The Good Wolf by Meredith Russell

Title: The Good Wolf     

Series: The Lone Wolf Trilogy 01

Author: Meredith Russell     

Genre: Paranormal     

Length: Novella (149pgs)    

Publisher: eXtasy Books (15^th August 2013)    

Heat Level: Low – Moderate      

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥4½ Hearts   

Reviewer: Pixie     

Blurb: Sometimes the only way to let love in is to let the wolf in, too.

Ten years ago, Mason fell for his best friend while at university. Little did he know just two years later, that same friend would turn his world upside down in a way Mason could never have imagined. Now, he lives a cursed life. Living in solitude, Mason does everything he can to keep people away, not only for his safety, but for theirs, too. The night of the full moon. Niall has no idea he’s a werewolf, but fate brings him and Mason together. A trick of the moon or something deeper, the men are drawn to each other. Together they must find a way to deal with what has happened to them both. But first Mason must learn to trust Niall and realize being alone is not always for the best.     

Purchase Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/the-good-wolf/    

Review: Mason has had to live with in fear with a terrible secret since the night that his best friend turned it into a nightmare that he could never have imagined. Living a life in solitude he does all he can to keep the monster at bay. Mason stumbles across a newly turned werewolf who has no clue what he is, Mason tries to help but Niall doesn’t believe a word he is told…. until the next time he wakes up naked in a strange place with no memories. Both Mason and Niall are drawn together but Mason knows what a monster he really is, and with his vile enemy closing in again, Mason just wants to run. Niall wants to find a solution to both their problems and Mason has to learn to master his wolf and realize that being alone doesn’t have to be the only solution.

This is a brilliant story that takes us back to the horror of werewolves, where they are near mindless monsters that revel in murder and terror. Mason is a man who is desperate to silence his monster, he has done terrible things, which haunt him, and he resorts to desperate measures each month. Niall is a man who went to bed with the wrong person, now he is drawn into a world that he wants out of, and Mason is his only hope. The two men are drawn together, but Mason doesn’t want his burden falling on someone else and after the final confrontation, Niall has to convince him that the two are meant to be together. 

I loved this story for the visceral feel to it, the unapologetic way it shows the werewolves as nasty and the darker haunting way that Mason has dealt with it. The opening scenes to this story strike to the heart of the plot, men reveling in their wolves and enjoying the destruction and terror that they unleash. Mason is the good wolf though, he never sinks to the darkest levels that others have and tries to change his path but he is always tracked by the one who made him. Niall falls victim to the deranged wolf and finally turns to Mason when he accepts the truth of what has happened. Their attraction is mutual but it is a very difficult rocky path, Mason has a huge amount of guilt that eats at him and Niall has a fight on his hands to convince Mason that they should be together. 

I recommend this gem to those who love base werewolves, fighting instinct and urges, a battle for life, destroying the evil and finding a happiness that was never expected.