Destiny of the Wolf (Silver Town Wolf, 1)

Waste of money

Terry Spear's wolves are neither wild not tame. They live in small towns, keeping their identity secret from their human friends, running hospitals, schools, police stations, bars... There's a human girl who wants to be a nurse, but sick werewolves aren't quite the same as sick humans. And there's a girl who's pretending to be human, but wolves can tell the difference straight away. Terry Spear's wolves are sensual, sweet, dangerous and delightful, and her stories are full of intriguing details about a life so different from our own. From the family dynamics of multiple births to the curious etiquette of clothes-shedding and shape-shifting, the background to this tale rings so true I find myself listening in the night--are there wolves in Oregon? One of Terry's packs is in Oregon, though not the one the story centers on. Scenery and weather are as beautifully described as the animals, people and stories. Darien's dream wife has committed suicide. Her twin sister infiltrates the pack in search of more information, and rumors immediately fly that she wants to take her sister's place as the pack leader's wife. But Darien and Lelandi are already falling in love, and someone is not above committing murder to keep them apart. As the story progresses, the reader learns of silver bullets, rapid healing, frozen winters, Victorian underwear, and the essence of lovemaking coupled with the senses of the wolf. It all makes for a passionate, enjoyable read, full of action, mystery and romance, with love and betrayal lending spice and intrigue to the mix.

Entering silver wolf territory to hunt for her sister's killer, red wolf shifter Lelandi finds herself not only in physical danger from her sister's killer but also in emotional danger, as she is drawn to her dead sister's mate alpha Darien. I enjoyed Destiny of the Wolf, but - and I almost feel guilty saying this - even though I am a die-hard romance reader and I do like a bit a steam to my romance, after the first three or so (and I am not counting the ones done in dream sequences before Lelandi and Darian actually hook-up) of the leading pair's frequent 'mating' scenes I found myself skipping over them. After the two finally 'mate', instead of moving the story or the relationship forward, the love scenes just broke the action. Instead of alpha Darian's wolfish nature requiring him to stake his claim yet again, I really just wanted to find out what was going to happen next. And while the 'dream mating' itself didn't bother me, I guess it sort of bugged me that using this 'connection' Spear pretty much skipped developing the relationship between the leads and Darian gets a bit short changed in the character development department. Also the conflicts which initially built tension between Lelandi and Darian - his grief over the loss of his mate and children-to-be and Lelandi's concern that she is just a substitute for her twin - are resolved by a few stokes of Lelandi's sister's pen from beyond the grave. But despite skimming to get to the good stuff - the story - I really enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded and the way that, even outside of the bedroom, Lelandi was a busy girl. Lelandi manages to continually stir up lots of trouble - surviving several close brushes with death, dealing with jealous female silver wolves ganging up to chase her out of town (doesn't quite work out the way they expect), and facing down members of her old pack to avoid a forced mating with her old alpha's abusive brother. Destiny appears to be standalone - I was in the middle of Spear's Heart of the Wolf, but forgot my book at home so I started this one and I was 'caught' and just had to finish this Destiny of the Wolf before going back to pick up the first book but I don't think that I missed much by doing this (added later - Lelandi's brother Leidolf appears on the sidelines in the first book). Destiny of the Wolf had a large supporting cast, with Darian's pack and brothers, but Spear still managesd to keep them from blending and there definitely were a few intriguing standouts. I would especially like to see more of Silva, Darian's brothers Tom and Jake, Leidolf, and Carol - the newly turned wolf with psychic powers. I think that Spear has another of these Wolfish romances in the works, so hopefully in future books Spear will give some of her supporting characters their turn in the spot light.

Lelandi shows up in Silver Town with one mission in mind: find the bastard who murdered her sister and avenge her death. What she doesn't anticipate is that her sister had been living under Lelandi's name and got herself in over her head so far she could have never got out on her own. Still grieving, Larissa's mate, Darien Silver, doesn't expect to find his mate's identical sister snooping around his pack's home. When someone tries to kill Lelandi to keep her from discovering the truth the hunt is on. In spite of his grief, Darien can't help but be drawn to Lelandi. When Larissa came along he thought she was the female he had dream-mated with but now he knows that cannot be true. Lelandi is his true mate and he will protect her from both his gray lupus garou pack and the reds who claim she belongs to them. With enemies on all sides and a killer in their midst Darien and Lelandi have to solve the mystery of her sister's murder before they can have any future together. Yay! I wasn't all that impressed with Heart of the Wolf, Spear's previous release about lupus garou. But Destiny of the Wolf definitely delivered a much stronger plot which kept me interested and guessing. The web of deceit and danger was a little overcomplicated but I felt that was excusable considering it entertained even when it felt a bit overdone. The wolf pack dynamics introduced in her previous release are further explored in this one. While I do like that the author has attempted to make them like real wolves in most aspects, I feel a little bit disappointed that she works so hard against giving them any truly human sympathies and tendencies. It might work for some readers but I like a shapeshifter to be a little human and a little animal blended together. There's no struggle really presented between their natures and for me as a reader that's always an enjoyable part of the man/beast mythos. The romance between Lelandi and Darien was... not my favorite coupling. As stand-alone characters I did like both. Darien felt a little under developed personality wise and I thought he could have been a bit more alpha where Lelandi was concerned but he was a likable hero none-the-less. Lelandi was almost more alpha than her mate and her spunky determination was quite infectious. I will comment that I personally don't really care for how Spear writes her love scenes after having read two of her books but I think any reader looking for something different (ie. making love on a table messy with pie fixings) will get a kick out of her location choices. Overall, this was a really entertaining book with a lot packed into it. Fans of shapeshifter romances with a who-dun-it mystery to keep the plot going are sure to be pleased. Enjoy!

With the homicides of her parents and her sister Larissa allegedly committing suicide, Lelandi Wildwood no longer feels safe amongst the red werewolf pack in spite of her brother being a member. He in fact wants nothing to do with her though she is not sure why. She wants to learn why Larissa who loved life would kill herself, but hesitates until she learns the abusive alpha pack leader plans to wed her to his brother. Lelandi leaves the pack in search of understanding why her sibling took her life. She travels to Silver Town, run by the gray werewolves who detest the red. The greywolf leader widow Darien Silver is trying to understand why his wife committed suicide. He also needs to catch the thief stealing from the economic soul of his pack's existence the silver mine. He enters the Silver Town's Tavern only to be shocked out of his fur when he sees his wife sitting inside. Lelandi and Darien have in common learning why their beloved Larissa killed herself. DESTINY OF THE WOLF is an enjoyable satirical werewolf romantic suspense that takes a delightful bite at the mythology of moon howling shapeshifters while also ridicules racism. The support cast serves mostly to enhance understanding of the lifestyle of the packs especially that of the grey or the lead couple who risk their lives with a need to know why. Fans will relish this wonderful lampooning of the lycan legend inside an exhilarating thriller that enables the audience to get beyond the myths into the HEART OF THE WOLF. Harriet Klausner

I loved this book! It's one of the absolute best shapeshifter romances I've read in a long time. Terry Spear's take on the werewolf world is incredibly unique and interesting. I love the way she links the behavior and pack dynamics of her lupus garou to that of real wolves in the wild. It's obvious she does a lot of in-depth research. I fell in love with her characters. Lelandi is wonderful and likable. She's tough and goes after what she wants with determination. Darien is the definition of hot, sexy and alpha, plus he has a heart of gold. He's protective of Lelandi and his pack. This is a fast-paced, entertaining read with twists and turns I would've never expected. I highly recommend Destiny of the Wolf!!