THE WOLF AND THE WITCH

Author: Marly Mathews ISBN: 9781603941211 2/2008 PARANORMAL/HISTORICAL Publisher: NEW CONCEPTS
Time Period: England/France, 1808

Having fled the mobs of the revolution to England as a child, when Arabella returns to France she is enlisted to aid Napoleon's cause as a spy—until the man known only to her as the Wolf abducts her and returns her to England once more.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Arabella is a witch with limited powers. Christopher is a knight known as the "Wolf" for his prowess. The story is set in Napoleon's time and Arabella has her agenda, while Christopher has his. The story runs quickly, with super high action happening all the time with a wide variety of characters involved.

The romance between the witch and the wolf was confusing. At times, there was a nice conflict kept up between them that could have been built into a fiery attraction, but in this case, it just didn't work.

First of all, there was no build up at all because both decided within the first few pages they were meant for each other. However, it wasn't clear why they decided this, they just did.

Furthermore, the way that they clashed wasn't that romantic. I would have recommended that these two stay as far apart from each other as possible. And even when they did have those moments in between the constant fighting, they weren't very romantic. For example, when the two at last got together to consummate the relationship, Wolf spends most of the time comparing Arabella to his long lost ex-girlfriend who died—i.e., the ex had dull, "lifeless" brown hair and Arabella has "fiery" red hair. Literally, he's comparing the two point for point. Then, quite suddenly, when you finally think there will be a little action, he throws a fit because she called him by his last name, and then it's back to the fighting. This is kind of par for the course in this romance, that even their tender moments are not all that tender.

The thing is, I really liked the writing in THE WITCH AND THE WOLF. The sentences flowed nicely and the bantering was well done... or would have been well done, if it made sense. The emotions just didn't fit the circumstances. I felt it was forced and overdone. In romance novels, I like to fall in love right alongside of the heroine. If the author simply tells me she loves the guy, I don't feel it, especially when everything he does aggravates her, and visa versa. If, on the other hand, you are a reader who enjoy lots of conflict in your stories, THE WITCH AND THE WOLF may be the next best romance for you.

Joanne Shaeffer