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lynguy1's review
4.0
It is now one month prior to publication so here is my review.
JOY TO THE WOLVES by Terry Spear is the first book in the Red Wolf series. This one is a paranormal romantic suspense novel featuring female protagonist Brook Cerise, a red wolf shifter. Brook has just finished fulfilling the requirements of her parents will by running their antique store in Arizona for three years. She has just sold it and is looking forward to the next phase of her life when her great aunt in Portland, Oregon dies and she inherits her antique shop. Brook has re-opened her aunt’s shop and is preparing for Christmas when a young reindeer turns up in her courtyard and she becomes a suspect in its kidnapping.
Brook is a likeable protagonist. Her goals seemed clear, but not what she expected. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story and there were a few chuckles along with the suspense, action, mystery and romance. The relationships progressed a little too quickly but the addition of a second mystery added drama, suspense and action as both cases were investigated.
Overall, this was a fun and entertaining novel with a Christmas twist and some humor to go with the mysteries and romance. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Terry Spear for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
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Review to come approximately 8/29/2020.
JOY TO THE WOLVES by Terry Spear is the first book in the Red Wolf series. This one is a paranormal romantic suspense novel featuring female protagonist Brook Cerise, a red wolf shifter. Brook has just finished fulfilling the requirements of her parents will by running their antique store in Arizona for three years. She has just sold it and is looking forward to the next phase of her life when her great aunt in Portland, Oregon dies and she inherits her antique shop. Brook has re-opened her aunt’s shop and is preparing for Christmas when a young reindeer turns up in her courtyard and she becomes a suspect in its kidnapping.
Brook is a likeable protagonist. Her goals seemed clear, but not what she expected. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story and there were a few chuckles along with the suspense, action, mystery and romance. The relationships progressed a little too quickly but the addition of a second mystery added drama, suspense and action as both cases were investigated.
Overall, this was a fun and entertaining novel with a Christmas twist and some humor to go with the mysteries and romance. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Terry Spear for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
----------------------------
Review to come approximately 8/29/2020.
kpotter831's review
1.0
I almost did not finish this book, but I hate giving up so I kept going. The storyline was SO far fetched and yet also boring. The author seemed to throw in so many random details that were not important to the story, I felt like I had to skim through most of it. Her writing style was awkward and jumped around a lot. The “mystery” was not intriguing, the characters didn’t have much depth and there was no humor or real chemistry between them. I was also hoping for a feel-good Christmas romance, and besides being set during the month of Christmas, the holiday wasn’t really included in the book at all.
littlemisslibrarian's review
5.0
Received Digital Advanced Reading Copy from publisher through NetGalley.
I couldn’t put this book down so I stayed up way too late reading it. I loved the story, the characters, and the setting so much. It felt like all of it was real. If you like paranormal romance, then you will enjoy reading this book. I highly recommend it!
I couldn’t put this book down so I stayed up way too late reading it. I loved the story, the characters, and the setting so much. It felt like all of it was real. If you like paranormal romance, then you will enjoy reading this book. I highly recommend it!
bookarina's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review !
The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the title, I love puns and so when I saw a werewolf romance novel with a christmas pun I simply had to know more about it.
I went into it not knowing too much about it, just the basics, a werewolf detective, christmas and a main character who is on a farm and becomes wrapped up in all this when a reindeer calf or a bambi as I like to call them, showed up on her property.
This is really all the information you need, it read fast and was funny it felt like something that could become one of those cutesy christmas movies which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up. Is it a book that will stay with you for the rest of your life, probably not, is it a hell of a good time that gives you all the christmas vibes you could want, YES. Their chemistry was undeniable, from the moment they meet until the end of the book it felt like they were presented in a way that truly made me believe they were made for one another.
Our main character Brooke, who is also a werewolf, was funny, quirky and so much fun to read about. She's one of those main characters you easily get attached to. Her love interest Detective Josh, is HOT, I mean the way he's described makes us all need a little water, if you know what I mean... Mix them together and BOOM! sparks fly. Well, not at first as he is "not interested" and his twin is much nicer to Brooke when he arrives to interrogate her for their missing reindeer calf that she has called in as found. I love that the romance was not an instalove as it often is with these types of books, while I do want that sometimes, it was a nice change of pace to have them meet and be not enemies, but a type of annoyed-to-lovers romance ! The side characters were attaching and the dialogue between our couple funny, they just were so sarcastic with each other, especially in the beginning and then just had funny moments happen with normal dialogue.
The plot is interesting and engaging which is not always the case with these types of books and left me pleasantly surprised because, both the romance and the kidnapping case we are following intrigue us. We start the book with when Brooke was forced to once more, after taking over her parents antique shop for three years and then selling it, do the same with her aunt's as she died and put in her will that she can't sell it for three years. This is not what Brooke wants, it is not her dream to own an antique shop and so she takes over to respect the will of her aunt and things happen until our main characters meet ! They meet very early on which was lovely as the romance was the main interest for me in this reading experience. Equal part mystery, romance and funny this book was a quick read that left me wanting more of their story. A perfect Christmas read for all fans of werewolf books !
Overall 4/5 Howling stars !
Bookarina
The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the title, I love puns and so when I saw a werewolf romance novel with a christmas pun I simply had to know more about it.
I went into it not knowing too much about it, just the basics, a werewolf detective, christmas and a main character who is on a farm and becomes wrapped up in all this when a reindeer calf or a bambi as I like to call them, showed up on her property.
This is really all the information you need, it read fast and was funny it felt like something that could become one of those cutesy christmas movies which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up. Is it a book that will stay with you for the rest of your life, probably not, is it a hell of a good time that gives you all the christmas vibes you could want, YES. Their chemistry was undeniable, from the moment they meet until the end of the book it felt like they were presented in a way that truly made me believe they were made for one another.
Our main character Brooke, who is also a werewolf, was funny, quirky and so much fun to read about. She's one of those main characters you easily get attached to. Her love interest Detective Josh, is HOT, I mean the way he's described makes us all need a little water, if you know what I mean... Mix them together and BOOM! sparks fly. Well, not at first as he is "not interested" and his twin is much nicer to Brooke when he arrives to interrogate her for their missing reindeer calf that she has called in as found. I love that the romance was not an instalove as it often is with these types of books, while I do want that sometimes, it was a nice change of pace to have them meet and be not enemies, but a type of annoyed-to-lovers romance ! The side characters were attaching and the dialogue between our couple funny, they just were so sarcastic with each other, especially in the beginning and then just had funny moments happen with normal dialogue.
The plot is interesting and engaging which is not always the case with these types of books and left me pleasantly surprised because, both the romance and the kidnapping case we are following intrigue us. We start the book with when Brooke was forced to once more, after taking over her parents antique shop for three years and then selling it, do the same with her aunt's as she died and put in her will that she can't sell it for three years. This is not what Brooke wants, it is not her dream to own an antique shop and so she takes over to respect the will of her aunt and things happen until our main characters meet ! They meet very early on which was lovely as the romance was the main interest for me in this reading experience. Equal part mystery, romance and funny this book was a quick read that left me wanting more of their story. A perfect Christmas read for all fans of werewolf books !
Overall 4/5 Howling stars !
Bookarina
wraithofbooksandbones's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
loverofromance's review against another edition
4.0
Joy to the Wolves was such an interesting book and I really adored reading this in audio format and I found myself so intrigued by this story and it was such a cozy Christmas feel to it that I just adored and now I wish I had read this back around Christmas or at least when we were getting tons of snow. I was charmed by this story. it has a unique set up with our heroine running an antique shop she inherited but when a mysterious reindeer shows up on her store lawn, she is intrigued not knowing it would lead her to more mystery and a handsome law enforcement officer who also happens to be a red wolf just as she is. But when her life is put in danger, the story will heat up in some interesting ways.
I found myself utterly intrigued by this one here, I didn’t know what exactly to think about this one but I was pretty into the story and I do think part of the main reason is the narrator that we have narrating this story. She did such an amazing job in really pulling me into it. I do feel like this author’s writing style has changed a bit and it might have been a higher rating but it the writing style changed towards the end and rubbed me the wrong way and I do think part of this is because of the publisher and just how publishers are pushing authors in certain formats. But I enjoyed the story as a whole and even as a redemption story of a young teen which I thoroughly loved. I had a blast with this book, it has a delightful mix of suspense, angsty wolfish fun, and some holiday cheer to bring a smile to any reader’s face. Highly recommend this if you are looking for a lighter, Christmas-themed shifter romance with a small-town charm feel to it.
I found myself utterly intrigued by this one here, I didn’t know what exactly to think about this one but I was pretty into the story and I do think part of the main reason is the narrator that we have narrating this story. She did such an amazing job in really pulling me into it. I do feel like this author’s writing style has changed a bit and it might have been a higher rating but it the writing style changed towards the end and rubbed me the wrong way and I do think part of this is because of the publisher and just how publishers are pushing authors in certain formats. But I enjoyed the story as a whole and even as a redemption story of a young teen which I thoroughly loved. I had a blast with this book, it has a delightful mix of suspense, angsty wolfish fun, and some holiday cheer to bring a smile to any reader’s face. Highly recommend this if you are looking for a lighter, Christmas-themed shifter romance with a small-town charm feel to it.
lutheranjulia's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
redhairedashreads's review
4.0
Red wolf shifter, Brooke Cerise unexpectedly inherits an antique shop in Portland, Oregon. When a missing reindeer calf unexpectedly ends up on her property she becomes part of a kidnapping case. Detective Josh Wildling doesn’t expect to fall for the new wolf in town, especially since she is part of his kidnapping case, but there is just something about her he can’t resist.
It's been years since I read a Terry Spear book and I don’t know why. This book was just what I needed on this very hot July day. I really loved this book. Brooke and Josh were adorable together. I loved watching these two slowly fall in love.
I really liked Brooke. I loved that she inherited an antique shop. It was fascinating and created a very unique setting that I don’t think I have ever read before. Josh was the protective alpha male but he was also very supportive. I loved how he instantly starts helping Brooke around the shop and helping her sell items. He really was a great hero and I instantly loved him. These two were adorable and I couldn’t get enough of them.
Overall, this was a great holiday romance! I really hope we see more of these two in future books of this series. Also I couldn’t get enough of the reindeer in this book. They were adorable. I loved that Josh and his brother had a reindeer farm because that sounds like an amazing place to work.
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
It's been years since I read a Terry Spear book and I don’t know why. This book was just what I needed on this very hot July day. I really loved this book. Brooke and Josh were adorable together. I loved watching these two slowly fall in love.
I really liked Brooke. I loved that she inherited an antique shop. It was fascinating and created a very unique setting that I don’t think I have ever read before. Josh was the protective alpha male but he was also very supportive. I loved how he instantly starts helping Brooke around the shop and helping her sell items. He really was a great hero and I instantly loved him. These two were adorable and I couldn’t get enough of them.
Overall, this was a great holiday romance! I really hope we see more of these two in future books of this series. Also I couldn’t get enough of the reindeer in this book. They were adorable. I loved that Josh and his brother had a reindeer farm because that sounds like an amazing place to work.
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*
This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
cozyupwithfictionandtea_sarah's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Had never heard of Terry Spear but this was enjoyable!! A bit of suspense with romance (not stockholm) & lots of found family. Hope to find the other books in this series.