The Werewolf of Grey Lake Inn Author: Megan Derr Title: The Werewolf of Grey Lake Inn Series: Paranormal Days 4 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Length: Novella Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://maderr.com/?page_id=31 Summary: Astor is tired—tired of his family and the way they never listen to his advice, and tired of being in love with his agent, Tennyson, who after a one night stand made it clear he preferred to keep things professional. The only thing Astor's not tired of is his job researching haunted inns and hotels to prove just how haunted they're not. His latest book is about a notorious inn in the middle of nowhere, and a haunting he suspects has more to do with real werewolves than fake ghosts. It will provide fodder for an excellent non-fiction book, the novel he's secretly writing, and be so distracting he'll finally be able to get over Tennyson. Except when he arrives it's to find that Tennyson is already there, with every intention of keeping Astor company through the holidays. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I first read this story when it was part of LT3's Bad Moon Rising anthology. Not much has changed with this single release, so readers looking for something new from Derr should wait for her next book. However, those who missed Bad Moon Rising will want to get their hands on this story. The amount of characterization Derr put into Astor, the main character, for this short story is remarkable and is definitely the best part of this book. Astor is snarky, growly, and generally unlikable, yet it is clear that is all just a hard shell. He has a gooey candy center inside that he fiercely protects because he has been hurt before. The person that hurt him the most is Tennyson, his editor and the love of his life. Astor refuses to let Tennyson in again, but Tennyson's appearance at the inn Astor is using for his next book might make that impossible. There is nothing about Astor's personality that hasn't been thoroughly planned. Every action he takes and everything he says only serves to add depth to his character. The book was also very short. It's a novella, but it really feels like one scene taken from a longer book. This worked perfectly as part of the Bad Moon Rising Anthology, but it failed here. There wasn't enough world building to hold up the weight of the story. Rather than include the description needed to depict the larger world, Derr appears to have relied on the fact that most readers will have read the previous books in the series where that description is given. There were also mentions of characters from the other books in the series, but, again, there was no proper context added for readers who have not read the rest of the series. As a stand alone story set in a larger world, leaving out the world building really detracted from the story. It made this story feel like one small bit of plot taken from a larger work. That said, this was a fun read. I did enjoy this story and readers who have read the rest of the series will like this one too. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book, but I think readers will enjoy it more if they read the other books in the series first. The characterizations were perfectly written, but the story fell short on details. I hope to review the other books in the series soon.
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Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
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