Hump Day - Howl for Wolf's Valentine

Better late than never again....my lovelies I hope things have gone well. Today was filled with mayhem as I chaperoned the Middle School Drama class field trip to see the American Shakespeare Company perform MacBeth. Sigh - this self professed Queen of the Nerd Herd loved the play, discovered a few new ways to be King, and now know how today's teens "pick up" and get dates for the Prom. (apparently, "uh, hey, yo. D'ya wanna?" is a big one. Followed swiftly with the scrap of paper, phone number and first name only. Hmmmm) I am so sure I am not ready for this, I must resort to my comfort food of choice. Seeing as how we are in full throttle tornado/royal wedding season, I chose some delish eye candy. Enjoy!

In continuation of our spotlight on Rebecca Royce's Westervelt wolves series, today's treat is just that, a short holiday story, Wolf's Valentine.

Jana thought she was through with Westervelt. Fleeing for her
life thirty years ago, she's hidden as a human ever since. But a strangely
worded Valentine delivered to her desk at work has given her pause.

Malcolm never expected to find his mate working for a crooked company he
was sent to investigate in New York City. But there she is. Now, on Valentine's
Day, the two will battle their attraction for each other while taking down a
conglomerate built for the sole purpose of destroying the Westervelt Wolves.

Will love win the day?

Jana receives a hand-made valentine at work one day. She wishes it were from the sexy Malcom Denon but fears it's from her boss who had, at one time, seriously had a thing for her. The wording, Happy Valentine's Day, to my Mate, triggers long lost feeling which Jana and her wolf have suppressed for so long. Tossing the valentine in the trash, she decides to get through her day and take her wolf out for a run after work.

Malcom gets attacked afterwork by the rabid creations of the evil Kenderick Kane. Determined to keep her safe, Malcom follows his mate on the train to Woodstock, revealing his true nature and surprising her immensely. Jana's wolf is thrilled, Jana isnt so sure. They shift, they run, they mate under the moonlight. Nothing is easy however, and the pair find themselves surrounded by fifty snarling, drooling made-wolves. After capturing their Alpha, they return with the Princes to the island off Maine where Jana grew up.

For a shortened version of the longer Westervelt novellas, this was not a bad read. It was nice to see other characters find their mates. It helps that Kenderick Kane is such a great bad guy. For a Valentine's day story, I felt it was short on romance and a little long on drama but otherwise pretty good. The cursed wolves storyline has now shifted to the search for their long lost mates. This should prove to be an interesting series thread and one that, once you have read the previous stories, will keep readers captivated.

I give this sweet Valentine treat a yummy 3.5 Chocolate covered strawberries and encourage you all to take advantage of the lovely weekend ahead to take your inner wolf out for a run!