Saoirse McColl, a research biologist, keeps getting fired from labs for refusing to produce results the clients want. Her best friend suggests she look for a new line of work. She applies to an ad for a high school biology teaching job at an academy in northwestern Maine that promised living quarters plus salary. Diego Vargas, a werewolf, is the principal of the academy, despite having no … background in education. He has proven to the pack leader that he is dependable and detail-oriented, but he hates hiring new teachers, not knowing what to ask them. Once Saoirse is in his office, Diego can’t concentrate because his wolf loves her smell. When it turns out that she is the best-qualified candidate, Diego and his wolf rejoice, because both are convinced she’s their mate. But she’s not a shifter, so they need to bide their time, waiting for the right moment to inform her that she’s living in a compound of mostly wolf shifters. Can these two find happiness together, once the scientist discovers that myth is reality?
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When a Wolf Howls is the first book in the Northwest Maine Academy series and held my interest from the first page to the last even though I’m not usually a fan of books in the paranormal genre or those with shifters. The story line was believable to me and had many layers with humans, wolves and gay characters as well as the academy which was set in a remote area in Maine surrounded by woods with the pack taking center stage.
This is Diego and Saoirse’ story and they had chemistry and an attraction from the first time they meet even though they seemed to want to fight it. The characters had a depth to them and the many stories were seamlessly brought together by the end. No detail seemed to be too small and all were incorporated into the story. I loved getting to know many of the characters and watch their interactions not only among themselves but also with Diego and Saoirse. There are family and friends along with secrets, classes, some violence, romance, loving and love. The descriptions were vivid whether of the various roles of the characters, the scenery, events taking place, the food or even the classes being taught.
There is some closure but definitely more stories to tell. While a happily-ever-after that seemed to be in turmoil for a while seems to come to pass, the book ended too abruptly for me. I do look forward to reading the next book in the series, Worth the Wait, and being back at the academy.
Ms. McGier is an author whose books I’ve enjoyed even when taking me out of my reading comfort zone. I look forward to reading more books that she pens and already have a few on my TBR pile.
Saoirse McColl is a research biologist who has been fired again. She sees herself as having bad luck but the amount of things that fall into her lap tell a different story.
This is an intriguing story about Pack life and what happens when you get a Leadership changeover. Saoirse gets her job as a teacher and has a great rapport with the kids. Things change for her dramatically though when she realises the man she has fallen for is a werewolf. There is something for everyone here – mystery, kidnap, fights to the death, and LOTS of sex.
The writing style is different from others, and I didn’t particularly like the long internal monologues and reviews of what “whoever” had done and when. However, they are part of the story and it needed them to be able to move forward. I just found them to ramble on and they became a detraction from the interaction between the characters themselves.
All in all, though, this was a very good story that shows that life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, even if you think you have it all. There are some great characters in here that I would love to learn more about. So, yep, recommended by me.