Review: Dark Wolf by Kate Douglas

Dark Wolf by Kate Douglas
Series: Spirit Wild #1
Published by Kensington
Published on: 321
Genres: Erotica, Paranormal Romance, Werewolves
Pages: April 30, 2013
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley

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Sebastian Xenakis is still coming into his power as a wizard. He can shapeshift by magical means and runs as a wolf using the power he draws from the elements. But young women are dying—raped by a human and then slaughtered by a wolf. Suspicion falls on the shapeshifting Chanku, but Sebastian wonders if he might somehow be guilty of the crimes.

Then he meets Lily Cheval, the uncrowned princess of the powerful Chanku, and realizes he will do whatever it takes to clear his name and win her love. But evil walks where Sebastian goes, and there are mysteries neither Lily nor her father, the powerful wizard, Anton Cheval, cannot unravel. Is Sebastian the perfect mate for Lily, or is he instead, one she should fear?

The hotness factor of this book is undeniable; I’d even go so far as to describe it as a full out werewolf orgy. There’s everything from M/M, F/F, MMFF and even furry sex! As spicy as Dark Wolf is on the romp front, I found that all of the humping was distracting and took away from the overall plot. As a result, I struggled to connect with the main couple and found the story to be repetitive at times.

Werewolves and sex go hand-in-hand in my opinion; they’re animals after all and what instinct is more primal than the one to procreate? I liked the way that Douglas weaved the love scenes into the main plot by having the pack’s power stem from physical and emotional intimacy. I also enjoyed her more liberal point of view on relationships; monogamy isn’t unheard of among the Chanku but even the mated couples invite other wolves into their bed from time to time. However, Kate lost me a little by going back-and-forth between werewolf orgies and fated partners. I felt that having both in the same book was a conflict and wish that she’s focused on one or the other.

The chemistry between Lily and Sebastian was practically non-existent; Miss Cheval is obviously a very strong alpha female but unfortunately Xenakis failed to compete with her in the strength department. As much as I enjoy kickass heroines, I love my sexy alpha males more and Sebastian did not fit the bill. Lily walks all over him throughout this book; she basically has his balls in a noose. They did not complement each other well at all; in fact, I actually enjoyed the romance between Alex and Annie more which I found odd considering that they are only secondary characters. At one point their relationship takes over the story for a few chapters; this was both a good and a bad thing. Good because their chemistry is sizzling but bad because it kind of derailed the main plot some.

I didn’t like the insta-love between Lily and Sebastian; it’s also probably partially to blame for their lack of chemistry. I felt like Douglas could have spent a bit more time developing their relationship before they knocked boots, especially considering he tried to rape her the first time they met! As hot and as prevalent as the sex scenes are; they were too repetitive and frequent for my tastes. There are countless words available to describe female/male body parts but Douglas only makes use of a select few. When you’re describing a romp session practically every sentence has “peen” in it but using the same term over and over again causes the scene to read more like an anatomy lesson than erotica. The timing of some of the horizontal dances was off too; at one point Lily and Sebastian are racing towards the final showdown but stop to officially seal their mate bond in the bush. How… unromantic!

Dark Wolf is a steamy read but with very little substance; I would recommend this book only to hardcore werewolf fanatics who have a strong taste for erotica.

Recommendation:	For readers who enjoy a purely sex-based story.
Like this, like that:	The Blood Moon Rising Trilogy by Karin Tabke.

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