I was sorry I paid full price for this book and didn't wait for it here at the club. Someone should have edited it more carefully because certain words were used far too often. Elsa was a bit too whiney and constantly changing her mind. Should I be with him...should I not be with him? She did it so many times I wanted to slap her. At one point she set Howard up to meet at the water to seduce him. So highschool. I did like the story line of the Guardians, but that part of the story could have been suped up so much more. The premise was so cool, but turned into a big let down.
The war that's been going on for a while with Rhett Bleddyn was fairly anti-climatic. Which made the end sort of blah.
And finally, Shannon's problems with being a vampire. It was mentioned a few times through out the book; nothing really worth noting, but at the end she makes a big announcement at somebody else's celebration how happy she is. She should have stayed unhappy and in a future book got into some kind of trouble because of her depression about being a vampire, and someone saves her. Like her son Tino, or even better Sofia.
I did read the whole book and will continue to read her series. I just can't help myself at this point. (Please ignore any bad spelling.)

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Wild About You Kerrelyn Sparks
Love At Stake Series Book 13
Howard Barr has been in the picture since the first book. The big man who was usually eating bear paw donuts. Just there in the background. Now we get to see the inner workings of the big guy and what makes him tick. Some things from his past must be settled before he can look to the future, a future that has just turned much brighter.

Elsa Bjornbergs life is about to change when her TV show gets a call to remodel a house in the Adirondack Mountains. Something is calling to her the further they get into the forest. Almost like she belongs there. And when she meets the handsome man who is actually taller than she is.all seems good. That is until his touch ignites something in her and not in a good way.

Kerrelyn also gives us a look inside Shannas head. She has been a vampire for three months now and we see her struggles as a mother who dies each day and has no control when it comes to protecting her children during those hours. This book has some very unique incidents that are so different from any of her other books. Once again showing the authors unique abilities in writing an intriguing story that holds the readers attention from beginning to end.
**Sexual situations
**Received through Edelweiss for review
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/2011/08/love-at-stake-series-by-kerrelyn-spakrs.html

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This is a fun, light, fluffy series to read when I want something easy to read. Howard's story didn't disappoint. While it's not my favorite, it's also not my least, falling right in the middle.
It was nice to read about previous characters, like Shanna, Tino, Phil. I liked the secondary characters- Jimmy and Jesse. I liked that Rhett got his comeuppance and that storyline got resolved.
This was a little slow to start, but gradually picked up.

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When Shanna Draganesti learns that Security Specialist Howard Barr is enamored with Elsa Bjornberg, the host of a TV home remodeling show, she decides to play matchmaker. Getting International Home Wreckers to do the repairs on the old gatehouse is easy. Getting a reluctant Howard to act as spokesperson for the reality TV interviews is a bit harder, until he sees that Elsa is one of the people working on the project. Sparks fly when they meet...literally. A paw shaped birthmark on Elsa's arm burns when Howard touched her. This is when Elsa realizes that the ancient curse her aunts talked about for years is real, and this curse just might keep her from the one man who could love her.

This is the 13th book of the Love at Stake series. Howard has always hovered in the background of this series, but we finally get his story. He is a shapeshifter who was banished from his home in Alaska 20 years ago after being accused of murder. Now he is looking for revenge against the werewolf who actually committed the crime. Elsa is a heroine with body issues. Being 6'2" limits the dating pool. But Howard thinks she is perfect for him...if they can just overcome the curse that has plagued their families for generations. My rating: 4 Stars.

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meh. I love this series for what it could be. The vampire and shifter world is so complex and interesting. But these stupid romances get in the way!

The premise was thin - Howard falls in love with TV remodeling show star, finds out there's a curse, and at the same time is waging a private war on a werewolf who has been hounding him (pun intended) all his life. Riiight.

But then, all romance novel premises are thin, right?

My main problem with this particular volume in the series is that it's about Howard Barr. Howard, who when we're introduced to him many (10?) books earlier, is middle aged, balding, and slightly overweight. Now he's apparently 38 (hardly middle aged,I think), his hair as grown back, and he's football-player fit. His physical changes are all explained away by the fact that he hadn't been shifting before, and now that he's free to shift his body is reversing the signs of age. Riiiight.

Why couldn't we have a romance novel about a 45 year old (is that middle aged?) Howard, who finds a wonderful woman who loves doughnuts just as much as he does, doesn't suggest he needs Rogaine, and loves his bear-belly?

Or, we could just leave Howard out of the romance novel circuit completely. Does everyone in Romantech and McKay Security and Investigations HAVE to fall in love? Yeeesh.

Another problem is the conclusion. The main battle happens literally 10 pages from the end. People die. People have died. The gatehouse is still being remodeled. And NOBODY CARES. Literally no-one. Not the warriors, not the TV remodeler, not the general mass of paranormal folk who live there. Rush much? Under a deadline?

Overall, what I took away was that the shifter world is more complex than originally thought - there are Guardians and multiple origin myths from many cultures. This is cool and interesting! I also think that Dragon Nest school is getting overcrowded and too many people now know where it is. For someone working in security, shouldn't Howard be worried?

If you love the series, like I (sigh) still do, clearly you're going to love reading it. You will probably agree with some of my points about the plot being silly, and Howard's drastic makeover, but it won't stop you from wanting to read more. And this volume will not stop you, or me, from looking froward to #14 in the series.

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