Alpha Wolf

Little did Dr. Melanie Harding know when she took over the veterinarian clinic in rural Maryland that the citizens took the werewolf legends to heart. She knew how serious when her first emergency was to remove a silver bullet from an ordinary dog. The dog's owner hunky Major Drew Connell, a member of the Alpha Force, was stationed close to the clinic. The attraction between them is immediate, but Drew tries to keep his distance since not the entire werewolf tales are false. The closer Melanie comes to the truth and to Drew, the closer to danger she is. She isn't the only one in danger. Someone with a personal agenda has it out for Drew as well and it might not be who you think.

I tend to be a bit ambivalent about werewolf romances; I love the creatures, but lately it seems that the genre needs a little fresh meat to give it a boost. But this book supplies that in spades. When Dr. Melanie Harding treats an injured Army K9 escaped from a local military base in rural Maryland, she comes face to face with the dog's handler, Major Drew Connell. Almost as soon as she's metaphorically swept off her feet by this alpha male, she is swept up into a mystery surrounding the town and its local werewolf legends, and she is soon admitted into the base's equally mysterious Alpha Force project. But soon she and Drew are threatened by a mysterious stalker who seems connected with a recent spate of werewolf-like attacks, and they must gain each other's trust in order to get to the bottom of what is going on... The romantic angle is wonderfully understated, and the love scenes are refreshingly less explicit than is customary in the Nocturne line, but this actually makes the sexual tension between the protagonists that much more tantalizing and erotic. It's definitely a case of "less is more", and it's fascinating to watch this alpha male and female get a good read on each other before they choose to create a cover for their relationship, and then we get to watch that cover become a fully developed relationship. This is one of the best reads so far in a line which continues to get better and better as time goes on. I hope author Linda O. Johnston decides to make a series from this book: there are a number of supporting characters (including a werelynx) whose stories I would love to hear!

Book Description from book: When Dr. Melanie Harding comes to rural Maryland to open a veterinarian clinic, she has no intention of buying into the area's absurd werewolf legends. Until she rescues an ordinary dog shot with a silver bullet, and meets his sexy owner, Major Drew Connell. A founding member of the Alpha Force on a nearby military base, Drew has developed an elixir that helps werewolves control their shape-shifting abilities. Drew has always tried to keep his distance from the civilian population, but Melanie's sweet and gentle nature soon wears down his defenses. With the attacks on people and animals in the area mounting, can their fiery attraction withstand their toughest challenge? My View: Although it took a little getting into this book I liked the general premise because it wasn't the same as many of the other werewolf stories I've read recently. I liked books that delve into what people would really think if all of a sudden werewolves--or any other supernatural for that matter--existed. How would people really act? I just can't stand it when normal people just take it in stride. This book gives, what I believe, is a realistic answer to that question. For that alone I have to say this book is worth reading. I also like the heroine in the story. Melanie's love of all creatures helps her deal with the fact that the man she's extremely attracted to is a werewolf. She helps to make the story a fun read.

In Mary Glen on Maryland's Eastern Shore, veterinarian Melanie Harding knows she has come a long way from Beverly Hills, but learns how far she has traveled the hard way when performing a good deed leads to punishment. However, she also knows she would do it again in spite of the danger to herself from being a Good Samaritan saving the life of a dog someone shot with a silver bullet. A fervent anti-werewolf group is outraged by what the vet did. Melanie is bewildered by their hostility as everyone knows there is no such thing as werewolves except in novels and movies. The dog's grateful owner US Army Major Drew Connell and Melanie begin to see one another. As their attraction grows, Melanie begins to see indications that there is substance behind the legend of shapeshifters. Melanie makes this werewolf romance a fun read as her beliefs change over the course of the fine story line. She converts from her initial shock that the locals believe in a supernatural creature until she begins to accept a pack of real Lon Cheney werewolves and falls in love with one of them. Although the werewolf community lacks cultural insight and overall substance beyond the hate of the purebred humans, sub-genre fans will enjoy the story of the vet and the vet falling in love. Harriet Klausner