Review: The Wolf Who Loved Me

Weston Hadley has been in love with Lady Madeleine for as long as he can remember, but she is so far above his station, he never dreams they could be a match.  Not only is he strapped for funds and from a less noble family, he is also a werewolf --a closely guarded secret.  Unfortunately, Lady Madeleine stumbles into his path one night as he changes into his wolf form.  Fearful she will spill the family secret, he kidnaps her and heads to Gretna Green.

It doesn't take long for Maddie to fall for her captor.  On the road to Scotland, real feelings surface between them, making their marriage more than one of convenience.  Wes is so smitten with her, it makes for some sweet moments. Sadly, it wasn't enough to overcome the huge character flaws that nearly torpedoed the relationship.

Maddie is a spoiled princess. She isn't mean or snobby, but she is utterly clueless to any way of life other than one of privilege.   She makes demands Wes can't easily fulfill.  She obsesses over propriety and appearance.  And Wes just feeds into the nonsense.  He has her up on a pedestal.  He constantly ruminates that she is too good for him --that he is ruining her because he is getting her dirty. It got on my nerves.

Then, there is the Big Misunderstanding which drives them apart. But its exacerbated by Weston's guilt and insistence on martyring himself to save Maddie from living beneath her means.  His self-flagellation grew tiresome.

There were parts of the book I enjoyed.  The scenes where Maddie and Wes allowed themselves to love one another were very satisfying.  There is a solid cast of supporting characters which are clearly setting up future installments of the book.

This is sort of a spin-off of the Westfield Wolves series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone.  I have to say, too, I was little surprised how small a part the whole wolf-thing played into the story.  It was the impetus to set the events in motion, but really served little purpose otherwise.

3 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Wolf Who Loved Me

by Lydia Dare

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Publisher: Sourcebooks