Mini-Reviews: Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis & Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert

Title: Prince of Wolves

Author: Quinn Loftis

Publisher: Self-Publish

Published: June 29, 2011

Purchase: BookDepository

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

Series: The Grey Wolves Book 1

Shifters or anything to do with werewolves for that matter, have always been a subject I love to read about. Unfortunately Prince of Wolves gives shifters a bad name. It was a sore disappointment. Ms. Loftis’ book could have been an amazing and thoroughly unique read, rather it turned out to be nothing more than a novel reminiscent of childish characters, bad editing and cheesy romance – nothing appealing.

The synopsis sounds catchy, right? I thought so too, until I read the first two chapters. What was supposed to be a great werewolf book packed with action, mystery and romance, turned into a nightmare. We have our main character, who I initially thought was supposed have that spunk every YA reader out there enjoys in their heroines, but Jacque turned out to be “limp” and not in the least memorable. We also have the love interest, Fane, who is supposed to be this hot exchange student and very romantic – it seems I have very different ideas of romantic from the heroine – as I found Fane to be nothing but cheesy and perverted (the kind that sends chills down your spine). Then we have Jacque’s best friend Jen, who is supposed to have an outgoing personality and make funny jokes, which were okay in the beginning, but they got lame and were overbearing. It got to the point where it felt as if the characters were constantly on crack and I just wanted to slap them or bang my head against the wall for even picking up this book. 

The plot...well....there is no plot. I was looking forward to the showdown between Fane and this “mysterious” Alpha, but that lasted all of about 30 seconds near the ending of the book, and just like that the plot (and the book) was over. For the vast majority of the novel, the focus is on Jacque meeting Fane and Jen shouting out inappropriate jokes; and nothing else. This is only made worse by the dialogue and prose of the story. It’s hectic, childish, unrealistic and out of place. During supposedly intense moments, the girls would say, “Oh crap!” and that was the end of it, taking away the intensity of the moment - nearly every scene is like this, not leaving much to the imagination. There are no emotions in the story to harbor even a small connection between the reader and the characters. The best part of the book is the idea behind the story, but that’s nothing since the execution is severely lacking – turning what is supposed to be a YA paranormal romance into a tragedy. I don’t think I will continue the series.

My Rating:

Title: Wrong Bed, Right Guy

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Brazen)

Published: July 20, 2012

Purchase: BookDepository

Seducing Mr. Wrong has never felt so right...

Prim and proper art gallery coordinator Elle Walser is no good at seducing men. Heck, she’s been throwing hints at her boss for months, but he’s completely clueless. Desperate to escape her mother’s matchmaking efforts, she comes up with a plan—buy some lingerie and climb into her boss’s bed. The plan goes brilliantly…until she accidentally seduces a sexy stranger instead.

Bad boy nightclub mogul Gabe Schultz just had the best almost-sex of his life. Too bad the smoking hot blonde thought he was his brother and bolted before he could finish what they started. Though her holier-than-thou attitude puts a serious damper on his mood, Gabe’s never been one to give up on something he wants. And he wants Elle. But does a man who lives on the dark side really have a chance with a proper lady?

Series: Come Undone Book 1

It’s books like this why I enjoy the contemporary romance genre so much. The happy, easy-going, fairytale like world is the perfect way to get enthralled in the beauty of vivid, sexy romance, hot characters and well...to relax. There are no weighty topics to be depressed over, or monsters running high and low, Wrong Bed, Right Guy was just that – a simple, fun and entertaining read.

Katee Robert’s novel is loaded with humorous dialogue, enough spice to light up a small city, and easily lovable characters. Gabe is a bad boy to the core, and he has the sexy tattoos (my weakness, it’s just something about tattoos, especially on the biceps, that’s too hot to put into words) to prove it. He’s confident about himself, but not shallow and I loved that about him. He was down-to-earth and admitted he has flaws and accepted Elle’s differences, which – in my book – makes for a strong character. To simply put it, he was a panty-melting bull dozer and I loved him. Elle is a goody-goody, always over-thinking every little thing and too focused on what her mother will think. It takes her a while to break out of her tough shell, but when she does follow her heart, I couldn’t have asked for a better heroine. I admired her self-restraint at first, but as her character develops, I fell in love with her. Ms. Roberts did a brilliant job in creating such well-rounded characters; it was easy to appreciate them.

The romance in this book is in full abundance. The sexual chemistry is off the charts, the constant banter between Gabe and Elle is hilarious and the love scenes are just downright swoon-worthy! Yes, the romance is predictable, but that’s to be expected in such a book, and it in no way got tiring. The love scenes were hot and wild and, thankfully, free of deterring terminology. Their relationship didn’t have an explosive happy ever after, but was wrapped up sweetly and very nicely. It wasn’t rushed, which made it all the more enjoyable.

With a perfect ending, Wrong Bed, Right Guy, won me over heart and soul. It was a quick, fun read, but not too quick to have the reader feeling left out – highly recommend this. It was addicting and I can’t wait to read whatever more this author has to offer.

My Rating: