Leader of the Pack – Book 1: Wanton Werewolf Series

Kayty Smalls had no idea that she was blood kin to werewolves. Nor did she know that she was coming into season, and that the werewolves could smell it. There she was, sitting innocently at the bar, when a werewolf named Leer picked her up. There were a lot of other things she didn’t know either, like that the rest of the werewolf pack was on her scent, and that Leer would have to fight a pack challenge against his own brother to win her.

This book is a nice change of pace from other books about werewolves. It’s always interesting to see how different authors view similar territory. Ms. Weldon’s werewolf society is much rougher and animalistic than that of other authors who write in the shape shifter genre. In fact, the publisher gives this short story a 5 flame rating, meaning that it contains graphic violence, offensive language, and exotic sexual practices. (However, I guarantee that those of us who read this genre will not find the sexual practices too weird.)

Another interesting aspect of this book is that it is written from Kayty’s point of view in the first person -- as if she were writing in her diary about this weird guy she met last night! Therefore, the reader learns a lot about what Kayty thinks and feels about the whole situation, but very little about Leer’s thoughts and feelings. He comes across as a nice, sexy werewolf who is willing to fight to keep his mate. In some ways, this style of story-telling makes it more difficult to understand because one has to keep in mind that the diary writer is telling the story after the fact, and includes a lot of information that she didn’t know at the time but subsequently learned. I enjoyed this story, and am looking forward to the next installment of Wanton Werewolves.

Reviewed by: Jean