Book 128, 2023
Wolf Trap by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I only had two chapters left in my work book, so I brought it home on Friday and finished it. The book was Wolf Trap by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, and it's part of Silhouette's "Nocturne" line. It also appeared to be part of the "Wolf Moons" series. The book included a bonus short story: "Wolf Bait".
Dr Parker Madison fears he's losing his mind. For several months now, the full moon has called forth a beast within him, a werewolf. Desperate to find out if he's a lone anomaly, he is drawn to the estate of wealthy Judge Landau. There, Parker hopes to find answers to his questions. Instead, he finds a young woman who's been brutally beaten and mauled. Parker turns his back on his quest to take the woman to the hospital where he works in hopes they can save her life. He feels compelled to keep vigil at her bedside, feeling inexplicably drawn to her.
During brief periods of consciousness, Chloe Tyler is aware of only two things: unrelenting pain, and the steadying presence of the man who carried her to the hospital. She wants to tell him what happened, but even Chloe is unsure just what has become of her and how her life is now changed.
Oh, boy. This was marketed as paranormal romance. Spoiler alert, it was not. It was certainly paranormal, but there was nothing remotely romantic about it. I don't consider insta-lust or imprinting to be romantic. Plus, the main characters didn't actually "meet" until the penultimate chapter of the book. Of course, Parker found Chloe and took her to the hospital and stood guard, but she was unconscious throughout. This was virtually the entire book! It was mind boggling and frustrating to read. Even more frustrating was the bonus short story. Do you expect a bonus short story to be at the end of the book? So do I! Consider me astonished, therefore, that the bonus story was at the beginning. I was completely confused. I kept wondering when Parker and Chloe were going to put in an appearance, as I was reading about Jenna and Matt. When I figured it out, I was Not Happy. I don't always choose to read bonus content, but I felt like I was tricked into it. The bonus "Wolf Bait" was just as frustrating as the main story. Dr Jenna James had a crazed female patient in her psychiatric hospital, and Detective Matt Wilson (a former doctor himself) was there to consult. The author made it seem that Matt suspected the woman was a werewolf, transitioning for the first time, while making it out that Jenna was clueless. Spoiler alert, Jenna is a damned werewolf herself! Also, one could infer that Chloe was the woman in the ward, but it's never made clear.
Favorite line: What self-respecting werewolf would hang around that?
This book (both stories) basically annoyed me from start to finish. I am disappointed and irked by it. Two stars. I would have given it one, but the writing was good.