Review: A Wolf's Dowry

A Wolf's Dowry by Johnny Stone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Carnal sex in beast form is a hawt taboo read. A Wolf's Dowry involves two werewolves and some dirty bloody sex. Paula Redding is a woman sans ties. Without a family or much history, she's made her own way in the world. She's also found a man she's going to marry. Jenks, a fellow cop, is the lucky man. When a new homicide which looks to be a serial killer haunts her, her carefully compartmentalized world starts to unravel. Her two sides collide when the suspected killer threatens her future white picket fence plans.

This story moves fast and the sex part is pretty graphic and hawt. The focus is on Paula's mating heat which turns her into a ravenous nymphomaniac. The taboos depicted in this story are right up my alley and I enjoyed them. It's aggressive, rough and bloody. The clear imagery combined with scent descriptions invokes a strong picture and makes this story come to life in vivid detail.

Still, this story is too short. There is little world building. It would be nice to have more background on Paula and the werewolf mythology used. Some of the information is conflicting. For example, it's mentioned she didn't know she was a werewolf until she turned. Yet she seems to have learned a little about the werewolf society in reference to other female werewolves and a possible alpha male werewolf. When a new werewolf enters the picture, it's implied she's more than just an average werewolf. She knows nothing about this but at the end of the story she suddenly declares something which makes no sense.

"The Anaski have always prided themselves on their ferocity in battle, and I’m no different." (p.26)

How did she learn of the reputation of the Anaski? It's never mentioned she has any contacts in the werewolf society. A reader needs to deduce the new werewolf in her territory somehow explained how things are for her. Since the only scene involving information distribution from said werewolf was scorning her ignorance, this doesn't seem a plausible scenario. This lack of continuity causes the story to be less smooth than it could have been. There are a couple of threads to the story which were left hanging which could mean a follow up story. Overall, this story is a quick read and recommended for paranormal lovers who enjoy a more ruthless style of mating.

*provided by Manic Readers


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