Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Anthology

Heart of the Wolf
Dr. Dae Anderson is the town vet. He’s also a werewolf. One evening, after finding his loser boyfriend having sex with another man in his bed, Dae kicks the jerk (Jack) to the curb. Jack is sure he’ll be back because Dae has taken him back time and again. This time, however, Dae swears it’s the end. Trying to clear his head, Dae heads out for a run and halfway through, he decides to shift. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying the proper attention and finds himself hit by a car and a patient in his own clinic being tended to by Sean, his assistant. A troublesome situation causes Dae to have to show himself to Sean. Once Sean calms down, he admits he’s loved Dae for years. The men fall into a relationship and are happy to be together. Jack isn’t one to let go, though, and he’s desperate to get Dae back.

Courage of the Wolf
Dae and Sean have settled into a loving relationship, and things are going well…with the exception of a few growing pains. Dae hasn’t been himself lately, and Sean wants to know why. It turns out, he got a letter from one of his brothers, still living on pack lands in Montana. The Alpha of the pack kicked Dae out when he found out Dae was gay, and Dae has always believed his family turned their backs on him too. Now, there is trouble in the pack, and his brothers want Dae to come back to help. Dae is ready to get on a plane and head home and Sean insists he come too, against Dae’s wishes. Once they get to Montana, things are worse than they thought, and Dae, Sean, and the rest of the pack must face off against the pack’s evil Alpha.

Running With the Moon is a book made up of two shorter stories and I enjoyed both of them. They flowed together nicely. Dae and Sean had great chemistry. Sean loved Dae from afar for years, waiting in the wings while Dae figured out what an ass Jack was. When Dae shows Sean he’s a werewolf, there was only a tiny amount of freaking out. Once Sean confesses his love to Dae, it’s like a lightbulb went off in his head and their relationship begins snap just like that. That was perfectly fine, though. They were sexy and sweet together.

Jack is a horrible character…and when I say that, I don’t mean he’s written horribly. He’s evil personified, in my opinion. He’s gotten himself into a jam, and he needs Dae to do what he always does, take him back and bail him out. When Dae says he won’t do it this time, Jack goes crazy and did what I consider to be the worst thing I’ve ever read in a book. Without giving anything away, I need to let you know it really is horrible. It will make you very angry, and actually cheer when Jack gets his comeuppance.

I thought the second story was a little better because it included the family dynamic. The pack’s alpha kicked Dae out of the pack when he found out he was gay, and Dae always thought his family turned their backs on him as well. When they appealed for his help, he didn’t want to go, but Dae is an honorable man, so he and Sean went.

I mentioned the family dynamic and Kiernan Kelly wrote that dynamic well. Dae didn’t just fall into the arms of his brothers and forgive all. He wanted to know why things happened the way they did and he expressed his anger. It was his love and care for his sister that touched me. Once again, I’m going to warn you, what happened to her and the resulting horror is difficult to read. It’s another example of pure evil, and it broke my heart just as much as it broke Dae’s.

Everything wrapped up neatly and I was impressed. The two stories felt like one, and the ending was perfect…even if it was a little bit predictable. Sometimes, predictable is just what I need. It’s almost comforting.

If you’re a fan of werewolves and sexy romance, I recommend Running with the Moon. I liked it so much, I plan on heading over to Amazon and checking out more of Kiernan Kelly’s work.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.