A Werewolf in Manhattan: A Wild About You Novel

My thoughts:
Aww, the book was really sweet and cute, and with some hot passion too.

Emma spends most of her time writing, and having sex sometimes with her boring boyfriend. She is sure not living the passionate life of her heroines. And I did start to think that she needed that. Aiden Wallace is the big wolf of the story, he takes care of security for the pack and he is wealthy as sin. His future does not involve a human, but oh how attracted he is to her. Sparks are flying and he can't almost not control himself.

The book has this sweet vibe that I really enjoyed. Then there is some drama because of a stalker, and of course the whole "how do you know about weres" situation. Top that with some mind-blowing passion, because it becomes evident that these two are meant to be.

One problem, that wasn't really a problem, but still annoyed me a tad was that when she found out that everything was true (no spoiler there cos come on), she wanted to know more and to write..right, when your life could possible be in danger? I would kind of have said, ok, and then started to write about vamps ;) But then that was also good of her. Emma was strong and she did not back down.

Final thoughts and recommendation:
I do think this one becomes a 3,75 cos it was just so darn cute, and I would recommend it to paranormal romance lovers. The book is more light and humour mixed with passion, and this concept sure worked well for me. I enjoyed this tale and I would like to read more.

To start out, I won A Werewolf in Manhattan (and the second book in this series, Werewolf in the North Woods) in an author contest through Fresh Fiction. While I have never before read one of Ms. Thompson's book, they have been on my radar for some time. Due in a large part to my ungainly TBR pile tho, I never gave into the urge to read one until now. Thanks to my good luck, I was given the opportunity to read through this book without the ticking of my conscience for buying another book to add to my already bursting TBR shelves. (I found a way around the guilt cycle, and I received two personalized and autographed books! I love winning contests!) So now on the book...

This was a cute and fun read. In places it did delve into a bit of the absurd, and make me laugh-out-loud (not a bad thing) while in others it was sweet and cuddly. The plot was a bit done, tho I will admit that I have mostly seen the writer-too-close-to-reality thing used with vampires, it was still a bit predictable. I was not a huge fan of the family dynamics thing, nor was I big on the throw-back arranged marriage concept. It felt that for a contemporary light paranormal it just dragged it down a bit. I did however LOVE the "quirk" of genetics that made our hero shift into wolf form if left sexually frustrated. I found it hilarious, and a great plot device, not to mention a yummy excuse for steamy-time, which this book had loads of. Ms. Thompson knows how to write steamy-time.

I liked the characters in this book a great deal, the bantering and the playfulness were fun to read, and the push and pull between personalities and circumstances was a nice, if at-time uncomfortable, tension. Some of the secondary characters were quite memorable and I would love to see future books that had Roarke's or Nadia's HEA. (I haven't read the blurb on the next book to see if that is likely, but I think it would be fun.)

The plot in this work was a tad-bit contrived, and I will admit in places disappointing for me. I don't know if it was the wealthy angle that is just not my style, or the hot and cold relationship, but in either case it almost reminded me of an old musical where I wanted to yell into the screen to avoid further mishaps. This book would make on heck of a screw-ball comedy. It did eventually pick up for me, about two-thirds of the way in, when we had less secrets and the oblique family presence was more pinned down to actually personalities. It is then where I really feel we got down to telling a love story. The wrap-up of which, coming as it did so late in the book, was a bit quick. An epilogue that included acceptance, new in-laws, adoring and contributing Weres and white lace was a bit of a cop-out to me. I am hoping that in the next entry into this series I get a little more culture, and a little less lying.

All that said--I still plan to dive right into book two, and give this title a shiny three stars.

I have tried Vicki Lewis Thompson other books like Over Hexed and didn't care for them very much. This one however turn out to be just the opposite. I was hooked on the book from page one and didn't want to put it down. It was like the reverse of Lynsay Sands Single White Vampire book. While in that book the vampire is the writer in this one its the human.

Emma Gavin write romance novels about humans falling in love with werewolves. Her books are so close to how true werewolves are that the alpha of the Manhattan pack orders his son Aidan Wallace to investigate on her much of a threat she might be to were wolves. That concept makes think a little of Twilight New Moon with the Italy vampires trying to determine if Bella's a threat or not. There's soon convince that she's not a threat and doesn't believe were wolves are real. There is a problem. Theo the son of another pack's alpha is stalking her and Aidan find that despite the fact Emma's human he want her for himself.

The book has wonderful characters and even those like Emma's mother who has a almost nothing part in the book one feels like they know her as much as the starring characters like Emma and Aidan because of how well the character is talked about when they do come up in conversation. The characters are fleshed out and feel real especially Aidan who suffers conflict emotionally toward Emma and the concept of having a mate for life.

The book is a wonderful roller coaster ride of love, wealth and trying decide ones own future rather than having their family telling you what one should be.

BOOK 1 ... An author who writes about fictional werewolves hits a little too close to home for the real werewolves, so they have to send in someone to see how she knows so much. Sounds interesting, right? It was, at least in the beginning.
I liked the characters in this book the bantering and the playfulness were fun to read,
and the push and pull between personalities and circumstances was nice,
EXAMPLE .... Aidan Wallace trips over his attraction to Emma while trying to investigate things for his pack. He tried to insert himself into Emma's life without getting too close to her personally. He was cute and determined to resist his attraction, but his unfortunate genetic flaw made it difficult for him--a little too conveniently at times. I also enjoyed watching his interactions with his brother as he tried to talk sense into Aidan. They had some pretty hilarious lines together.
""You're an idiot!"..Roarke says..
"Not according to my test scores."...Aiden says..
"Which are nullified by your testicles, apparently. I knew you had solid-brass ones, but this is arrogance taken to the max!"..
"Get out of the car, Emma." He paused, as if the next words cost him a great deal. "Please."
He was scaring her a little. "Okay, but only because you used the P-word." She unfastened her seat belt.
"I have a P-word for you, bro," Roarke muttered. "Puss--"
"Zip it, Roarke.

Some of the secondary characters were quite memorable, Roarke's or Nadia's stories
The plot in this work was a bit disappointing. This book would make on heck of a screw-ball comedy. It did eventually pick up , about two-thirds of the way in, when we had less secrets and the oblique family presence was more pinned down to actually personalities. It is then where I really feel we got down to telling a love story. The wrap-up did so late in the book,it was a bit quick. An epilogue that included acceptance, new in-laws, adoring and contributing Weres and white lace was a bit of a cop-out to me. I am hoping that in the next entry into this series I get a little more culture, and a little less frivolity

"A Werewolf in Manhattan" is cute, fun read in a brand new werewolf series. Our heroine, Emma Gavin has an extremely fertile imagination which she uses to write paranormal romances about werewolves. The problem is that the books are so accurate, a werewolf pack decides she must be receiving insider information and send in Aiden Wallace, heir apparent to sniff out the truth. The humour carries the book over rough plot patches and character quirks.

The hero and heroine are quite likeable and unusually do not have traumatic pasts or angst they need to deal with. Aiden was born with a silver platinum spoon in his mouth and has a fairly enviable position within the Pack. Emma may not have the same amount of cash but she is successful enough as a writer to do what she loves full time. The biggest conflict between the two is over wasting resources and being eco-friendly. Emma reacts fairly mildly when she discovers werewolves are real and that there would be restrictions imposed on her. She is more concerned about the disappearance of her laptop than the danger she might be in. Aiden's genetic condition which made him shift if he was aroused or frustrated provided some much needed amusement though. He struggles with his attraction for Emma as he is supposed marry for political gain, to another well-bred werewolf and not a human, let alone someone who might let their secret out.

The plot got a bit silly at times - Emma is propositioned via email by a guy who claims he is a werewolf and Aiden immediately drops his existing Head of Security responsibilities to be a personal body guard when she goes on tour. I imagine that famous authors get sent all sorts of bizarre letters and emails so I'm not sure why anyone was too fazed by this. I get that a plot device was needed to throw the two together but maybe the email could have been followed up by other harassment to justify the fear. The villain literally disappears after one humiliating incident and we are left hanging.

I enjoyed this book's light and humorous tone but a bit more character development and tying up of loose ends would not have gone astray. It is a nice quick read that will leave you smiling.

*A friend loaned me a copy of this book*
A good read, and a quick one for the most part as well. This is a good paranormal romance novel, a but a bit on the erotic side though. If you are not one for eroticism in a novel then I would not recommend reading this one. The plot is interesting and keeps you wondering whether or not the heroine will survive her werewolf encounter. Plus it has a bonus happy ending, which for a die-hard romantic like myself, always works out!

I love Vicki Lewis Thompson! I've read so many of her books and this one is no different than the rest. I wasn't sure if the werewolf thing would be interesting but I loved it! Interesting from beggining to end. This book has romance, drama, suspence and even a little supernatural. What I really love about it is the charactors are believable and you just end up loving both of them! Wont be dissapointed...great read!

Truly a great use of my time! A wonderful break from reality. Rarely in a romantic novel am I engaged and on edge throughout. I highly recommend this book to any woman--it's like eating a box of dark chocolate and discovering it has no calories. All the passion with none of the guilt.
Tami Casias
[[ASIN:0982973519 Crystal Bound]]

A Werewolf in Manhattan by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Paranormal Romance - Jan 4th, 2011
5 stars

Emma Gavin is a famous romance writer whose books are mostly about werewolves. Blessed by an active imagination and a bachelor degree in wildlife management, her descriptions are dead on accurate. Fearing that she has somehow infiltrated their society and convinced that she's a severe threat to their secret existence, the werewolves dispatch Aidan to keep an eye on her. Aidan, the next Were to inherit the Manhattan pack, soon finds out that Emma doesn't believe in werewolves and thinks that it is all a fantasy. But the trouble does not stop there. Another Were starts stalking Emma, wanting to show her the "truth." Can Aidan protect Emma from the insolent, crazy young pup? But more importantly, can Aidan fight his growing attraction to the witty and sexy Emma?

I confess that I was not looking forward to reading anything with werewolves. In fact, this book was at the bottom of my "to-read" pile. But I am glad that I did read this book because it is such a funny, charming, and sweet story. In fact, once I started, I simply could not put it down! Typically, in most werewolf romances, the male is such an alpha male that he simply dominates the heroine and runs roughshod over the poor girl. Aidan is different. Even though, he is the alpha male in the pack, he's very considerate and sweet towards Emma. He is not afraid to change his habits for her, like riding the subway once in a while instead of taking his chauffeured limo. Emma, too, is a refreshing heroine who isn't afraid to love the hero and adapts quickly when she finds out that he's a Were. There's no histrionics and nothing like, I love him but I must resist him, going on. In short, the romance between them progresses at an organic and brisk pace, with both characters learning to love and respect each other.

Thompson deftly spins a charming Cinderella- like story with a furry twist. With no slow/dragging sections and two wonderfully made-in-heaven main characters.

A Werewolf in Manhattan is must for readers who enjoy light paranormal romances. In fact, it is so good that this book is a definite keeper.

Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Club

Since the moment I saw this cover and read the synopsis, I wanted to read this book.

Emma is a best-seller writer. Her book? Paranormal romance, including werewolves. She's funny and sweet, but her life is very different from the heroines in her books. She just has a boring boyfriend and spends her days in her house, writing and drinking coffee.

The werewolves exists, and Aiden Wallace is determined to find out how Emma knows so much about them. So he starts to investigate her and just when he's about to leave her alone, a rouge wolf starts to contact her.

A Werewolf in Manhattan is one of those books that starts so good but in the end I wanted more. I was really enjoying the story and the relationship between Emma and Aiden. They were very hot and both had strong personalities...Emma being intelligent and free spirited, and Aiden being the alpha male. Their world was very described and the plot good until Emma discovers the truth about the wolves. She turns to be very stubborn and Aiden turns out to do whatever his father said.

After everything is discovered, I felt like the plot was too fast and the conflict wasn't really resolved. They couldn't be together and suddenly then they were madly in love and thinking about binding. She was in danger and practically kidnapped, but her only worry was her laptop.

Still, I enjoyed the werewolves and Emma being a writer. I think it's the first time I read about a protagonist being a writer. Also, I liked that Aiden was more than the hot alpha male in the story. He sometimes was the narrator and it was great to understand what he was feeling.

Overall, it was a sweet story with hot scenes and a cute couple. Even when I wished more of the plot, I still enjoyed it and I recommend it if you want a fast and light reading.