Tour Stop/Giveaway–The Howling Heart by April Bostic

                       Published August 8th 2013 by Eternal Press

                                               Add it on Goodreads

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.

Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv—wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.

Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

So this review left me with some rather weighty decisions. On the one hand, The Howling Heart left me with an over all positive reaction. This was good. There were a great many aspects about the book that were outstanding. The writing, world building and plot line were excellent. The romance was super scorching hot and the emotional connections were heartfelt and moved me. Yay!! I adore shifter books and this was a unique view on that theme. The hero of the story, Riley, was a green eyed, blond, with a British accent, which is my particular weakness. The incorporation of Norse mythology, IMHO was a pure stroke of genius. The main villain of The Howling Heart was suitably evil and twisted and the assorted sub- villains were just the right element to keep the reader on their toes. There were just enough surprises to send my eyebrows into my hairline several times. So as you can see, The Howling Heart has many sterling qualities to recommend it.

Now for the quandary aspect. There were a couple of disturbing elements that made me go ewwwww. Being a connoisseur of shifter literature, the comfort with nudity is not a shock to me and is a common characteristic in shifter culture. What did disturb me a little was the fact that Riley shared a bedroom with his twin sister. There is a bit of an ick factor there, but I chalked it up to pack mentality. What I did find really, really unusual was that these particular shifters were actually wolves with the ability to take human form. They carried mainly wolf DNA, which made me question how willing I, myself would be to hook up with Riley. I don't want to give out any spoilers, but these shifters are for REAL. No dressing up for the reader's sensibilities, just BLAM, here we are and you better like it. Just keep in mind that these shifters are not for the squeamish and you will be fine, and enjoy the many more pleasant aspects of the book.

 


Amazon/B&N/iBooks

April Bostic is a New Jersey-based, Adult Romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled “A Rose to the Fallen”.

Her first short story, “Right Here, Right Now”, released in January 2012, is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M. The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled “Eros, My Love”, and a sexy romantic comedy entitled “Love Addiction”.

After five years, she released her second novel, “The Howling Heart” in August 2013, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods. To end her busiest year in publishing, April will release her fourth short story in December 2013, a historical paranormal romance entitled “A Dark Scandal”.


Website/Goodreads

Tour wide giveaway
Prize (US only): 
A pandora bracelet designed by Terri Davis at JewelryforPaws, and a signed paperback of The Howling Heart.

                                               a Rafflecopter giveaway