How To Run With A Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #3) by Molly Harper

We have come to know Anna a little bit in the two previous books as the towns doctor.  What we didn't know is that Anna is running from a dark past which she thinks will never stop hunting her.  For fear of her past catching up to her and hurting the werewolves, Anna has come to see as family, she decides to leave, change her name and start over.  You know what they say about well laid plans don't you?  Anna intervenes in a struggle in a parking lot which leads to her car being blown up and under the protection of the werewolf bounty hunter Caleb.

Caleb agrees to help get Anna to Anchorage as long as she agrees to a few stops along the way.  Anna is not at all keen on this because she wants to stay a few steps ahead of her abusive ex husband Glenn.  Anna cannot help getting involved as Caleb tries to apprehend fugitives and without intending to, she quickly finds herself caring for Caleb.  Unfortunately, all good things must end at some point and for Anna, a visit from her husband might just prove to be extremely dangerous.

Okay, to be clear, the naked werewolf series is paranormal chick lit.  If you go into this series expecting more than that then you will be seriously disappointed.  It's a nice light easy read filled with funny one liners and ridiculous pop culture references. If this is your sort of thing, this series might be a good fit.

Harper did take a much darker tone in this third novel because the protagonist Anna, is a survivor of domestic abuse. Even though Anna, by the time she met Caleb, had spent years on the run, she is still very much dealing with PTSD.  Anna is extremely scared of her ex husband Glenn and still to some degree blames herself of the end of her marriage and the fact that she was left disconnected from others.  Harper does a great job talking about how abusers isolate their spouses to cut off escape routes.  Even with everything Anna has gone through, she is never afraid to stand up for herself and fights back when she must.  I really liked this about her and it was absolutely necessary for her to have this trait, otherwise the book would have read like here comes big bad werewolf to save the day.

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2) by Molly Harper

Now that Connor is abdicated his position of alpha, his younger sister Maggie is now alpha.  Maggie campaigned for this position but as with all things in life, one must be careful what they wish for.  Maggie new role calls for great responsibility because pack life is not a democracy.  All decision must be made her and a result, if something goes wrong all the blame is hers as well.

As the alpha, Maggie must set a good example to the other werewolves.  The were line is in jeopardy of dying out and the only was to assure not having a deadlined family is mate with another werewolf.  Unfortunately the male werewolf options presented to Maggie are not in the least bit appealing.  It seems that they are more interested in taking over her position as alpha than respecting her, let alone loving her.  When a human professor enters the valley researching werewolves with the intent of publishing a book about werewolves, Maggie knows that she must stop him but when she finds herself having feelings, Maggie must weigh what is best for the pack against where her heart wants to go.  If that were not enough, Maggie's pack is under attack from outsiders.  Can Maggie resist the outsider pressures and will she chose her people or her heart?

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) by Molly Harper

Mo has run away from her life in the lower 48 to Alaska.  That's right, Alaska of all places.  Though her parents were the ultimate hippies, their sense of relaxation did not impact their views on rearing a child.  Mo's controlling mother regularly crossed the line with things like demanding medical  information from her OBGYN and breaking into her apartment to throw out anything that wasn't strictly vegan and organic.  After a lifetime of fighting to be what she viewed as "normal," Mo finally makes her escape to Alaska in the hope of finding a hunky man, breaking her parents ironclad control over her life and deciding who she really is outside of their influence.

As luck would have it, Mo runs into the surly Cooper and though he is rude and cold, Mo finds herself attracted to him.  When he shows up one day with a bear trap on his leg, Mo takes him in and discovers Cooper's big secret - he's a werewolf.  This should be troubling enough to deal with but when tourists start to go missing and wolf tracks appear around the bodies, Mo must question whether the affable man that she has come to love has embraced his animal instincts too much.

I'll be honest, I picked up this book fully aware that it is paranormal chick lit.  If you pick up How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf with that in mind, it's not really a bad read. Harper includes some rather funny dialog about the trauma of growing up with vegan, environmental parents in a disposable disengaged culture.  Let's be honest, we all know that we should eat organic, avoid nitrates and buck the system when we can, but when you're young, all you really want is to fit in.  I found myself giggling at Mo's history, even as I agreed with her mother on the evils of Walmart.

Cover Snark: Bring on the Mantitteh!

We have done several cover snarks now that show endless depictions of women in body twisted, leg cramping positions to show their spilling cleavage and asses firmly held in extra-tight leather.

After so many sexualised images of women in these ridiculous poses, we feel the need to balance a little: BRING ON THE MANTITTEH!

 

It may tell you nothing about the book, nothing about the plot and nothing about the characters but ripple, waxed torsos decorate many a cover and sell many a book. And, of course they’re wonderful code for the steamy content within. (Actually, since we’re not the biggest fans of Paranormal Romance compared to Urban Fantasy, we often regard the Mantitteh as a warning sign for a book we won’t enjoy that much - MANTTITEH! Be warned, humping lies within!)