Last Wolf Standing (Silhouette Nocturne) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rhyannon Byrd (Author)

Book Description

Series: Silhouette Nocturne | Publication Date: March 1, 2008

That a woman who was his perfect match even existed. And that he'd find her in a bustling caf&232;. 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?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Silhouette (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373617828
• ISBN-13: 978-0373617821
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rhyannon Byrd is an avid, longtime fan of romance and the author of the provocative Primal Instinct and Bloodrunners series. She has been nominated for three Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards, including best Shape-shifter Romance, and her books have been translated into French, Spanish and German. After having spent years enjoying the glorious sunshine of the American South and Southwest, Rhyannon now lives in the beautiful, but often chilly Cotswolds of England with her wonderfully supportive husband and kids...as well as two high-maintenance, but loveable dogs. For more information on Rhyannon's books and the latest news, you can visit her website at www.rhyannonbyrd.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Klovers - Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques, March 4, 2008

By 

Jennifer Ray (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Last Wolf Standing (Silhouette Nocturne) (Mass Market Paperback)

Whether Wolf or human, Mason Dillinger has never had to work at attracting a woman before - females have just naturally flocked to him. Now he has found his mate - however unwillingly - and he must actually woo the woman, all while keeping her fragile human body in one piece. See, there's this rogue werewolf Mason is hunting, and that rogue would like nothing better than to exact his vengeance on Mason by destroying everything he loves.

But Mason isn't new to this game. As a Blood Runner, he's old hat at tracking and killing rogue werewolves - those that have developed a penchant for killing humans. And with the beautiful Torry's pretty neck on the line, Mason will stop at nothing to ensure her safety - even if it means his own life.

When the trail of the killer points to a threat much larger than one lone rogue werewolf, it will take everything he's got to keep them both alive.

Rhyannon Byrd was one of the first authors I discovered when I began reading the romance genre almost two years ago. With captivating plotlines and engaging characters, she immediately became one of my favorite romance writers. When I heard she had finally published several books through major New York publisher Silhouette Nocturne, I was beyond ecstatic, both for her and for myself, as a fan of her work. While her eBook releases have been wonderful, this new avenue in her career can only mean good things for her fans. More exposure equals more sales, which means more books - it is a win-win for both author and fans, right? *grin*

So now that you know how much I admire Rhyannon Byrd's previous work, let me tell you that the first book in her Blood Runners series, Last Wolf Standing, more than pleased me. She has done a beautiful job of conforming to Silhouette Nocturne's standard while still retaining her own writing voice.

This series is the tale of a werewolf pack, specifically the half-breeds - part human, part shifter - and their work to ferret out the growing menace to both the human and the shifter community. The half-breeds are looked down on by the pureblood shifters, who mandate that each half-breed must serve as a Blood Runner, hunting rogue werewolves. Only once each Blood Runner has caught a certain number of rogue shifters are they accepted into the pack with full rights.

Half-breed Mason Dillinger wants no part of the pack with its myriad politics or a commitment of any kind. He hunts the rogues for his own satisfaction, out of his own sense of responsibility and justice. The life he leads is not suited to that of a man with something to lose - like a mate. Needless to say, when he accidentally finds his own mate, he is ill-prepared for the moment, leading to a hilarious scene between him and Torrance. To the readers' never-ending entertainment, Mason is at a loss concerning how to approach his mate from the get-go. Of course, when it comes to the physical part of their relationship, he more than gains the upper hand... Torry has no defense for the intense sensuality between them, or Mason's skill in this area.

Torry is a bit of a loner. She has a few very close friends, but outside them, she keeps to herself. Although she's dated in the past, nothing could prepare her for the force of nature that is Mason. Regardless, it doesn't take her long to stand up to the intimidating Blood Runner, and she proves she can more than keep him on his toes over the long haul.

Both Mason and Torry grow throughout the course of this story. Torry finds a core of inner strength she previously had no cause to call on. Mason finds it within himself to love someone else - something he didn't think possible. Watching their individual journeys alongside the one they take together is absolutely inspiring.

Throughout the book, the plot twists more and more, with new mysteries brought to light even as others are solved. While we enjoy a very happy ending for Torry and Mason's romance, Ms. Byrd leaves us with immense anticipation for the answers the next book in this fascinating trilogy will bring regarding the ongoing storyline that arcs through the Blood Runners stories.

Last Wolf Standing is sure to be an instant hit with lovers of paranormal romance, especially those with a penchant for sexy shape shifter stories! Bravo to Rhyannon Byrd for a thrilling entry in the Silhouette Nocturne line!

Series Order:
Last Wolf Standing (Silhouette Nocturne)
Last Wolf Hunting (Silhouette Nocturne)
Last Wolf Watching (Silhouette Nocturne)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing!, November 7, 2008

By 

Rachel K. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Wolf Standing (Silhouette Nocturne) (Mass Market Paperback)

Well, I just finished reading the book in question last night, and my thoughts were, "I'm going to hurry up and finish this so I can put it on my shelf and never look at it again."

The book started off well, and the plot seemed interesting at first. Torrence, the likeable heroine of the book, is being stalked by an evil, insane werewolf because she is linked by a bond to Mason. Yeah, that makes sense. Torrence has thoughts and feelings that could be sympathized with, and Mason seemed human (which is funny, being that he is not).

But the book nose-dived about halfway through. At first I started thinking things like, "Wait a second, there's a crazy werewolf running around, haven't these guys got anything better to do than sit around teasing Mason about Torrence? Apparently not. Even in the middle of fight scenes Mason and Torrence are still swooning over each other? Do all werewolves have ADD?

There are also some pretty big plot holes. One question in particular I kept wondering, `If werewolves can be lifemates with a human, then why is it so frowned upon in werewolf society to be half human?' I guess maybe if I understood the bonding thing more I might figure it out, but as it stands it doesn't make sense, other than to spice up the story with the idea of forbidden love.

The book slowly progressed into, `Oh Torrence, Oh Mason' and a lot of poetic descriptions of various aspects of Torrences hair and eyes until I just stopped reading. As I said, the only reason I finished it was to get it off of my pile of books to be read and back onto the shelf where I could forget about it.

The worst thing is, for a romance novel, there is very little actual sex, and a lot of Torrence and Mason mooning over each other. Yeah, pun intended.

So I end with, if you really like super-sappy romance, this book is good for you. If you were hoping for a more in-depth werewolf book, not so much. If you wanted steamy sex, skip to the last few pages at the end. No really, I'm serious. I'm giving this book two stars because it built some good characters and a good foundation for what might have been a good story. Too bad the train ran off of the tracks.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than average mared by weak plot saved by good characters and erotic scenes, March 6, 2008

By 

G. Robinson "Extensive reader" (CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Last Wolf Standing (Silhouette Nocturne) (Mass Market Paperback)

The characters here are well drawn but could be better. The plot is pretty much bad guys attack good guys, good guys kill bad guys,.... There is an interesting plot twist near the end but still linear. A number of editorial errors mar the story but none really obtrusive. Some moose tracks (we went looking for Moose and found fresh tracks but none were seen there) floating anticedant.

Good erotic scenes not up to the very best but better than average. Little humor. Overall a good read that is better than average for the genre but not hugely.