Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Can love be more than a memory?

 

Three years ago, an attack cost Joel his leg… and his memories. Though he was told a dog he’d befriended savaged him, he has one hazy recollection: the stunning silver eyes of a wolf… or maybe a man. Desperate for the truth, he struggles back into the woods where his life changed in search of his animal friend.

 

When he finds the wolf who has stalked his thoughts, he demands it reveal its true form, and he meets Guy, the man within the wolf. Guy is guarded, but the wolf knows Joel belongs with them, and gradually, Guy can only agree. Things fall into place, but then Joel inadvertently exposes the man and the wolf he’s coming to love.

 

Guy and the wolf are forced to flee, but can Joel follow?

 

Book Review

People see what they want to see, and there are only very few who are able to look for and accept the truth. Joel has been looking for something, maybe sensing something “out there” beyond accepted reality, for a few years, despite the ridicule from his ex-boyfriend and others. His need to explore the forest only gets stronger after he loses his leg. People tell him it was a dog, but he knows he saw a wolf, and the fact that he got bitten doesn’t feel right either. Joel doesn’t give up looking for the wolf (or maybe man) he knows he has seen, and this is the story of what he discovers about the wolf/man as well as himself.

Joel has a lot to deal with: losing his leg, not remembering what happened, and “well-wishing” friends who do nothing but ridicule him while telling him what he is supposed to feel and do. Joel’s ex in particular made me want to lash out with his arrogant way of making Joel feel worthless. But Joel has a quiet strength and tons of determination, and he will not give up. He needs to know what really happened and how the memory flashes he has fit into the “reality” everyone wants him to see. Joel is stubborn, and while he is not one to openly rebel, he doesn’t give up either.

Once Joel finds the wolf and Guy, the discoveries can really begin. I loved how Joel forms a bond with the wolf so easily because their connection is not complicated. Guy is a more difficult partner to convince that they belong together, and the doubts whether Guy would ever get the message – and accept it – kept me in suspense for quite a while. The final twist had me on the edge of my seat and I was seriously afraid that Joel and Guy would never be able to get their happy ending.

This paranormal world is slightly different from what I have seen before, in that Guy and the wolf are totally separate entities. The wolf has a mind of his own, runs purely on instinct, and finds it easy to bond with Joel. Guy is the more rational of the two, but this intelligence stands in the way of building a relationship with Joel. It was interesting to see Joel deal with both sides of the same being – the wild, uninhibited, uncomplicated wolf versus the thinking, worrying, this-can’t-work human. Guy can see consequences of a relationship the wolf doesn’t care about, and Joel has to figure out where he fits into both their lives. Not an easy journey, but one that pulled me in from the start.

If you like shifter stories with a twist, if you are interested in watching a struggle between instinct and rational thinking, and if you’re looking for a compelling read that is thought-provoking and might make you look differently at human nature, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It is a character study, a fascinating story, and a wonderful testament to the power of love.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 200 pages/56244 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	26-June-2018
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/wanting-the-wolfman-by-louise-collins-9698-b