Werewolf Nights #BookReview

Threatened by financial ruin, widowed bakery owner Catherine Mercy leads a solitary life with more interest in reading about werewolf lore than in finding a man. Her one true love disappeared after high school and her now deceased husband kept her trapped in the house claiming that a werewolf might hunt her down one day, just as her grandmother repeatedly warned her. When Hollywood interrupts the town’s monotony by shooting a werewolf movie on location, Catherine decides to audition. Already in her thirties, she feels ridiculous trying to become an actress, but lands the leading role.
Catherine’s daily routine turns into a hair-raising adventure as fame begins to monitor her wanderings and she falls for her sexy costar Greg Byron, in spite of the actor’s neon warning sign that flashes conceited womanizer. Just when romance sparkles, a wolf bites Greg.
While Greg’s features turn lupine, Catherine discovers a resemblance between the movie script and her family’s history. Afraid, Catherine recruits werewolf expert Steve to figure out if the movie’s werewolf legend is real and Wolfern, the werewolf her grandmother spoke about, has finally come for her. If it is, Greg will turn into a dangerous werewolf. Only finding a way to undo Greg’s curse and destroying Wolfern before the next full moon can save their love and their lives.
Werewolf Nights blends fantasy, intrigue, and passion to create a chilling, unique story.

Title: Werewolf Nights | Author: Mari Hamill | Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing | Pub. Date: 19, May 2014 | Pages: 216 | ISBN-13: 978-1457525742 | Genre: Horror/ Paranormal or Supernatural Romance | Language: English | Triggers: None| Rating: 3 out of 5 | Source: Provided by the author for review consideration

Werewolf Nights Review

While I wanted to fall in love with this book, it didn’t captivate me.

The majority of the book is spoiled by the back cover, so the pacing felt slow as I was waiting for Greg to turn into a werewolf. The premise is fun, and I enjoyed the small-town vibe set up early in the book, but I never fully connected with Catherine.

Catherine owns a bakery and apparently pays no attention to pop culture because when Greg Byron strolls into town shooting his latest movie, she doesn’t recognize him. This sets up dramatic irony that goes on way too long. Meanwhile, Catherine lands a dream job as an actress in Greg’s movie. It’s all very convenient and a bit too unrealistic for me, but it does set the stage for Catherine and Greg’s love to bloom.

Which is really what the story is about.

Yes, there are werewolves, ancient legends, murders and bad guys. But this is a love story, so much so that I’d argue it should be classified as a supernatural romance rather than a horror novel. But even the romance plot didn’t warm my cold heart. There are twists, but they’re predictable. Passion, but forced. Dialogue, but mechanical and too formal.

However, the story has the makings of something fun. It’s clear that a decent amount of time was spent developing the werewolf legend that runs throughout the book. And there was potential for some intense action scenes, but they were rushed and filled with “telling” rather than “showing”.

If you approach this book as a romance, it may be worth a read because while it might have benefited from another round of edits, it hits all the plot points you find within a romance novel.

You can find this book at many retailers via clicking on the appropriate link on Goodreads; however, in the spirit of supporting literacy programs, we would like to point out that you may be able to purchase this book through BetterWorldBooks.