Customer Reviews

Big Bad Wolf

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I prefer to read a series in order, and I didn't realize that I wasn't until the "Big Bad Wolf"
According to her web site, there are 4 books that in this series that haven't been published (they were written through Ellora's Cave and could have been downloaded, but they are no longer available).
The actual reading order of these books are:
1. One Bite with a Stranger (Regina & Dmitri... the first of the Fantasy Fix's)
2. Big Bad Wolf (Missy & Graham)
3. not yet published (Danice & Mac)
4. not yet published (Corinne & Luc)
5. not yet published (Tess & Rafe)
6. not yet published (Logan & Honor)
7. Wolf at the Door (Sullivan & Cassidy)
8. She's No Faerie Princess (Fiona & Tobias)
9. The Demon you Know (Abby & Rule)
10. Howl at the Moon (Noah & Samantha)
11. Walk on the Wild Side (Kitty & Marcus)
12. You're So Vein (Ava & Vladimir)
13. Born to be Wild (Eli & Josie)
According to the web site, these books can be read alone or in order, but after reading You're So Vein, where Missy & Graham are already together and then starting Big Bad Wolf, where Missy & Graham get together, was a little confusing at first.
I think I would have given this series a 5 star if it wasn't for that confusion.

This is the Christine Warren that I LOVE!!! This was the story of Alpha of Silverback Werewolf Clan Graham Winters and his wife Missy. Graham is such a playboy that he has started getting bored with sex. That is until he gets to know Missy, who is far from a sex kitten. This plain, quiet, kindergarten teacher has been fantasizing about Graham since his vampire friend married her friend Reggie. Until now, Graham has paid no attention to Missy until she dresses up for her Fantasy Fix. Now that he has noticed her (smelled her), she will not be able to get away from him. Missy has a lot to deal with. She has a hard time believing that a guy like Graham could actually want her. She also has to figure out what being Luna involves. This was a great story. It was originally published as Fur Factor at Ellora's Cave.

I had originally read this book in it's e-book format that was offered by Ellora's Cave and titled "Fur Factor". I loved it so much then, and with the addition of new material I love it now even more. I'm thrilled to have it in both formats.

Poor Graham Winters... he is the young attractive Alpha of the Silverback Werewolf Clan and is bored, bored, bored with the Otherworld women he has to choose from. He is tired of the gorgeous Vamp women and their games, the other Werewolf women, Demons, Fae and all the rest. BUT he has never had a "human" woman before. It is one of his hang-ups actually!

Meet Missy, a totally human woman who happens to be a kindergarten teacher and ALSO just happens to have a flaming crush on Graham ever since they met when they were paired off for a wedding.

Now they are both at the same party---poor Missy is there to meet a "Fantasy Fix" blind date and is more than reluctant to meet him; but through a series of extremely funny circumstances she ends up going home with Graham to have one night of ecstasy! But something happens during the night; something that smells of vanilla and sugar and has sent Graham reeling. Has he found his mate? In a human woman?

Find out by picking up this wonderfully funny, steamy novel, you won't regret it. As a matter of fact, if this is the first book of Christine Warren's you buy, I'll bet it won't be the last. While not all of the books in the series as as good as this one, they all a worth the read and your book budget cash! They do not need to be read in order, and they all are wonderful as "stand alone novels". They will be books that become "keepers" and you'll more than likely find yourselof waiting for the next book in the series.

I've found The Others series to be hit and miss, mostly pretty good but some not as good. This installment I think is a good one--an entertaining, light read. It's in the same supernatural world as the other books with the fantasy fix friends, which is good. And for the most part, I also like the characters.

Now for the annoying stuff. I didn't get some of the things Graham did as Alpha. They didn't fit his character. He was being challenged by his cousin Curtis; over and over again Curtis showed his disprespect to his Alpha. The first thing Curtis did, the Alpha should have retaliated and reined him in. But instead he just kept letting Curtis get away with more and more B.S. It really made no sense, because he had been portrayed as being a strong, tough Alpha. Another thing that didn't make sense was that he was in a wedding party with Missy, so they had had quite a few interactions over a six month period. But yet when he sees and smells her at this latest party, suddenly he realizes she's his fated mate? That makes no sense. His sense of smell was described as highly developed, so he should have smelled her as they walked down the aisle or at one of the earlier parties. Yes, I understand Ava dressed her in a sexy dress but one sexy dress wouldn't make a difference to the smell which is supposedly how he recognized her. through to this installment.

At long last Graham and Missy's story, yippee! This is the second of Warren's Fixed series to be spiffed up and re-released and unlike One Bite With A Stranger (The Others, Book 6) (originally Fantasy Fix), this is the first print release of Big Bag Wolf (Fur Factor redux and redone) I am not an e-book person, so I have been waiting for Graham and Missy's story ever since I first read Wolf on the Door and got hooked on Warren's Other series.

I really enjoyed this story, phew. I am so relieved, since I really didn't care for Graham's introduction in Fantasy Fix - even though I loved him in his supporting role in the rest of the Other books. At its heart Big Bad Wolf is still a novella even in its expanded form, the background story is pretty simple and the romance is relatively straightforward - the mating instinct does all the work - but it was nice and steamy and it is always fun to see a normal gal drive a hot supernatural hero to drooling lust, so it was all good. The sensuality level and language - with the exception of a word or two - is pretty much on par with the rest of Warren's St. Martin's releases, but be forewarned, if you feel at all uncomfortable with the idea of Beauty and the Beast (literally) you may want to give this one a pass.

I looked everywhere and couldn't yet find anything about Warren's March 2010 release Born To Be Wild (The Others), but it looks like there's a lioness on the cover so it might be a follow-on to Walk on the Wild side instead of one of the revamped `Fur' or `Fae' e-books. Hopefully the rest are not too long in coming, I am anxiously awaiting Raphael's story.

Synopsis
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Silverback werewolf clan Alpha, Graham Winters has been on a celibacy streak - he's basically `done' every supernatural female on two legs and four and he is flat out bored - until he gets a sniff of a mysterious woman with a great backside who brings his libido roaring back to life. Missy is trying to avoid her gal pals and her impending blind date, arriving two hours late to one of said pal's engagement party in a borrowed dress that exposes way too many of her assets for her own comfort. When Missy flees her friends, trying to avoid her what she's sure will be a third strike-out fantasy fix, Missy suddenly finds herself being carried off by Graham, the true star of all her fantasies. Missy was positive that the tall dark and sexy shifter didn't even know she existed, but talks herself into seizing the opportunity of living her dreams if only for one night. But one night is not going to be enough for Graham who is sure his dry spell is over forever - the only problem now is convincing this reluctant human that she's his mate.

I have to admit I find it hard getting into Christine Warren's THE OTHERS series due to the poorly way the series are linked together. This is cause from the series being originally E-books and published in paperback out of story order. Big Bad Wolf however is the best of the series I read so far. Ava is human in ONE BITE WITH A STRANGE then get turned into a vampire in YOU'RE SO VEIN and suddenly she human again in her latest book in the series BIG BAD WOLF. Big Bad Wolf is only one of the three in the series that I truly got into and fully enjoyed when not thinking of how if relates to rest of the series. In this story Missy Roper fantasies about Graham a Alpha were wolf who given up on sex and finding a mate of his own as he deals with the post wedding engagement party of his best friend. The trouble is that Missy is human which makes convincing her that she should be his mate not too easy. The world changed a lot when it learned the others like vampires and werewolves were real. Missy world changing in ways she never imagine as the two beguilingly follow their sensual instincts as lover that had collided at a party of arousing wild desires. If you like Mary Janice Davidson's Wyndham werewolf stories you'll love this one.

Basic Plot: After knowing Missy 6 weeks Graham finally gets close enough to Missy to get a good whiff of her and decides she smells delicious, even if she is a human, and once they make love he realizes she's his mate. Curtis, Graham's cousin is trying to take over his place as alpha and Missy has to deal with Being Graham's mate.

What I liked: The interaction between Missy and Graham and the hot sex scenes.

What I didn't like: This is not a stand alone novel, the fact that Graham is just that much of a whore (in the 1st scene he admitted to sleeping with every non-human woman in the room and there are a LOT of people in the room), Unanswered questions, like why Graham does nothing to find out who the werewolf was who attacked Missy or to even mention it when they are headed to a pack function, Graham's waffling personality from strong alpha to poor leader because he has no control over his cousin, and the fact the plot is really only in place to string together sex scenes.

The sum up: As you can tell the dislike list is much longer than the like list, but since more than half the book is just about their sexual relationship really it's about 50/50 of like and dislike. I couldn't honestly recommend this one to anyone because it's a pretty poor effort, but if you want a sexy read that isn't offensive and won't put any strain on your brain this is fine, but if you want a sexy read there are a lot better options out there. Recommended only for serious werewolf lovers. 2 1/2 stars.

Missy Roper met alpha Silverback werewolf Graham Winter at her friend Regina's wedding (see ONE BITE WITH A STRANGER). She has salivated over him since although they have not seen one another since the marriage gala when she ran from his sexual overtures. When they meet again during a fantasy fix-up arranged by her four BFFs, she knows the real person is even better than her dreams of him.

Graham believes Missy is his lifemate, but has problems with her being human. Thus he has conflicting issues as he must persuade his New York City clan and her they belong together or face challenges to his leadership as the alpha leader needs a wife; preferably a breeding lupine silverback as his odious cousin claims.

The latest Others' saga (See YOU'RE SO VEIN) is a wonderful urban romantic fantasy starring a beleaguered alpha facing several challenges. Comparatively speaking, his internal werewolf threats from his cousin's challenge and from his pack's potential rejection of his chosen outsider mate seem almost lame even with both being dangerous and real vs. persuading Missy they belong together. Fans will enjoy the heated hunt.

Harriet Klausner

As noted in the previous reviews, Missy has been attracted to Graham since she first saw him, while Graham doesn't even know she exists. He doesn't even realize that he walked down the aisle with her as "best man & maid of honor" at his friend's wedding! Then suddenly he takes one sniff and he's devoted for life. I get the wolf-mating-scent thing but honestly, this is a romance novel not Wild Kingdom. There's really no other relationship development going on and though Missy makes a token resistance based on the reality of the situation (up until 90 seconds ago he didn't even know she existed) still its all pretty weak. In addition, the background story is almost non-existent. I've read some of Ms. Warren's other books and enjoyed them very much; this one should have stayed an e-book. Don't waste your money.

This book is about Graham Winters the alpha playboy of the silver back clan noticing Missy as his mate. This book had humor and the romance was wonderfully written. Warren did a great job with putting two opposite characters together, like the alpha playboy and the teacher.I would say this series is for anyone who wants to read a good paranormal romance.