TL;DR: Cute but the hero was a constipated manchild.
Source: NetGalley, so many thanks to the publisher!
Plot: Girl meets Werewolf, they’re mates, he’s drama.
Characters: For the most part I liked these characters but they felt very shallow? And Rafe made me roll my eyes.
Setting: Dream Harbor was a lovely setting. This… needed a bit more work.
Romance: Rafe made this so hard to believe.
Summary:
Ruby Bellerose lives on the edge of the woods, in a cottage more akin to a fairy tale than modern day life. Her love life is basically non-existent, and she keeps away from the whispered gossip that travels through Maple Hollow.
Until a chance encounter with Rafe.
As mysterious as he is brooding, Ruby is drawn to the woodsman, curious to find out more about the stranger who lives deep within the woods.
But Rafe is hiding a secret. And with something lurking in the shadowy forest, will Ruby find that Rafe is her knight in shining armor or something altogether more dangerous…
Thoughts:
I love the Dream Harbor series, it’s a favorite of mine. So I jumped on this paranormal romance from the same author. Unfortunately as I was reading it all I could think was ‘is this her first book just being published now? Was this a debut?’. Turns out I was right. In her acknowledgements she notes this was one of her first stories and it’s obvious.
The conflict in this was so incredibly contrived my guys. I love the Dream Harbor books because the conflicts aren’t over the top, and they don’t last forever. That is absolutely not the case here. Rafe knows his Dad was bad but he’s tortured that he shamed his father by saving his family. He blames himself for something his father did, that he KNOWS his father did. And that takes over the whole story. Sure there is the ‘my sister is sick, she’s a seer’ plot line. But when the reader spends a good chunk of this rolling their eyes at the MMC it’s a little lost.
Now I didn’t hate this, I did have fun! I really loved the first part. But the more Rafe talked the more I just thought ‘manchild’. I sincerely hope the next books have a stronger hero, and we see a return to form for Laurie Gilmore.
So a tentative recommendation from me, just keep in mind this is a publishing of a very early work. It’s definitely not up to snuff with Dream Harbor.
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