Friday 7 March 2014

Review: The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #2)
The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2) by Molly Harper
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Publisher: Pocket Books/Audible Inc
Publication date: March 29th 2011
Length: 8 hrs 4 minutes
My rating: 3.5 stars 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15699188-the-chocolate-thief
Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt.

What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted.

Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .
My Thoughts:

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf was cute, entertaining and filled with humor; the perfect kind of book to put a smile on your face and lighten your mood.

I met Maggie in the first book. She’s Cooper’s sister and the chosen Alpha of their pack when Cooper refuses to take up that position.  Maggie’s life is the pack, dealing with a whole host of issues on a daily basis: mediating disagreements, looking after their elderly members, patrolling the land, and defending the pack from any possible threats.  A big threat has entered her territory in the form of a geeky but gorgeous man, Nick.  He’s up in Grundy investigating rumors of werewolves and looking for the real story behind the folklore, risking their exposure if he gets too close to the truth. 

Of course, Maggie is attracted this hunk-of-nerd, but Maggie can’t let her feelings for him get in the way of protecting the pack.  Also, mating with just a regular human lessens the chances she’ll have children who shift into wolves.  Still, these two can’t fight the pull and soon they’re spending more and more time together. 

In the midst of all this, someone is anonymously attacking Maggie.  A few times it seems like a prank, but these attacks are getting more dangerous, but Maggie can’t pin down the perpetrator. To me, it was sort of obvious who was behind all this, but it didn’t occur to Maggie which was a little hard to believe at times.

Maggie behaved like a spoiled child in the first book and so was very unlikeable.  It took me a while to warm up to her, and while she was much better in this installment, Maggie never truly won my heart over. Nick was a sweetheart and a hero my bookish self really appreciated!  Yet, I really didn’t have strong feelings for the romance, because I never felt their connection intensely. Maybe I questioned what Nick saw in Maggie?  Not sure what didn’t wow me.  Still, the story was quite entertaining with a fun group of secondary characters and I really loved the setting of Alaska, as well. I missed being in Grundy for most of this book, part of its appeal was its Northern Exposure type of vibe I got from the story and this was missing here.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf and while I enjoyed this installment it didn’t hold the same appeal.  Still, it was a lot of fun! I think the narration really enhanced the story with Ms. Ronconi giving life to the dry, sarcastic humor I love so much.  I plan on reading the next in the series How toRun With a Naked Werewolf, very soon.  





15 comments:

The Bookish Manicurist said...

So many sequels do not live up to the previous book in a series, but this doesn't sound too bad for a follow up, esp. as you found the MC a little easier to take. It sounds like a fun series overall!

Glass said...

Rachel, you know that I don't like annoying female characters, but if you say that she gets better in sequel, I might consider to give this one a try.
Great review.

Keertana said...

I have to agree that Maggie never truly won my heart over either. I looooved Nick, but Maggie's narration fell so flat in comparison to Mo's from the previous novel. Fantastic review, Rachel - I hope you have better luck with the sequel than I did!

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

While I don't flail over these books, they're always a good time. I mean, "naked werewolf" is right there in the title -- how can you go wrong?

Shane @ItchingforBooks said...

This series is new to me, but I like that cover and the fact that its humorous. Sorry certain things didn't rub you right, like the main character acting bratty and the romance not being very convincing. However, I like that it takes place in Alaska. Don't think i've read a story set there before. Overall, good review. Thanks for the honesty.

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

The covers of this series really don't appeal to me at all, but I have to say that it sounds quirky and fun - despite some issues. Love the review, Rachel!

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

This sounds kind of fun! I just listened to the audible sample and I liked it. Thanks for sharing! :)

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I skipped this one because no one seemed super enthusiastic about this one. I did start the third one last night as I have an ARC that needs to be read and so far so good. Thanks for the honest review, doesn't sound like I missed much with this one.

Unknown said...

I really need to give this series a try. I'm starting to really crave paranormals lately.
Great review, Rachel!

Rashika said...

I absolutely adored How To Flirt with a Naked Werewolf but sadly I really didn't like Maggie so I wasn't even tempted to read her book.

I am pretty sure I made the right decision seeing that you didn't enjoy this one as much as you did How To Flirt With a Naked Werewolf (but common, Cooper and Mo were just their own brand of awesome).

Lovely Review, Rachel!! :)

Unknown said...

Not gonna lie, Rachel. That cover is not really speaking my language. Lol. But hey, this just might be the type of reads that someone like me needs on a never ending winter that we've been having.

Great review!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I skipped this and went into book three as I had an ARC to review. This one and the third one just don't seem to measure up to book one, I have the third book on my blog tomorrow, I will eventually go back and read this. Glad you warmed up to
Maggie!

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I really liked the first book too, so I'm curious about this one but I can see how it might not be AS good. I need to read it soon though, as I own a copy, and then get the third one.

Unknown said...

I love Molly Harper's books! Her Good Girls series is so much fun and I enjoyed this series too although not as much as her Good Girls series. :) Have you read Good Girls Don't Have Fangs yet, Rachel? The humor is perfect and the characters grow throughout the series. I really recommend it if you haven't picked it up. :)

Lovely review, hun! :)

Wendy Darling said...

We've had these tag-football type conversations about this book already, Rachel, so it's funny to see your review and be here actually talking to you all officially about it, hee hee. I am totally with you--I loooooved the first book, but there was a spark missing from this one for me, too. I liked it overall still (and it was interesting to see Maggie's POV regarding her childhood and how her brother's actions affected her behavior), but it somehow lost some steam for me towards the end. And it wasn't quite as funny or sexy as the first book, either.

I liked book 3 more than this one, though! I hope you will as well. :)

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...