Score one for the underdog…er…wolf.

TJ Lynus is a legend in Granite Lake, both for his easygoing demeanor—and his clumsiness. His carefree acceptance of his lot vanishes, though, when his position as best man brings him face to face with someone he didn’t expect. His mate. His very human mate. Suddenly, one thing is crystal clear: if he intends to claim her, his usual laid-back attitude isn’t going to cut it.

After fulfilling her maid-of-honor duties, Pam Quinn has just enough time for a Yukon wilderness trip before returning south. The instant attraction between her and TJ tempts her to indulge in some Northern Delight, but when he drops the F-bomb—“forever”—she has second thoughts. In her world, true love is a fairytale that seldom, if ever, comes true.

Okay, so maybe staging a kidnapping wasn’t TJ’s best idea, but at least Pam has the good humour to agree to his deal. He’ll give her all the northern exposure she can stand—and she won’t break his kneecaps.

Now to convince her that fairytales can remake her world—and that forever is worth fighting for.

By popular demand: Clumsy sidekick wolf grows up, sarcasm reigns, and the wilderness gets wilder. Includes hot nookie in places you expect—like a remote cabin—and places you don’t.

Title: Wolf Tracks
Author: Vivian Arend
Series: Granite Lake Wolves, book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: eBook
Source: Received digital ARC from author for review

First line: Pam let out a long, slow whistle and stared out the window to admire the scenery one more time.

Memorable Scene:
- TJ singing a-capella to Pam > so lovely

TJ is the younger brother the Granite Lake Wolves’ Alpha and from the moment he appeared in WOLF SIGNS and WOLF GAMES I fell for him and his klutzy, clumsy ways. He’s a wilderness guide and has the keenest and best sense of smell in the pack. His clumsiness makes him prone to accidents. TJ is a sweet, cute combination of lighthearted and goofy with protective, calm and reassuring. His boyish charm and confidence come across very clearly and he has many hidden talents. When I read TJ sang I got a little giddy, when he whipped out a guitar I positively swooned.

Pam is a dog handler for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Maggie's (heroine WOLF GAMES) best friend. She’s a little cynical and very outspoken. She’s competent and doesn’t hesitate to say what’s on her mind. The last thing she’s looking for is a relationship, let alone a life mate but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that when you’re the mate of a wolf shifter like TJ.

The chemistry between Pam and TJ is strong and palpable. It carried the story wonderfully next to the witty bantering between them. There were moments it seemed Pam would outshine and predominate TJ but those moments were rare.

Pam took the news of TJ, Maggie and the others being wolves better than I thought. The being mated to TJ was more difficult for her to come to terms with but eventually she took that in stride too. I thought it was very refreshing and inventive of Vivian Arend to pair TJ with a full human, this was new to the series as previous pairings have all been werewolf with werewolf (full-blood and half-breed). It just fitted TJ and the set-up for his character perfectly. Why take the easy road when the hard road is so much more likely to trip you up?

While my very high expectations for TJ's book were definitely met in terms of heat, chemistry and humor I did miss some sort of conflict in the story...expected something like TJ having to make a choice between Pam and his pack or Pam resisting more. However, I understand that with the low page count (in other words WAY too short) there was no room for a conflict to be set up and resolved without sacrificing the strongpoint of the story.

I would have liked a more elaborate epilogue though, especially after finding out this is the final book in the Granite Lake Wolves Series. But...as I also found out there'll be a spin-off series (Yay Shaun! Yay Jared?) I'm hoping for glimpses of the Pam, TJ and the others of the Granite Lake Pack.

Having thoroughly enjoyed reading this series I know that if you loved the previous books in the series, you shouldn’t miss WOLF TRACKS. It’s a worthy last installment of a lovely and humorous set of books and I’m glad I won’t have to miss the wolfies forever as there is more coming from the same world and setting.

I was all hot and bothered and laughing at the same time. I really like this combination in Vivian Arend's writing that never fails to please me. The humor, her signature humor was there in full force from the start. The smile that leeched itself on my face from the second sentence stayed there throughout the entire book. Another great read from one of my favorite Samhain Publishing authors.

Favorite Quotes:

He leaned forward and kissed her knuckles. An icy chill slipped up her spine and oh my God, her body grew instantly wet. Damn! Did he just lick her skin? She knew she was staring, but there seemed to be no way to tear her gaze from his. Even after he straightened, he refused to let her fingers drop and she stood there like some freaking garden gnome statue with her hand limp-wristed in his, hoping by some weird circumstance they’d magically turn out to be standing alone in a bedroom with a mattress on the firm side bumping the back of her knees. Lust stole her tongue.

It was a good thing Maggie had warned him, because incredibly his first impulse upon laying eyes on the beauty was to shift and bury his nose in her dark brown hair. He wanted to sniff her all over, then change back to human form to lick her, starting at her toes and getting delightfully distracted long before reaching anywhere near her throat.

This was driving him mad. He smelled her skin, the natural perfume of her body. Her arousal. His heart pounded, and he strove to keep his face neutral and not pant like a dog.

“I can feel your heart in my soul.”

==================
Make sure you stop by Vivian's Blog to check out her 'Fans and Favorites'-week in honor of WOLF TRACK's release. Just click on the image below to get there.

This ebook releases with Samhain Publishing on March 23rd

Back Cover:
TRUE LOVE'S PATH NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH.

After seven years of total denial, Maggie Raynor’s body—and her inner wolf—are in full revolt. Weak and shaky, she literally falls into the very large and capable arms of the Granite Lake Beta, Erik Costanov. The last thing she wants is a mate, particularly when just looking at another wolf scares her to death. And one as big and sexy as Erik? Really bad idea, no matter what her libido says.

Erik expected to meet Maggie in Whitehorse to escort her to the home of her sister, his pack’s Omega. Sheer chance puts him in the right place at the right time to catch her, but the realization that hits him with the force of a full body shot is no accident. She’s his mate. An even bigger shock? She wants no part of him—not until she resolves her issues.

She’ll have to work fast, because they’re both selected to represent the pack during the premier sporting event for wolves in the north. Not only will she have to work as a team with Erik, she’ll have to face down her fear of wolves. Especially her own.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

Warning: Contains uber-sexy werewolves of Russian descent, reluctant mates and exotic travels through the Yukon wilderness. Includes sarcasm and hot nookie under the Midnight Sun.

After reading the first two books in the Granite Lake Wolves series, I couldn't wait to dig into WOLF GAMES! And it proved to be just as great a read as the other two books were!

WOLF GAMES is the story of Maggie Raynor. Maggie is Missy's sister (heroine book 2) and from the moment she was mentioned in the second book of the series I was hoping she'd get her own story too. Maggie is strong, bold and stubborn. She's also straightforward and courageous. Despite her fears, she tries to face the things that terrify her head on. I loved that about her. She wants nothing to do with her wolf heritage, doesn't want to be in the confinement of a pack and most definitely doesn't want a mate, no matter how yummy he may be. Her reluctance towards her fellow wolves is caused by something in her past.

Maggie's mate turns out to be Erik Costanov, the beta of the Granite Lake pack. Erik is gentle but firm, a bit bossy, protective and powerful. He has the patience of a saint patient and is a sweet giant of a man. He is also determined to claim Maggie as his mate and show her that life in the pack isn't that bad.

This book takes place about 2 years after book 2, WOLF FLIGHT and I was intrigued to find out what exactly Maggie's problem/secret was. The need to find out kept me reading and made me read faster. When I did find out my heart broke for Maggie and what she went through. I cannot explain what she went through but it really made me understand why she didn't want to be around wolves and didn't want to let her inner wolf out. Little by little Erik and his love showed her though that not all wolves are bad and she can trust him and his pack. And gradually Maggie comes to accept herself and Eric's pack. The sizzling chemistry and love scenes between Erik and Maggie were an added bonus to a fun and very enjoyable read.

As secondary characters I was thrilled to see Keil, Robyn, Tad and Missy again but there are a few secondary characters I must honor with a special mention because they livened up the story which wouldn't have been the same without them: Pam, Maggie's human friend, and Jared, a wolf in the Granite Lake pack. I hope both of them will have their own story someday too, not necessarily together but wouldn't mind it, if they would end up together...

Once again TJ (Keil's brother) made an appearance, being his clumsy self. I really have a soft spot for him and I can't wait to read his story and see if there's a woman for him who's able to curb his clumsiness. It would be a hoot if she turns out to be a klutz too. Now that would make one heck of a funny book! I have it from the source (Viv Arend) herself that she's working on his book as we speak and that makes me a really happy woman!

Vivian Arend's description of he Arctic Wolf Games, around which this book revolves alongside the romance between Maggie and Erik, made me want to be able to attend games like those with all those wolves gathered to show their wit and power. I felt it gave the book a nice touch and it made my enjoyment of the book even greater.

I have fallen in love with this paranormal werewolf shifter series by Vivian Arend. With her humorous writing style, the off-the-chart chemistry and love scenes and the endearing and wonderful characters this series has become auto-buy and I can't wait for the next installment of the Granite Lake Wolves!

Quotes:
Lordy, how was she supposed to stay angry with him when every time she gave him hell, he did nothing but smile? It wasn’t just any kind of smile, it was a do-you-want-to-crawl-into-bed-with-me-now kind of smile. The expression had a lot of impact when you placed it on his six-foot-five frame and added in his gorgeous features and his dark sparkling eyes.

He pulled off his shirt and her mouth watered. Firm muscles tempted her. Distracted her from the emotional rollercoaster she’d just raced over. The urgent desire to run her tongue over his body chased away all other thoughts. How had they resisted completing their mating until now? It was another stone to cast at the feet of her tormentors. Then he was naked, every glorious mile of him spread out like a banquet before her.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Make sure you come back tomorrow to check out Vivian Arend’s guest post on what it’s like to write both Paranormal and Contemporary Romance. And…to celebrate the release of WOLF GAMES, Viv and I are giving away 2 books: 1 Paranormal and 1 Contemporary.

An untriggered werewolf. A runaway Omega. It’s not easy fighting destiny.

Tad Maxwell’s workaholism serves to keep his bush pilot company in the air, and his inner werewolf in check. In the two years since he discovered his heritage, he’s resisted the longing to test the power of his wolf side. It would mean compromising his human principals.

Then Missy Leason re-enters his life. Ten years ago, their teenage attraction never went beyond hand-holding. Now their chemistry is off the charts, pushing him closer to the step he’s not sure it’s safe to take, especially with a human.

But Missy is more like Tad than he realizes. She’s wolf too, and a wolf pack is a dangerous place to have secrets. Missy’s alpha has sniffed out her carefully hidden Omega powers. Her first response: run from the corrupt alpha’s plan to make her his mate. Step two: get to Tad, and hope like hell his untapped powers are strong enough to negate her own.

Every touch with Missy is hot, hot, hot, but even finding out she’s pure wolf doesn’t solve Tad’s dilemma. Is she using him, or are they truly destined mates? Only one thing is certain. He will defend her to his last breath—on his terms. Even if it means losing his life.

Warning: Contains nasty Alphas, secret Omegas and werewolves acting raunchy on the dance floor. Sarcasm, wilderness cabins, and hot nookie back by popular demand.

Title: Wolf Flight
Author: Vivian Arend
Series: Granite Lake Wolves, book 2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2009
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
First line: The Whistler pack house was crowded after dinner, with small groups gathered around the room talking among themselves.

QnD-review:
Ingredients/Summary: A creepy Alpha packleader who knows the heroine's secret, a hero who is isn't chomping at the bit to let his wolf come out and play, a heroine who gets the surprise of her life when she discovers who and what her childhood crush really is.
Hero: Tad Maxwell, romantic, caring, struggling with his inner wolf, stubborn
Heroine: Missy Leason, strong, stubborn, inventive
Plot: As the widow of a high-ranking wolf within her pack Missy is the target of power hungry packmembers, trying to raise their standing within the pack, including her brother-in-law Doug, the Alpha. She thinks she's found a way to outsmart Doug by using Tad.
Writing: Easy, fluent, down-to-earth. Getting into the mood of the story from the very beginning was no problem at all. I really like Vivian Arend's humorous and sexy writing style.
Likes:

• Liked that Tad's story takes place simultaneously with Robyn's (WOLF SIGNS). Makes both books easier to read as stand alones.
• The humor in the teasing between the characters.
• The end was great, perfect end to a wonderful novella.

Dislikes:

• The conflict and pace of the story. Missy should've told Tad sooner she knew he was a wolf and that she was one too. It would've moved the story along a bit quicker.

Verdict: Another wonderful book by Vivian Arend but liked WOLF SIGNS just a tad better.