Silver Town Wolf: Home for the Holidays

Devotees of Spear’s Silver Town Wolf series (All’s Fair in Love and Wolf) will have the delight of revisiting familiar faces in this contemporary, but casual readers will be less than enchanted by the stilted dialogue and lifeless characters. Innkeeper Meghan MacTire and Sheriff Peter Jorgenson, both wolf shifters in Silver Town, Colo., have been dating for over a year. Many in their close-knit wolf-shifter community wonder whether a mating/wedding announcement is forthcoming, particularly with the Christmas season nigh. Before decisions can be made, Meghan has secrets that need to be shared—but then an ex-boyfriend of hers makes an unwelcome appearance bearing ill tidings and danger, while Peter’s romantic history wreaks havoc with their relationship. Their love faces challenges that even the support of their friends and family may not be able to overcome. This ninth installment is built on a solid foundation of previous books, but it lacks the spark of imagination to capture the attention and is riddled with uninspired clichés. (Oct.)