoyed reading this one is particular. Probably because her characters felt authentic and the interactions between them were so amusing.

In my opinion, Iris and Cal are a great addition to the cast of Half-Moon Hollow, the little Kentucky town were many of Harper’s books are based. For such a small town, it has a tendency to attract a lot of supernatural events. In this case, Cal is drawn to the town because of the uncharacteristically harsh vampire killing happening all over the country. Apparently some vampires are being poisoned by drinking bad batches of synthetic blood, which is making them go more or less crazy and kill whoever’s near them. And Half-Moon Hollow is the place to investigate because it’s the location of the first dramatic kill. Cal is hired to investigate what’s going on and he unwittingly becomes a target for poisoning himself. He ends up getting really sick and passing out on his kitchen floor after drinking blood from a town welcoming basket. Iris, the main character of the story, literally stumbles upon him as she’s dropping off a client contract for Cal to sign. As a “personal errand girl” for vampires and vampire needs, she usually does a lot of things for her clients but cleaning them up and caring for them (especially feeding them straight from the source) is not in her job description.

It goes against Iris’s southern upbringing to simply leave this vampire out in the sun and when he asks her to help him by lodging him in her house, she can’t refuse. The huge amount of money he offers kind of seals the deal… Laying low in her house and hiding from the vampire community while he recuperates is his goal but as he gets better, the investigation into the killings and his poisoning becomes a priority. When you have a very good looking vampire and a young woman living together, you can expect sparks to fly, especially when you’re reading a paranormal romance. Cal and Iris have a lot of chemistry and although their relationship is an odd one, it’s really fun to read the scenes with their hilarious banter. The sex scenes are just an added bonus.

Personally, I think what makes this book different from the author’s other books is the relationship between Iris and her younger sister Gigi. Orphaned as a teen, Gigi had to turn to her older sister for guidance and parenting. While their relationship isn’t a typical one, I think even if Iris plays the role of single parent, they’re sisters first and their relationship is one that anybody would wish to have with a sibling.

Southern charm, hilarious moments, and great characters are what I’ve come to expect from Molly Harper and she really delivers with this book. If you’re in the mood for a good laugh and a straight forward story, this is one to pick up. One of my guilty pleasures is a good chick-lit book and Harper has a knack for adding paranormal elements to chick-lit stories. As the first of a spin-off series, this is definitely a book you can dive into if you haven’t read any of Harper’s other books.

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by Tynga at Sunday, February 23, 2014

 Adult, Half Moon Hollow, Library, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Poison, Review, Simon amp; Schuster, Simon Schuster, vampires  1 Person left their mark

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A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

In my opinion, there's no one who can do better paranormal comedy than Molly Harper. Her characters are always quirky, the hilarious situations are really fun to read, and the sarcasm is on par with some of the best rom-com out there. However, I think what makes this book work is, despite all the good bits, the paranormal story is still there to hold the book together.

Nola Leary is new to Half-Moon Hollow, the setting of many Molly Harper novels. She's only there as temporary resident, on a "quest" to find four magical artifacts that will save her family's magic. Ever since her grandmother passed away a little while back, she has felt responsible for her family and her family's well being. In theory, the search shouldn't be too hard because the artifacts should all be in her long lost grandfather's book shop. However, since he has passed away too and his organization skills were never great (awful, actually) things turn out to be a little harder than she expected. When she meets the new bookstore owner Jane Jameson, she welcomes any help she can get, so reveals her quest to her new vampire friend. Nola is the type of character that I love to read about. She makes almost every situation hilarious and if she would be an actual person in real life, it would be awesome to have her as a friend. It might be exhausting at time, but her sincerity and liveliness would definitely be worth it.

Obviously, this book wouldn't be complete without a hot and likeable guy. Jed Trudeau just happens to be Nola's next door neighbour and despite his extreme hotness, he's actually a very nice guy. His and Nola's humour are on the same page so their banter is definitely interesting and witty. Nola doesn't reveal her quest to Jed when she first meets him and she isn't very truthful about where she's from either. Jed has his own secrets too and there's an air of mystery that follows him around most of the book. Jed and Nola make a great pair and even if she feels guilty for cheating on her boyfriend with Jed, deep down I think she truly feels like her relationship with Stephen has never been very authentic in the first place.

As always, the Half-Moon Hollow residents make great secondary characters. Their eccentricities are what you expect to see in small town characters but Molly Harper is able to add her own little flair to them. What's great about this novel is you don't need to read any of her other books to understand this one. This is theoretically the second full length book of the series, which is actually a spin off to another one, and many of the characters from the previous novels are featured in this one. If you've read the other books, it's actually nice to meet the characters again to see how their happily ever after is working out for them, but it's really not necessary to know their back story in order to under Nola and Jed's.

I always highly anticipate Molly Harper's novels but for some reason, I've been a really bad fan and I haven't been keeping up. What thrills me is that a new book from her werewolf series is due out soon so I'm really looking forward to that since it's always been my favourite series of hers. If paranormal comedy is for you, I really recommend Harper's since it will make you laugh out loud and entertain you to the very end. It's as if this sub-genre was created for her since her wittiness was made to go with this type of paranormal romance. That being said, A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses is a definite success and I highly recommend it.

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by Tynga at Sunday, January 12, 2014

 Half Moon Hollow, Library, Magic, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Romance, shapeshifters, Simon amp; Schuster, vampires, witches  2 People left their mark

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PSC: Guest post and giveaway by Molly Harper

Our guest today is Molly Harper, author of the "Nice Girls" series starring Jane Jameson and its new spinoff novels, which include Molly's latest, THE CARE AND FEEDING OF STRAY VAMPIRES. This book was just released on July 31 so it's fresh off the presses. =)

Molly is sharing some of her personal camp stories with us today. Enjoy!

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At summer camp, I learned the value of subtlety.

I’m not saying I use it a lot. I just know it’s valuable.

I attended a youth camp here in Kentucky as a camper, teen counselor and adult volunteer. I had no choice. My whole family was deeply enmeshed in the camp program. My brother served as a teen counselor. My sister was on staff and eventually served as camp director. My mom was the “dean of women,” meaning she was in charge of disciplinary issues for the girls’ side of the camp. Seriously, try sneaking over to the boys side of camp to see your boyfriend when your MOM is the one running night-time patrols. Yes, my then-boyfriend, now-husband, David, was a teen counselor, too, and eventually joined the staff as the “emergency medical technician.” So I was a camp legacy, whether I wanted to be, or not.

I had the full range of exotic and horrifying outdoor experiences intended to build my character. We had canoeing and campfires and crafts. There was a lake (fully stocked with snapping turtles) that could only be accessed by a path set at a 45-degree downhill angle. The official camp program was carefully planned and the staff did their best to keep us in line. The problem was, well, everybody else.

We had the pranksters. The TP-ers. The sugar/salt swappers. The toilet Saran Wrapp-ers. The guy who filled the staff cabins with bait crickets. (OK, that one was a little funny – except for the part where it made the staff miserable – and it did influence an event in one of my books, years later.)

And then there were the story-tellers. There are certain spooky stories that simply must told at any summer camp or the camp will be closed by whatever government branch oversees Terrifying Formative Experiences. It’s the same set of stories at every camp. There’s the story about the camper who drowned in the requisite camp lake and now wanders the campground, searching for another camper to join him/her in the murky depths. And the story about the escaped patient from the mental hospital, that always seems to be placed conveniently within fifty miles of any summer camp, who sneaks on to the campground and slaughters entire cabins full of campers at a time. And of course, the “Golden Arm” story that caps any campfire session. It’s a little bit like that “bald-headed bear” scene from The Great Outdoors. The trusted authority figure tells the kids the story of a dead man searching for his expensive prosthesis, asking “Who has my golden arm?” The point is to build the tension, describing the dead man as he searches the camp, getting closer and closer to the cabin, asking who has the golden arm over and over, until you scream, “YOU DO!” at the campers so loudly that at least one of them wets their pants.

None of these tales are particularly subtle. And while the stories did scare me as a camper, leaving me huddled in my bunk, sleeping bag stretched over my head, bladder miserably full because I was too scared to walk the twenty or so fee to the outdoor bathrooms, I was pretty jaded by the time I was a teen. Sure, the camp was in the middle of nowhere. And the light of the outdoor security lamps cast everything in an eerie green light. And the crickets would suddenly stop chirping all together for a few seconds, making you wonder what was walking by your cabin and how close they were to your door. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I was practically an adult and I was in charge of a group of little kids. I couldn’t be scared to take them to the bathroom at night!

And then, when I was 15 or 16, I met the new staffer. Let’s call him Shawn. Shawn had a “different” sense of humor. He had a set of dark blue overalls that he’d ripped up to the point that they looked like Jason Vorhees’ Sunday best. His goal in life was to don these overalls and a hockey mask and scare the ever-loving hell out of his co-workers. I was helping him clean up the sing-a-long area one afternoon and heard someone mention his prank goals. I scoffed at him and said, “What are you going to do, chase the poor lifeguards around the pool, swinging a chainsaw?”

Shawn was all puckish humor until I laughed. All traces of the funny, quirky guy I’d come to know over the past week drained away from his face and he said, “No, if I wanted to scare someone, I wouldn’t chase them. I’d put on the overalls, wait until it’s dark and they’re all alone, walking back to their cabin, and then I would just walk out into their path and stand there. Waiting. How much scarier is it for someone to just stand there, staring at you? You don’t know what they’re going to do or if they’re going to come after you. The anticipation would be so much worse than running at them.”

I think my jaw dropped at this point and I made an embarrassing little squeaking noise.

Shawn continued. “And if I REALLY wanted to scary somebody, I’d just stand outside their window, in the dark, in the full hockey mask outfit, staring at them until they realized I was there and then screamed their heads off.”

He saw the expression of absolute horror on my face and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. I poked my finger into his chest and growled, “If I see you outside my window, I don’t care if you have an actual chainsaw, I will destroy you and everything you ever loved… or I will get my mom to do it.”

That was actually a credible threat. Most people at the camp were terrified of my mom.

That night, I got back to my cabin to help the adult counselor do the kids’ lights-out routine and realized, my bunk bed was right next to the window. And by that, I mean, I was sleeping in the top bunk by the front door, and the head of my bed was about four inches away from the window pane. And of course, the cabin wasn’t air-conditioned, so the kids wanted to sleep with the window open.

It was a looooooooong night.

I spent the entire night, scrunched as far away from the window as I could get. I was afraid to face the window because I didn’t want to wake up and find Shawn’s hockey mask staring at me, but even more afraid to turn my back to the window because I didn’t want him to sneak up on me. Every time I let myself relax enough to close my eyes, a twig would snap outside and I would practically bolt up in bed. I never did reach the REM cycle that night.

Of course, Shawn never actually pulled his prank on me, probably because he was afraid of being fired when the entire county was raised by my screaming. But just the possibility of his terrorizing me was enough to seriously mess with my head.

I am now working on a book about a haunted house and Shawn’s lessons have been very valuable. Shawn, brilliant weirdo that he was, taught me the value of an implied threat, of anticipation and suspense, and how scary a freaking window can be. I am trying to use all of these elements to create something a bit more frightening than my usual "snarky and sassy" work.

But if I ever look out of a window and see a hockey mask, I am so telling my mom.

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More about THE CARE AND FEEDING OF STRAY VAMPIRES:

“The thing to remember about a ‘stray’ vampire is that there is probably a good reason he is friendless, alone, and wounded. Approach with caution.”

Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow's only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she'd like. Running all their daylight errands--from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg--gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business, not friendship--and certainly not anything else. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help.

Cal - who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way - offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead. Even though he's imperious, unfriendly and doesn't seem to understand the difference between "employee" and "servant," Iris agrees, and finds herself breaking more and more of her own rules to help him - particularly those concerning nudity. Turns out what her quiet little life needed was some intrigue & romance--in the form of her very own stray vampire.

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The "Nice Girls" series + spinoff:

The "Naked Werewolf" Series:

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To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

US only

Ends Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
(like all of our Paranormal Summer Camp giveaways)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Molly Harper worked for six years as a reporter and humor columnist for The Paducah Sun. Her reporting duties included covering courts, school board meetings, quilt shows, and once, the arrest of a Florida man who faked his suicide by shark attack and spent the next few months tossing pies at a local pizzeria. Molly lives in western Kentucky with her family.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

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by jenn at Thursday, August 09, 2012

 giveaway, Guest Post, Molly Harper, Paranormal Summer Camp, Simon Schuster  34 People left their mark

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Daring You To Read… How To Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

You’ve already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought!
You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know!
Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

Just knowing, at some point during the book, there would be a naked guy with a bear trap stuck to his leg, outside the protagonist’s house, I knew had the grab this book off the shelf. HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF is full of hilarious moments and great dialogue. Actually, this was my first Molly Harper book and ever since then, I can’t get enough of her quirky and fun humor. Also, it’s the first book of her Naked Werewolf series, and the only bad thing I have to say about this series is that it totals only two book (hopefully, just for now). Molly Harper is better known for her Nice Girls series but personally, since I have a soft spot for rugged werewolves, the Naked Werewolf series is my favorite.

Mo, the protagonist of HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF, isn’t your run of the mill woman. Annoyed by her hippy parents, she decided to move as far away possible, and Grundy, Alaska just happened to have a vacant house. Little did she know she would be trading hippies for werewolves. As a southerner, Mo knew Alaskan living would be very different from her previous life, but she really didn’t expect to find a naked guy outside her home. Naked guys isn’t the only surprise she gets. Love and werewolf attacks are new things Mo has to deal with, and obviously, dating a werewolf doesn’t really come with a handbook.

I can’t stress enough how much fun this book is. It’s almost as if Molly Harper’s writing is tailor-made for my sarcastic humor. One book won’t be enough to satisfy your need for laughter, so I not only dare you the read HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF, but dare you to read every Molly Harper book!

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . .

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The sequel

Will you take the dare?

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by Unknown at Thursday, July 12, 2012

 Daring You to Read, Molly Harper, Simon Schuster, werewolf  8 People left their mark

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Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Book Stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Mass Market Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books)
Release date: February 28, 2012

Series: Jane Jameson #4

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of all things marital, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend Gabriel are coming along smoothly. But the road to wedded bliss gets bumpy when a teenage acquaintance is fatally wounded in front of Jane’s shop and she turns him to save his life. The Council pronounces Jane responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

Jane’s kitchen at River Oaks barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen’s appetite and maintain Gabriel’s jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighborhood isn’t enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane’s newly deceased Grandma Ruthie has declared a war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly, choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake that she can’t eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.

Tensions inside the house are growing…and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel’s heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that at this rate, she’ll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of…

Jane Jameson is back! And when Jane is around, you’re guaranteed laughs and hilarities. In the three previous books of the series, we saw Jane go through a multitude of unfortunate mishaps and conflicts without realizing she was getting into them. Now, she believes her “unlife” is back on track. Even if she’s not working as a librarian anymore, she seems to be satisfied with everything. She’s engaged to a wonderful vampire (p.s. I loved how he proposed!), this same vampire has finally moved in, and her little book store is now financially in the black. Hell, she’s even getting along with her sister…

But around this newish vampire, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. First, her milk delivery boy is hit by a car and she’s forced to turn him into a vampire. Then she’s ordered to “raise” this new childe of hers in her home. Her grandmother is literally haunting her house and destroying things that are important to Jane. And on top of that, someone is trying to kill her fiancé, Gabriel. Or maybe trying to kill Jane. Things aren’t very clear on that at first, since well, nothing is ever clear when it comes to Jane. That’s what so wonderful about Jane. She gets into all kinds of trouble and still, you don’t know why all these things are happening to her until the very last minute.

I love the Jane character, probably because I have the same snarky and intellectual sense of humour she has. Obviously, as an ex-librarian, she’s full of facts and book knowledge and she incorporates that in her jokes and sarcastic comments. When I first met her in book one, she was at a low point in her life, but now, even though vampirism hasn’t gotten rid of her clumsiness, she’s living the life that she wants and she’s happy. Even if someone is trying to kill her fiancé. Or her. I think that’s pretty admirable because even if her life isn’t perfect, all that matters to her is that she’s happy.

I’m glad to see many of the secondary characters come back in this fourth book. Since Jane lives in a southern town, we are more or less guaranteed a flock of unique and quirky characters. We have the annoying mother that needs to know and plan every detail of the wedding. We have the sleazy and black market dealing vampire that’s bound to know someone that knows someone who can help you with your problems, for a certain amount of money of course. And of course we also have the hick redneck  blowing stuff up and trying to kill one of the main characters. All these characters are awesome and you wouldn’t have a real southern comedy without them.

If this series were to become a movie, it would be labeled a “vampiric” comedy. It’s full of funny moments and hilarious situations. It’s a nice and light chick lit with a supernatural twist. I love Molly Harper’s writing since it’s so easy to read and follow the plot. This is not my favorite book of hers but I’m glad she finished it with a happy ending. Apparently, this is the last of the Jane Jameson books but Molly Harper will keep on writing about the vampires of Half Moon Hollow. Her next book, The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, is a spinoff that features a human concierge that caters to vampires. I’m anxiously waiting for its release in July 2012. A novella of this spinoff called Driving Mr. Dead, is already available. You can check out my mini review here.

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by Unknown at Sunday, May 06, 2012

 Molly Harper, Review, Simon Schuster, Vampire, werewolf  17 People left their mark

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