Review: Absorbing, sensual, shocking, disturbing and utterly mesmerizing!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
The Wolf's Torment ( Moldavian Moon #1)  by Stephanie Burkhart is a 2011 Desert Breeze publishing release.  I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.BLURB:It's 1865 in Moldavia, a country nestled against the shores of the Black Sea, and Crown Prince Mihai Sigmaringen returns after receiving an education in England. His best friend, Viktor Bacau joins him. Mihai is intent on modernizing his nation, but he's also a witch, and it's time he embraces his heritage. The tasks in front of him are many including getting married.Lady Theresa von Kracken arrives in Constanta as Mihai's intended. Mihai has vowed not to fall in love again, but Theresa manages to break the battlements around his heart.In an unfortunate twist of fate, Viktor is bitten by a werewolf. Viktor's transformation threatens everyone around him including his wife's safety and Mihai's happiness with Theresa. Viktor's bite is the wolf's torment.This novel is so absorbing! I really don't like to have people thinking of werewolves and vampires when I use the word "Gothic" because to me that's incorrect.  However, this book does have a very Gothic feel to it.  MIhai is  man about to become king returning home from his formal education with his best friend Viktor.  A marriage has been arranged for Mihai but his heart wasn't in it.  He had a bad break up and now he just wanted to lick his wounds, but when he meets the beautiful  Lady Theresa ,  his heartache is quickly forgotten.  Love is also in the air for Viktor when his meets Mihai's sister.  A whirlwind courtship and marriage has Viktor and his bride on their honeymoon when the worst thing imaginable takes place.  Viktor is turned into a werewolf and his life is upended forever. The feral urges he will have requires him to ingest human blood and he must have sex with a witch, the only female that can handle this urges.  With his wife already with child he can't risk hurting her.  So, he gives in to the rules of being a werewolf and is assigned a witch who will be his sexual partner.  He still loves his wife with all his heart, but as each day passes he becomes more and more loyal to his wolf pack and finds it harder and harder to maintain his human facade.Theresa will also quickly become pregnant to the delight of her husband.  There are dark secrets in her family though that everyone knows of except her.  Mihai is up front with his wife in all matters and confides  in her that he is a witch.  She accepts this information and thinks nothing more of it.  Their relationship is solid and happy except for worry over Viktor and the failing health of Mihai's father. But, Mihai has been warned by his father-in-law, a very powerful witch that they must all beware the werewolf in their midst because he will tear the family apart.  Mihai scoffs at this,  but a day will come when he will wish he had listened to this sage advice.This dark paranormal fantasy is very atmospheric and absorbing .  While it is not erotic in the sense many think of when that word comes up,  it is very sensual and certainly goes outside the typical romanctic elements.  It's shocking, disturbing,  and utterly mesmerizing.  There is much tragedy, heartbreak,  scheming and compromising in order to maintain some semblence of normalcy,  to simply have what everyone wants.. a lover, a friend, a family, children and to create memories to be cherished.  Those simple things will remain just out of reach for the characters in this book.  I believe this series is going to be a really good one.  I already have the next one on my kindle.  This one gets 5 stars!