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    The Wolfing Way
    The Wolfing Way
    The Wolfing Way
    Ebook113 pages1 hour

    The Wolfing Way

    By Susan Laine

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    Lifting the Veil: Book One

    Kris Ellis thought that the time of arranged marriages was long past—but that was before the Great Unveiling revealed creatures of myth living among humans. Now a routine medical test has determined that Kris has a mate, a werewolf named Rafael King.

    Kris is fresh out of college and has plans for his life. None of them include being tied forever to someone he’s never met. But then Rafe calls him, and Kris starts to reconsider. After all, what must it be like to wait for your soul mate for two hundred years?

    Rafe is patient, strong, and kind, not to mention attractive. True to what Kris has heard about mates, sparks fly the second they meet. But Kris and Rafe are very different, and the werewolf way of life is dangerous. Is the fight for love really worth it?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateMay 16, 2012
    ISBN9781613725085
    The Wolfing Way
    Author

    Susan Laine

    Susan Laine, an award-winning, multipublished author of LGBTQ erotic romance and a Finnish native, was raised by the best mother in the world, who told her daughter time and again that she could be whatever she wanted to be. The spark for serious writing and publishing kindled when Susan discovered the gay erotic romance genre. Her book, Monsters Under the Bed, won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Paranormal Romance. Anthropology is Susan’s formal education, and she could have been happy as an eternal student. But she’s written stories since she was a kid, and her long-term goal is still to become a full-time writer. Susan enjoys hanging out with her sister, two nieces, and friends in movie theaters, libraries, bookstores, and parks. Her favorite pastimes include singing along (badly) to the latest pop songs, watching action flicks, doing the dishes, and sleeping till noon, while a few of her dislikes are sweating, hot and too-bright summer days, tobacco smoke, purposeful prejudice and hate speech. Website: www.susan-laine-author.fi Email: susan.laine@hotmail.com Blog: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5221828.Susan_Laine/blog Facebook: www.facebook.com/Susan-Laine-128697277229180 Twitter: @Laine_Susan

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    Reviews for The Wolfing Way

    3/5

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    • 5/5
      Book – The Wolfing Way (Lifting the Veil #1)
      Author – Susan Laine
      Star rating - ★★★★★
      No. of Pages - 114

      Movie Potential - ★★★★★ (This would make an awesome movie!)
      Ease of reading – very easy to read and follow
      Would I read it again – Definitely!


      I'm a sucker for a good series, especially when it involves fated mates or supernatural creatures. This one didn't disappoint. I've been in love with the book covers for this entire series ever since I first saw them. They are magical in their own way and supremely tempting.

      ~

      For those who follow my reviews, you'll know that I generally divide up my notes into Plot, Characters and an Overall sense of the story. I don't need to do that here. In fact, I don't need to say very much.

      The story was fantastic, from beginning to end. There wasn't one thing I didn't love about it. Kris, our human MC, reacts the way any other sane person would react to finding out that they were mated to a werewolf against their choice. He's angry, he's irritable and he fights it for as long as he can. In the same way, he's feisty and smart enough to figure things out in his own time. Rafe is just as uncertain, but more trusting in the mate bond and what it can do for people. Having spent two centuries searching for his mate, you an really feel his desperation and sadness, when Kris doesn't want anything to do with him. Then they have their phone conversation, which had me smiling all the way through to the end, and you see a spark of hope for Rafe and Kris readjusting his preconceptions.

      I kind of love Isaiah's protectiveness towards Kris, as his brother, but I also cringed every time that he caused more problems, just as Kris was starting to figure things out. I think the idea of the whole two families getting together for a week and hashing things out between them is genius.

      The entire concept of the plot, the way it's written and executed, the chemistry that is so simply but well portrayed is excellent. I could feel every moment of excitement, hope, sadness and pain from both main characters. There were no information dumps, because this strange new world was introduced to use gradually, in a way that meant information was given only as and when it was appropriate. The world building and characterisation was unique and wonderful.

      Quite honestly, I was so hynotised by the entire story that I barely made any notes as I went along. Everything I highlighted was quotes of brilliant writing moments or amazing dialogue that had me laughing or crying.

      This is a true gem and one I'll be turning to again, whenever I need a pick-me-up.

      ~

      FAVOURITE QUOTE

      “Nearly fainting at the tender taunting in Rafe's voice, Kris was dying to exclaim that Rafe was all that Kris had ever dreamed of – and more. But surely it was too soon for declarations of that sort...”

      “Tonight he had almost lost his mate.
      No. He had almost lost Kris – and lost him because Kris was his mate.
      The thought crushed all the hope he had within his soul of ever being with his mate.”
    • 4/5
      This book is the first in a series set in an interestingly different and very imaginative paranormal world, and I really enjoyed getting to know some of the “rules”. Apparently the veil between worlds has been lifted - nobody, at this point, seems to know why – in an even referred to as the Great Unveiling. The formerly Unseen has collided and mixed with Common Earth (this made me smile as it reminded me of Tolkien’s Middle Earth), leading to all kinds of issues. Of course, the government got involved and has regulated certain interactions – don’t they always – so that now the NFL, the National Fellowship of Lycanthropes, is in charge of negotiating between werewolves and their human mates. And the list of interesting, sometimes amusing, little details goes on, but I’ll leave you to discover those yourself.

      The two main characters, Rafe the werewolf and Kris the human, are a mix between “the expected” and some nice variations. Yes, they are mates and there is a mate bond, but their relationship does not happen in the seamless way you’d expect. They may be mated, but communication is still an issue, and their very different backgrounds (Rafe is over two hundred years old, and Kris is about to turn twenty-one, just for starters) mean that nothing comes easy to them. This bit of realism, the vast age difference causing them to have a different outlook on almost everything, is the main cause for their problems, but by no means the only obstacle they need to overcome. With interfering family members, obnoxious NFL agents, and humans determined to mate with a werewolf at any cost despite the fact they are not true mates, Rafe and Kris have their hands full trying to determine if they have a future.

      Kris is about to graduate community college and has his future all mapped out. Being told he has a mate, found when his bloodwork from a recent hospital visit is passed on to the NFL, is not part of that future, and knowing that there is no legal escape from his obligation to at least meet his mate does not help. Since there are many examples of humans being forced to mate against their will, at least Kris thinks there are, he realizes any resistance is probably futile, so to speak. That doesn’t mean he gives in easily, but once Rafe calls him so they can talk, at least Kris begins to consider the possibility of meeting a man he is already attracted to. But Kris fears losing his free will and never being able to love someone “Fate” has chosen for him, never mind that a remote location, where Rafe and his family live, is not where he wants to spend his life.

      Rafe is fascinating. He is both the quintessential werewolf (tall, strong, gorgeous, amazing voice, you name the trait, he has it), and refreshingly different. He has been waiting to find his mate for two hundred years, and is ecstatic to have finally found him. He can feel the bond, and wants nothing more than to live with Kris as soon as possible. Rafe is also very tied to the land, the territory, of his pack and cannot see himself moving to accommodate Kris’s idea of going to some yet-to-be-determined college so he can get a bachelor’s degree. But he is patient, doesn’t want to force Kris into anything, and is ready to sacrifice his own happiness for Kris’s. Also, he meditates – which I found very amusing.

      If you like unusual werewolf courtships, if men with vastly different backgrounds trying to figure out if and how they might live together pique your interest, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of humor, discoveries, and the touching emotions of beginning love, then you will probably enjoy this novella. I look forward to finding out what else Susan Laine has in store for me in this series.

    Book preview

    The Wolfing Way - Susan Laine

    Chapter One

    GOOD evening, Mr. Ellis. I’m Mr. Basil Denham from the NFL.

    Thanks, but even though my boy is pretty damn good on his feet, we’re not interested in football to that extent, Dad said apologetically since he hated being impolite. Kris could hear his dad’s low tone clearly from his seat on the couch in the living room, even with the TV blaring. It was nice of his dad to say that about him, and he grinned at the overheard compliment. The following chuckle from Dad indicated to Kris that his father was indeed well aware that there was zero chance recruiters from football teams would come by to pick up college football players from their doorstep—no matter how promising the candidate. Clearly whatever charity or missionary work this NFL person represented, Dad was trying to get rid of him in the kindest possible way, by making light fun of him.

    "Uh, no… I’m not from the National Football League. I’m from the other NFL, the National Fellowship of Lycanthropes. Do you know it by any chance? I understand if you haven’t heard of us. We’re new, like so many other organizations to pop up since the Great Unveiling."

    Kris shivered in fear, frozen in place, and waited for the next blow to land—squarely on his chin—and knock him out cold. Yet, his anxiety was simultaneously overshadowed by fury at being on the receiving end of Fate’s blows. He’d heard the urban legends and horror stories of creatures claiming their mates against their will, by whatever means necessary. That represented a very real threat of having his family’s life torn apart, and the prospect pissed Kris off as much as it terrified him.

    Sure, the man could be here collecting funds for their organization. But… since he knew their name, Kris doubted it was a likely option.

    So, this man could only be here for one of two things—either for Kris or his mom. They’d both been hospitalized recently. Regardless, both options sucked royally.

    Secretly, Kris prayed to God it was for him. If this odious man had come for his mom, he feared he might die right here, on their eight-year-old ragged leather couch in their house in the Echo Lake suburbs of Seattle, Washington. How mundane and dull and horribly uncool that would be, Kris thought miserably, but refocused on the conversation at the door as if his life depended on it—and it might.

    How can I help you, sir? Dad said, and this time his less than polite tone conveyed all the angst and frustration and worry Kris was feeling too.

    The NFL representative made a small conciliatory sound, and Kris could imagine his exaggerated courteous smile without actually needing to see him. I do apologize if I have disrupted your evening at this late hour, Mr. Ellis. I am looking for, uh…. Excuse me for a moment, he added, and the sound of rustling paper reached Kris on the couch. He was afraid to move closer to the door, not wanting to see the face of the man who apparently was going to rip apart their lives, like cloth being torn to tatters. Ah, yes, he exclaimed at long last, happily, apparently having found the right paper. Kristopher Ellis…?

    It’s me. Kris sprang up from the couch, holding his breath, and saw his dad looking past the doorframe directly at him. And his face said all there was to say. I’m sorry, and You don’t have to do this, and I can kick this guy’s ass if you want me to. All those fatherly things that should’ve made Kris feel better and safer—but didn’t.

    I am a mate of someone from the Unseen world. I have a mate. A lycan. Wolf-man—or wolf-woman. Kris stood in place, like a statue of insecurity and pent-up rage. Then anger rose in his gut, like bile, as if this incident in the form of a sucker punch had released it from its dormancy. Being coerced into a situation by outside forces was one thing, but to be forced into submission by one’s own instincts, overriding his reason… that was something else. Pretty soon Kris would be his own worst enemy when his common sense was brought to its knees before the overpowering instinct to bond with his mate.

    No. Freaking. Way.

    Making his rushed way to the front door, he stepped to his dad’s side, glaring at the man with strikingly blue eyes his first boyfriend had called the color of forget-me-nots. Understandably, comparing a guy’s eyes to flowers was equal to calling him cute—which outside of bed was really the wrong thing to say, and probably even then too.

    A bureaucratic-looking man in his late forties, balding, and with round glasses that had gone out of style over a hundred years ago, saw him and gave a gleeful smile. Mr. Kristopher Ellis? I’m Basil Denham from the NFL—

    I heard, Kris interjected, barely holding back his fury at this intrusion into their private lives. Not that that sort of thing was particularly unheard of since the Great Unveiling, but still. This was their home. You’re not welcome here. Good-bye. The man was about to argue this point when Kris slammed the door shut in his face, wanting to smash his fist right through the wood at the obnoxious man just for emphasis. Having done a little boxing, he had a pretty mean right hook too, but punching a hole in the door would just aggravate his mom to the point of strangling him, and hurt his own hand in the process, so he thought better of it.

    Dad placed his huge construction-worker hand on Kris’s slender but athletic shoulder and squeezed tenderly. I’m less than happy about your lack of manners, son, but I am so very proud of you for sticking to your guns. He added a tousle to Kris’s trendy mess of hair, which was so black it shined blue. At times Dad treated Kris like a kid. And even though Kris usually fought the habit, this time he relished it.

    His dad’s touch equaled comfort, and Kris’s world was stable again.

    But in his heart he knew it couldn’t last. The unveiled outside world had found its way into their sanctum, their home and hearth, and there was nowhere to go from here but down to the dark unknown. The only consolation Kris had at this point was that at least it wasn’t his mom who was going to be thrown to the wolves—or, to be accurate, werewolves.

    IT’S an arranged marriage and nothing more, Kris argued. Certainly nothing better. As a civilization we’ve gone back a hundred years or more since the Unveiling.

    Standing at the threshold of his home—again—Kris was staring down at Mr. Denham from the NFL, who’d developed an annoying habit of appearing on their doorstep every other day for about a week now. Adjusting his glasses dangling on the bridge of his nose, Mr. Denham smiled reassuringly. I understand how upsetting this must be for you, Mr. Ellis. But it is far less dramatic than—

    Than what exactly? Kris held back his emotions, fighting the instinct to shout. We are talking about me being the predestined mate of some person—a wolf—I’ve never even heard of. And just because some clinical tests say so, I’m just supposed to pack up my whole life and succumb to this prospect of becoming the unwilling sex slave for some stranger for all eternity.

    Mr. Denham was holding on to his composure very well, considering. Your strength of conviction is an admirable trait, but you’re exaggerating, Kristopher, and I—

    Though Kris didn’t fail to notice Mr. Denham had taken stock of his most defining characteristic, he wasn’t about to give him an inch. Not even a pinky to the devil. You will call me Mr. Ellis. As Mr. Denham sighed patiently and repeated his surname in a formal manner, Kris continued as calmly as he could muster, Is it a man or a woman? Kris had to know at least that before this went any further.

    Coughing uncomfortably, Denham stammered, The NFL has been informed of your sexual preference—

    It’s an orientation, not a preference! And just answer the damn question!

    Denham blinked, as if unaccustomed to discourtesy—which surprised Kris, since he was certain that the man must’ve been an unwelcome sight in most households. If people had wanted to get tested for possible mating with the numerous creatures of the formerly Unseen world, they’d already be in the system, and this personal approach would’ve been unnecessary. "Very well, Mr. Ellis. It is a

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