Back Cover:
Five seconds earlier, Mason Dillinger would have sworn it could never happen…
That a woman who was his perfect match even existed. And that he'd find her in a bustling café. Yet just the scent of sweet, mortal Torrance Watson ignited a driving, explosive need to claim her that he knew his pack would never sanction. Worse, the rogue werewolf he'd been hunting had sensed that attraction and made Torry his prey. Forced to safeguard her from this ruthless assassin, who already posed a threat to his pack, Mason now faced the ultimate challenge. Did he have the courage to cross the line by sealing the blood bond that would make Torry his alone—a disloyalty few of his kind ever survived—or would he live an eternity without love?
My Review:
The first chapter of this book is so tightly choreographed with the senses heightened: the hero meets the heroine for the first time and his life changes. I can't recall reading a better first chapter. Yum. From there, the book gets a little more plot-driven, a little less about giving in to the senses, and more about the hero restraining himself and protecting his heroine. There's nothing wrong with a book following that path, but I was expecting less restraint (the hero held out on truly making her "his" in a permanent way until the very very end, I prefer immediate urgency!)
This is the first book in the series, so maybe that's why it seemed to be setting up the plot a bit? I can say... I bought the second book, Jeremy/Jillian's story in "Last Wolf Hunting"... and I skimmed through the pages quickly, to whet my appetite for it, and from what I see, Jeremy is intent on taking the heroine now and won't be showing any restraint! So I'm seriously looking forward to the next book! I enjoyed this one and I love the group of men who make up the Blood Runners gang. They are such yummy alphas.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars, a little plot-driven for me, but yum, how can you not love a book about destined mates?
Mason is HOT!
I loved that first chapter. I was laughing out loud as I read it.
It is true the other chapters have a different style to them, as you said they are plot driven. I think that is a necessity for action/adventure books.
Nocturne authors must tell the same type of story we find as single titles using 400 pages and Nocturne's are so much shorter, coming in at around 275 pages.
They must build a world or environment alien to everyday life, include action/adventure, maybe some mystery, and a romance.
I noticed in the Sanctuary series Linda Howard wrote book 1 and she had to set up everything for books 2 and 3. Books two and three had more in them that book 1 had to sacrifice in order to set the scene.
In Book 2 of the Bloodrunners Jeremy and Jillian have a wonderful story. I loved Jeremy in Mason's book and he becomes so much more in his own.
Enjoy!
w-w-w
Good points w-w-w! I
Good points w-w-w! I guess I'm not too used to Nocturnes, I think I've only read four or five before now. Compare that to the 1000 HPs I've read, I'm used to a fast paced and sensual read, not so much focused on plot as emotional conflict! I didn't DISLIKE this book by any means, I just noticed a plot focus at points.
A thing about LONGER paranormal romances... I've read lots of books by Nina Bangs and Angela Knight, who have created the BEST magical universes of paranormal creatures ever imo. The books indeed are much more pages than a Harlequin, and the SERIES they have created are well-established continuity-wise, with series long arcs, characters you get to know well throughout the series, and so on.... so yeah, it's a different experience with a Nocturne and there should be different expectations.