Wolfheart

Title: Wolfheart

Author: Dan Cash

Publisher: Silver Publishing

Publisher URL:

ISBN/BIN: 9781622321216

Genre: {M/M} Paranormal Series

Rating: 3 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Dragon Minx

One night Dane’s out with his friend Nick and he’s attacked in an alley by a group of guys who turn into monsters.  He doesn’t know it but his best friend has been keeping a secret. Nick’s a werewolf and Dane’s just gotten sucked into a rivalry he didn’t know existed. Once they’re safe, Nick’s forced to confess the truth and he takes them to safety, pulling Dane further into the shifter world. It also brings Dane into contact with Nick’s pack leader and Alpha, Connor. 

When Connor scents Dane, his wolf demands his mate and fearing his loss, Connor kidnaps Dane. Being lovesick means making some bad decisions and it doesn’t take long to realize Dane is terrified. If Connor wants to win over Dane, he has to convince his mate he isn’t scary or dangerous to him, but a man looking for his other half.

Wolfheart is the first release in the new shifter series, Wolfpack, by Dan Cash. As many know, I’m a big fan of shifter romances and the blurb caught my attention. I had high hopes for it. I enjoyed the beginning. The opening scene with Dane in the club pulled me into the story. It’s full of descriptions and even has a nice amount of Dane’s personal history. The move into the confrontation alley scene is nicely done—it’s smooth and believable—even if Dane is shown to be gullible.  The imagery of Dane first seeing a werewolf transformation is handled well. You can almost see his eyes bulging with fear. The remainder of the scene—once Nick arrives is equally good. So, as you can see, I like this part.

My problem arises with what happens next. Connor’s the Alpha. He’s supposed to be responsible, have restraint and know how to handle different situations. The opening scene at the barn is fine but Connor and Dane’s initial contact turned me off. As Alpha, Connor is supposed to care for his mate, not scare him to death by kidnapping him and throwing him in a trunk. This section turned into one angst-filled interaction after another. Dane went from being kidnapped to thinking he might like Connor to having sex way too fast. There just wasn’t any plot here. Just Connor trying to seduce Dane and convince him to accept the mating, we didn’t get to learn much about Connor either. 

The pace picks up again in the last 1/3, showing Connor and Dane’s interaction with the rest of the pack, but it’s more of everyday life and getting to know each other than anything else. No outside conflict, but it’s what saved the story for me and kept me from giving it a lower rating. If the author releases another book in the series, I’ll consider giving it a try, just to see if the world building in Wolfheart led to a richer, deeper second book.