Author: Shawntelle Madison
Publication: Ballantine Books; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Description: SOMETIMES WHAT YOU COVET IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP.
For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she's stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home--and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.
Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves--and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it's enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.
My Thoughts: I didn't know what to think when I began this story about a werewolf with OCD. Natalya is a long-time sufferer. Her OCD is bad enough that she has been thrown out of her werewolf pack because it makes her a weak link. She is surviving working at an antique store and collecting her Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa ornaments and decorations. When her old boyfriend Thorn comes back to town the pressure gets greater. He is the son of the alpha who kicked her out of the pack and he is supposed to marry a girl from one of the high status families in the pack. But he can't stay away from her.
When the Long Island pack tries to move in and take over Nat's former pack things get even worse. The alpha of that pack has targeted Nat for reasons unknown to her. She feels isolated and alone. But she has decided to return to therapy to see if she can get her "collecting" under control. There she meets Nick who is a White Wizard who has the same sort of OCD she has. Nick comes to her rescue a few times when she is threatened. Nat also makes a friend in Quentin who is a necromancer who works as a janitor at the same antique store where Nat works. Their first - and only - date was funny in a creepy way.
Nat is also supported when her best friend Aggie comes to visit. Aggie is running away from her father and an arranged marriage. She is a high status werewolf who has an eating disorder. She and Nat became friends when both were sent to a camp for troubled werewolves.
This was an entertaining and unusual urban fantasy story. I really came to like Nat and look forward to reading the sequel to this book. I am eager to see how the relationship with Thorn and with Nick work out.
When the Long Island pack tries to move in and take over Nat's former pack things get even worse. The alpha of that pack has targeted Nat for reasons unknown to her. She feels isolated and alone. But she has decided to return to therapy to see if she can get her "collecting" under control. There she meets Nick who is a White Wizard who has the same sort of OCD she has. Nick comes to her rescue a few times when she is threatened. Nat also makes a friend in Quentin who is a necromancer who works as a janitor at the same antique store where Nat works. Their first - and only - date was funny in a creepy way.
Nat is also supported when her best friend Aggie comes to visit. Aggie is running away from her father and an arranged marriage. She is a high status werewolf who has an eating disorder. She and Nat became friends when both were sent to a camp for troubled werewolves.
This was an entertaining and unusual urban fantasy story. I really came to like Nat and look forward to reading the sequel to this book. I am eager to see how the relationship with Thorn and with Nick work out.
Favorite Quote:
"You think of everything, don't you?" Aggie laughed. "If I obsessed over things as much as you do, I'd become a stockbroker."
"OCD does not mean I have savant-like mathematical skills." I snatched the only umbrella before she had a chance to take it.
Before I left the car she asked, "So is there anything good about it?"
I didn't know how to answer that. Every day, with every decision I made, I faced my condition. If there was something good about having my disorder, that perk had better show itself soon.
This sounds really great. I probably never would have "noticed" it if not for your review.
ReplyDelete