Category Archives: Werewolf theme

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‘Bewitching the Werewolf’ short story by Caroline Hanson

Bewitching the WerewolfAre you looking for a FREE, fun and hot story to read just before bed, during a lunch break or even for on the train? ‘Bewitching the Werewolf’ is just the book. I found myself smiling on the first page alone! The story is so enjoyable with plenty of magic, heat and great characters.

Megan Stephens is an outspoken, quirky Wiccan who, as a witch for hire, is asked to aid the leader of a local werewolf pack to find his mate. Although she initially laughs it off, when she meets Zach Connor he is like no other werewolf. He is tall, dark and handsome, smartly dressed and smells great. He has had his fair share of women but so far none have been his mate. If he doesn’t find his mate soon the pack will disperse.

Caroline Hanson sure knows how to write these characters and allows you to become up, close and personal with them on just a few pages! I thought the whole story was just perfect: the timing, the characters, the use of magic, hot scenes, etc.

As these characters are so likeable it would be nice for them to be written into another story and maybe allow the reader to discover Zach’s transformation during a full moon and how Megan handles it! Alternatively, how would Zach deal with Megan’s sorcery?

‘Bewitching the Werewolf’ is a must-read for paranormal romance fans, preferably over the age of 16yrs due to the more intimate scenes. For such a short story it really does pack everything! And did I mention it was FREE?

I am hoping to read Caroline Hanson’s ‘Love is Darkness (Valerie Dearborn #1)’ in the near future. The synopsis and excerpt is inside ‘Bewitching the Werewolf’ and after reading them I can’t wait to read the full novel!

You can follow Caroline on Twitter @caroline_hanson and you can check her blog at http://carolinehanson.blogspot.co.uk/

Cover art by Kim Van Meter

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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Lycanthrope Love – In

shutterstock Werewolf1_89654491-001Join us for a ‘Howl’ lot of Fun!

Welcome to our ’ Lycanthrope Love-In.’ During the next few weeks we will be running this theme, alongside reviews of books in other genres, to celebrate our lupine friends. We will be posting some reviews of werewolf themed books that we have read and also including other random information of interest, such as werewolves in myths, legends and early literature, along with werewolves in post twentieth century film and literature . We hope you enjoy it! We are very interested in hearing what you think of werewolves in literature and if you have any recommendations. If you have any thoughts that you wish to share with us on werewolves please comment below.

Scroll down  or click on the link for our latest werewolf themed review by Tina, From Out of the Shadows, by Linda Mooney. Also see Caroline’s review of, ‘A Night of Yowling Dogs’ (short story) by Henri Bauhaus. We also have the long awaited ‘The Wolfstone Curse’ by Justin Richards, along with an author biog!!! Recently added have also been  ‘Bewitching the Werewolf’ by Caroline Hanson as well as a post on Werewolves in Paranormal Romance. Our latest non werewolf themed review is You Will Pay –  She Left Her Abusive Husband, He took Revenge, by Eve Rabi, which you can find by clicking in the link or scrolling down.

Happy reading!

Tina and Caroline :)

Post image: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com

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Werewolves in Myths and Legends and early Literature

shutterstock Werewolf1_89654491-001Werewolf myths and legends represent  something buried deep within our psyche, collective memory or consciousness, call it what you like. Many of these myths and legends have influenced the werewolf themed books we read and I thought that it would be fun to have a quick look at them!

In werewolf myths and legends a werewolf is a human who transforms into a wolf or wolf-like creature. Some choose when and where they do this whereas for others they may not have a choice, as they may have been cursed.

The oldest reference to werewolves comes from ancient Greece where Lycaon angered Zeus and was transformed into a wolf. Other classical works refer to people or whole tribes turning into wolves or wolf clans, often involving magic or sorcery. Werewolf legends were particularly strong in parts of Europe where wolves were commonplace (e.g. France, Spain, Germany and the Baltic regions) and viewed as violent and a threat to the community.

The French medieval romance of, ‘Bisclavret’ (the Werewolf), written by Marie de France, tells the tale of a man trapped in Tina2 (2)wolf form due to the treachery of his wife’s evil magic. The fairytale of Red Riding Hood portrays the wolf as an evil creature out to kill its victims. Lycanthrope (from the Greek term for a man-wolf) is a person who believes that they have changed into a wolf and it is a recognised medical condition. People behave like a wolf, including howling, going down on all fours, ‘gnawing’, attacking others with the intent to tear their flesh and drink their blood, allied with hyper sexual activity and a belief that they will grow fur and fangs.

In Slavic and European folklore there are links between vampires and werewolves. In Greek and Serbian lore for example, a werewolf was condemned to become a vampire after death. In some rural areas of Europe those who died sinners could come back to life as blood-drinking wolves, returning to their human corpse at daylight. They could be killed by decapitation and exorcism. In Serbia the werewolf and vampire are known collectively as one creature, the volkodlak.

Many thousands of cases of werewolves were reported between 1520 and 1630 in the late Middle Ages in Europe and there were a number of witch-werewolf trials, where werewolves were seen as Satan’s creatures who craved human flesh. Werewolf legends, like those of vampires, were also used to explain serial killings in the past.

Werewolves also featured in Nineteenth Century tales of Gothic horror. ‘Hugues, the Wer-wolf’, by Sutherland Menzies, published in 1838, draws on much of the established folklore and legend. I was particularly intrigued by the 1896 tale of ‘The Were-Wolf’, by Clemence Housman, which features a femme-fatale who transforms into lupine form to devour her victims!

If you know of any myths and legends or early literature featuring werewolves please let us know.

Tina 🙂

In exploring the concept of werewolves in myths and legends and early literature we are beholden not only to Wikipedia but also information contained in the excellent publication, ‘The Element Encyclopedia of Vampires. An A-Z of the Undead’, written by Theresa Cheung.

Post image: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com

 

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Full Moon – Thursday 25th April

What a fantastic tie-in to our Werewolf theme. Tonight there will be a full moon and for approximately 4 hours, beginning 9pm GMT (UK), there will be a partial lunar eclipse!!! I would love to hear about any of your sightings or any strange events that take place overnight!

Let’s hope for a clear sky for those of you that wish to take a glimpse of this partial lunar eclipse. For those of you that are interested it will be shown live at space.com!

If you are lucky enough to see it and take photo’s Tina and myself would love to see them and post them on our blog. You can e-mail us at either carolinebarker@ntlworld.com or tinawilliams1@ntlworld.com. It would be great to see them!

Enjoy your evening, readers! 🙂

Caroline & Tina

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‘Cursed (A Werewolf’s Tale #1)’ otherwise known as ‘Frostbite’ by David Wellington

Cursed: A Werewolf's TaleThe first book to be reviewed for our Werewolf theme, ‘Cursed: a Werewolf’s Tale’, otherwise known as Frostbite, is an urban fantasy that will blow your mind with panic and horror. A very quick-paced novel with plenty of action that the reader will read in no time at all. David Wellington surely knows how to scare the pants off you and yet allow you to completely endure the ferocious attacks and animalistic behaviour no matter how chilling and raw!!!

The story begins with Cheyenne Clark lost, hungry, cold and lonely in the Arctic amid the trees and snow. Before too long she is being tracked by a pack of wolves. Knowing that she couldn’t possibly run from them, and with very little energy, her only chance is to climb a tree high enough so that the pack can’t reach her. However, when howling of another is heard nearby the pack of timber wolves below Cheyenne’s feet soon flee, leaving her sitting on a branch of the tree. Moments later Cheyenne meets with the wolf whose howling she heard. Much larger than the timber wolves and much more ferocious this one tries to reach Cheyenne, jumping at her, lashing at her with large paws. Until he reaches her ankle and manages to claw into her flesh!

Although the beast couldn’t quite attack Cheyenne completely, enough damage was done to make Cheyenne’s world come crashing down. She would never be the same again. She was a werewolf, a monster, a Lycanthrope. There are many names for these species and now she herself carried the curse! For every time the moon rises, Cheyenne would transform, having to learn a different way to survive and avoiding the one element that could kill her: silver, silver, silver!

Loneliness is not natural for a wolf as they tend to live and move around in packs. As a new lone wolf, Cheyenne could really do with a companion. This proves to be just as difficult as trying to deal with her new ‘self’ as the only one who could truly understand is the one that tried to kill her. Now a wolf, Cheyenne not only needs to worry about being the victim, the prey, but also has to live with being a hunter. Will she kill the one that cursed her? Will he return to kill her?

Cheyenne’s character is written with a great deal of contrast from how she feels and thinks as a human and how she is in her wolf state. The natural animalistic behaviour takes over when she is transformed, her sense of smell and hearing is much greater than her sight. As a wolf she doesn’t reason, she doesn’t use logic she survives the only way she can. Back in human form, Cheyenne wakes frozen, naked and never fully aware of what her wolf has done.

Without trying to spoil the story one of my favourite areas of the novel was when the reader begins to understand the man of the wolf that attacked Cheyenne, Powell. The reader is educated in Powell’s history as a man and how the curse affected him and we also learn a little of werewolf mythology! I found this to be very interesting and exciting but cannot elaborate more than that. This novel simply needs to be read without much explanation beforehand. It truly does speak for itself!

On a different note, David Wellington has written the setting of the scenes beautifully as one can imagine the freezing cold of the Arctic wind, the icy water of the small streams and lakes, all silent and remote from most civilisation with only the sun or moonlight to estimate time. Although not a novel of romance it most certainly is a novel of survival! But can one survive alone? Would one want to survive alone? Or is their only option to try and kill the other to eliminate a dangerous threat?

‘Cursed: A Werewolf’s Tale’ is an absolutely fascinating read. For more fur, fangs and fear I am hoping to read the sequel, ‘Ravaged’, otherwise known as ‘Overwinter’, very soon!

Cover design: Unreal-uk.com

Photograph: Getty Images

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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Lycanthrope Love-In

shutterstock Werewolf1_89654491-001Join us for a ‘Howl’ lot of Fun!

Welcome to the start of our ‘ Lycanthrope Love-In.’ During the next few weeks we will be running this theme, alongside reviews of books in other genres, to celebrate our lupine friends. We will be posting some reviews of werewolf themed books that we have read and also including other random information of interest. We hope you enjoy it!

We are very interested in hearing what you think of werewolves in literature and if you have any recommendations. Also we would love to learn of any myths and legends relating to lycanthropes from across the globe as we will have a post about this on Friday for you to sink your fangs into!  If you have any thoughts that you wish to share with us on werewolves please comment below. To kick us off with our theme we have Caroline’s thoughts on ‘Cursed: A Werewolf’s Tale‘ (also known as ‘Frostbite’) by David Wellington.

Happy reading!

Tina and Caroline 🙂

Post image: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com

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Update from Caroline

shutterstock Werewolf1_89654491-001Hi guys, this week we will begin hosting our Werewolf theme!!! As from Wednesday 24th April we will be focusing on Werewolves for the forthcoming weeks which will include book reviews, some basic mythology as well as trivia on literature and movies! If you have any information or literature you would like to have a mention please let us know by commenting below!

One of the books we will be reviewing is the currently unreleased ‘The Wolfstone Curse’ by Justin Richards, the Creative Consultant for BBC Books on the Dr Who titles. With it’s release due in July, Tina and myself are hoping to do a double review! ‘The Wolfstone Curse’ is an action-packed adventure where teenager Peter, during time working with his archaeologist father in a remote village named Wolfstone, reveals the truth behind the werewolf myth! For adults and teenagers alike this novel is going to be a very, very exciting thriller!!!

I am currently reading ‘Cursed‘ (also known as ‘Frostbite’) by David Wellington, ready for Wednesday’s theme. I have had this paperback for quite some time and have been waiting for this week to read it. In ‘Cursed’ a woman alone in the Arctic is attacked by a wolf and becomes a beast herself. However, as she was once the hunted, she now becomes a hunter too and with her original attacker wanting her dead, can she carry out a similar attack on her enemy?

Amongst the werewolves, I am also planning to read Mere Enchantment and Rings of Enchantment novels by Alicia Rivoli over the coming weeks. These are fantasy fiction for the younger and adult reader alike where a group of friends end up fighting for survival. After entering a cave to shelter from a storm, more and more strange happenings keep occurring the further they go inside the cave. With magic, wizards and other strange people surrounding them, the group become separated and try to find each other in this new magical world. The new kingdom is also under attack from a traitor. Will the group become one again? Will they survive? I am looking forward to reading this novel as the synopsis itself sounds very exciting!

Tina and myself are also hoping to add a double review on ‘Addicted‘ by JoAnn DeLazzari over the next few days. This is an amazing romance, suspense and thriller that definitely keeps the reader on their toes throughout. A high profile reporter, Nikki Bradley, in the Colombian jungle is trying to find sufficient evidence to bring down a high and mighty drug trafficking operation after her brother died of a possible cocaine overdose. However, when she is found and captured she finds her captor wants to have her for himself! King, her captor, happens to be a ruggedly handsome man that makes Nikki fear for him but also strangely desire him. Nikki finds herself torn between surrendering and losing hope on her mission or taking a risk and fighting for her brother! The heartbeat definitely increases pace during this great sexy, intense thriller/adventure!

As you may have already guessed we will still be reviewing other genres, as well as the werewolf-based novels, in between for those of you that like more variety. Tina will be posting a review of Skye Warren’s new book, Wanderlust, on our Sizzle and Burn site in the next day or two and will be reading the first two novels in Regan Walker’s Regency Agents of the Crown Trilogy, Racing with the Wind and Against the Wind. She has asked me to tell you that her first contribution to our werewolf reviews will be Karin Tabke’s Blood Law (A Blood Moon Rising Novel # 1), which she read a few months ago but would like to share, and that a review of Christina Phillips’ Betrayed, which she is currently swooning over will follow soon!

You may be aware of our new A-Z author page which displays a list of all the authors and their novels that we have reviewed so far. This page will be updated at least on a weekly basis, enabling you to find authors/novel reviews more easily.

We will also be adding a new page over the coming weeks, focusing on True Crime. Although it is great to escape with fantasy fiction novels, I also like to try and wrap my head around real events. I find myself trying to analyse criminals and their behaviour to try and understand what makes these people carry out such horrendous actions. I am aware that not all of our followers would wish to read such literature, which is the reason that these reviews will be on their own page. This way these reviews will not pop up on our main page.

Unfortunately, the Tortured Hero blog hop has been cancelled and therefore will not take place this week as planned. Although we are hoping to take part in blog hops over the coming weeks and months. We will keep you updated on this!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our followers on the blog, Twitter and Facebook. We would be more than happy for you to spread the word of our site to help build our fanbase up and create more interaction with you guys! We are open to book recommendations and other comments you may have. Thank you 🙂 Happy reading x

Caroline 🙂

Post image: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com