Cocktails and Books
Written on May 9, 2015
I wanted to LOVE this book. I really did. The concept is amazing! 25 authors writing a chapter each to create one whole book. Quite a few of these authors are favorites of mine, so I was really excited to read it. Also, the idea that 100% of the proceeds from sales are going to charity, focusing on homeless GLBTQ teens, is brilliant. So what if I didn't LOVE it, then, right? I LIKED it, so I'm going to recommend that you check it out based on those facts alone.
Here's a quick rundown of the story. Quad was attacked by a wolf, and now he's a shifter trying not to be agressive because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. His new car breaks down in Trinity Valley, a town on the edge of nowhere, and he's not happy about it at all. He makes his way to a roadhouse to use the phone, and there he meets Gypsy...a gorgeous man with the most beautiful hair Quad has ever seen. Gypsy is the bartender/owner of the place, and he arranges to get some help for Quad, and the story takes off from there.
Gypsy and Quad don't get off to the best of starts, but the attraction is instant, and soon, they're having passionate sex. Quad instinctively bites Gypsy, thus inadvertently making him his mate. To say that Gypsy is unhappy about this is an understatement. From there, the two face so many obstacles and so much danger that it's difficult to imagine that their relationship will turn into the love that every reader wants to see unfold between them. Their chemistry is palpable, and they seemed like they wanted to make a go of their relationshp...sometimes.
I don't really want to say anymore because there is so much going on, with so much action and mystery, I couldn't possibly sum it all up in just a few paragraphs. It's for this reason that I couldn't give "Gypsy's Wolf" a higher rating. At times, the story becomes a little jumbled. It's occasionally difficult to follow. Also, with 25 different authors, you get 25 different writing styles. Some write chapters full of hot sex. Some write chapters full of humor (which was pretty cool, actually), and some write some great action. However, that made me a little frustrated on occasion. I wanted a smooth, continuous book like I would get with one single writer. Also, I felt like a few things were rehashed a bit too much. It seemed like they wanted to remind everyone of what's going on over and over again. I found myself saying, "Just get on with it!". It's not necessarily a BAD thing, but I would get involved with the story, and to have it be interrupted with the same exposition put me on edge.
I think my favorite part of this whole book was the epilogue. It gave me the HEA that I wanted, and it did it in some delightful ways. Everything was tied up neatly in a beautiful red bow, and that redeemed the whole thing. All of my frustration melted away, and it left me feeling satisfied. So, as I said at the beginning, I LIKED "Gypsy's Wolf". It was worth the time that I spent reading it. I'm recommending it even with the little flaws that I mentioned. I hope that we'll be seeing more books like this in the future because there is so much potential in the multiple author concept. Enjoy.This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.