Hungry Like the Wolf (SWAT #1)
by Paige Tyler
Blurb:
INTRODUCING SWAT:
SPECIAL WOLF ALPHA TEAM
They're tight
They're on target
They're as alpha
as men can get.
The
Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret . . . they're a pack of wolf
shifters.
The
team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive—and also the darlings of Dallas.
This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must
be hiding something . . . and she's determined to find out what.
Keeping
Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's
smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's
getting dangerously close to the truth—and perilously close to his heart...
Themes: werewolves
Rating: 3.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
An interesting premise with a great romance,
but the paranormal aspect of the story was a bit shallow for me. Being an avid reader of paranormal romance,
as well as a student of mythology in general, I have always found that the best
paranormal fiction includes some in-depth explanations of how, why, and what, when it comes to the “monsters”. While I
enjoyed this story very much that was a big letdown for me, mostly because we
never really learned how the men became werewolves, how the trait is passed on,
or even what exactly it makes them. Most
of the details were heavily glossed over, with only some general mentions of
their fangs, claws, and fur. The only
good thing is that I rather expected this as I am now familiar with Ms. Tyler’s
writing style and this is a common issue I have had with many of her novels. That
being said… an entire SWAT team of alpha wolves, living and working together…
who could have ever thought of that? I
found that portion of the story and all the action inherent to a badass SWAT
team to be the most important part of the story, the action driving the rest of
the story and setting up a chance for the H/h to meet and come together and
fall in love. The characters were well
written, the plot good, if a little predictable, and the HEA pulled out in the
end, so I am looking forward to any future stories and seeing where the series
goes.
Gage and Mac’s story kicks off with
secrets and the smell of a juicy story, leading mac to investigate rumors about
the infamously perfect Dallas SWAT team.
While she is unsure exactly what she will find when she begins
investigating, she is determined to uncover the story that she can feel pulling
her like a magnet. When Gage offers her
a full look into the elusive crew and their heavily guarded compound, there was
no way she could have ever anticipated just how much her life would
change. Not only is Gage the sexiest guy
she has ever met, but his strength, courage, and honesty makes her doubt her instincts. Gage is falling hard for Mac, which he definitely
didn’t plan when he started his scheme to keep her from uncovering the truth of
the pack, but the best-laid plans are often the most disastrous. As he spends
more time in her presence he becomes more attracted and comes to trust her
more, but he still isn’t positive he could ever share the pack’s secret with
her—until her life is in danger and the only way to save her is to unleash his
inner beast. But can Mac, the intrepid
reporter, who has always believed that full disclosure is the only way to live
life, keep the greatest secret of her life to herself if it means keeping these
amazing men safe and Gage in her life and heart forever?
Gage is a true alpha leader, led by
instinct but smart enough to know when you need to think with your human brain
as well. He has gathered the best men…err
wolves… together to form an elite SWAT team to counter the dangers of the crazy
city of Dallas, determined to keep people safe and make sure that his team is
the best in the world. But that
greatness has capture the attention of the media and when Mac shows how
determined she is to get her story, he knows the only way to get her to give up
is show her just how boring the guys really are. And his plan is a good one, until he actually
comes face to face with her the first time.
Now reeling from the desire she inspires in him and the deep connection
that is blossoming as they spend time together, Gage is unsure if he can walk
away from Mac and he knows that the only way to keep her will be to tell her
the full truth. I found myself liking Gage
pretty much the entire time I was reading about him. His obvious strength—physically, emotionally,
and mentally—and his willingness to do just about anything to keep those he
loves safe make him the perfect guy in my eyes, and let’s not forget the guy can bench press a
small car. The best parts of the story
in my opinion is when Gage is sharing his passions with Mac and showing her the
man under all the gruffness needed to keep his men in line and get the job done.
Mac on the other hand struck me as the
kind of heroine that is too inexperienced, slightly naïve, and stubborn in her beliefs
to be a truly great character, until she finally gets a clue about two chapters
before the ending. While I can easily
applaud a tenacious woman, her belief that the truth should always be pulled
out into the open, no matter that it might destroy the reputations and lives of
good people, is really angering to me. I
never could imagine writing an expose that destroys good people just because
“the public has a right to know”… which yeah I totally don’t agree with. But once she pulled her head out of her butt
and realized that sometimes the public needs to have their illusions, I was
able to like her a bit more. Her
emotional distance to Gage was disappointing at first as well, because what
woman in her right mind would push him away, especially for a story, but I did
appreciate her ability to embrace the passion that flares between them and find
a way to overlook her story in the end to keep her new family safe.
While I have my peeves with this
author and her writing style, I definitely look forward to the rest of this
series and am anxious to see how the rest of the SWAT team handles meeting
their mates. Gage is an awesome
character with all the strengths and weaknesses that make a truly great alpha
leader, while still maintaining his intelligence, wit and sarcasm. He really is the whole package and I wish I
had a man just like him for myself.
While Mac hit me wrong a few times throughout the story, in the end I
could see that her love for Gage was genuine and she would make a good mate for
him. There was plenty of action, drama,
and passion to keep the story moving as well as some laughs, sarcasm, and wit
to keep me feeling like I was right there with the characters most of the
time. I certainly wish Mac had wizened
up earlier, or at least not lapsed into her former journalistic persona, but in
the end love wins out and that is what makes for a truly great story for
me. I enjoy Paige’s plots, dialogue, and
characters for the most part, but I’m really going to need her to start giving
some more detail to the overall myths she is hitting on. How did he become a werewolf? What special
extras come with the change? What makes
her twist on the paranormal unique? Just
little things like that being fleshed out and the story might have been a 5 for
me. Looking forward to the rest of the
crew getting a story, but in the meantime I will just keep an eye out for her
other series as well.
*eARC provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
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