Review: A heroine and an alpha male to thrill even the most jaded reader
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
There are, in general, two things that don't work for me in fiction. 1) Love triangles involving vampires; 2) Chest-thumping, gun-toting alpha males. I've grown older (and hopefully wiser); the alpha male thing just doesn't stir me anymore, and the vampire love triangles have been done to death.Tracey Sinclair utilizes BOTH in her Cassandra Bick Chronicles, and I forgive her for it, because she's done an awesome job in Wolf Night. The first novel, Dark Dates, was spectacular for its dazzling surprises and insights into a host of outstanding characters: "Medea is a what?! Katie is a what?! Cain is a what?!" How do you top that?Fortunately, Ms. Sinclair did.Wolf Night started out a little slow for me. A werewolf pack appears in London, and Cass's ex-boyfriend comes knocking on her door. The chess pieces moved into place. I didn't always know how they connected, but I picked out the villain the moment he showed up. (Of course, he proved me right.) At about the 60% mark in my Kindle, the story took off like a rocket and kept me turning page after breathless page to the end.Cass, the token human, is one of my favorite protagonists. I can't actually tell you what she looks like, but it doesn't matter. She has one of the key requisites for a memorable heroine: she attracts trouble (and on a slow day, she'll go out of her way to create trouble.) Her matter-of-fact approach to all manner of supernatural things, her human approach to solving problems (who needs supernatural strength or fangs for that matter...just grab a heavy candlestick and hit the attacking monster in the face...), and her ironic humor carry the day.Cain, the earthbound angel, is hands down the most awesome alpha male I've come across (and this is from someone who has read Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, etc.) Cain has an inappropriate sense of how to woo women (he gives Cass weapon upgrades instead of flowers), is still married (to a sword-wielding goddess, no less), but he treats Cass with a subtle sensitivity that anchors his love for, and appreciation of, her. It is subtle--one mustn't tarnish the alpha male image too much--but it is there, and I applaud Ms. Sinclair for bringing Cain vividly to life.Finally, the love triangle involving the vampire...It's not just two guys after the one girl. It's much more complex--it's actually hard to tell who the vampire wants more...the heroine, or the alpha male. :-) Yummy!Anyway, I heartily recommend Wolf Night, and strongly suggest reading it after Dark Dates. Yes, Wolf Night can stand alone as a novel, but the characters and nuances of relationships are established in Dark Dates, and your reading experience will be much enriched by the background. Besides, Dark Dates is a solid 5-star read too. You won't be wasting your time.My only gripe with Wolf Night is the cover. It fails to do the book justice. So, ignore the cover and just read the book.