Series: Eternal Wolf Clan #1
Author: Stephanie Tyler
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Elements: Werewolves, Shapeshifters, Deities, Witches, Ghosts, Demons
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0451236234
Published: March 6th, 2012
Source: Library
Events: Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon | Sit Down and Write Write-A-Thon
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback
The full moon is their mistress. They are predators of pleasure and pain. Feared by humans, envied by werewolves, the Dire Wolves are immortal shifters, obeying no laws but their own bestial natures. Once they were many, but now only six remain, a dangerous wolfpack forever on the hunt…
Rifter leads the pack, embracing the lifestyle and ethics of an outlaw biker even as he battles an ancient enemy who has become a new, powerful force. But with his Brother Wolf raging inside him, howling to be unleashed, he needs to satisfy his hungers. And when he meets a drop-dead gorgeous blonde drinking alone in a bar that caters to both human and inhuman, Rifter’s primal instinct is to claim her.
Gwen has her own desires, long unfulfilled. She hopes a passionate night with the leather-clad, Harley-riding biker will ease her suffering. The seizures that have wracked her body her entire life are incurable—and they’re killing her.
But none of that will matter if Rifter can’t stop the growing threat to them all–trappers who are determined to enslave humankind and use the Dire wolves as part of their nefarious plan.
"When Fenrir was killed by the god Odin, Hati created two beings in his image who would become known as Mother and Father Wolf, Dire wolves born in human form so they could walk among the humans without fear, but change to their true form at will."
Thus the Dire race was born, but as the packs grew, they became envious of what the humans had. In their quest to gain power, wealth, and respect, the Dires began killing humans and eventually became uncontrollable. The Elders sent them a warning, but it was not heeded and the Elder set the Extinction upon them. Now there are only six known Dire alphas left, cursed with the inability to die and charged with protecting the very humans their ancestors murdered.
"Rifter needed a woman, Brother Wolf needed to run wild, and their appetites for sex and destruction mingled, rose with a hot howl as Rifter's Harley roared through the winter night."
One night as Rifter was out riding his bike, he stopped at a bar named Bite, because he smelled danger. There at the bar was a young woman who, not only caught the attention of all the men, but Rifter as well. Gwen is a human and for some reason Rifter feels drawn to her.
"She was already living with a death sentence, so why make it harder?"
Earlier that day, Gwen went to a neurology appointment for her seizures, and the truth wasn't good. The seizures are killing her and the medication isn't helping. So with that news, Gwen went to the bar, looking to awaken long-buried instincts she suppressed because of her illness. When she literally felt Rifter walk into the bar, she knew he wouldn't be gentle and treat her carefully.
This fated meeting between Rifter, the reluctant King of the Dire pack, and Gwen, the dying doctor who only wants to live, will change both their lives forever.
I thought it was interesting how in this series the wolf is their natural form and the man their secondary. It's different from how shifter stories are usually written with the man turning into the animal, instead of the animal turning into the man. The coexistence between the men and their Brother Wolves was pretty tame. Everything is equal, they work together, and there isn't any struggle for control between the two. There is one thing both man and wolf disagree on: their goals in life. In Rifter's case, his Brother Wolf's main goal is to become Father Wolf, which can only happen through mating. The fact that there are no Dire females makes that near impossible. Whereas Rifter only wants to die. Although that changes when he meets Gwen.
Rifter is a reluctant hero in Dire Needs. He doesn't want the responsibility of leadership, but knows that he needs to accept that role for the good of the pack. I think what will make him a great leader is his humbleness. He's confident and self-assured in his abilities, but he doesn't gloat about it. Confidence is good, but too much confidence can be a leader's downfall.
"According to Facebook, Rifter left the bar with a human. Twitter confirms."
Okay, am I the only one who thought that the use of social media was hilarious and kind of unbelievable? I mean, they value secrecy and don't want humans to know about their supernaturalness. How in the world could they keep humans from seeing their status updates and tweets? That is the unbelievable part. There is just no way. The hilarious part is the picture I get in my head as I read the quote Stray said above. He sounded like a teenage girl using Facebook and Twitter to stay in the know. He's this huge, masculine guy using social media for confirmation regarding Rifter. That just paints a funny picture in my head.
I really liked Rogue's description of Gwen and I totally agree with him that it's going to make things a whole lot more interesting. Gwen is hovering between life and death, she's a healer and a destroyer. She's dying because of her seizures, but she recently learned that she may yet live. Gwen is a doctor who heals the sick, but she also has the ability to destroy the Dires. It's like Gwen's very existence is liminal, an inbetween exixtence. She's inbetween who she was and who she's going to be. She's half one thing and half another. It's very interesting to think about. I can't wait to see how her liminality affects future events.
With the revelation that there are more Dires in the world than was thought, a great war between the supernatural and humans is beginning, and long-dead prophecies are turning out to be true. Stray will need to call in his brother, Killian, to help in the upcoming battles, but why was Killian kept a secret from the rest of the pack? I can't wait to find out in the next book, Dire Wants.
NY Times Bestselling author Stephanie Tyler writes what she loves to read - romantic suspense with military heroes and paranormal romance - all with happy endings. Her Eternal Wolf Clan series begins with DIRE NEEDS, which is available March 6, 2012 from NAL.
She also co-writes paranormal erotic romance for Bantam Dell under the pen-name Sydney Croft.
She lives in New York with her husband, her daughter and her weimaraner and she adores her job.
Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.
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