"Well Done - Werewolf Sequel Turns Up The Heat!"
ONCE A WOLF is the second novel in Susan Krinard's
historical werewolf (Forster) trilogy, which began with
TOUCH OF THE WOLF. The Forster siblings; Braden, and twins Rowena and Quentin
were raised by a tyrannical grandfather who was a fanatic
about maintaining racial purity of the loups garou. He'd
made them all miserable beating at their self-esteem to
mold them to his liking. Braden was driven to prove that he
is not weak, in spite of his grandfather's repeated
taunting. When the grandfather passed on he assumed
leadership of the loup garou and espoused "the Cause" as
well, arranging suitable marriages for his people. He had
planned such a marriage for Rowena. She'd rebelled. Locked
in her room she'd refused to eat, choosing to die rather
than enter a loveless marriage. Rowena despises the animal part of herself, wishing to be
wholly human. She cannot bear to "Change" though she's has
done so in desperate situations in the past. With Cassidy
Holt's (Braden's future wife) blessing she does so once
more and escapes, vowing this will be the last time. She
flees to the one place she knows her brother will not think
to look for her -- America, the home of her proposed spouse. A marriage for love ,to Cassidy, has mellowed Braden. He
still believes in his Cause but no longer forces others to
comply with his wishes. Though Rowena knows she can now go
home, she has made a niche for herself in New York society,
and chooses to stay. She is the toast of the town and has
everything she's ever wanted - to be respected, admired,
human. Ironically she is also engaged to the man she has
gone to so much trouble to avoid marrying. Cole MacLean is a wealthy financier; he has a "way" of
getting others to do his bidding. A loups garou as well he
has eschewed his animal nature as uncivilized, and has
assured Rowena that he is the best man to keep her secret.
She will have nothing to hide from him and he will never
reveal her nature. She'd given up on love long ago; she
will settle for being safe. Though Cole is wealthy, he
needs Rowena's status to really gain entr�e into high
society. He has his own agenda and that includes an
obedient wife. He has effectively crushed the fighting
spirit with which Rowena so effectively defied her brother.
Well almost. While Cole is away a very credible English gentleman
approaches Rowena seeking help for her brother, Quentin,
who
had also fled to America to deal with his own demons. He is
in need of her help she's told, and even though it is sure
to anger Cole, she decides to travel with this man to aid
her twin. What she doesn't know is that this man is a master of
disguise (she's met him before) and that he is no
gentleman. He's Tomas Alejandro Randall, a desperado also
known as El Lobo. He is the Robin Hood of the west,
stealing from the rich to help the poor and he has a score
to settle with Cole. His plan is to take Cole's bride,
seduce her and release her after letting her know just what
kind of man she'd been engaged to. Tomas will avenge the
death of his parents at the hands of the MacLeans. Tomas brings Rowena's feisty side back, and the more she
fights him the more he's attracted to her. He has a loyal
following and she hears nothing good about her fianc� from
them. Who to believe? Cole is totally at home with his
heritage and wants her to be as well. He lives simply in
this rugged environment, taking only what his people need
to survive. Her loyalty should be to Cole but oh my, Tomas
seems to be honorable, warm, kind, and very, very, sexy.
Can she resist his allure? Can she turn him over to the man
she's betrothed to, a man she doesn't love? Can she live
this uncivilized life, accept what she is, and be a whole
woman at last. Can she even be whole without Tomas? When it
comes to the inevitable confrontation, will he let her go? If you found the Forsters's a bit cool in the last story,
never fear, Ms. Krinard has really turned up the heat with
this novel. She's turned a deeply bitter and restrictive
woman into a warm and loveable heroine. Tomas is tremendous
as the noble hero. Cole is as despicable as villains come.
Ms. Krinard also introduced some truly wonderful and
tortured side characters, each with their own demons to
conquer: Weylin MacLean, Cole's brother, the honorable
lawman charged by his brother to bring El Lobo to justice
for the killing of their father, who must ultimately make a
terrible choice; Sim Cavenaugh, a hired gun who is loyal
to El Lobo, and is unwavering though Tomas finds his
methods
questionable. He has his own score to settle with Cole
MacLean.; The young girl the pair name Esperanza (hope), an
empath whom they rescue from the wrath of the villagers who
had proclaimed her a witch and who had harmed her. Her
skills will be vital to the conclusion of this story. Each
of these characters is deserving of a story of their own. I
hope we will see that, as Ms. Krinard has proposed a loups
garou genealogy connecting the historical families to their
contemporary counterparts. However the next book will
undoubtedly by Quentin Forster's. I thoroughly enjoyed this
book, recommend also reading TOUCH OF THE WOLF to
get a
handle on Rowena's character. I will be looking for the
third story with great anticipation. Copyright 2003
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 12, 2001
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His love was wild... his soul untamed... his touch forbidden.... From acclaimed author Susan Krinard comes the second novel in a magnificent trilogy of a powerful clan whose sensual legacy is cloaked in secrecy-and a beautiful woman kidnapped by an outlaw whose forbidden embrace could reveal her true identity.... Once a Wolf In the unspoiled expanses of the American West, Tomás Alejandro Randall was called El Lobo, the desperado and sworn enemy of powerful financier Cole MacLean. Few humans knew his true identity: heir to a wolf bloodline that made him as much an exotic beast as a devastatingly attractive man. It was Tomás's plan to lure Cole MacLean's elegant fiancée, Lady Rowena Forster, from her New York mansion to the wild frontier. There he planned to seduce the golden-haired beauty as revenge for the destruction of his family at MacLean's hands. But once she was in his possession, El Lobo found himself unable to resist the call of his own untamed passion-a passion that would claim the beauty for his own. As for Lady Rowena, she desperately hid her own wolf heritage behind an icy, controlled exterior. Yet the famous "Lady Ice" found her inhibitions melting and her true nature emerging in the presence of this handsome desperado. Both knew the danger of their pairing, but their wild hearts would risk everything-even death-for a chance at everlasting love.
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