Changeling Dream

Harper's Changeling series gains steam with this contemplative follow-up to June's Changeling Moon. Shape-shifter James Macleod retreated into his wolven state after a madman injured him and killed his pregnant wife. Thirty years later, the madman is now an old man with Alzheimer's who sends his son to find James and finish him off. Meanwhile, James's long-buried humanity begins to resurface when he scents veterinarian Jillian Descharme, who encounters him in wolf form while hiking and is surprised by their quiet emotional connection. The small suspense plot never removes the focus from James and Jillian. Harper's evocative writing of a man who coexists with his wolf is by far the book's best and most romantic aspect; more difficult for both Jillian and the reader is James's uncertainty and avoidance of commitment while he tries to remember how to be human. (July)