Review and Excerpts: Ice Wolf and Shadow Wolf by Jane Godman (@Mollykatie112, @JaneGodman, @SMPRomance)

Posted March 7, 2017 by Lorna in Lorna, Paranormal Romance, Reviews, Werewolves / 20 Comments



They are the Arctic Brotherhood.

They are deadly fighters, fierce protectors and loyal mates.

Review and Excerpts: Ice Wolf and Shadow Wolf by Jane Godman (@Mollykatie112, @JaneGodman, @SMPRomance)
Ice Wolf by Jane Godman
Series: Arctic Brotherhood #1
Published by Swerve
Published on: March 7, 2017
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Werewolves
Pages: 177
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Elliott Wilder is a mild mannered Alaskan college professor. Wilder craves the things most people find boring. Seclusion. Monotony. Anonymity. But what Wilder craves most of all is the thing he can’t have… memory loss. Four hundred years ago, Wilder and the other members of the Arctic Brotherhood were captured and tortured by the leader of the Siberian werewolves. Wilder is still haunted by memories of that night, when he wasn’t able to protect his leader.

Now the Siberian wolf is on the loose and seeking revenge. Not only must Wilder lead the brotherhood, he must fight the attraction he feels toward its newest recruit, Jenny Piper. Jenny offers Wilder a glimpse of the life he can’t have. As the brotherhood races against time to save humanity from the horror their enemies unleashed on the world, Wilder must reach inside himself to find the leader the brotherhood needs and the mate Jenny craves.

Excerpt

               Inside the tiny ground-floor bathroom Jenny had a medicine cabinet of industrial proportions. She worked quickly and efficiently, her hands on his flesh impersonal and capable as she cleaned away the blood. The whole time the atmosphere between them thrummed with more. It whispered of different touches, unspoken, longed-for clandestine caresses. Because of the bond between them, Wilder knew Jenny felt it, too. Could feel it in the heat of her body, scent the longing on her skin and in her most private recesses. It took every ounce of the iron self-control he’d built up over the years to keep his animal instincts in check and let his own hands hang loose at his sides.
               There was a unique bond between all Arctic werewolves. It was a soul-deep connection, stronger than friendship or pack loyalty. It singled them out. Unlike moon-called werewolves, theirs was an instant, symbiotic affinity. It automatically bound Wilder and Jenny together.
               But Wilder was afraid this was more. Afraid and excited at the same time. He had spent so long ignoring everything to do with his inner wolf and determinedly keeping the human world at arm’s length, he’d almost forgotten what physical attraction felt like. Almost. He hadn’t completely lost the ability to fantasize. He knew it felt a lot like this. Except what he was feeling right now was so much more. And that was what scared him. Because his inner wolf was setting the pace.
               Werewolves were creatures who believed in folklore and magic. He knew what the legends said. It was like a mantra imprinted into every werewolf’s psyche. We mate for life. There is one mate for every wolf. Before he had turned his back on his inner wolf, Wilder had heard the stories about how a werewolf would instantly know its mate. How the sudden hit of attraction would be like nothing he or she had ever encountered before. It was said to be irresistible, like an injection of pure, molten heat straight into the bloodstream.
               What happened if a werewolf who no longer wanted to be a werewolf suddenly encountered his mate? Had anyone ever asked that question? Was Wilder about to be the first?



My Review

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I am always up for a good werewolf romance so when I got the chance to read this book recently, I was totally on board with it. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, there’s just so many werewolf romances to be had out there, so one has to really stand out for me to like it. This one had a different premise and world building, so it had that going for it from the get go. That being said, it did have a problem.

Arctic wolves are different in that they have to have the midnight sun in order to shift. So if one moves away from where the midnight sun is, then they can live pretty much as a human-although they are immortal. They all have distinct Nordic features and have silver white blonde hair. A group of seven Arctic wolves are part of a brotherhood that was formed centuries before to keep the peace among werewolves in that part of the world. It’s been 400 years since the last time they were needed. The wolves have moved on. Wilder is a college professor specializing in Arctic anthropology and based in Alaska. He is approached by the brotherhood leader, Gunnar, and asked to help with a big problem. He refuses because he still has traumatic stress disorder stemming from their last meeting which involved him thinking he was responsible for Gunnar losing his hand to an enemy. Jenny is an arctic wolf that also lives as a human. She is needing Wilder to help her with a research project and meets him the same day that he refuses Gunnar. When the enemy from 400 years ago shows up unexpectedly, Wilder and Jenny end up in his cross hairs. Since Gunnar is not able to fight, Jenny becomes the seventh member of the brotherhood.

So that’s the setup. It might seem like I told a lot, but I did not go farther than a few hours of one day, and I am not telling any more story points due to spoilers. I really liked both main characters. Jenny was confident, strong willed, and beautiful. She’s not had the opportunity to live with a pack and knows only a little about the Arctic wolves. She does however feel the pull towards the midnight sun. Wilder is quieter, and is living a solitary life with the exception of his work. He lives with his nightmares of what happened four hundred years before. When he meets Jenny, his pull to her is stronger than his pull towards the midnight sun. That’s saying a lot. We also meet the others that make up the brotherhood and I enjoyed that as well.

Life and death moments, not one, but two major villains, and a good romance, rounded out this story nicely. I liked the premise of Arctic wolves and the midnight sun, and thought the book was fairly well written. At times there was a lot of background told and it was sort of a info dump, to me. When encountering an enemy and the story jumps to background info and a lot of it, before you can see what happens with the enemy, it takes you out of the moment. That was my only real problem with this read.

Since I read the first two books out of order, I already know who the next book is about. I did like this story a bit better than the second one, so I chose this one to review. I would recommend this book to paranormal romance readers, adult due to sensual scenes. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Shadow Wolf



Shadow Wolf by Jane Godman
Series: Arctic Brotherhood #2
Published by Swerve
Published on: March 7, 2017
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Werewolves
Pages: 177
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Samson Lee last saw Valetta Rickard five years ago when a shared a kiss almost led him to break the promise he had made to himself. Now Valetta has disappeared, and Samson has promised her father he will find her. When Samson finds Valetta leading a rogue gang of bloodthirsty Arctic werewolves, he soon discovers that all is not what it seems. As soon as they see each other again the feelings they denied all those years ago resurface.


Valetta is Shadow Born, a rare and mystical werewolf with legendary powers. If she chooses, she can destroy a whole species. A power that an evil hunter wants so that he can destroy the Arctic wolves. Samson, together with the other members of the brotherhood, must find the hunter before he can put his plans for Valetta into action. At the same time, Samson must put the past behind him and convince Valetta that she is worthy of love.

Excerpt

               Valetta waited for Samson’s expression to change. She had just confessed to being Shadow Born. She was a monster who had the power to destroy his whole species. Now he knew what she was, she expected him to walk away in disgust. At the very least. If he tried to kill her, she wouldn’t blame him.
               What she didn’t expect was for him to lift her into his lap and wrap his strong arms around her so that he could cradle her against his chest. One big hand ran up and down her back in a surprisingly gentle motion. He held her that way for long, heart-stopping minutes until some of the terror that had held her heart in a vise for so long began to melt away.
               “How did you find out?”
               She loved that he didn’t do the obvious stuff. Didn’t say it couldn’t be true. Didn’t exclaim and wonder. Didn’t offer sympathy or horror. He just got directly to the important part.
               “My mother left me a letter to be opened when I was twenty-one.” She lifted her head and found Samson’s face disturbingly close. “My father thought it was a lovely idea. That it would contain sentimental mother-daughter stuff, you know?”
               “Hendrik never knew?”
               She shook her head so violently that the action vibrated through both their bodies. It was a mistake. Even in such a serious situation, she was all too aware of his potent masculinity. The powerful thigh muscles beneath her buttocks clenched, and she sensed him battling for control. “He still doesn’t know. Her letter begged me not to tell him.”
               He gave a soft growl, his eyes probing hers. “So you have been dealing with this all alone for two years?”
               “What else could I do? The truth would have destroyed my father. He loved her so much.” Valetta decided that although Samson’s lap was her new favorite place, it was probably not the best position from which to conduct a serious conversation. Reluctantly, she moved back to sit at his side. “Did you ever meet her?”
               “Only once.” He seemed to be conjuring up a mental image. “The main thing I remember about Teresa is that she was stunningly beautiful. You are very like her.” Valetta hung her head. She’d never been good at accepting compliments and a tribute from Samson was so far outside her experience it knocked her off balance. “They were happy together and I was pleased that Hendrik had found someone at last.”
               “Did you ever think it was strange that he had been alone for so long and then, just as he left the brotherhood, he met my mother?”
               “I never thought of it that way. If I had, I suppose I’d have said it was a happy twist of fate.”
               “Happy? Or sinister?” Valetta had had the last two years to think about this. Her mother’s letter hadn’t told her much. Just that Teresa was a Shadow Wolf. Which makes me just about the worst thing in the world to a werewolf. I’m like a silver bullet wrapped in flesh and blood.

About Jane Godman

Jane Godman writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne, thrillers for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and steamy historical romance for Samhain Publishing. Her paranormal series, The Arctic Brotherhood, is published by SMP Swerve. Jane lives in Cheshire, England, is married to a lovely man and is mum to two grown up children. When not writing, Jane loves to travel to European cities that are steeped in history.

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I’m Lorna and I live in Maryland. Since retiring, I spend my time mostly reading and reviewing books. My favorite reads are Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Young Adult. I read a lot of indie books in addition to traditionally published books. Favorite paranormal creature? Vampires, but I am really liking werewolves more everyday.

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20 responses to “Review and Excerpts: Ice Wolf and Shadow Wolf by Jane Godman (@Mollykatie112, @JaneGodman, @SMPRomance)”

  7. Bookworm Brandee  

    You know I like a good werewolf story and I like the setup for this one – Arctic wolves…haven’t read that before. You also have me curious about the brotherhood and the big baddies. I do understand your frustration with the backstory being shared in the middle of an action scene though. That would throw one out of the moment. But I’m glad you enjoyed Ice Wolf overall. And Shadow Wolf…did it have some of the same issues??
    Bookworm Brandee recently posted…#ShelfLove Discussion ~ Books Languishing the Longest…

    • Lorna  

      Yes, Arctic wolves was new for me as well. It’s not fun to uninvolved in a life and death moment only to be hit with back story. Shadow wolf was fairly good, but I just liked this story better. And that’s the total opposite of what I though after reading the two blurbs. Truthfully I can’t remember much about that book and its probably only been less than a month since I read it. I read too much but still… 🙂

  10. Lola  

    There really are a lot of werewolf romances out there, usually one has to grab my attention in some way for me to decide to give it a try. The twist of arctic werewolves and how they can only shift with the midnight sun does sound original. I can see how that scene with the villain got you of the story a bit if you get a lot of background info first. but besides that it does sound like a good one!
    Lola recently posted…My To-Be Read List #31: the winner