Books and Needlepoint: Terry Spear

Showing posts with label Terry Spear. Show all posts

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Wolf Fever by Terry Spear (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: Wolf Fever (Heart of the Wolf - Book 6)
Author: Terry Spear
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

My Synopsis: Carol is a recently turned lupus garou - who has another ability. She has visions of the future - usually signifying trouble. These visions have enabled her to keep from shifting for five months. She is troubled because one of her visions has shown her members of her new wolf family as wolves - unable to shift back. She is afraid that if she shifts, she will not be able to shift back again.

Since she is newly turned and unmated AND has not shifted - Darien, the pack leader - has moved her into his house in order to keep an eye on her. He wants her to learn their ways and doesn't want her shifting unexpectedly. He knows it will happen, it is just a matter of time. He also feels it is his responsibility to find her a mate.

Ryan McKinley is leader of a pack from a neigboring town and a P.I. Carol's visions had helped him to solve a murder, but he has been unable to get her out of his head. He says it is because he doesn't believe she is psychic and wants to get to the bottom of how she came upon her information. The harder he tries to prove she is a fraud, the more he starts to believe her, all the while neither one of them can seem to fight the growing attraction between them.

A mysterious flu sweeps through the community and before anyone can stop it, some of the wolves have shifted and cannot change back. It is up to Carol and Ryan to figure out what is going on and if they are going to be able to stop it in time.

My Thoughts: I did like this book - but I had a hard time picturing Carol. I don't think it had so much to do with her description, but the fact that I know too many Carols. My mom is Karol, my MIL is Carol and my next door neighbor is Carol. None of these women are young, sexy, wolf-like, (lol) so it took some time for me to erase my Carols and embrace this Carol. Once I really got into the story though, it got easier. This book was a little slower moving than previous books by Ms. Spear that I had read. It seemed to take longer to get to the "mystery" that needed to be solved. And while I grew to like Carol and Ryan together, I didn't instantly feel their chemistry - and maybe that was how it was supposed to be as neither one of them really wanted to be mated either.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

Wolf Fever
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dec 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3752-2
399 pages

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Seduced by the Wolf by Terry Spear (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: Seduced by the Wolf
Author: Terry Spear
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

My synopsis: Cassie Roux was a wolf biologist visiting Oregon to give a presentation to help protect wolves in the wild. She was a loner, preferring to work alone and live alone. But she wasn't just partial to wild wolves (lupus) - but also to lupus garou or what we might call a werewolf. See, she was a royal and had been born into a lupus garou pack. Her family/pack had all been killed when she was a teenager - their homes burnt to the ground. Cassie had not been home when it had happened, but had been in the forest observing the wild wolves. Having no where else to go, she goes to live with the wild wolves. This is partly where her desire to protect the wild wolves derived from, but she had always had a fascination with them. It was when her family was killed though, that she became a loner - vowing she would never again lose somebody that she loved.

Leidolf Wildhaven is the local pack leader in Oregon. He had taken over a pack that had lived by their own rules and was having difficulty getting them under control. Some of the pack members were werewolf hunters who had been turned, as well as some boys, who as teenagers had not had any guidance and so had a tendency to run wild. Combined with some local zoologists who were determined to capture a red wolf that had been seen in the area to take to their zoo - and he had his hands full. He didn't need the distraction that Cassie brought, but he couldn't deny his attraction to her.

Cassie had initially kept hidden the fact that she was a lupus garou, and when the secret emerged, Leidolf was determined to make her his partner. Actually, his whole pack wanted this to happen. They all thought he needed a partner and maybe he would relax a little more. Cassie wanted no part in it, but couldn't stop the sparks that were between them.

Things get totally mixed up between Leidolf getting tranquilized, Cassie getting shot, and Alex, another wolf biologist - human variety, wandering around in the forest claiming that a woman had been murdered. The woman he thought had been murdered was Cassie. He had been determined to make Cassie his partner both in work and in life, so he was hell-bent on finding out what had happened to her also.

My thoughts: This is the third Heart of the Wolf books that I have read - and where there is an occassional overlap of characters, they can each be read on their own. I actually started the series with the third book - To Tempt the Wolf and the fourth - Legend of the White Wolf and enjoyed them both. This book was no different in my enjoyment. Each book takes place in a different part of the country with a different wolf pack - so the dynamics of the story change - but the pace is quick and there is always a little mystery or secret that is being kept as well as some hot romance. If you haven't tried one of these Wolf books yet - it is time to pick one up.

~I received this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

Seduced by the Wolf

Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Aug 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4022-3753-9

404 pages

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: Legend of the White Wolf
Author: Terry Spear
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: Faith O'Malley is on the trail of an ex-boyfriend - one who has stolen her father's research notes for a paper he is to present. She has tracked him to Millinocket, Maine - though what he would be doing here she has no idea.

Cameron MacPherson is one of four partners in a detective agency. Two of them have been on a hunt in Maine, and are late returning home. Cameron has come to Millinocket to try and track them down.

As luck would have it, these two people seem to be thrown together again and again by fate. After discovering a body at Back Country Tours, their starting off point on their individual ventures, they decide to stick together. Actually Cameron is very much attracted to Faith and doesn't want her staying alone in the middle of the Maine woods, in a blizzard, with no outside communication.

Back Country Tours is ran by Kintail Silverman and his pack of white wolves. They have been in the area for awhile and the townsfolk are comfortable with the wolves, as they have never caused any trouble. What they don't know is that these white wolves are really Kintail and his pack, which include his wannabe mate Lila, his brother, and now Cameron's two detective friends Owen and David, as well as some others. The arrival of Cameron and Faith is not good for this pack, and Kintail is determined to change Faith for his mate and get rid of Cameron, but when Cameron is bitten by a wolf lunging for Faith, all bets are off.

My thoughts: This was the fourth book in the series that includes Heart of the Wolf and Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf. I have only had the opportunity to read book 3 - which I thoroughly enjoyed and now Legend of the White Wolf. You do not have to read these books together in order to enjoy them, but you will probably be like me then and have a howling desire to go back and read the others! I like the two books I have read of Terry's as she has strong women characters who seem very capable of taking care of themselves. Faith was a very good example of this. She was a forensic scientist who worked for the Portland, Oregon police department. She has seen a lot so it takes a lot to rattle her. Cameron, being a detective and a former police officer is very well suited for her. Fans of paranormal romance would definitely enjoy this series.

Legend of the White Wolf
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Feb 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1905-4
384 pages

~I was provided this book for review by Sourcebooks.~

Thursday, October 1, 2009

ARC Arrival: Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear

Shared by Kristi

Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: His wild side comes out with a vengeance. . .

Detective Cameron MacPherson joins forces with lovely Faith O'Malley to search for his missing partners and her father's stolen research. But in the wilds of nature he encounters a mythical creature whose bite changes everything for their newfound love.

Is she the hunter, or the hunted. . .?

Faith is on the trail of a legend, and with or without Cameron, she won't be stopped.

Until the fatal moment when they both realize they must face their enemies together. . . or perish apart. . .(back cover)

About the author: A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, award-winning author Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabble in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas, and is working on more Wolf stories! Her fifth lupus garou novel, Seduction of the Wolf, will be out in Spring 2010.

Legend of the White Wolf
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Feb 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1905-4
384 pages

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

To Tempt the Wolf by Terry Spear (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: To Temp the Wolf
Author: Terry Spear
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

First Sentence: Sucking up oxygen, the flames spread outward, devouring thirsty timber and underbrush, perfect fuel for the firestorm.

My Synopsis: Tessa and her brother Michael had been obsessed with wolves for as long as they could remember. Tessa captured their beauty in photographs, and Michael was able to portray them in paintings. As they had lost both their grandparents and their parents in the last couple of years, they really only had each other to rely on. When Michael is found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Bethany, Tessa sets out to prove him innocent.

Hunter is the alpha leader of a group of lupus garou - gray wolves to be exact. His pack had been forced off their land because of fire, so he was relocating with his sister, Meara, further north in Oregon. The rest of his pack had split up, with some going into Portland, and some to the vineyards in California. His sister was restless and was looking for a mate, so when Hunter came home to find her gone, he set out in pursuit. He met up with three wolves who he thought were involved with his sister's disappearance. They threw him off a cliff and left him for dead. That is were Tessa found him - in his human form.

When Hunter comes to, her realizes that all he can remember is his name - and that he is a lupus garou, of course. He agrees to help Tessa find out who really killed Bethany, as he can't remember where he is from, so has no where else to go.

From the very beginning there was an attraction between them. Tessa did not have a great history with relationships, so she was very wary of her attraction to Hunter. Hunter was a little surprised at how quickly he became attached to Tessa. He didn't believe in 'turning' humans, and felt that his obligation to her for helping him after his attack would be over soon. He tried to keep his distance, as he could not remember if he already had a mate.

Hunter begins to believe that Michael is indeed innocent and promises Tessa that he will help her find the real killer. This is compounded as Tessa's house continues to get broken into and they come to the conclusion that she has a stalker. Could this stalker be the real killer?

My thoughts: This was the third book in the series that includes Heart of the Wolf and Destiny of the Wolf - but it is not necessary to read them first to enjoy this book. I was drawn in immediately to the story and wanted Tessa and Hunter to hook up. There were a lot of secondary characters in the story which rounded out the plot and I felt gave it some humor. You had Ashton, Michael's best friend and also the son of the local sheriff. Rourke - a wannabe newspaper reporter who is still harboring feelings for Tessa from high school. Cara, a lupus garou who works the night shift at the hospital as a nurse. Meara, Hunter's sister and partly responsible for bringing Hunter and Tessa together. . .if she hadn't run off with the three wolves, Hunter would not have been out tracking her down. Close to the end it seemed like there were a lot of peripheral characters brought in and I was occasionally lost as to who was who. In spite of this, I did enjoy this book very much and have hopes to read the first two in the future.

There is still time to enter my giveaway for Heart of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf - with the added bonus of a guest post by Terry Spear!

To Tempt the Wolf
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1904-7
416 pages

Teaser Tuesday 9-15-2009

Shared by Kristi

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

She opened the window and tried to get a closer look. The animal's ears twitched and his eyes focused on her. He didn't seem vicious, but he was still feral. (p155, To Tempt the Wolf by Terry Spear)

My review for this one will be up today - I am so close to being finished!

Teaser Tuesday is hosted at Should be Reading. Come on over and share your teaser, too!

To Tempt the Wolf
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1904-7
416 pages

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Guest post by Terry Spear - and a Giveaway!

Shared by Kristi

I am very honored and excited to have Terry Spear as my guest blogger today. She is the author of To Tempt the Wolf which is currently on a virtual tour. So, without further ado - let's hear it for Terry!

Wolves (and Werewolves) Get Such a Bad Rap!

Thanks so much, Kristi, for having me on your blog today! I’m a big needlework fan also, and make award-winning teddy bears that have hand-embroidered paws with names and birthdays for special occasions! I’ve even tossed around the idea of creating a wolf bear…uhm, bear in wolf’s skin?

Which brings me to my real purpose here—talking all about wolves—well, werewolves, too.

Wolves really get a bad rap. You don’t hear about the big bad bear. Or the big bad cougar. Yet they attack people and kill them much more frequently than wolves do. But what about the big bad wolf?

Think of The Three Little Bears. None of the bears are really bad. None of them wants to eat Goldilocks. And I don’t remember ANY cougar children’s story where the cougar wants the children for dinner.

The Three Little Pigs? Red Riding Hood? There’s the big bad wolf all over again.

You don’t see shapeshifter killing machines that are bear shifters or cougar shifters, but here comes the werewolf. The perfect horror story. Man turns into a wolf-like monster, can’t remember his human side of his nature, and kills anyone and everyone.

Sure, you see the human side of him…the fact he so desperately fights becoming the beast, but in the end, the only way to cure him is to kill him and put him out of his misery.

I read a cute children’s tale today at work that was the wolf’s side of the story as far as The Three Little Pigs went. He was definitely framed. :) Hmm, for my junior werewolves, they might read The Three Little Pigs so they know what’s being said about their wolf kind, but they’ll definitely get to read the wolf’s version of the story, too. After all, there are always two sides to every story. :-)

And so I write about the werewolves’ side of the story. Sure, you have some bad eggs. Just like you have evil humans. But the good guys make up for the bad. And contrary to popular belief, they do live among us. At least in my world, they do. They’re doctors and police officers and judges and artists. They have families, pay taxes, and enjoy many of life’s little pleasures just like we do. And they have troubles just like any family does. But of course, it goes beyond that because living among us, it can be difficult for them to keep their wolf nature secret.

Also, their family unit extends to a pack, and they take care of their own. And they don’t believe in divorce. Mating is for life. Just as it is for real wolves. Plus, just as it is for real wolves, the werewolves are extremely fond of their offspring. The whole pack family is! They all play with them, feed them, and protect them. They’re the future of the pack.

So if you’re looking to see the true story about werewolves, come check out my world! The men are hunks, the women are spunky enough to be their match, and the stories will show you what wolves are like—the real story.

My question is: If you met a hunky werewolf like one of the men in my books, would you give him a chance? :)

You can find me here if you want to join me:
www.terryspear.com
http://twitter.com/TerrySpear
http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear
http://www.myspace.com/terryspear
http://www.terry-spear.blogspot.com
http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com
http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com
http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com

Again, I want to thank Kristi for having me and to everyone who stops by and comments. Terry Spear
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male.”

To Tempt the Wolf—In Stores September 1

In this third in the series, wildlife photographer Tessa Anderson must prove her brother innocent of murder charges. But when she discovers a gorgeous naked man barely alive on her beach, she's got a new world of troubles to deal with, not least of which is how he affects her with just a look, a touch, or a whispered word.

Hunter Greymore is a lupus garou, a grey werewolf. Hoping to keep a low profile at Tessa's cabin on the coast, he's drawn into her life—and into her bed. His animal instincts war with his human half, but in the end, the only thing he can do about this fascinating, adorable woman is to leave her forever —unless she becomes one of them.

About the Author
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, award-winning author Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas. Her 2008 Sourcebooks Casablanca release, Heart of the Wolf was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf are in stores now, and more are on the way: The Legend of the White Wolf (February 2010) and Seduction of the Wolf (August 2010). For more information please visit www.terryspear.com

Hmmm... Makes you wonder how the wolf always appeared as the 'bad guy' in fairy tales (sort of like the wicked step-mother. . .)

Ok - bet you want to know about the giveaway - well, first let me thank Terry for stopping by today. I would love to see one of your hand-embroidered teddy bears. (My 2 daughters both have birthdays this month, but they are 15 and 17 so probably wouldn't be interested - but I do have a little boy turning 5 in November. . .hint, hint )

Danielle from Sourcebooks has kindly given you, my readers, a chance to win not just To Tempt the Wolf - but also Heart of the Wolf. That's right - 2 books, 1 winner. You must live in the U.S./Canada though with no PO boxes. Just answer Terry's questions above with your email address to be entered.

If you would like more entries, I would love to learn more about Terry - so just visit one of the links above and come back and tell me something you have learned! This giveaway will end on Sept 30.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

To Tempt the Wolf Blog Tour (8/17-9/17)

Shared by Kristi

To Tempt the Wolf

Award-Winning Author introduces the next installment of her paranormal romance series

A 2008 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Award Winner!
Night Owl Romance Reader Choice Award for Best Paranormal 2008

Hunter Greymore is a lupus garou, a grey werewolf. Hoping to keep a low profile at Tessa's cabin on the coast, he's drawn into her life—and into her bed. His animal instincts war with his human half, but in the end, the only thing he can do about this fascinating, adorable woman is to leave her forever —unless she becomes one of them. (Sourcebooks)

PRAISE FOR TERRY SPEARS' SERIES:

"The vulpine couple's chemistry crackles off the page, but the real strength of the book lies in Spear's depiction of pack power dynamics, as well as in the details of human-wolf interaction."
Publishers Weekly

"A solidly crafted werewolf story, this tale centers on pack problems in a refreshingly straightforward way."
Romantic Times, 4-star review

"Bella and Devlyn's devotion to each other is endearing. Their love scenes sizzle the pages...definitely hot! I look forward to reading more about this author's werewolf tales."
Paranormal Romance Reviews

"A lively read that keeps readers on their feet, and an excellent addition to the serious wolf-lover's library. When it comes to authenticity, this novel truly embodies the Heart of the Wolf."
Book Fetish

"Ms. Spear is a gifted author who brings a unique perspective to the paranormal genre."
Fresh Fiction Reviews

"Chilling suspense and sizzling romance meet in this page-turner. The dark, sexy alpha hero will capture you—body, mind and soul."
Nicole North, author of Devil in a Kilt