A WEREWOLF IN THE NORTH WOODS – Vicki Lewis Thompson
A Wild About You Novel , Book 2
Signet Eclipse
ISBN: 978-0-451-23498-8
October 2011
Paranormal Romance

Outside Portland, Oregon, the Present

Packs of werewolves dwell in various locations around the States, many in large population centers. Humans would be surprised that many are extremely successful socially and financially. Of course, it's imperative that humans never discover that Weres actually exist. There is danger of discovery when a human in the Portland area sees and photographs a pair of Sasquatch roaming the wilderness behind his land. His neighbor happens to be the Alpha of the Portland Pack and the last thing the pack needs is avid Bigfoot hunters combing the area. He calls in an expert myth debunker from the Wallace Pack of New York, anthropology professor Roarke Wallace, PhD. His job is to discredit the sighting made by the human, Earl Dooley, who is a believer and has been hunting Bigfoot for years. Earl's arthritis prevented his fine focusing so that the photo is not terribly clear, but the man's enthusiastic retelling of his tale has garnered excitement.

Abby Winchell dearly loves her Grandpa Earl and travels from her home in Phoenix to check on him and winds up defending him against the professor. Unfortunately for Roarke, she learns his secret and blackmails him into leaving Earl alone and taking her along on his hunt for the Sasquatch. Now Sasquatch are not very bright, but Weres are able to communicate to them telepathically, and Roarke intends to find them and relocate them to a safer locale. Having the human female along on the hunt is very disturbing. A Were's sense of smell is very acute, and her scent produces a massive arousal at first sniff.

In Ms. Thompson's earlier novel, A WEREWOLF IN MANHATTAN, Roarke's brother fell in love with a human, and Roarke was totally against it. Once made, a werewolf's bond cannot be broken and a human mate must be sworn to secrecy, even among family and friends. Such a relationship is not for him! And there are two very good reasons they should not become lovers.

All sorts of adventures lie ahead for Abby and Roarke, not least are the feelings they both fight against. Add to the mix a chance meeting with a stranger and the nasty interference of the arrogant Portland Alpha. (And, by the way, did you know that Sasquatch really, really stink?)

Abby and Roarke practice strong restraint, and so does Ms. Thompson. It would have been too easy to make a werewolf hero out to be a fierce, near ferocious lover. Instead, Roarke is tender and considerate in his dealings with Abby. That's not to say A WEREWOLF IN THE NORTH WOODS lacks emotion or passion. Far from it. You can look for many intense scenes amid warmth and humor. A WEREWOLF IN THE NORTH WOODS combines a lively imagination with excellent characterization and plotting to make darn good reading.

Jane Bowers