Review: SEAL Wolf Hunting

SEAL Wolf Hunting (Heart of the Wolf #16)

by Terry Spear

Blurb:

Paul Cunningham is one of the only bachelors left on the SEAL wolf team, and he's less than thrilled to hear he's been volunteered for a local charity bachelor auction.

Lori Greypaw suspected that her grandmother would use the auction as an opportunity to fix her up. So she's not surprised when she "buys" Paul to help Lori renovate her mountain cabin for a week. Lori's had a crush on the sexy SEAL wolf for years, but he proves to be handy with more than a hammer when two fugitives come knocking and he'll do anything to protect the woman he's falling for…

Themes: Wolf-Shifters, Paranormal

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 4

Review:

 Another addition to the world of the wolves that have captured our hearts and minds for many years now.  If you haven’t read any of this series I have to say you are seriously missing out, but until you are able to pick up the entire series for a marathon reading session, SEAL Wolf Hunting is a perfect example of what has made this series a hit with so many.  With interesting characters that have just that little extra to make them even more special, storylines that are as varied and interesting as real life sometimes can be, and the wit and sweetness that characterizes this author, there’s nothing that can beat it.  Returning to the SEAL Wolf team was wonderful after the departures to the Scottish branch of wolves that have been the previous stories in the series, allowing us to see the turnout from previous couples and the changes in the team as a whole.  The story is of course set around a beautiful forest in Montana (I THINK) and the small pack of individuals that have banded together as a family for so many years.  I am really looking forward to reading future stories and hope that one coming soon with be Allan’s. 

Paul and Allan have just returned home after a heartbreaking rescue mission went horribly wrong, not expecting to be thrust right into a different type of trouble, the kind that can only be caused by the female members of their unofficial pack.  The She-wolves have come up with a great way to raise money for an unfortunate member of their community in need of help: a “honey-do” bachelor auction, which of course includes the two sexy wolves. When Paul is won by Emma, the grandmother figure that has always been in his life, he never imagined he would be thrust directly into the path of the she-wolf who has been hiding from him for years.  Lori has avoided being around Paul because she cannot handle watching him leave on missions and worrying he may never come back.  So when her grandmother forces them to work together on her “honey do” list, Lori knows there is a grand plan but she isn’t really willing or able to resist it anymore.  As they spend more time together they both come to realize that the attraction between them is not something either of them are willing to run from any longer and it’s time to give a relationship a chance.  Soon the world around them begins to interfere however, and when a pack friend is in serious danger, Lori has to face the change when Paul is called away again; leaving behind a budding pack and the woman he loves.  If he makes it back can they find a way to overcome the new dangers and the distance that his job puts between them, or are they destined to lose their hearts to one another in a mating that can never work?

Paul is a good guy for sure, a former SEAL, but one that still offers his services as a rescue operative and he takes his missions very seriously, as shown by the trauma of losing a rescue on his last mission.  I enjoyed Paul’s personality and his sweetness even though he was definitely an alpha wolf, a man that will care for those around him at his own expense.  As he began to get to know Lori he showed his tender side and also his funny side, while maintaining his intensity and his command of any situation.  It was awesome to see him come in to his own as a pack leader and find his perfect match in the fiery and sexy she-wolf that has obviously just been waiting for him to find his way back to her.  There were some moments that were touch and go for a while there where I thought he might not be able to find his equilibrium and be the male the women of his little pack needed, but in the end all he really needed was the love and trust of a good woman to bring him to the truth of his destiny. 

Lori is an awesome she-wolf, a woman that knows she could fall in love with Paul easily so she keeps herself away until he is ready to settle down. She has been a part of Paul since he saved her many years before when they were children and their pack was decimated. Since then she has found contentment with her Grandmother and her packmates, even as Paul finds adventure and fullfillment serving as a SEAL in the far reaches of the world.  When they are thrown together on their project Lori finds herself unable to resist Paul's lure and when he expresses that he's ready to give their relationship a try, she gives in to her life long desire to be his.  She is obvioulsy an alpha female, but even though  Lori is strong enough to be Paul's mate she needs his love and reasurrance more than she knows until he finally starts to give his all.  I  loved seeing her really become a leader when Paul is called away for a long time, bringing the pack together and expanding their numbers as well as solving several problems and serving the pack well in Paul's stead. There's no doubt she is a female to be reckoned with and now that she has decided to stop running from him there is no way she will give Paul up. 

This story was a wonderful return to the kinds of stories that first made me fall in love with this series, because while I  have loved the last few books that were set in Scotland, these original characters are the ones that first grabbed my heart.  I  enjoyed learning more about about Paul and his pack, as well as meeting Lori and the other she-wolves.  Paul is an alpha to be reckoned with, protecting his family and packmates from the time he was a child and now that he is even more trained to do it, there is nothing that will harm his pack.  He was alo sweet and  loving when he allows his guard to slip and let Lori into his heart.  Lori was strength and softeness in a perfect mix, the ultimate she-wolf and a woman that I  can see being a great role model.  When Paul and Lori come together the heat could easily cause burns and there is no denying that they were made for each other.  There were also several subplots that kept things interesting and twisting together to provide danger and intrigue during Paul and Lori's romance.  I  am very much looking forward to what's next for this series and know that I  will love whatever comes next. 

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.