How To Run With A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
Audio version read by Amanda Ronconi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh, so much fun! I love the combination of Amanda Ronconi reading Molly Harper’s words–the two absolutely can’t be beat!
Once again we have a lovable were-with-issues; this time it’s Caleb Graham, Maggie and Cooper’s absent-from-the-pack-for-years cousin. He’s been using his…talents…to further his career as a less-than-completely-ethical bounty hunter. He is shot by an overly paranoid (ahem) work associate and almost accidentally rescued by Anna Moder (not her real name), former pack doctor and current grocery checkout girl. Before we know it, the two are “running” together. Funnily enough, there don’t seem to be any double hotel rooms between the small Alaskan town where they started and Anchorage–surely that isn’t normal? 😉
You probably could read this one without reading the others in the series, since for more than half of the book the two main characters are more or less on their own. Anna thinks about the pack members often, but she pretty much tells readers all they need to know about them. (Chances are excellent you’ll want to read the rest, though–so consider yourself warned.) For those who have read the series, when the rest of the pack does show up in the book it is like a slightly dysfunctional yet totally fun family reunion. (And bonus–there’s an excellent surprise at the end for Molly Harper fans that I absolutely did not see coming. It actually made me gasp out loud!)
I loved Caleb. He was just so…laid back for a werewolf. Yet, at the same time, doggedly (pun totally intended) persistent about what he wanted, especially Anna staying with him. (I must have said, “I love Caleb!” to Mini Moe #2 at least twenty times this weekend–pretty much every time I walked past her. Except when Anna found out the biggest secret of all–at that point I changed it to, “I still love Caleb…I’m sure there’s an explanation.” She may or may not have heard me. I think her headphones were on all weekend long.)
Anna’s story is a bit darker than most of Harper’s heroines, which gives the book a slightly different feel than the rest of the series. Her problem is revealed slowly as the novel continues, and even as we “get” her reasons for running, it’s heartbreaking to see. I liked that she kept her ‘tude throughout and in the end refused to be a victim.
Excellent ending.
Now I’m really tempted to reread the other two books (again–I’ve listened to them both twice already) just to see Dr. Moder “back then” and listen for mentions of Caleb. Given my reading schedule, though, it’ll probably have to wait until the summer dog-walking season….
Something to look forward to!