Book Review: The Howling Heart by April Bostic

Title: The Howling Heart

Author: April Bostic

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Age Group: Adult (18+)

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I find werewolf stories usually to be less interesting as vampires / witches, mostly because they tend to have pretty basic core, and little originality. The Howling Heart proved me very, very wrong. The author has been inspired by Norse culture and ancient folklore to craft a rather impressive werewolf legend that definitely ranks high on the originality ladder.

Paige, our main character, had it all. Climbing the corporate ladder three steps at a time, so to speak, she thought life couldn’t get any better. It ended up getting a lot worse. Her Dad passed away, and in an attempt to deal with her grief, she travels to the cabin he left for her in his will, a remote cabin far away from civilization, which her family visited sometimes when she was younger.

The setting is a small, remote village. I love those kind of villages, old and traditional, tucked away from the rest of the world, where everyone knows everyone. The setting was described well, and I immediately felt like I could picture the scenes.

Added in is, of course, an alpha male, Riley Gray. I usually tend to dislike the alpha male trope because for some reason, these alphas always act like they’re superior to everyone. Riley doesn’t really act that way though. He’s protective, he likes to take charge, and he’s very good at charming people, but he lacks most of the personality traits I tend to dislike about alphas.

This book is a gritty read, and you know, wolves will be wolves, so the action in the bedroom (and other places) is always a bit on the rough side. I’d definitely recommend keeping this book away from minors.

I enjoyed the plot, characters, setting, and the writing as well. A solid read.