ARWHOOOOOO!!! The Wolfies are BACK!!!!

Just a note to apologize for missing last week. I meant to post my review of Wolf Flight last Monday, but life kind of got out of control. So this week, I've posted the reviews for both Wolf Flight and Wolf Games. And next week I'll be back with my favorite wolfie's story, Wolf Tracks (TJ's story, oh yeah)

This is my Salute!! to all things Wolfie!!!! I thought I had read most types of shifter stories...then I got my hands on Vivian Arend's Granite Lake Pack books, and her deliciously sinful and delectable Wolfies. What Vivian does to warm up cold Canadian nights should be illegal in the provinces, and in most of the states south of the Canadian border. What is there left to say about these sexy, sometimes furry, but always all man Granite Lake wolves? Well, apparently, a lot!!! Today marks the start of a reread of the Granite Lake Pack books, beginning with Wolf Signs. This is in preparation for the release of book six in the series, Wolf Nip! If you've read any of these, you know each book focuses on one of the pack members. starting with future Granite Lake Alpha Keil and his unsuspecting mate Robyn, and the title has more than one meaning, as is so often true with Vivian's titles.

ARWHOOOOOO!!!

Wolf Signs
Granite Lake Wolves, Book 1

Talk about getting your signals crossed…
Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.
Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death. Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.
Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.
Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…
Warning: Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘talking with your hands.’ Includes dangerous use of sarcasm and hot nookie in a remote wilderness sauna.

I love how Vivian addresses what could have been a sensitive subject in Robyn's hearing disability and turns it into a strength. Imagine being off by yourself, meeting a super hot man, and learning that you are really a wolf. But this story is done with humor and teasing and fun, and of course there is the hot and very sweet comic relief of Keil's younger brother, the delicious and a bit dorky TJ. In addition to learning about what it means to be wolf, Robyn must learn what it means to be a mate, and adjust to many changes in her life. 

Vivian tells these with humor and heat and lots of passion for her Wolfies, and we have all come to love them so much, and I for one was delighted when she decided to continue writing them. Thank you, Vivian, for the hours of reading enjoyment you have provided to all of your readers. And everyone needs to be warned...TJ may be mated to Pam, but he is still MINE!!!

* After writing this, I went back and read Wolf Signs again last night, and was laughing so hard, I cried. I had forgotten just how funny TJ was in this one-and how hot the romance between Robyn and Keil was!

Wolf Flight
Granite Lake Wolves, Book 2

An untriggered werewolf. A runaway Omega. It’s not easy fighting destiny.

Tad Maxwell’s workaholism serves to keep his bush pilot company in the air, and his inner werewolf in check. In the two years since he discovered his heritage, he’s resisted the longing to test the power of his wolf side. It would mean compromising his human principals.
Then Missy Leason re-enters his life. Ten years ago, their teenage attraction never went beyond hand-holding. Now their chemistry is off the charts, pushing him closer to the step he’s not sure it’s safe to take, especially with a human.

But Missy is more like Tad than he realizes. She’s wolf too, and a wolf pack is a dangerous place to have secrets. Missy’s alpha has sniffed out her carefully hidden Omega powers. Her first response: run from the corrupt alpha’s plan to make her his mate. Step two: get to Tad, and hope like hell his untapped powers are strong enough to negate her own.

Every touch with Missy is hot, hot, hot, but even finding out she’s pure wolf doesn’t solve Tad’s dilemma. Is she using him, or are they truly destined mates? Only one thing is certain. He will defend her to his last breath—on his terms. Even if it means losing his life.
Warning: Contains nasty Alphas, secret Omegas and werewolves acting raunchy on the dance floor. Sarcasm, wilderness cabins, and hot nookie back by popular demand.

This is Vivian Arend's second visit to Granite Lake and the wolves that live there. Having read the first book, I was intrigued to see where she would take me with this visit. This is first and foremost a love story more than anything. That the main characters just happen to be wolves at times takes nothing away from that. I love Granite Lake,the richly detailed scenic areas that these stories are set in. Ms. Arend's character development is nothing short of superb. I love the gentle strength and determination that Missy displays when she is faced with trouble. She doesn't run away, she just works toward her goals. I giggled a bit when Tad was called to the Granite Lake pack and told there was someone willing to Firstmate with him and he was sure it was an older, blue haired woman he had seen at gatherings. The pleasant surprise he felt when he learned Missy was the one offering was genuinely portrayed, as was his relief. And the misunderstanding that arose when Tad tried to be noble and not force a bond on Missy, thinking she had a chance to meet her true mate was humorous, although quite painful for Tad in the end. When the confrontation with the nasty alpha comes, it is an interesting situation. Do Tad and Missy have their happily ever after? Yes, but it is hard won in the end. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves action, romance and a side order of humor along the way. 

Wolf Games
Granite Lake Wolves, Book 3

True love’s path never did run smooth.
After seven years of total denial, Maggie Raynor’s body—and her inner wolf—are in full revolt. Weak and shaky, she literally falls into the very large and capable arms of the Granite Lake Beta, Erik Costanov. The last thing she wants is a mate, particularly when just looking at another wolf scares her to death. And one as big and sexy as Erik? Really bad idea, no matter what her libido says.
Erik expected to meet Maggie in Whitehorse to escort her to the home of her sister, his pack’s Omega. Sheer chance puts him in the right place at the right time to catch her, but the realization that hits him with the force of a full body shot is no accident. She’s his mate. An even bigger shock? She wants no part of him—not until she resolves her issues.

She’ll have to work fast, because they’re both selected to represent the pack during the premier sporting event for wolves in the north. Not only will she have to work as a team with Erik, she’ll have to face down her fear of wolves. Let the Games begin.

Warning: Contains uber-sexy werewolves of Russian descent, reluctant mates and exotic travels through the Yukon wilderness. Includes sarcasm and hot nookie under the Midnight Sun.

Vivian Arend has a talent for drawing you in to her stories, and this book is an excellent example of what to do right in a book. The character development is superb, and the story is a tension filled romance. I feel that Ms. Arend knows the locations she sets her tales in, and she makes her wolves believable and very intriguing. I love the patience of Erik in the face of Maggie's fears and hesitation. This could have been just another werewolf story, but Ms. Arend allowed the relationship to grow between the main characters, she didn't just throw them together and say "they are mates, deal with it." And the wait is worth it, as the fireworks that eventually erupt between Erik and Maggie so wonderfully attest to. The supporting characters are also well crafted, with Jared and TJ adding some well needed comic relief at times. The attraction simmers as these two work at solving Maggie's problems with her wolf, and her ability to shift.I have read all of the Granite Lake Wolf stories and each one is better than the one before, and they are all excellent in my opinion. 

These are the first three Granite Lake Wolves books, and I will be back next week with the another of them. and each Monday until the release of Wolf Nip. I will also give a brief review of each book as we read along with Viv, and the first is here above, after Wolf Signs.

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