Why I listened to it: I've listened to all of Molly Harper's other books and realised I had missed this one. So I picked it up from Audible and pressed play.
What it's about: (from Goodreads) Baring It All. Generations
of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a
stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to
Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area,
the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even
if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher
Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make
Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick
to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species
dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of
that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley.
With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted.
Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf
in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .
What worked for me (and what didn't): I actually enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series. Maggie seemed to have undergone a personality transplant since the events in book 1 and I was grateful as I realy didn't like her much before.
There do seem to me to be a lot of similarities between the various Molly Harper heroines, so I guess they are best read or listened to with some space between them, but they are reliably good fun listens for me. Ronconi nails the narration as usual and delivers the humour with impeccable timing and a dash of snark; just as it was meant to be I'm sure.
I think I missed the bit where Nick fell for Maggie - the story seemed to skip over that bit and jump right to he was interested. I went with the flow but really, there wasn't much explanation as to why he was so immediately fascinated by her, particularly as she wasn't at all encouraging. Nick was a bit different to the other Harper heroes I've encountered - maybe he'd be described as beta? He came across as very confident and capable but also completely not threatened by Maggie's own authority and he was not interested in undermining her or taking over. He wasn't wimpy, but a buff sexy nerd with a lot of patience and persistence. I found his confidence in his own feelings for Maggie and his willingness ot wait for Maggie to catch up refreshing and adorable.
I suppose the werewolf mythology in this series is a little out of left field, particularly given the ending. It didn't bother me but maybe purists would have an issue?
I don't think there is anything earth-shattering about this book but it gave me quite a few laughs and when get that out of a book, I count it as a success.
Grade: B
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