While the Wolf’s Away

Spear’s clunky third White Wolf shifter romance (after Flight of the White Wolf) disappoints with shallow emotion and melodramatic danger. Prior to the start of the book, werewolf Elizabeth Alpine helped love interest David Davis and his friends escape her oppressive pack, led by the cartoonishly evil Kintail, after they were bitten and turned to white wolves against their will. Elizabeth is determined to be with David, despite David being a newly turned wolf while Elizabeth is a royal, shifters with few pure humans in their bloodline. But to be together, Elizabeth must free herself from under Kintail’s thumb—and both Elizabeth and David must be sure their connection is strong enough to mate for life. Spear relies heavily on dialogue to carry both exposition and character development, with feelings and information presented in stilted back-and-forths between the protagonists. This lack of introspection makes it difficult to connect emotionally to the romance, and while Elizabeth and David are endearing, they’re missing the fiery passion that characterizes most shifter romance couples. Only diehard series fans need to bother with this one. (May)