Thursday 4 October 2012

Coveted by Shawntelle Madison

Pages - 304
Published by Piatkus Entice in April 2012
Own copy.

Lying naked, with his hands intertwined in mine, Thorn Grantham made me promises. A promise for us to try to make our long-distance relationship work. A promise for him to move closer to New York City to be with me. And finally a promise to remove these hand cuffs once he's had his way with me. 
Goodreads Summary

For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.
 Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it’s enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.

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If the quote makes you think you are about to read a Fifty Shades werewolf style novel, then stop thinking that right now, as the opening page has the only bit of detailed sex in it, which I was quite pleased about, although I did find it a little misleading.  I bought this because initially I was attracted to the cover, yet again showing my shallow nature, but you have to admit - it is pretty!
Natalya, the main protagonist,  has got a big problem and being a werewolf isn't it. She covets things - she collects Christmas decorations and hoards them to the point where she is unable to move around her house as it is overloaded with boxes. 
Her psychological issues put her in a difficult position with her  wolf pack and she is dismissed from the pack, which puts her in a really dangerous position when it appears that a killer is on the loose and she is high on his hit list. She doesn't deal with it very well, which isn't surprising considering all that she is going through. I felt sorry for Natalya, she came across as though she was about to physically explode at times with her unstable behaviour. If she didn't have a good doctor and very strong and reliable friend in Aggie, I don't think she would have made it through the book. However as the story reaches past half way point, you do notice Natalya beginning to break free from the chains that have bound her all her life. 
I like the new twist to the werewolf genre - these characters were werewolves of Russian descent and the family were simply adorable. Aggie squeezes herself into the family and is a genuine delight to read about - she is the kind of best friend you would dream off, even though she is battling with her own demons. Thorn was a very welcome addition, even though he wasn't allowed any where near Natalya you could feel the heat radiating off his body. 
I enjoyed this book to a certain degree but after the half way point I did feel that the plot went a little awry. I felt that the author was spending too much time writing scenes that weren't important and didn't add to the story at all. I also felt that a few secondary characters were slightly redundant to the story.  I really wanted to enjoy  this book, so I was a bit disappointed by the end, but  I am intrigued enough  to see if the second book is better, as I really did love the characters. 

4 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that this is not what that first sentence suggests. I love the idea of a werewolf collecting Christmas decorations like this.

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    Replies
    1. That was kind of neat - I was desperate to see what decorations she might have!

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