Wolf Instinct

Tyler’s ninth Special Wolf Alpha Team action-tinged romance (after Wolf Rising) delivers a hot love story and plenty of suspense with a paranormal twist. British-born werewolf Zane Kendrick carries a burden of trauma from his military tour of Afghanistan and the awful events that forced his first shape-shift. He sees himself as a monster who pays his penance by protecting others. FBI agent Alyssa Carson isn’t a typical fed; she’s more of a lone wolf type, a member of a special team who hunt what goes bump in the night. Their paths cross in Los Angeles, where Zane and two of his packmates are searching for the police chief who tried to have the Dallas pack wiped out, and Alyssa is following up on several kidnappings. Zane recognizes Alyssa as his soulmate, but he fears the monster he hides within will frighten her off before they can bond. A touch of tongue-in-cheek humor tempers the tension—the wolf pack occasionally acts more like a bunch of golden retrievers distracted by a thrown tennis ball—and Tyler’s attention to small details and inclusion of appealing secondary characters will ensure reader satisfaction. This isn’t a remarkable installment, but there’s plenty here to keep fans happy. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Creative Book Services. (July)