annieb123's Review of The Wolf's Joy (Masters of Maria, #3)

by Holley Trent

A holiday hook-up leads to a lifetime of love in this charming story continuing the adventures of the Masters of Maria series.

Alex Cavanaugh is used to fielding odd requests at her waitressing job. She would have never predicted, though, that she’d get brazenly propositioned for a one-night stand with a needy werewolf—or that she’d be lonely enough to tell him yes.

Ben Swain’s inner wolf has been howling for him to take a permanent mate, but he’s terrified of change. He’s clawed his way to status and respect from his pack and doesn’t want to sacrifice that for anything. A short tryst while he’s visiting Maria, New Mexico, before the holidays is supposed to be a stopgap measure to keep his wolf hormones in check, but Ben’s animal side wants more of Alex.

Although she’s a human, quirky Alex’s go-with-the-flow, practical personality perfectly complements Ben’s wild intensity. But after being burned by men before, her budding horticulture career has become her number one priority. Sure, she wants love, but she’d rather be alone than with someone who isn’t fully committed. So why can’t she seem to resist Ben?

If the two can’t figure out a way to balance the two most important things in their lives, all they’ll be getting for Christmas is regret.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Wolf's Joy is a holiday novella due out 20th Nov, 2017 from Simon & Schuster's Adams imprint. Written by Holley Trent, this is a standalone tie-in with crossover characters from her other 'Maria' novels. (Maria is a town, not a person).

Alex Cavanaugh is a waitress in a diner in Maria, New Mexico where paranormals live side by side with humans. Ben Swain's a wolf shifter who's in town on bodyguard duty and looking for a temporary encounter to keep his wolf hormones in check. Alex has had some bad experiences (her ex's nickname, 'Deputy Dipsh*t' almost made me snort diet coke out my nose), and she swears she's not looking for anything other than a temporary measure to keep her hormones in check, so she can concentrate on her budding horticulture business.

Yes, they bonded in about 5 minutes flat. Yes, it's goofy in places and the sarcastic humor doesn't always ring true. On the other hand, sometimes you need a really sweet, silly, light, romantic sexy read and this one is sweet and undemanding. There's enough dramatic tension to give the denouement a fluffy and romantic payoff.

I wasn't particularly pleased by portraying the local conservationist/ecology park ranger type character as a complete doofus, and I'm very much against gathering native plant materials irresponsibly (which Alex doesn't do, exactly), but I'm probably the only person who will react to that part of the story.

For fans of playfully light paranormal romance, this quick read (128 pages) will satisfy. NSFW, but not erotica, either. I'm not really the target audience; I'm sure paranormal romance fans will enjoy it very much.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

The Wolf's Joy (Masters of Maria, #3)

by Holley Trent

Reviewed by annieb123 on Oct 24, 2017

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