Full Description

Heart of the Wolf

“You will be turning pages well into the night.”
—Sandy Blair, author of A Highlander For Christmas

“A fast-paced, sexy read with lots of twists and turns! A fascinating paranormal world with a hot hero, a smart heroine and dark villains.”
—Nicole North, author of Devil in a Kilt

Their forbidden love may get them both killed.

Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack.

Devlyn is a beta male werewolf in a pack of grays.

Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home.

When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. With the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella can’t resist the pull to her destined mate, even if means Devlyn will have to face the wicked alpha male in a fight to the death...

A sizzling paranormal romance based on extensive research on how wolves live and behave in the wild, creating a fascinating world of nature and fantasy.

“Warm and sexy; Terry Spear is a great new voice in the paranormal romance genre.”
—Cathy Clamp, USA Today bestselling author

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Excerpt

Excerpt

Chapter One

Present Day
Portland, Oregon

One hundred and fifty years later—aging one year for every thirty that passed once a lupus garou reached puberty—Bella was the equivalent of a human twenty-one-year-old. She longed more than ever to have Devlyn for her mate, wishing she hadn’t had to hide from the pack all these years. The burning desire for him flooded her veins whenever she came into the wolf’s heat. Her body craved his touch, but her mind had given up hoping to ever have him for her own. If she could find a strong, agreeable human mate, she could change him into a lupus garou, and he would keep her safe from Volan.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image of the brutish fiend, and continued to pack her overnight bag. Any man would be better than he—a good mate who would help her establish her own pack.

She turned to look at Devlyn’s photo sitting on the bedside table, the most recent one that Argos, the old, retired pack leader, had sent her. Taking a deep breath, she threw another pair of jeans into her bag, determined to get her mind off Devlyn.

Knowing she couldn’t put off mating much longer, she realized that one’s second choice far outweighed living alone; even the sound of a dog’s howl on the night’s breeze triggered the gnawing craving to be with a pack.

She stalked into her office and left an email message for Argos, a routine she’d adopted because he insisted she keep him posted whenever she went into the woods. As a loner, she’d have no backup. Off to the cabin for the weekend again, Argos. Give the pack my love, in secret. Yours always, love, Bella

She didn’t have to tell him to keep her correspondence a secret; he knew what would happen if Volan learned where she was. . . .

Turning off her computer, she picked up her phone and called her next-door neighbor—a woman who had partially eased Bella’s loneliness after losing her twin sister in a fire so many years ago. “Chrissie, I’m going to my cabin for the weekend again. Can you keep an eye on my place?”

“Sure thing, Bella. Pick up your mail on Saturday, too, if you’d like. And I’ll water your greenhouse plants. Hey, I don’t want to hold you up, but did you hear about the latest killing?”

“Yeah, the police have got to catch the bastard soon.”

That was one of the reasons she was going to her cabin, to get away, to consider the facts of the murders, to search for clues in the woods. He had to be from Portland or the surrounding area, since it was there he’d killed all the women. And he had to take a jaunt in a forest from time to time. The call of the wild was too strong in them. She hadn’t expected to smell red lupus garou in the place where she ran, as far away as it was from the city. For three years she hadn’t smelled a hint of them. Not until last weekend. Was one of them the killer? She had to know.

Bella tossed a pink sweatshirt into the bag.

“You be careful, honey. The victims are all redheads in their twenties. And the last was killed not far from here.”

“Don’t worry, Chrissie. I’ve got a gun for protection.” Well, two: one at her cabin, and one at home, but who was counting? Silver bullets, too; Bella had them made for Volan. It wasn’t the lupus garou way, but she had no other way to fight him. She would never be his.

“A . . . a gun? Do you know how to shoot it?”

Yep, she’d learned how to shoot a gun a good century and a half ago, ever since the early days when she had lived in the wilderness, trying to survive in the lands west of Colorado.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Give your kids hugs for me, will you? Tell Mary I want to see the painting she did for art class, and tell Jimmy that I want to see his science project when I return.”

Chrissie sighed. “I’ll tell them. You be careful up there all by yourself. That is, if you’re going all by yourself.”

Always checking. Chrissie was looking for husband number two, and she assumed Bella rendezvoused with some mountain man every time she returned to her cabin.

“See you Monday.”

“Be careful, Bella. You never know where that maniac will end up.”

“I’ll be cautious. Got to go.”

Bella hung up the phone and zipped her suitcase. Before it turned dark she had every intention of searching the woods for further clues concerning the red lupus garou—not a wild dog, a mixed wolf-dog breed, or as some thought, a pit bull that some bastard had trained to kill his victims—that might be killing the women.

Why had she caught the scent of red lupus garou in the area near her cabin now, when the woods had been free of their kind for the last three years? She envisioned a lone female wouldn’t stand a chance at remaining that way. Her stomach curdled with the idea that she’d have to give up her cabin and find a new place to run. Just one more concern to add to her growing list of worries.

Reviews

Reviews

The Romantic Times
Heart of the Wolf
Terry Spear
4 Stars HOT

A solidly crafted werewolf story, this tale centers on pack problems in a refreshingly straightforward way. The characters are well drawn and believable, which makes the contemporary plotline of love and life among the lupus garou seem, well, realistic.
Summary: Bella fled her adopted grey wolf pack as a young teen because of the unwelcome attentions of the alpha male. She’s built a life for herself as a lone wolf in Portland. Since she’s a red wolf, a species believed long gone from the hills, when she’s darted by conservationists while on a run in wolf form, she’s placed in a zoo. This is disastrous. When the moon wants, she won’t be able to hold her wolf form.

While in captivity, Bella is discovered by a red lupus pack that lacks females and also by her old nemesis, the grey alpha/ The alpha sends Develyn, a beta wolf who has claimed Bella’s hear since childhood, to get her. Everybody wants Bella, but Develyn is determined that he whill be her mate. (Sourcebooks, Apr., 417 pp, $6.99)

Publishers Weekly
Red werewolf Bella flees her adoptive pack of gray werewolves when the alpha male Volan tries forcibly to claim her as his mate. Her real love, beta male Devlyn, has been out of her life for years, but comes after her when she finds herself accidentally captured by humans. Bella becomes convinced that Devlyn only wants to return her to Volan, but soon realizes that Devlyn loves her as much as she loves him, and is willing to fight Volan to the death to claim her. That problem pales, however, as a pack of red werewolves takes to killing human females in a crazed quest to claim Bella for their own. Bella and Devlyn must defeat the rogue wolves before Devlyn’s final confrontation with Volan. The vulpine couple’s chemistry crackles off the page, but the real strength of the book lies in Spear’s depiction of pack power dynamics, as well as in the details of human?wolf interaction. Her wolf world feels at once palpable and even plausible.

The Romance Studio
Their forbidden love may get them both killed. Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home. His passion for her won’t be denied, but he’s a beta, doomed to fight to the death if he so much as touches the alpha’s choice of mate. When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. But with the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella can’t resist the pull to her destined mate.

Enchanting romance with a unique twist! This author stayed true to the behavior of wolves, for that reason she takes her time in setting the stage and introducing you to those habits. That causes the actually plotting to start off slow but it rapidly picks up about 1/3 of the way through. By that point, I was involved in the story and truly enjoying the characters and their journey. The only issue I had was that people behaving so accurately like wolves made their emotions appear a little cold and their decisions a bit irrational. To me a werewolf embodies the characteristics of both man and wolf, this author took the logic and analytical reasoning out of the decisions of her characters making them act on animal instincts. As the reader I found that frustrating even while it was fascinating. The characters were so well developed and the writing so superior that it felt real to me, my reactions were as if I was a part of the story. If that’s not a sign of a good book, what is?

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: AMG
February 19, 2008

Paranormal Romance Reviews Karen Michelle Nutt
"A New Werewolf Legacy"
Bella Wilder, a red werewolf must flee from her adoptive gray werewolf pack or be mated to the alpha male, Volan. Bella’s heart belongs to Devlyn Greystoke, a beta male werewolf, who saved her from a fire that claimed her pack. Devlyn would fight for her, but he is still young. Bella fears Volan will kill Devlyn. Bella for years lives alone, avoiding all werewolves. One evening on her run in the woods, she comes across another red werewolf. So stunned that another of her kind lives, she lets her guard down and humans capture her. Devlyn discovers Bella is in a zoo and comes to rescue her, but Bella fears he will turn her over to Volan and fights him at every turn.

Devlyn has never forgotten Bella. He vows to keep her safe and prove to her that he is worthy to be her mate; he will fight Volan to the death to have her. However, other problems arise when a red werewolf pack take to killing human females. Bella and Devlyn will work together to find a way to stop them before the killers reveal to the world werewolves really do exist.

You’ll be drawn into the story from the first page to the last, wanting to know how everything will turn out. I love how Ms. Spear has intertwined true attributes of wolves to make the werewolf world come alive. Bella and Devlyn’s devotion to each other is endearing. Their love scenes sizzle the pages ... definitely hot! I look forward to reading more about this author’s werewolf tales.

I also recommend Terry Spear’s, Winning the Highlander’s Heart. If you like Scottish medieval hunks, this is a book for you.

Fallen Angel Reviews Stephanie
5 Angels & Recommended Read~~Fallen Angel Reviews!!

Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear is a fantastic new addition to the popular trend of shape shifter stories. I loved this story, not only does Ms. Spear draw the reader into the lives of Bella and Devlyn and the other people they interact with but she has painstakingly researched the behavior of real wolves in the wild to add realism to the behavior of the werewolves in their wolf form and pack behavior. Normally I don’t find shape shifter stories humorous unless it is intended to be a kind of spoof, but this story has a humorous streak running through it. There is a human man who wants to rescue the wolf form of Bella and place her in a zoo for her protection and he is relentless in his pursuit to save the stray red wolf. This man keeps complicating Bella’s situation and adds some funny dilemmas for Bella and Devlyn to work around and right in the midst of all of their life threatening problems. Heart of the Wolf is full of action, adventure, suspense, and romance and is one of best werewolf stories I’ve read. I hope this is just the first book of a new series because I would love to read more by Ms. Spear about the wolf packs introduced in this tale. There are plenty of great secondary characters that would make interesting spin offs for another book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good paranormal, romantic suspense, and shape shifter story!

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.

The Romance Studio
Heart of the Wolf
Terry Spear
Paranormal romance
Available from Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1192-8
April 2008

Their forbidden love may get them both killed. Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home. His passion for her won’t be denied, but he’s a beta, doomed to fight to the death if he so much as touches the alpha’s choice of mate. When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. But with the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella can’t resist the pull to her destined mate.
Enchanting romance with a unique twist! This author stayed true to the behavior of wolves, for that reason she takes her time in setting the stage and introducing you to those habits. That causes the actually plotting to start off slow but it rapidly picks up about 1/3 of the way through. By that point, I was involved in the story and truly enjoying the characters and their journey. The only issue I had was that people behaving so accurately like wolves made their emotions appear a little cold and their decisions a bit irrational. To me a werewolf embodies the characteristics of both man and wolf, this author took the logic and analytical reasoning out of the decisions of her characters making them act on animal instincts. As the reader I found that frustrating even while it was fascinating. The characters were so well developed and the writing so superior that it felt real to me, my reactions were as if I was a part of the story. If that’s not a sign of a good book, what is?

Overall rating: 4 out of 5
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: AMG
February 19, 2008

Mind and Stars Amanda Killgore
Heart of the Wolf
Terry Spear
Sourcebooks
April
ISBN 1402211570
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
****

Long ago, Bella fled her wolfpack in order to escape a forced mating with another werewolf, one she not only did not love, but who was worthy of fear. Besides those two facts, her heart had always belonged to Devlyn, although she was a red and he a gray. When she is captured while in wolf form, Devlyn is the one who rescues her, and it is he who stands beside her as the past catches up to her. Because she rejected the red wolves’ alpha, a band of rogues is killing human women and searching for Bella. Now, she must face the results of her choices and the man who forced her to make them. Yet, because she knows now that Devlyn loves her and will fight for her, Bella has something she did not have before; hope.

Ms. Spear has built a fascinatingly complex world that fans of Kelley Armstrong or Susan Krinnard will feel right at home visiting. It is nice to see a beta hero get a starring role as well, since not all guys can be Superman, but still be strong. Though she is a new author to me, Terry Spear is definitely a name I will now be aware of.

Revisiting the Moon’s Library Dora Mak
Heart of the Wolf is a different kind of paranormal romance, as it is a werewolf story, but based on researched wolf behavior. The shapeshifters do not call themselves werewolves, but lupus garou, and that designation makes them more like a real species rather than a mythical beast. And rather than just a general lupus garou, there are subspecies. Spear also wrote some great descriptions of the setting for the story. I could really feel the cold and damp of the northwest, the smell of the forest, and the ground beneath my feet, or paws would be more appropriate.

Bella, our heroine, is a red lupus garou who was adopted into a gray pack (these seem to be more common and happen to be bigger than reds) as a pup. Volan, the pack leader and evil guy, has singled Bella out to be his mate and tried raping her when she was very young. Bella actually loves Devlyn, the gray who rescued her when she was a pup, but doesn’t want to show him preference because then he’d have to challenge Volan for her. Bella escapes the gray pack and lives under the radar, hoping to find a human male she can bite and change, therefore creating a mate for herself.

During one of her moon runs as a wolf, she gets captured and put in a zoo, as red wolves are very rare, and arouses the attention of her old pack and single red wolves close by. If she thought escaping Volan for a mate was bad, she had it much worse after that. Devlyn rescues her after she changes back to a human, and their attraction to each other flares up again, but this time, he’s ready to challenge Volan. Unfortunately, that’s not the only obstacle to happiness, as a red has been committing murders on red-haired women in the area.

The one annoying thing that stood out was the italicization of lupus garou. I understand that the book is based on real wolf behavior rather than werewolf myth (except for the part of people shifting into wolf form while the moon’s out) , but the term lupus garou was used so much that seeing it italicized all the time made it seem out of place in the text, and broke the smoothness of my reading.

The attraction between Bella and Devlyn is steamy hot. There’s a lot of tension and anticipation because they want each other, but Bella won’t give in because she doesn’t want Devlyn to be killed by Volan. Because this is based on animal behavior, their lust seems more primal and pure at the same time. They were meant to be mates, and when they’re together, it’s right and the obstacles fade away, at least while they’re in bed... or in the back of his car.

While the overview makes Heart of the Wolf seem like a shallow story (star-crossed werewolves have to kill packleader to be happy, but want to solve a murder mystery where they know a rare red wolf is the culprit), it turned out to be deeper, with rich characters and great writing. I hope this turns into a series, because I’d like to read more about the lupus garou. There are hints of another book in the making, maybe set in the red wolf pack Bella and Devlyn cleaned up. There’s an alpha male who hasn’t taken control of the pack, and he seems like a pretty decent fellow. He helped Bella and Devlyn against the reds and Volan. I hope there’s a sequel about him!

Darque Reviews Kimberly Swan
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear

Heart of the Wolf
Terry Spear
Sourcebooks - Casablanca
April 1, 2008
ISBN# 978-1-4022-1157-7

Having survived the fire that killed her red wolf pack, Bella was adopted as a pup by a local pack of gray wolves. Her life as a red among the gray pack wasn’t a problem, but Volan, the pack alpha, insisting on making her his as she grew-up definitely was. It was Devlyn, another gray wolf, which she wanted as her mate, but that desire put the young wolf in danger of suffering the alpha’s wrath. Seeing no other escape from Volan, Bella ran away.

Years later Bella is running in wolf form when she’s captured, and the incident brings her to the attention of the local red pack that had no idea she’d been living in their town. After 150 years of hiding and starting a new life, her old pack has tracked her down, and Volan has sent Devlyn to retrieve her. Bella finds herself in demand in a way that threatens her survival.

Women are being killed in a brutal way and it appears to be the doing of a red wolf. It’s not long before Devlyn and Bella suspect that there is more than one wolf involved. As they get closer to the truth their lives are at risk from not only the red pack who want to claim Bella for their own, but from Volan trying to do the same. Devlyn will have no choice but to fight to the death in order to keep the mate he’s waited so long to claim.

Heart of the Wolf is filled with action, mystery and romance. The deep connection between Bella and Devlyn was in the making before Bella ran from the pack, and while they try to fight their attraction and follow pack rules, the change in their relationship is inevitable. Ms. Spear blends a well-structured werewolf tale with an intriguing murder mystery. Heart of the Wolf is a fast-moving read with a sizzling romance and danger-filled action that keeps readers engaged to the end. I’m hoping that we’ll get to read about the lone red wolf, Leidolf, in the future.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Book Binge Casee Miller
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear

Book description:

Their forbidden love may get them both killed

Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home. His passion for her wont be denied, but hes a beta, doomed to fight to the death if he so much as touches the alphas choice of mate.

When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. But with the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella cant resist the pull to her destined mate.

I really wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it. First of all, Bella actually gets captured as a wolf and put in the zoo. Not only that, but she gets put in with a real red wolf who wants to mate with her. So it was amusing in an are you kidding me? sort of way.

Bella has spent most of her life trying to avoid Volan, the alpha of her pack. Believing that all she has to do is mate with a human male and turn him into a werewolf, she tries to do exactly that. All it does is get said human male killed. Poor guy. He really didn’t do anything. So anyway, after Volan kills this guy, Bella runs. Far away.

Fast forward almost 200 years. Bella is now living in Oregon. While she misses living with her pack, she still believes that she made the right decision by leaving. Staying in touch with the former alpha, Bella gets news from home though no one else in the pack knows where she is. She can’t forget Devlyn, the man/wolf that she’s been in love with since the day he saved her from the fire that killed her family. Though she understands Devlyn is the beta to Volan’s alpha, she still resents him for trying to get her to go to Volan.

That, my dear readers is what I had the biggest problem with. When I first started reading this book, Devlyn seemed like a total wussy. I like my heroes alpha, especially in paranormals. Reading about a beta hero just didn’t do it for me. Not to mention that even knowing the kind of man Volan is, Devlyn still thinks that Bella should be his mate. And he’s supposedly in love with her. Ugh.

Nonetheless, two DNF books in one month was too much for my OCD complex to take. So I forged ahead. I’m really glad I did b/c I really ended up liking Devlyn. I was just so-so about Bella the whole time. Didn’t hate her, but didn’t exactly love her either.

When Devlyn finds out Bella is alive, he immediately goes to bring her back to Volan. It isn’t until he sees this woman/wolf that he loves that he realizes that he will never let Bella go. He would rather fight Volan to the death. That’s what turned it around for me. Rather than Devlyn not wanting to go against his alpha, it was that he hadn’t admitted to himself that Bella was his. Soooo like a man. So Devlyn redeemed himself in my eyes.

Then there was the whole "pack" dynamic that Spear created. If there is a wolf living in the territory of another pack, the alpha of that pack has the right to claim her. Whether or not she’s mated. If she’s mated, her mate must fight the alpha to the death (in wolf form). If he kills the alpha, the wolf that will step up to be the new alpha can choose to fight him. And on it goes. It was really rather fascinating.

The showdown between Volan and Devlyn did the book justice, in my opinion. I really liked how it ended.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes. It definitely has potental.

4 out of 5.

Book Binge Casee Miller
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear



Book description:

Their forbidden love may get them both killed

Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home. His passion for her wont be denied, but hes a beta, doomed to fight to the death if he so much as touches the alphas choice of mate.

When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. But with the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella cant resist the pull to her destined mate.

I really wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it. First of all, Bella actually gets captured as a wolf and put in the zoo. Not only that, but she gets put in with a real red wolf who wants to mate with her. So it was amusing in an are you kidding me? sort of way.

Bella has spent most of her life trying to avoid Volan, the alpha of her pack. Believing that all she has to do is mate with a human male and turn him into a werewolf, she tries to do exactly that. All it does is get said human male killed. Poor guy. He really didn’t do anything. So anyway, after Volan kills this guy, Bella runs. Far away.

Fast forward almost 200 years. Bella is now living in Oregon. While she misses living with her pack, she still believes that she made the right decision by leaving. Staying in touch with the former alpha, Bella gets news from home though no one else in the pack knows where she is. She can’t forget Devlyn, the man/wolf that she’s been in love with since the day he saved her from the fire that killed her family. Though she understands Devlyn is the beta to Volan’s alpha, she still resents him for trying to get her to go to Volan.

That, my dear readers is what I had the biggest problem with. When I first started reading this book, Devlyn seemed like a total wussy. I like my heroes alpha, especially in paranormals. Reading about a beta hero just didn’t do it for me. Not to mention that even knowing the kind of man Volan is, Devlyn still thinks that Bella should be his mate. And he’s supposedly in love with her. Ugh.

Nonetheless, two DNF books in one month was too much for my OCD complex to take. So I forged ahead. I’m really glad I did b/c I really ended up liking Devlyn. I was just so-so about Bella the whole time. Didn’t hate her, but didn’t exactly love her either.

When Devlyn finds out Bella is alive, he immediately goes to bring her back to Volan. It isn’t until he sees this woman/wolf that he loves that he realizes that he will never let Bella go. He would rather fight Volan to the death. That’s what turned it around for me. Rather than Devlyn not wanting to go against his alpha, it was that he hadn’t admitted to himself that Bella was his. Soooo like a man. So Devlyn redeemed himself in my eyes.

Then there was the whole "pack" dynamic that Spear created. If there is a wolf living in the territory of another pack, the alpha of that pack has the right to claim her. Whether or not she’s mated. If she’s mated, her mate must fight the alpha to the death (in wolf form). If he kills the alpha, the wolf that will step up to be the new alpha can choose to fight him. And on it goes. It was really rather fascinating.

The showdown between Volan and Devlyn did the book justice, in my opinion. I really liked how it ended.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes. It definitely has potential.

4 out of 5.

Mind and Stars Amanda Killgore
Monday, March 24, 2008
Heart of the Wolf

Heart of the Wolf
Terry Spear
Sourcebooks
April
ISBN 1402211570
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
****



Long ago, Bella fled her wolfpack in order to escape a forced mating with another werewolf, one she not only did not love, but who was worthy of fear. Besides those two facts, her heart had always belonged to Devlyn, although she was a red and he a gray. When she is captured while in wolf form, Devlyn is the one who rescues her, and it is he who stands beside her as the past catches up to her. Because she rejected the red wolves’ alpha, a band of rogues is killing human women and searching for Bella. Now, she must face the results of her choices and the man who forced her to make them. Yet, because she knows now that Devlyn loves her and will fight for her, Bella has something she did not have before; hope.



Ms. Spear has built a fascinatingly complex world that fans of Kelley Armstrong or Susan Krinnard will feel right at home visiting. It is nice to see a beta hero get a starring role as well, since not all guys can be Superman, but still be strong. Though she is a new author to me, Terry Spear is definitely a name I will now be aware of.

Book Fetish Jennifer L. James-Montestruc
Heart of the Wolf: Terry Spear
By: Jennifer L. James-Montestruc | 04.16.08 | Paranormal & Urban Fantasy: Romance | link | contact the reviewer


Rating: 4 stars

As a young pup, when Bella’s pack burned to death, Devlyn was the one to save her. No knight in shining armor, but a mere juvenile wolf, he risked his life to save hers and bound them inextricably together in the process … dragging Bella from the fiery inferno that was her family’s home and ultimately into Devlyn’s own adopted home with the local grey lupus garou pack.

All goes well for a while and the sole survivor of the red lupus garou pack slowly but surely integrates into her adopted home. But when the current alpha male of the grey pack, Argos, chooses to step down due to his advanced age (and survival chances as such if challenged), Volan takes over the pack as the alpha male.

Then the fragments of Bella’s world that she’s managed to piece together since the first major tragedy in her life begin to shatter all over again as Volan sets his heart (and loins) on the underage girl, and declares his intent to have her – willing or no – as his mate. Volan subjects young Bella to both mental and emotional torture as he threatens the life of her childhood rescuer and teen crush, murders a young human she attempts to seduce in a misguided attempt to escape, and subjects Bella to repeated rape attempts.

Confronted with the certain knowledge that if the true extent of Volan’s deeds were known, her beloved beta wolf would fight for her and die, Bella chooses to flee her adopted grey pack at age sixteen and lives as a lone wolf for the next one hundred and fifty years, moving as needed to conceal her lack of aging and to hide her existence from the beast that stalks her …

For years, Devlyn thought that Bella was dead – for to have heard nothing, to have seen nothing of her for this long … something must have happened.

Then a big news story hits about a Portland zoo’s new addition: a large female red wolf, and Devlyn knows at once it’s her. When Volan sends Devlyn and his cousins out to rescue ‘Rosa’, as Bella’s been dubbed by the media, Devlyn realizes that what he previously believed to be only fantasy is reality – Bella is Devlyn’s destined mate … now, he just needs to get her to admit that, to create the bond that will bind them forever.

But Bella resists, for to win her, Devlyn must fight to the death …

Quite a bit of research went into this novel, from what I can tell. The lupus garou share several qualities with the canis lupus … or to translate, within the bounds of this novel, werewolves share several qualities with normal wolves. For instance, battles don’t have to be to the death, but may be and the majority of deaths within the population occur by the population. And scent marking (yes, it’s a pissing contest), as demonstrated when another werewolf, Alfred, urinated at the zoo to mark Bella in her guise as ‘Rosa’ as his territory.

Much attention to detail was given to how the lupus garou would react (and in each form, no less) in any given situation, most especially when involved in a physical confrontation. The fight scenes at the end of the novel illustrate the interplay of inner-pack politics, hierarchy fight etiquette, instincts, physical triggers, battle strategies, and body language displayed by each participant.

All in all, a good read – wolf body language was even brought into the bedroom, and there was even good-natured discussion between the two main characters as to who should be growling or whining at whom, and debate over what noises should be made in what form. I found it interesting that the lupus garou could heal some wounds (some as serious as bullet wounds to the chest at short range) with great speed, yet take fatal damage from others.

I’m curious about two things though. Firstly, the debate about silver bullets was never really solved, as one of the werewolves was shot, but the content of the bullets was found to be doubtful later. And secondly … will Bella eventually give birth to a litter of pups in bitch form, or birth a passel of babes in human form? Wonder which would hurt less?

A lively read that keeps the reader on their feet, and an excellent addition to the serious wolf-lover’s library. When it comes to authenticity, this novel truly embodies the ’heart of the wolf’.
•——————————-
ISBN 10: 1-4022-1157-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-4022-1157-7
Publication date April 2008, through Sourcebooks Casablanca

Coffee Time Romance Maura
HEART OF THE WOLF
TERRY SPEAR
ISBN #978-1-4022-1157-7
April 2008
Source Books
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, IL 60567-4410
Mass Market Paperback
$6.99
400 Pages
Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3 Cups

Bella is a red wolf and website designer. Over a hundred years ago, she ran from the pack that raised her and the only man/wolf she would ever love to avoid becoming the mate of the Alpha. It is a lonely life, but worth it to protect Devlyn from Volan.

Devlyn is a beta wolf and has been sent to find Bella for his Alpha Volan. He has always loved Bella and longed to claim her as he own, but must follow pack law.

Pack politics forced Bella to run away from the only family she knew after her red pack was wiped out by a fire. She has been captured in wolf form and placed in a zoo and must rely on Devlyn to rescue her. Not only must Devlyn save her from the zoo but also from the local red pack and his own Alpha. In addition, there is a red werewolf murdering red-headed women in the area and could expose them all if not stopped.

This is a well-written werewolf romance that does not need the added information that it is based on real wolf behavior. Devlyn and Bella are both very realistic and likable characters with a lot of chemistry. At times, the plot is bogged down a little with pack politics and werewolf lore, but there is enough action and romance to keep the plot interesting. I did wonder about the lone wolf Leidolf. He was mentioned enough times to peak my interest, but there was a story missing there, as with the rest of the red wolves and the murdered girls. Aside from that I really enjoyed the story.

Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

Fresh Fiction Melissa Kammer
Bella is a red werewolf who has been running from the cruel alpha who wants to claim her as his mate. She enjoys the freedom that comes as a lone wolf, but she does wish for a mate. In her area, there have been several redheads murdered. The women have bite marks, and the police suspect a vicious dog. But Bella knows that a man created those marks, a man who turns into a wolf, and she intends to hunt him down. The killer’s actions threaten the livelihood of the lupus garou, werewolf. However, the last thing Bella expected was to be caught in her red wolf form and taken into the custody of the local zoo. When she hears that a man named Volan has been asking about her, she knows she has to escape. She will not go back to him. How can she track a killer from inside a cage? What will happen when she reverts back to her human form?

Devlyn has been sent to return Bella to the gray lupus garou pack that helped to raise her, and more importantly to bring Volan his mate. He never thought that he would be rescuing her from a zoo. The truth is that he has always wanted Bella for his own, but she always seems to push him away. When she convinces him to help her trap the red lupus garou that is killing the women, he becomes even more territorial. Now he has to protect her from the red alpha who wants her as mate. Will she ever let him prove that he can defeat Volan, and be the mate she deserves to have? Will they live long enough to have any kind of future together?

Terry Spear has written a wonderful story. She captures the essence of the wolf and combines it with what it means to be human to create the lupus garou, a sexy and mysterious group of werewolves. She not only has a sexy alpha male, but also a sexy alpha female who is not afraid to go after what she wants. The cast of secondary characters adds quite a bit to the charm of the tale. The action is fast paced, and the search for the killer keeps you on the edge of your seat. Ms. Spear is a gifted author who brings a unique perspective to the paranormal genre. HEART OF THE WOLF is an enchanting romance, and I certainly hope to read more lupus garou stories in the future.

Shape Shifter Romance Rebecca York
HEART OF THE WOLF

Today I have the pleasure of telling you about HEART OF THE WOLF, by Terry Spear. I love books with a hot romance and a lot of danger and suspense. And HEART OF THE WOLF fits that definition perfectly.

Terry Spear has written a very unique shape-shifter romance because she’s studied wolf pack social relations and transferred what she learned to a shape-shifter wolf pack. Or rather two packs–the grays and the reds.

HEART OF THE WOLF is the story of Bella and Devlyn, two shape-shifter lovers who have what looks like an insurmountable problem. When her red wolf pack is killed in a fire, Bella is taken in by the grays. But she’s forced to flee her adopted pack because Volan, the abusive alpha male, wants her. And she loathes him. Devlyn is the beta male, and he must do Volan’s bidding–including bringing Bella back to the pack where she will be forced to submit to the leader.

If Devlyn wants to claim Bella for his own, he must fight Volan to the death. Does he want her enough to fight for her? Is he strong enough to win out? Or will he die trying?

But Volan isn’t their only problem. The red wolves are on a killing spree, and Devlyn and Bella must flee the police and also their vengeful pack leader–while coping with their overwhelming need for each other.

Terry Spear rolls all that into a sensual, action-packed read that you won’t want to miss.

Rebecca York

Worlds of Mayhem Marty Rayne
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear
Earlier this year, I took two courses taught by author Terry Spear. She’s a great teacher and uses examples from her own fictional works and others to make her point. To me, that really helped me in her courses. However, reading snippets here and there made me want to read her paranormal book, Heart of the Wolf.

I’ll admit, I was slow to get into the book. It was well written and intrigued me, but whether it was just my mood at the time of starting it, or that I was just a little distracted with my own edits at the time, I didn’t want to give up on it. And I’m glad I didn’t.

Ms. Spear made me hate Volan, one of the villains while falling in love with the hero, Devlyn. *dreamy sigh* He and Bella are a couple made for each other even though they tried and tried to fight their attraction as the pack laws hung over their heads. Ms. Spear held me in suspense as to who the killer was. Every time I thought I knew who it was, she’d throw another wrench into the plot.

On top of it all, Ms. Spear made the lupus garou come to life. It was easy to see that she researched true behavior of wolves and weaved them into her red and gray wolves.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys shifter fiction and to anyone who wants my opinion. :)
~Marty

Bitten By Books Shirley
Bella Wilder has loved Devlyn since he rescued her from a wildfire that killed her red werewolf pack when she was 6 years old. Volan Smith, leader of the gray werewolf pack who adopted the rescued Bella ten years ago, now claims her as his mate; but she loathes him for trying to rape her. Devlyn is attracted to Bella but struggles to hide his feelings, placing the gray pack and its leader ahead of his own desires. To escape Volan and protect Devlyn, Bella searches for a human mate. When the two weres find her, Devlyn’s lust is obvious and Volan attacks him. Bella bolts hoping to protect Devlyn by having Volan chase her.

The story picks up one hundred and fifty years later with Bella, now 21 human-years old, still on the run and searching for a human mate. Under unique circumstances that make for really good reading, she is both rescued and captured by Devlyn. Then the couple has more than Volan on their tails. They are also being pursued by a human searching for an escaped red wolf, a rogue red werewolf killing red-headed women, and a mate-less red pack leader with his side-kicks. Bella and Devlyn battle their attraction for each other and finally, as well as repeatedly, give in to it; but that is not the only action. They must identify a murderer without being caught themselves. And, of course, they must have the inevitable confrontation with Volan.

Although the plot is not new, Ms. Spear adds enough creative twists to grab your attention and keep you reading. Bella’s pining for Devlyn borders on whining and I lose my patience with her early on; however, Devlyn’s conflict over his attraction to Bella and his loyalty to his pack seems real and he gains my sympathy. Their preoccupation with sex is extreme. If they are not actually doing it, they are thinking about it - not always at the most appropriate or believable moments. Ms. Spear has obviously researched wolves and works a lot of details into the story. Most work but a few do not contribute much to the story. She also painstakingly provides setups so that later scenes make sense. Again, most work but a few fall flat. The strategic insertion of secondary characters adds elements of humor and suspense, helps with character development and opens the door for possible follow-on books.

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Trade Paper Specfications

• Length: 6.88 in
• Width: 4.19 in
• Height: 0.00 in
• Weight: 7.00 oz
• Page Count: 400 pages