Customer Reviews

Howling at the Moon (Tales of an Urban Werewolf, Book 1)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sophie Garou is a successful auditor with friends, a gorgeous boyfriend and the latest Pradas. But she's hiding a big secret: she's a werewolf. Her mother, a witch, had a romantic encounter with a werewolf, which resulted in Sophie, a half-breed. Her mother keeps Sophie's tendencies to turn into a wolf when scared or surprised under control with a special brand of tea. Sophie has managed to keep her, uh, hairy problem a secret all her life. However, someone is sending her notes, threatening to uncover her secret. To make matters worse, her eccentric mother is accused of murdering a politician. Now Sophie has to find out who the real killer is. Everything would be much simpler had she not encountered the sexiest purebred werewolf she has ever seen. The attraction is undeniable, but there is one problem -- he is dating her best friend. What is a chic werewolf to do?

The chick-lit type of language makes this novel fun to read. Sophie has a sassy voice, which makes her an entertaining narrator. The plot is light; nothing too dark, gothic or suspenseful. This seems to be more of a paranormal-slash-romance, a popular genre nowadays. And that's the main problem I had with this book. There is nothing unique about it, doesn't stand out from the dozens of paranormal series out there. It's got nothing to what I like to call the "originals" -- Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher and Kelley Armstrong. Then again, those authors (and, to a lesser degree, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, Katie Macalister and MaryJanice Davidson) are in a league of their own, and everything else is just a poor imitation. I might give On the Prowl a whirl. The series itself isn't so bad and Karen MacInerney is a fairly good writer. (She does have to research the Spanish language more though. Most of the Spanish words in the book were misspelled.) I'll have to continue to read this series to give it a more definite verdict, but in the meantime, Howling at the Moon is merely so-so.

To her knowledge, Sophie Garou is the only werewolf in Austin, TX. She and her Mom planned it that way. Then, a handsome man locks eyes with her as he's crossing the street and she realizes he's a lycanthrope as well.

The situation only gets stranger when Sophie starts getting packages at work from someone who clearly knows who she is. Next, her psychic-witch Mom gets arrested for killing a politician with a love potion. Then, her handsome lawyer boyfriend plans their anniversary date on the full moon--and an equinox as well.

"Howling at the Moon" will be great for you if you enjoy very light chick lit in the vein of the Evanovich novels. The story does have some hilarious moments, particularly when Sophie's trying to chase away a car thief.

Unfortunately, the characterization is light. We know the brand name of Sophie's car, purse, pantyhose, where she likes to shop, etc., but we don't get as much glimpses of her and what we do see is not favorable. For example, lying about her lycanthropy is a necessity, but lying about her Mom's shop, incarceration, etc. only gets her into trouble. Further, Sophie's lack of concern about innocent citizens being attacked by werewolves doesn't mark her as likable.

Finally, white witches do not offer love potions or compulsions. They base their practices on karma and forcing someone to do something against their will would carry a heavy karmic backwash.

I love Karen MacInerney's Gray Whale Inn mysteries, so I hate to give "Howling at the Moon" only 3 stars. That being said, I simply could not get into this book. There are several storylines going on, so the plot felt scattered. Another big problem was the main character's mother, a psychic witch, who was just a ridiculous caricature. I will probably try the second book in this series, "On the Prowl," but only because I like the author.

Howling at the Moon is something often tried and rarely pulled off well within the urban fantasy genre. Combining a good urban fantasy story with the sexual tension of a paranormal romance isn't an easy thing to do and keep it fresh. One might complain about the use of many cliched archetypes and situations in this book but at least they're presented with a fresh coat of gloss.

Sophie Garou is a half-breed werewolf, daughter of a gypsy witch and a foxy French werewolf. Unfortunately for Sophie, her dad's pack weren't fans of mating without permission so he ditched baby Sophie and her mom to protect them. On the plus side, with her mother being a witch she was always able to move when things got rough and Sophie turned wolf-pup during her childhood. Now a successful auditor and in a happy relationship with her human lawyer boyfriend, Heath, Sophie only has to change at the full moons closest to an equinox. Of course this wouldn't be possible without daily doses of wolfsbane tea.

When a mysterious package of wolfsbane shows up on her desk with a spooky note, Sophie realizes someone has figured out what she really is. But bad news comes in threes and before she knows it Sophie is hurrying off to bail her mother out of jail because she's been charged with the murder of a local politician and she spots and is spotted by a hunky male werewolf on her way there! The plot thickens as Sophie tries to investigate the murder and prove her mother is innocent, discovering all sorts of new mysteries and getting into some bad scrapes along the way.

I genuinely adored this book. I love a great mystery in my urban fantasy and this one had me tied up in knots trying to figure out who played into what hand of cards at the table. The Texas setting was refreshing and a great change of pace from the cliched cities so often used in the genre. Sophie was a little annoying at times, but I think it's good when you find yourself telling a heroine not to do something and they frustrate you. I liked that Sophie's friends and family (even her enemies) were all memorable and flawed. I wouldn't quite call this light urban fantasy but if you like the grit of Mercy Thompson and the humor of Michelle Bardsley's Broken Heart, OK series this series blends the best of both. My only real gripe worth noting in review is that the author fell into the brand-name-dropping a lot, I can't stand this as it dates a book considerably and I find it distracting unless used in tiny doses. If you're looking for a good urban fantasy summer read this one is perfect!

This book combines every single cliche of the genre- wacky best friend, werewolf who has to shave her legs every five seconds, ignorant human boyfriend, mysterious and attractive stranger- to monotonous, repetitive effect. There is not much of a plot- the ditzy, unconcerned mother gets accused of murder for vague and uncompelling reasons- and the characters are unlikeable and uninvolving. There is no world building here- at times it seems like the whole supernatural aspect of the book was being forgotten as the heroine and her bff get involved in all kinds of wacky and unlikely shenanigans. Do yourself a favor and read Kelly Armstong's Bitten instead.

I cannot believe the opinions on this book are so diverse. I did think the author was repetitive and the heroine was ditzy. But, her ditziness was presented in a very entertaining manner. Though a fan of paranormal romance, I don't usually go for the comedy types, like Katie Mac Allister or Mary Janice Davidson. However, I found this book really appealing.

Sophie Garou is the strict auditor daughter of a psychic witch and a french werewolf. Her dad sort of abandoned them when she was born and since Sophie is half werewolf her Mom had quite a time carting her from state to state trying to find a place where Sophie wouldn't be ousted by other werewolves or bite anyone with her sharp canines in daycare.

But now Sophie's grown up and gets to take care of her mom for a change when the witch is arrested for murdering a Congressman by poisoning him with a love spell laced with nightshade. On top of that there are four werewolves suddenly in town- one of them interested in her body, the other three just in her blood. An equinox is coming when no matter how much wolves bane she downs she can't keep from transforming and the most important meeting of her life is scheduled for that day. She hasn't told her boyfriend her little secret. Oh, and someone has it out for her at work with blood and bullets. It's a busy time for Sophie the half-werewolf auditor.

With a style similar in humor and designer names to Mary Janice Davidson ( mostly without the grumpy heroine) or Kimberly Raye this author was a delight to read. She definitely has her own voice and I'm grabbing a copy of her next book, On The Prowl, today!

Sophie Garou, an auditor on the way to success in an accountant firm in Austin, Texas, has a hairy problem: She's a werewolf. Despite the regular drinking of Wolfsbane-tea made by her mother, a professional witch, she turns into a wolf at certain times of the year and the rest of the time she goes through razors on a large scale to keep her legs hairfree - let's not forget the sideburns during that time of the month! Apart from that, all could be well, especially since she also has a wonderful boyfriend, Heath, a successful - and human! - lawyer. If only it weren't for the fact that someone at work has discovered her secret and starts sending threatening packages. Then there's Tom, the werewolf-enforcer who has just arrived in town, who gives animal attraction a whole new meaning. And to top it all off, Sophie's mother is arrested for poisoning a right-wing politician with a love potion. Drawn to two men at once and trying to stay safe and under the radar of the local werewolf packs, Sophie starts researching the murder to prove her mother's innocence - all the while trying to keep her secret from the human world and making a career in accounting...
This is a wonderful werewolf novel with great characters, a very good plot and a sense of humour that reminds me of Kim Harrison's books. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy that's not too dark, but funny and intelligent without turning into the silly type of chic-lit that's become quite common recently. The 'Tales of an urban werewolf' will be continued in 'On the prowl' and are planned as a trilogy.

Sophie is a werewolf that doesn't want to be a werewolf. Her mom is a witch and her father is not in the picture. Her mother was arrested for murder, Sophie and her best friend Lindsey begin investigating to clear her mother's name. As I said, Sophie is a werewolf and she tries to keep a low profile and stay away from other werewolves. A new werewolf shows up in town while there are claims of wild animal attacks. Sophie is also a target of quite a few threats and she's trying to make partner at her firm, she's an auditor.

I really really enjoyed the book. Now with that said, the main character sucks as a heroine. She is shallow, selfish, a ditz, dishonest (she doesn't hesitate to tell a lie), a betrayer to her best friend and boyfriend, has no standards or moral center, I could go on and on.... What I found really odd about her character is that she has self-esteem issues but she is really arrogant and conceited. I was blown away that she ran from court because she couldn't be associated with her mother who arrested for murder and definitely needed her daughter's support. I was equally floored that she was ashamed to let her boyfriend meet her mother. Really, many of the issues dealing with Sophie are things high school age girls would be dealing with and Sophie is 28, she really is immature. The really sad part about this is that she doesn't evolve at all, there is a second book and I'm hoping at some point those issues will be addressed.

Another very annoying recurring problem in the novel is Sophie's constant inane ramblings of the same thing over and over and over, they are big distractions and I think a pathetic use of filling pages. I found myself skipping right through and followed the story just fine. The plot is pretty predictable and the ending is anti-climatic. Despite all that I listed, I found the book addicting and I will have to compliment the author on her ability to make me fall out my chair laughing, she really has a knack for humor and wonderful dialogue. I think another reason I kept going is because I wanted to see what bimbo werewolf would get herself into next and how she would make it about herself. Going into the next book, I don't really have high hopes for Sophie's character but I do expect a good laugh and an enjoyable read.

This is not the typical book that I read, but it was recommended by a friend. What fun! I couldn't put it down. The premise is clever, and the antics of the main character really draw you in and keep you guessing - and laughing. It's a great, funny, and engaging break from reality. This book is titled as "Book 1" - I can't wait for more!