Review: Touch of the Wolf by Susan Krinard

Touch of the Wolf by Susan Krinard
Historical Werewolf #1
416 Pages
Goodreads, Amazon, Author Website

From Goodreads: Daughter of a werewolf mother and human father, Cassidy Holt is orphaned by age seven and raised by her human aunt and uncle who despise her wolf blood. At 22, determined to find her mother's family, Cassidy travels to London where she meets her distant cousin, Braden Forster, the powerful and charismatic Earl of Greyburn. Cassidy's wolf instincts are strong and she is drawn to the handsome earl, as he is to her. But Braden has devoted his life to preserving his clan's dynasty of werewolf blood, and due to a closely guarded secret, he believes that he cannot claim Cassidy as his mate. Instead, he betroths her to his younger brother, Quentin. As Cassidy struggles to come to grips with her werewolf heritage, she and Braden are drawn together by mutual passion. But Braden is a man of deep commitments and a tortured past that threatens any hope of a happy future for the two lovers. And falling in love couldn't have come at a more difficult time, for Braden's life and his leadership of the clan are endangered by the bitter hatred of an evil werewolf.


I was first drawn to the idea of a historical romance novel with werewolves. I had never read one and was excited to read Touch of the Wolf. It begins with glimpses of both Cassidy and Braden's childhoods. Cassidy is a young child, and living on her own after her mother passes away, until her uncle comes to get her and take her to his home in New Mexico. Braden is his grandfather's protege and helps his younger brother Quentin avoid harsh punishment for playing a trick on a guest. Both situations show the true core of each characters, Cassidy is tough and Braden is altruistic. Many years later Braden has turned into an intimidating man who only thinks of the Cause. Cassidy is an innocent sweet tempered girl who is excited to be among family where she feels she "belongs".  The story started quickly and Cassidy meets Braden immediately after arriving in London. After they arrive at Greyburn, Braden's estate, the story slows down considerably. I wished there had been more dialogue, it would've made the story more enjoyable to read. The romance between the two characters started quickly but reached a plateau in the middle of the story. Braden's characters was interesting to read, he has been blind for 3 years and I couldn't wait to hear about what had happened during the accident. The ending was really sweet and left me with a good impression of the book even after the tedious chunk in the middle.

I give this book 3 stars!