Baby, I'm Howling for You (Alphaville, #1)

by Christine Warren

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny's last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite--for her...Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate--and disarmingly hot--Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he's known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life...even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

• ISBN10: 1250120721
• ISBN13: 9781250120724
• Publish Date: 30 January 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 October 2021
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Despite my disappointment with Something to Howl About I approached this installment in a positive light. I hoped my tour of Alphaville would prove to be better this time around. As this was full length novel, I was looking forward to improved character development and an exciting and thrilling story. My expectations were met in some regard, however I felt my experience could have been better.

What The Story is About
Baby, I’m Howling for You features Renny Landry and Mick Fischer. Renny, a beta wolf shifter came to Alphaville seeking sanctuary from the coyote shifters who were pursuing her. As Alphaville is a town, which provides sanctuary for troubled shifters she saw it as the one place where she would be safe from the crazy coyote shifter and his minions. Unknown to her, the decision to seek sanctuary in this town would bring her in contact with an alpha wolf shifter who would make it his mission to protect her from the threat posed by her pursuers.
Mick Fischer came to Alphaville eight years ago to escape the pain of his past. However, the pain is as raw today as it was eight years ago and as a result he lived an isolated life. However, when Renny happened upon his property isolation would no longer be an option. His protective nature kicked into gear and his desire to protect a she-wolf in distress became his top priority.

What I liked.
The story started out with a bang. Fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, and it had me on edge of my seat for the whole chapter. Although the pace changed at the end of the first chapter, it did not take away from the story. There were some humorous moments, which made me smile from time to time.

I thought the author did an excellent job with plot thread involving Renny’s stalker. I found this aspect of the story engaging and I kept turning the pages as I had to know the outcome. The coyote shifters were crazy, arrogant and determined which made the threat to Renny serious dangerous.

It was a pleasure watching how the community members welcomed Renny into their fold. Each resident willingly played a part in keeping her safe, which reinforced Renny's belief that she came to the right place.

Renny is a character I enjoyed spending time with as she possessed the qualities of a strong female. Determined, brave, smart, independent and not afraid to stand up and fight her demons.

What I did not like
The attraction between the protagonists was instantaneous, which is a common factor for most books in the PNR genre. Despite the instant attraction Mick fought his feelings for Renny, which proved frustrating for her, as she recognized immediately he was her mate. Then, when she least expected it he mated with her, which confused her. I had a difficult time with this aspect of the story. Mick's actions made it difficult for me to buy into their relationship, which was further compounded by the fact that they never got to know each other, prior to their mating. Mick did not give Renny an option. He claimed and took, what he believed he was entitled to.

Mick is a character I had a hard time getting to know. First, I never got inside his head. Second, I found his actions rude and overbearing. I never got the feeling he loved Renny. It felt as if his need to protect was more from a sense of obligation, and a way of making up for not protecting his first mate.



Conclusion/Recommendation
This was an interesting read, but I felt it could have been better. I enjoyed the time spent with the quirky residents of Alphaville and I am curious to know their story. If you are a fan of the paranormal genre, then you can consider partaking in a journey to Alphaville.

3.5 Stars

[Melanie]

Review originally posted at RabidReads.ca.

2.5 stars

I was a huge fan of Christine Warren’s Others series. I remember reading them years ago. I tried the Gargoyle and it just wasn’t for me. But that was okay. Now that she was back with shifters, I was excited to give her a try again. I’m a huge fan of shifters, as most of you already know.

So, I started this book and really flew through the first 30ish% of the book. I really liked Renny. She is a red wolf shifter on the run from a stalker, a coyote alpha. He keeps sending his enforcers after her. She never agreed to date this guy and he isn’t taking “no” for an answer. She decides to run to Alpha, a town that is made up of shifters. At least then she won’t be putting humans in harm’s way.

Mick is a lone wolf and with a bad past. He had a mate once, that is until his grandfather and alpha decided she wasn’t purebred enough for him. His grandfather had his mate killed. That is when Mick went on a murderous rampage, and who could blame him. He expected to die after his mission was done. Most wolves don’t survive the loss of their mate, so he wasn’t expect to and he wasn’t happy about it. Now he’s just a bestselling graphic novel writer and illustrator. That is until a wolf collapses in his yard.

So I really enjoyed the characters living in Alpha. Zeke, the sheriff deputy and lion, along with his sister, Molly, the lioness and EMT, where a lot of fun. Then there is Marjory, the wanting to be retired librarian and wolverine shifter was really great. I even thought the villains, the coyotes, were great characters for the most part. They seemed exactly how you would expect a gang leader would stalk someone. And that was pretty much the way the alpha of the coyotes ran his pack.

My issue with the book is a few things. One: the relationship issues between the two. They have that mate, instalove thing going on. While that isn’t my favorite trope, I’ve read many versions of this trope that didn’t bother me. I’ve even read some that the shifters tried to fight that pull. But this one, just rubbed me the wrong way. Mick fought it tooth and nail. I don’t blame him, it must’ve been hard to lose his first mate and survive it. But then less than 24 hours later he’s biting her and mating her without her permission. He takes her back to his cabin and they continue this mating dance, where she returns the mating bite. Then there is enough sex to last a year. I was sore just reading it.

Two: now that they’re mated, the issue with both of their pasts are out in the open. You would things would get better, right? Wrong. Mick is still so tight lipped it is annoying. He’s all about sex, but shows her nothing outside of sex. She tries to get him to talk and he just clams up more. She does make some headway, but it isn’t easy for her.

Three: He goes all alpha male on her, constantly. She pushes back and even mentions that she understand that she is in danger and needs to be protected. She just wants to be part of the conversation and decision making. I feel like she is very reasonable and that Mick just can’t help himself. He is very worried that Renny will go the way of his first mate. While, I can understand his concern, still. When he said he wanted to lock her in a cell with half the sheriff’s department standing guard while he goes out with the other half to hunt down the coyotes, that was when I had decided that enough was enough. She had tried to reason with him and wasn’t at all trying to put herself in danger, but I would have to put a stop at some point. So I decided that I had read enough. I was tired of reading her being treated that way.

I have to say that I liked the characters, except for Mick. He was just too alpha for me. He needed to work with her, not overtop of her. He was very caveman. I really enjoyed the time with the others though. I wish I spent more time with them.

I even liked the suspense part of the story. I thought the coyotes made great villains. I liked the stalker aspect (though I never want to be on the receiving end of this kind of crazy). I wish there was more of this in the story.

So, when the story focused on the suspense and Renny trying to get her life back together, I really enjoyed it. The romance, though, was a big fail for me. I’m trying to remember if the Others series was this overly alpha. I remember some pretty alpha males, but I thought I remembered the women getting through to them and not being hampered or ignored the way Renny was.

**Book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway.

[llamareads]

Trigger warnings: attempted rape, sexual assault, death of significant other (in past), stalking

Besides the prequel novella to this series, this is the first Christine Warren novel I’ve read. While the prequel gives a little bit of extra backstory, you can read this as a standalone without any problems.

The story started out with the action – Renny’s car running out of gas miles from the town of Alpha, and her leading the pursuing coyotes in a chase in (hopefully) the right direction. The initial scenes got me hooked, with lots of interesting characters, including a grumpy alpha wolf, and lots of humor, but then, unfortunately, it petered out.

“In the space of a week she’d gone from fearing for her life and struggling to survive on the run, to having a home and a mate and now the job she’d been dreaming of since she was a child.”

Overall, this is an average destined mates romance, with the overly possessive and protective male and the female in danger. Renny and Mick’s relationship gave me whiplash. They literally went from Mick being in complete denial about their mating to jumping headfirst into bed together. I never really got a sense of love from them, just lust. I would’ve liked to see more of them falling in love and getting to know each other, rather than just going at it like rabbits. For example, at one point, Renny is worried because she’s falling in love with him and he hasn’t said anything about his feelings. An older woman counsels her that sometimes men show their love through actions instead of words (eye roll). So when the bad guy destroys their bedroom, Mick arranges for it to be fully redecorated (in a day!) using furniture Renny had bought when she thought she’d be sharing an apartment with her friend. Sid note: I’ve refinished furniture before, and it takes much longer than a day for things to be stripped, sanded and repainted. Yes, this is a weird thing to fixate on in a book about werewolves, but it was just such an odd detail to be off on. Back to my point – Renny takes this as a sign that Mick actually cares about her, partly because of much money he must’ve spent (?!). To me, it looked like a grand gesture, but it was also just another example of Mick making decisions for her without her consultation.

“’Whatever I wanted before is gone. I know I did everything I could to pretend you meant nothing to me, but I think I can stop now, because that ship hasn’t just sailed, it’s hit an iceberg and been lost at sea. You are my mate. So, from here on out, we’re going to forget about my idiocy and move forward together. Deal?’
Her lips twitched. ‘Sounds pretty convenient for you, if you ask me. I just pretend you didn’t treat me like a leper for the first eighteen hours of our acquaintance, and you get all the benefits of having a mate without even having to work for it?’
He let himself grin. ‘Sounds good to me.’”

As for other cons, I felt like the characterization was practically nonexistent. They’re both wolf shifters, Renny’s a librarian and Mick writes graphic novels and…. that’s pretty much it. Mick, at least, had a pretty interesting back story, and while it factored into the main story, it felt like it only scratched the surface of the emotional depth possible. I liked the secondary characters (especially Molly and her brother Zeke) and the idea of this town filled with misfit shapeshifters.

It’s fine – it just felt like the same old thing I’ve read before, with no new insights to offer. So if you’re a big fan of shifter insta-love stories, you’ll probably like this, but, for me, it fell flat.

[thebookdisciple]

Welcome to Alphaville, where the misfits, outcasts, and rejects of all breeds come! The town of Alpha is home to those who don't have a home or a pack. Its the last place Annie wanted to be after being tossed out of her own pack. But, in order to end her banishment, she must help out a shifter in Alpha. Turns out, the big bear shifter is her mate. The twist? This bear shifter doesn't believe in mates!

Something to Howl about was a quick read but it sets up the 'world' Warren is creating quite well. Annie and Jonas are likable characters and it is a bit of a hate-to-love twist on the fated mates trope.

Baby I'm Howling For You is the first full length book in the Alphaville series and centers around Renny and Mick, both wolves on the run (but for different reasons). Mick's mate died 8 years ago and he has refused to move on. Renny has a coyote stalker who won't move on. She ends up on Mick's front porch and finds her mate.

I will say that the plot is trite if you read PNR. Fated mates, quirky shifters, cartoonish bad guys, and other common themes are found. I was a little bothered by this, but I don't mind these tropes, so it didn't totally ruin the book.

Mick doesn't want a mate. He had one and she died. He fights the pull towards Renny, making it obvious he wants nothing to do with her. Then, suddenly, he mates her. Obviously, she is confused. Then he gets pissed when she voices her confusion. Mick was just kind of a jackass. I understood his pain and loss over his first mate, but his behavior was just rude, even after they mated. He never made Renny feel like he actually loved her. It was almost like she was a responsibility. Not sexy.

However, I loved Renny! She is sweet and funny. Her story is sad-no family, no friends, no pack, just a jerk of a stalker who won't take no for an answer. She isn't the type to want to put others at risk so she isn't willing to just sit around and let the residents of Alpha take over her life. She stands up to the men and isn't afraid of a fight. Frankly, she is a great character!

The plot unfolds around the hunt for the stalker combined with the mating relationship between Renny and Mick. You would think once they mate the issue is resolved, but its not! There are some funny supporting characters and some great banter between them that will keep things light and enjoyable. While I might have not liked Mick, I liked the town and the people and Renny enough to make this a great book!

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: no


• Trope: fated mates, shifters, stalker


• Triggers: none


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

Books by NJ Walters, Lisa Ladew, Eve Langlais...then you will probably like The Alphaville Series!

 

Alphaville Series

 

See full review on The Book Disciple

[stacey_is_sassy]

I liked it...well, sorta, kinda, nearly liked it...

I really liked the storyline and thought the characters were interesting. My biggest problem with Baby, I'm Howling For You was that it was too long and overly descriptive. I didn't see anything new in this paranormal romance and waited unsuccessfully for it to suck me in. Unfortunately, it was overly descriptive and each plot point, conversation and sex scene lost me halfway through it. I'm reading about how he wants to kill her stalker and by the end of the paragraph, I've planned what I'm having for dinner.

I even skimmed the sex scenes...THE HORROR!! Sure, I know they're newly mated and they can't control themselves, but it was the same sex over and over and over again. I didn't feel like the couple progressed past their initial lust. Their "love" was more a tick in the box of what a mated couple is supposed to feel.

Like I said, the characters and the storyline were interesting and I did finish the story. I loved the people of Alphaville and what they stood for. Meeting Molly, Zeke and Jaeger kept me coming back for more and in some ways, their "scenes" was the highlight for me. It's just not my favourite style of writing. I have a friend who is horrified that I mostly read stories that take a day to read. He loves the overly descriptive ones that take days or even weeks to read and is CONVINCED I'm missing out. So, definitely don't judge this book on my opinion alone. Check out other reviews and you may find that Baby, I'm Howling For You is perfect for you.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Baby, I’m Howling for You from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve always found that while Christine Warren’s novels are a bit hit or miss, they’re always a relaxing read, more or less. Her latest paranormal romance series called Alphaville starts out here, in Baby, I’m Howling for You. And yes, I agree that the name is pretty corny. But I figured it was worth a shot, especially because the preliminary reviews made it look good, and I’ve enjoyed some of her work in the past.
Renny is a red wolf shifter on the run. From what, you ask? An obsessive stalker who also happens to be the alpha of a pack of coyotes. Now, one would think in a fight between wolves and coyotes the wolf should win, right? Well consider these little tidbits: Renny is a red wolf, IE a smaller species, and she’s also outnumbered. That’s why she’s running to Alphaville (again, horrible name, I know) where all forms of shifters are welcome. With any luck she can find a safe space to live while she deals with these monsters. Once there though, Renny ends up getting more than she bargained for.



Warnings first: As mentioned above, Renny is being stalked by a seriously deranged man. He doesn’t care about consent or stalking laws or any of that. He wants to have his way with Renny and then murder her, since she denied him (and his poor ego couldn’t handle that, apparently). Warren dances around actually saying what’s going on here, rarely coming out right and saying it, but it’s still pretty obvious what is going on here. The coyote pack hunt her pretty relentlessly, and don’t really seem to care if they kill her by mistake. This whole series of events may make some readers really uncomfortable, so please be aware of it.
As far as light and quick reads go, this one wasn’t too bad. For those readers that like to occasionally dip their does in the romance world (while sticking pretty heavily to the paranormal part), this isn’t a bad series. I do think that dedicated romance fans might feel let down with the romance plot, as there isn’t a lot of buildup or tension in that department (but I could be wrong – romance isn’t me preferred read here).
The main character, Renny, has a pretty interesting name and on the whole is a well-rounded person. She’s stubborn, a book lover (bonus points for that), and driven to finding her own way in life. There were some points countered others though. Renny kept telling us that she was more than capable of taking on a coyote, as long as it was one on one, but every time she was presented with that opportunity she ended up either losing the fight or running from it. It left me feeling like she really was a female that needed to be protected by her mate, since that’s essentially what happened during every major altercation in this book. Which is a bit disappointing, to be honest.
I wish we had more of a chance to see Alphaville – yes, many characters are introduced from that town (whom presumably may become a focus in later novels), but I still feel like there was a lot to explore in that area. For example, I would have loved to see more about how all the different shifters cooperate in the down, and how the hierarchy (if there even is one) works.
I can’t say for certain that I’d read the rest of the Alphaville series. I think I’d be tempted to try them, depending on the description and how they seemed. Hopefully they’d hold up a bit better than the first novel.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[chymerra]

I like shifter/werewolf books. I like shifter/werewolf romances even more. Unfortunately, finding a good solid shifter/werewolf romance is a dime a dozen. I have reviewed the good, the bad and the ugly. I have become very picky about what I read because of the duds I have met. I can say with absolute certainty that Baby, I’m Howling for You is one of the good ones.

Baby, I’m Howling for You has an interesting plot. Renny is on the run from an obsessed coyote. She is running to the town of Alphaville. Alphaville has a reputation as a city that takes in the cast-offs of the shifters society. Renny is hoping that if she can make it there, that the city’s alphas will be able to help protect her. Unfortunately for her, the coyotes’ catch up to her when her car runs out of gas. Forced to run for her life, Renny ends up in the backyard of a solitary Alpha wolf named Mick. What Renny doesn’t know is that fate has connected them. What draws them together? Will Renny be able to get around Mick’s walls? Will she lose her coyote stalker? Will the residents of Alphaville allow her to stay? Want to know…..read the book.

I loved the idea of Alphaville. A city made up of shifters who either do not have a pack or are by nature solitary was fascinating to me. Add in that all the government positions were filled by Alphas’ and I loved it. I liked that it was Renny’s version of Shangri-La. What I liked, even more, was that it was attainable. That it was real and there were people ready to help Renny with her stalker.

I could not stop reading this book. It kept me on edge the entire time I was reading it. I needed to find out what happened to Renny. I needed to know what would happen with Renny and Mick. I also was very curious about the residents of Alphaville. What residents that were introduced were very interesting. This is a series that I can sink my teeth into!!

I liked Renny. I thought her stalking situations was portrayed very realistically. Everything that coyote did, I could see a human who was a stalker doing the same thing. She was brave. I mean, she took off running towards safety in her wolf form instead of letting the coyote pack take her back. I did feel that her personality was kind of suppressed during the story. But, it was done on purpose. She was in a life or death situation. She couldn’t be a peppy, happy cheerleader. Instead, the author chose to let her reveal different aspects of her personality slowly. I also did think that her reaction to Mick’s revelation was very understated. Very understated. I also would have had the same thoughts she did afterward. I mean how do you compete with a ghost?

Mick was such an enigma during the first half of the book. The author chose to reveal his secrets at the same pace that Renny started to open up. I will say that I was pretty surprised at some of the things revealed about him. I was also surprised at some things that he had done. When that was revealed, I couldn’t relate it to the Alpha that was portrayed. He also did his darndest to keep Renny away from him. He didn’t want or need her in his life. But his wolf (and hers) had different plans.

The sexual tension between Mick and Renny was off the charts. I did find it a little odd when he was attracted to her when she was injured. When they did finally have sex, it was off the charts. It was so good that they stayed cloistered for almost a week.

The end of the book was action packed. I did find it a little unfortunate about what happened to the coyotes. But considering that they were a huge problem for so many shifters, they deserved it. I am excited to see what the rest of this series will be like. If it is anything like Baby, I’m Howling for You, then I will be pretty happy.

Baby, I’m Howling for You is a sizzling action-packed shifter romance novel. It will keep you engaged for the entire book. The main characters were very relatable. The plotline was engaging. I couldn’t put this book down. I needed to find out what would happen with Mick and Renny. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I would recommend Baby I’m Howling for You. I would also reread it.

I would suggest that no one under the age of 20. So adults only. Why adults only? Well, there is explicit sex. There is also language and violence.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Paperbacks, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Baby, I’m Howling for You.

All opinions stated in this review of Baby, I’m Howling For You are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**