HOWLING MOON

Author: C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp ISBN: 0765354020 1/2007 PARANORMAL Publisher: TOR

He's a wolf… She's a jaguar… Raphael is a former agent of the shape shifter secret police, forced into retirement after a very public scandal. Now he's assigned to help the victim of a hideous crime—a woman who has been attacked by a serial killer, and accidentally turned into a were-jaguar. Worse yet, Catherine turns out to be Raphael’s fated mate. But the serial killer is still on her trail, and perhaps even worse, Raphael’s pack wants her dead. Caught between destiny and duty… Raphael must make his choice—and, in doing so, perhaps lose his pack—in this tale of obsession, revenge, lust, pack politics, and true love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

HOWLING MOON gives an in-depth account of just how a "pack" works. It's truly cool to read about their government inside of the governmen, so to speak, and that makes this book almost like a Godfather sequel. Yes, it involves werewolves instead of the Mafia, but hey, the mob isn't the only hierarchy to solve their problems with violence. Anyway, I enjoy the politics in this one because a part of me (that part that still believes in the X-Files and Alias) thinks some of it could be going on in the real world.

As for the love story in this new tale of the Sazi, well, it has its moments, and certainly boasts a better connection between the hero and heroine than the last book, but it's still missing something for me. I think it's because during the course of their courtship, some not so romantic things are explained. Like how a male can be used as a sperm donor, and that they can mate to more than one Sazi. That just doesn't get me all warm and fuzzy inside, I guess.

I like the intricate workings and behind-the-scenes views HOWLING MOON contains more than anything. The relationships are complicated, whether they are human to Sazi or Sazi to Sazi. It kind of reminds me of our own society that looks good on the outside but you just never know what is going on behind closed doors.

Shannon Johnson