Touch of the Wolf

This story was short and brisk and on task. There was just the right balance of nosy friends, suspense, action, and romance. The universe the story was set in came across as believable and the mane characters compassionate and unique. Overall, this was a fast and satisfying read.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Shape Shifter Lucaine "Luc" Herrick is desperate. His best friend's Halfling daughter is wasting away from cancer and does not half much time left. When rumor reaches the NY pack all the way from TX about a possible Halfling healer, Luc is sent to investigate. Once before he could not save someone he cared about from dying and he needs hope to keep him going. He will not fail this time. Even when the person he is looking for turns out to be his mate. Samantha "Sam" Warren has the power to heal animals with only her touch but if this became common knowledge, she would be exploited for her gift. When a strange but compelling man shows up begging her assistance, as afraid as Sam is to reveal her ability, she can't bear to destroy his hope. Someone or something else is in TX, giving the locals reason to believe there is a werewolf in town. Now Luc must explain to Sam what she is and why her gift is so important to their kind. But when someone makes it clear they want Sam for their own purposes, Luc must do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means kidnapping her himself. I loved the different spin Karen Whiddon puts on her Shape Shifter society, especially the novelty of the legendary Halfling Healers. What a brilliant way to distance Touch of the Wolf from the usual Shape Shifter concept. The idea of rare halflings using their power differently from other halflings and full Shifters out there is quite a novel concept and totally believable in this society. I also loved how Luc does not truly understand her gift... no one does... and we are educated right along with him as to the limits to Sam's abilities. Luc is a true alpha wolf male. He is strong and powerful, unafraid of throwing his weight around when it's needed. Yet when he meets Sam, he melts into a kind and gentle giant when he's with her. Yet the true instincts of a predator never leave him, as is evidenced by the great lengths he goes to in protecting Sam, not caring what she or anyone else thinks. She is his Mate and nothing can stop him from doing whatever it takes to keep her safe. The mystery of the stranger in TX and their purpose there is very well done. This adds another tension laced thread to the greater tale and Luc's purposes for being in TX at all. When it was revealed who the stranger is and what they want, I was shocked at the turn of events and what follows. Touch of the Wolf was my first foray into the supernatural world of Karen Whiddon's The Pack and is sure not to be my last. I was immediately sucked in to the story, eagerly turning pages and unwilling to stop reading even for a minute. Too bad my real life interfered with that annoying thing called a job... I was fascinated with the society Whiddon has created, in all its complex glory and am eager to go back and read previous books in the series. © Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved.

Werewolves have the ability to heal themselves, but changelings (half-breed shifters) cannot and therefore need healers. In two generations of Pack births no new healer has been born and some like Lucaine Herrick think healers are a myth. His pack disagrees with his assessment; so when three year old Lucy suffers from an inoperable brain tumor, he is sent to Anniversary, Texas to see if Samantha Warren a Healer. When he first sees Samantha, Lucaine is disgusted with his poor timing as he realizes she is his mate; he wants to escape and run like the wolf, but first he must fulfill the quest. Samantha is unaware that she is a Halfling who has the Healer's talent instead of the shifting trait. Luc tries to get Sam to admit she is a healer as he is convinced she might be the real thing, but she denies her "heritage" and having such ability. Another ailing Changeling needs Sam to save his life and he will do what it takes to force her to do so while Luc will risk his life to keep his mate safe. This paranormal romance is filled with excitement, intrigue, tension, and danger as Karen Whiddon creates a fine tale of a believable sub-society surviving within the larger purebred human environs. Luc is a strong-willed male, who proves he is a perfect match for the feisty vulnerable heroine. However, it is Sam who brings plausibility to this entertaining werewolf romantic suspense as she struggles with her universe turned inside out when she learns werewolves and changelings exist. Harriet Klausner