Running with the Werewolf (Darkaway Island # 1)

Laurie London

Blurb:

Daphne Dupree needed to get out of town after things at work got a little…complicated. The last thing she expected when she filled out a silly online quiz was winning a singles trip to paradise. Too good to be true? Probably.

Turns out, Darkaway Island is more than a little strange. People in costumes. Large dogs running around unleashed. But the weirdest of all is that she seems to be part of a…dating contest.

The prize: a smoking-hot cowboy with an unhealthy fixation on the moon.

Travis Monroe wasn’t planning to stay long on the island. As the grumpy werewolf star of a supernatural soap opera, all he wants is to give his newly-inherited ranch to his sister then fly back to the set on his private plane.

Trouble is, if he isn’t mated by the White Wolf Moon, the ranch reverts to a half-brother he just met, and his sister loses everything.

Solution: Find a mate, sign over the property, break up.

Falling in love isn’t in the script.

As Travis and Daphne spend time together on group dates and one-on-ones, his feelings for her grow, extending far beyond duty to his family.

And she learns he’s more—much more—than just fangs and fur.

But a rival pack is stirring up trouble, and Daphne is hiding a secret of her own.

Do Travis and Daphne find love in paradise only to lose it in the end?

Themes: Paranormal, Shifters, magick

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

An all-new adventure begins from an author that has been quiet for a while but has decide to return with a series that is looking to be filled with humor, passion, and excitement. Laurie London, author of the Sweetblood Vampire series, brings us to a hidden island off the coast of Washington State, where magical beings rule and the weather is as tropical as it gets, but humans are only welcome under strict circumstances and with conditions. Daphne Dupree accidentally makes it through the careful vetting and lands an all expenses paid trip to the island for a month, just when she needs an escape from her life in Atlanta, and though she has concerns she is not in a position to ask too many questions. When she passes through a strange fog on the ferry from Seattle and finds herself on a beautiful tropical island her mind starts to spin even more and when she ends up in the hospital with the man who saved her from being hit by a car—with his bare HANDS—things begin to get even more terrifying. Travis Monroe is the new alpha of his pack, but only if he finds a mate before the next White Wolf Moon, in just 8 weeks, and he never imagined the human woman he saved from certain death would play such an important role in his future. Sucked into a dating game, a la The Bachelor, Daphne and Travis are spending more and more time together and soon their feelings are entirely too real, but Daphne has a secret and an enemy after her while Travis has his own potential problems that could come between them. Can a human with just a touch of magick in her life and an alpha werewolf that lives his life in the limelight really find love in the tropical sand under the scrutiny of an entire town of people, or will they be pulled apart by forces darker than they imagined? I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this new series, but I was thrilled to find myself laughing and really becoming invested in the story as Daphnes found herself learning all about the supernatural world that she never imagined existed around her. Travis was a hoot as he navigated the dating game as and dealt with all the changes in his life, he was sweet and caring with his family and pack, protective and growly with Daphne but definitely loved her assertive side as well, showing he loved a strong woman. Daphne was stronger than she realized, caring and empathic, friendly and valiant when standing up for her friends, and I loved it when she finally admitted her feelings to herself and Travis and decided that she’d found her place and people in this new world. The chemistry between Daphne and Travis was explosive from the very beginning and you could tell from the first moment that they were meant to be, and the heat was enough to singe everyone around them. I am really looking forward to however gets a story next in this series between the others we met along the way to Travis and Daphne’s HEA were truly characters and I can’t wait to read more about them. This series is going to be one that keeps my interest for a while for sure.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.