Review: The Taming of the Wolf

The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare

Publication Date: November 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Format: Paperback, 384 pp
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN-13: 9781402244377
ISBN: 1402244371

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Borders, IndieBound

(Received for review from Sourcebooks)

Author's Website: www.lydiadare.com

Excerpt: Click HERE!

Synopsis (Book Blurb):

Regency England has gone to the wolves!

HE COULD NEVER LOSE CONTROL...

Dashiel Thorpe, Earl of Brimsworth has spent this life fighting the wolf within him. But when the full moon rises, Dash is helpless. A chance encounter with Caitrin Macleod on a moonlit night inadvertently binds the two together irrevocably, and Dash's impulsiveness plunges them both into a nightmare.

SHE NEVER SAW HIM COMING...

Caitrin Macleod is no quiet country lass, but a witch with remarkable abilities. But when it comes to Dashiel, she's as helpless to fight his true nature as he is. Her senses overwhelmed, she runs back to the safety and security of her native Scotland...

But Dashiel is determined to follow her - she's the only woman who can free him from a fate worse than death. And Caitrin will ultimately have to decide whether she's running from danger or true love...

Thoughts:

I have truly enjoyed reading Lydia Dare's debut book series about Westfield Brothers and the women who love them. We first met Caitrin Macleod in Tall, Dark and Wolfish, when Benjamin Westfield travels to Scotland looking for a witch to help cure him. The Taming of the Wolf picks right up at the end of The Wolf Next Door in which Dashiel Thorpe is introduced and he has a fateful encounter with Caitrin in the Duke of Blackmoor's study.

Dash mistakenly claims Caitrin as his Lycan mate. But he has no idea of the consequences. He will never want to be with another woman other than Caitrin for the rest of his life, but she is under no constraints, she could marry another. Caitrin is overwhelmed by the futures of the people around her and she heads home to Scotland. Her ability to see the future of anyone she comes in contact with is completely and blessedly quiet when it comes to Dash. He quiets her in a way no one else can, but is that enough? Is there more to their relationship?

I was unsure whether or not I would like the break from the actual Westfield family when I first began reading this one. But, I quickly fell in love with the characters in The Taming of the Wolf. Caitrin we had met, and knew was stubborn and bossy and very privileged. We were able to see a real vulnerability in her in this book that hadn't been present before. She was out of her element and completely taken aback by Dash's attitudes and mannerisms. Dash as his name would imply is very dashing in one sense and very troubled in another. He has no control over his Lycan side and though he knows he is meant to be with Cait, he must find a mentor to help him gain some semblance of control over the beast within him.

I think that readers will be just as much enchanted with these characters as the Westfields. I also think that each book in the series so far has been able to stand on it's own very well and this one is no exception. I tend to be one of those readers who has to read the whole series, because it just doesn't seem right to miss anything, but it is possible to start with this book and still love it as much as you would have if you'd read them all.

Readers will enjoy the pace of the book, and the development of the relationship between Cait and Dash. Though he is remarkably persistent he still allows Cait the time to process her feelings. He wants to win her heart not just claim her and even though he may go about it in a very unorthodox way, he seems to know what he's doing. I liked Mr. Forester the shipbuilder as his mentor and Alec MacQuarrie as his competition, both were excellent supporting characters.

I can't recommend this one highly enough for a paranormal romance set in Regency England. I love the writing team of Lydia Dare and how they are able to work together so flawlessly and bring us a great story with all the elegance of Regency romances and all the bite of a good Paranormal book.

The Taming of the Wolf is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

(Due to recent events I urge you to carefully consider where you buy your books and what the companies you buy from are supporting)

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag! This is easily one of my favorite series' of the year!




Check back later for a guest post from Lydia Dare and a great giveaway, you won't want to miss!