SoBe - reviewed on 3/7/2010 + 147 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read the synopsis for A Certain Wolfish Charm, but whatever my expectations were, they weren't met.

It's billed as paranormal romance, but really it's only marginally paranormal (more like Paranormal Lite). Yes, the hero's a werewolf, but that aspect is treated more like a dirty little secret--> the first half of the book he's referred to as a 'beast' or 'unnatural' and the supernatural shifter stuff is barely touch upon (it was more alluded to, then anything else) so much so that the secret could be almost anything else... the H being a secret agent for the crown or a father who was a traitor, or whatever, the basic story stays the same, no matter what the secret is.

That's not so say A certain Wolfish charm was badly written, it wasn't. It's pretty much on par with your average 3 to 4 star rated Regency. There's just nothing that really stands out. the main characters follow the typical pattern --> She's an aging spinster (with a heart of gold), he's a (kinda sorta) tortured rake of a hero. From their first meeting it goes exactly where you think it will (spoilers ahead) --> Her rep is ruined and made public by a well meaning (matchmaking) friend, the hero saves her by marrying her, but he has a shameful secret that she eventually (i.e. not til the very last few pages) finds out and accepts his secret (the one that's been praying on him for years) fairly quickly.

And the ending is not only fairly obvious, but a bit anticlimactic as well, and I liked the h better then the H. In most PNR, we know why the shifter (or other para breed) gets all hot and bothered for the h (or vice versa): a scent, or just a knowing that this person is his or whatever, but that's not the case here so I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out why this H wanted this h...

As a fan of paranormal romances, the biggest disappointment isn't the predictable plot though, but the potential of a good PNR novel that's never realized...It never quite reaches the heights the plot synopsis (on the back cover) implies it will.

It's no where near the likes of Singh's Psy-Changeling, or Brigg's Alpha and Omega series, but for what it is, a regency with light para elements, it's a decent read.

And if you're new to para's or if you're unsure whether or not you'd be interested, this may be a pretty good place to start :)

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