She's a scientist. He's a werewolf. Can he get her to believe in him, when his wolf has already decided that she's their mate?
Saoirse's an unemployed scientist, whose bestie since childhood, talks her into applying to be a teacher at a small, private High School Academy in rural Maine. Diego's the principal--and a werewolf. Students are sent here so if a wolf is living inside of them, it will present itself in a safe environment. It doesn't take long for her to realize something's different about the sexy boss she's trying to keep her hands off of; but his wolf has decided she's their mate. While he's agonizing over how to break the news to her, she figures things out and freaks out--then the scientist in her gets intrigued. When the elderly pack leader dies, he names Diego as his successor. But there's a challenger who thinks he can do a better job. Unfortunately, wolf pack leader challenges are to the death.
Excerpt
"How old do you think I am?" Diego asked.
"About twenty-five? I know you're younger than me."
"Not by as much as you think. I'm thirty-one."
"I can only hope moving here is as healthy for me, as it obviously is for all of you."
They were both quiet, for a few minutes, drinking more from their water bottles. Diego asked another question.
"How do you feel, personally, about living here? Are you adapting okay to the silence and the isolation?"
She grinned, "I don't get much silence when I'm in class with the kids. They're noisy all of the time. I wish I could bottle their energy...I could make a fortune selling it! So when I do get time off, I enjoy not having to interact with anyone, unless I want to. I mean the meals are communal, but I usually enjoy that."
"You can always ask for something to be sent up to your room, if you don't feel like talking to anyone. That's why you have a dining area in your suite."
"Thanks. That's good to know, if I ever feel like eating by myself. I have a lot of solo hobbies, like reading, and I like to do yoga in my room. Plus now that I have access to some art supplies, I've been doing some painting again, which I haven't been able to do for years. So yeah, I've been enjoying living here."
"I know we don't have much in the way of night life. There aren't any clubs for attractive young women like you to go partying the night away. The closest town is Bingham, and they roll their sidewalks up after dinner and turn out the lights."
"I never did get much into clubbing. I mean I went with Freddie and Jorge when I was living with them, since their friends were all into that. But it's not really my scene. Don't get me wrong, I do like to dance and party, but not as much as I did when I was in my younger, more rebellious days. Ten years ago, I'd have thought this place was too remote. Now I like the peace and quiet."
He was sitting right in front of her, and she saw a quick upward curve of his lips as he heard her answer. He looked away for a moment, and she sensed a hesitation on his part.
"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
He was silent for just a heartbeat, then he turned to her and looked into her eyes.
"Would it be alright with you if I kiss you?"
She returned his gaze, "I wish you would."
He leaned closer and she closed her eyes as their lips met.
She was surprised by the tingle that she felt from that tiny connection with him. It was like an electric jolt that traveled down her throat and made her nipples tighten with excitement. It traveled lower, warming her abdomen, to zero in on her clit, newly alive and throbbing. With a low moan, she leaned forward into the kiss, wanting more.
Diego was fighting a battle for control, with his wolf. It was fully awake and making demands in a language that only he understood.
Take her now! She belongs to us!
No! She's not pack. She doesn't know what that would mean.
No matter. She will learn. She will be pack.
Not yet!
Hear her? Smell her? She wants. Take her!
No!
They were startled by the sudden noise of branches being trampled nearby, and a growling sound.
Diego pulled back from the kiss to turn his head in the direction of the sound and inhale deeply. Instantly he reached out and covered her mouth with his hand. He shook his head, silently asking her to not make a sound.
A mama Black Bear with two cubs emerged from the brush only a few feet away from them. The family lumbered by them, heading for the stream. Once she was downwind from them, she turned and saw them. She regarded them gravely, growling a warning to her cubs as she took a step nearer to the invaders.
Diego made a low growling sound in his throat, and the bear stopped. She turned back to the cubs and headed up the stream, herding them along with her, to quickly put distance between them and the humans.
When Diego was satisfied that the danger was over, he took his hand off Saoirse's mouth.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded weakly.
"I've never seen a bear up close before. I've never even seen a bear not in a zoo before. That was terrifying, and exciting, all at the same time!"
He stood up and offered her a hand to pull her up.
"The danger is over, for now. Just the same, it's getting late, and we want to be back in time for some dinner."
"How did you do that growling thing that convinced her to leave?"
He shrugged, "You live around here long enough, you learn ways to convince the locals to leave you alone. We were intruding on her home territory. I tried to let her know we were leaving. So we need to make good on that promise. Are you ready?"
"Wow. Just, wow. Maybe you can teach me that someday?"
But he had already turned back to the path they had come on and was walking quickly towards the woods.
Saoirse glanced back at the stream the bears were in, then followed the man who knew how to get them back to the area of this wilderness that humans had claimed for themselves.
Professional Reviews
Author Lisabet Sarai review
Saoirse McColl has a mind of her own – and that gets her into trouble. A research biologist, she has been fired by several labs because she refused to fudge her data to match the desired results. Unemployed and disillusioned, she’s temporarily staying with her best friend Freddie in his Boston apartment, while she tries to find work that won’t require her to surrender her principles. The listing for a science teacher at a private school in Maine seems like a long shot, but she figures she has nothing to lose by applying for the job.
Somewhat to her surprise, she discovers she loves the beautiful and remote Northwest Maine Academy, perhaps because most of her students and colleagues don’t fit in to so-called “normal” society any better than she does. She’s especially drawn to the school principle Diego Vargas, and to her delight the attraction seems to be mutual. When she discovers the secret the Academy exists to hide, however, she wonders whether her intense connection with the handsome, virile Latino could possibly have a future.
Fiona McGier writes contemporary erotic romance, a genre I find all too often is sadly predictable. Fortunately, Ms. McGier brings an original twist to most of her stories. In When a Wolf Howls, she has created a surprisingly rational and believable world in which werewolves exist but are biological flukes rather than paranormal monsters. Lupines have a double identity, wolf and human, and must constantly compromise between the two. The syndrome is inheritable but unpredictable. Until puberty, when an individual undergoes his or her first shift, there’s no way to tell whether someone is a were or not.
The sprawling, luxurious Academy shelters the were-pack along with their non-were mates and associates, in an environment close to nature where their wolves can run free. Once Saoirse recovers from the shock of meeting Diego in wolf form, she’s forced to recognize the powerful emotional and carnal bond between them. Their fairy-tale romance takes a darker turn, however, as she comes to understand what is expected of her as the mate of the new pack leader.
I really enjoyed When A Wolf Howls. It has the luscious erotic heat I’ve come to expect from Fiona McGier, but touches on more substantive topics as well: female agency, child-bearing and motherhood, mismatched expectations between men and women, the clash between moral principles and love. The book is rather loosely plotted, with several crises rather than a single narrative arc, but the conflicts do become more fundamental as the novel progresses, until they seriously threaten Diego’s and Saoirse’s happily ever after.
Most of the novel is presented from Saoirse’s point of view, with occasional shifts to Diego as well as secondary characters. I think I would have preferred to stay in Saoirse’s head the entire time, as the shifts (no pun intended) are somewhat disorienting.
I had one complaint about the writing. The author uses long internal monologues, where Saoirse is effectively talking silently to herself, for exposition of past action and back story. I found this device a bit annoying.
Overall, though, When a Wolf Howls is warm-hearted, genuine, creative and arousing. Saoirse’s a fantastic heroine, a strong woman who’s ready to fight for justice, her own safety, and that of the people she loves. She’s definitely well suited to be Diego’s mate.
Smashwords Reader review
I have been a fan of Ms. McGier for some time - this book is her first in a few years, and it does not disappoint, delivering on all of her best hallmarks - well-developed characters, smart writing, a setting that really draws you in, and x-rated sequences to curl your toes. It has a slow build early on as Ms. McGier builds up the characters and the world, but once it gets going it does not let you go! From the steamy romance between Saoirse and Diego to the tense conflict between the new pack leader and his challenger, you will probably have to finish the second half in one sitting. And speaking of that time Ms. McGier devotes to the characters and setting - it pays off! The setting, a remote school deep in the Maine forest run for (and largely by) shifters, is a very cool concept, and Ms. McGier makes you feel like you're right there discovering it with Saoirse. And the fact that McGier really takes the time to show you who the characters are inside makes the sex scenes as rewarding as they are hot. She also has one of the more interesting takes on shifters that I have read in a while. I've heard this is going to turn into a series, so I'm excited to see what comes next!
Long and Short Reviews gave a 3.5
Saoirse McColl is a research biologist who has been fired again. She sees herself as having bad luck but the amount of things that fall into her lap tell a different story.
This is an intriguing story about Pack life and what happens when you get a Leadership changeover. Saoirse gets her job as a teacher and has a great rapport with the kids. Things change for her dramatically though when she realises the man she has fallen for is a werewolf. There is something for everyone here – mystery, kidnap, fights to the death, and LOTS of sex.
The writing style is different from others, and I didn’t particularly like the long internal monologues and reviews of what “whoever” had done and when. However, they are part of the story and it needed them to be able to move forward. I just found them to ramble on and they became a detraction from the interaction between the characters themselves.
All in all, though, this was a very good story that shows that life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, even if you think you have it all. There are some great characters in here that I would love to learn more about. So, yep, recommended by me.
Crystal Reed thought she had met the perfect man. Instead she finds herself entangled in a web of obsessive love and dark secrets, a world that has become tainted by deception and treachery.
