{Book Tour} THE HOWLING HEART by APRIL BOSTIC -- with review and giveaway

Title: The Howling Heart
Author: April Bostic
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Eternal Press
Release Date: Aug 8 2013
Editions/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.

Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv---wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.

Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

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April Bostic is a New Jersey-based, Adult Romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled "A Rose to the Fallen".

Her first short story, "Right Here, Right Now", released in January 2012, is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M. The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled "Eros, My Love", and a sexy romantic comedy entitled "Love Addiction".

After five years, she released her second novel, "The Howling Heart" in August 2013, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods. To end her busiest year in publishing, April will release her fourth short story in December 2013, a historical paranormal romance entitled "A Dark Scandal".

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Paige Donovan is a recent college graduate who has been working hard at Elle as Assistant Creative Director, taking on projects others couldn't finish for whatever reason and impressing her boss with her get-up and go attitude. She receives a promotion to Creative Director with a huge, brand name project to head up. She has a little party to celebrate her promotion, catches her boyfriend cheating on her, and then ends the night with a phone call from her mother informing her that her father is dead. That's what life is like, no? Tosses you curveballs and throws dirt in your face just when you think you've hit a home run.

Trevor Schmevor, I was happy to see Paige dump him and stand up for herself. When her mother calls her about her father's death, I understood the grief and why she would be more malleable. Mothers are a pain in the butt to deal with as an adult because they are forever stretching their authority over you, the chickadee, no matter how old you are and you're grieving so...sure you'll be more wishywashy.

At the reading of the will, Paige discovers that her father never sold that cabin they vacationed in all those years ago in Colorado like he told her and his exwife, her mother. (Let me get this out of the way now: I hate her mother. Her mother is only a brief part of the story, but holy crap I hate her. What a domineering, uncaring, control-freak, schmuck. There, I feel better.) Her mother immediately starts demanding she sell the cabin, but Paige decides to go out and inspect it first, wanting to keep this last thing from her father to her. And she has a nice memory of a white wolf pup she befriended as a child...

Paige arrives in Black River, goes to the tiny town and starts buying supplies, and meets a creepy, but hunky (her words) guy in the general store. I won't give more of synopsis of what happens, as I think I could probably go on and on and give you a play by play, with commentary.

While I enjoyed reading this very much, I didn't love this book. Paige ticked me off with her childish hysterics over the wolf paw prints from her window to her bed. And then her hysterics over seeing the white wolf at the Sheriff's trailer home, where she is recovering after being in a car accident. You've been having dreams, remembering a white wolf pup from your childhood, a FOND memory, and you're acting like a hysterical moron? You need to switch to decaf, girl; you're a tad wound up. I think the reason why Paige annoyed me so much with her blubbering and taking off was that, after telling off Trevor, I was expecting her to be strong. Strong doesn't mean a she-hulk, but I wanted her to have a bit more gumption. And she didn't. She capitulates to Riley, to the Sheriff (his father and Alpha to the pack), and to her mother. You see a glimpse of steel when she decides to stand up to Zoe, but then that's gone, too.

As Paige and Riley start to "court", Paige seems to take his weirdness in stride, another thing that just didn't blend well for me. It's not just the weirdness, but the later confession that she pooh-poohs. Once Riley & Quinn, his twin sister, explain to Paige that they are wolves, Paige accepts it quite easily. Thankfully. I mean she has to, right? They both just changed from humans into wolves in front of her! So phew on that.

Annnd I think I might be giving away too much and I always try to keep my reviews spoiler free. Let me readjust. As the lightning fast courtship progresses, and Paige decides she loves Riley, (I get Riley's "instalove" for her. It isn't...he's loved her since they were children, he's not human, his wolf wants her), enter more drama to the mix in the form of a banished wolf coming back to beg entry into the clan. He's nothing but trouble. Paige & Riley are having some intimate conversations and Riley asks her something that just turned me off from the book completely. And later she has to ask the wolfie doctor about the details. And that's pretty much the turning point for me.

The drama intensifies and there's blood and gore. There's a insight to Riley's past that Paige just kinda...shrugs off and accepts after it initially disgusts her. And we roll right along. There's a lot going on in the story, with a past that begs to be explored, but the way it comes together felt choppy and thrown together. Problems, solutions, past histories, a brief bit on the origin story involving Norse gods (I liked this part best), personality quirks...all introduced and then solved /forgotten by shoving everything under the rug until it prettified.

A very easy, likable read especially for those who love PNR and are willing to gloss over a lot. It leaned a tad towards the juvenile for me, with explosions of emotions, adolescent melodrama, and an odd blend of understanding the hierarchy within the realm of a wolf pack that is much more adult than how some of the characters act. Definitely puppy love, but puppy love that will last, a rather sweet and romantic notion.

Riley was a beautiful wolf. It made sense, considering he was a beautiful man. The sunlight streaming through the windows in the living room touched parts of his body and revealed his entire coat was the color of pure snow. A soft glow emanated from his amber eyes, and they were almost hypnotic. In the light of day, they didn't glow as brightly as they did at night.

Riley and I were both still, our gazes locked on each other. I had lost the capacity to speak. I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. Two humans had transformed into wolves, one right in front of me. How is this possible?

He stepped forward, slowly and cautiously, and my muscles tensed. He took another step until he was close enough to touch. My breathing increased, and I pressed my back against the sofa. I wouldn't dare touch him. I wasn't sure if he could control his animal form. He whimpered as he sat on his hind legs and put his head on my knee. There was a message behind his eyes that I didn’t understand.

"He's not going to hurt you, Paige."

I turned my head to see Quinn had transformed back into her human form. Her breasts were exposed, but she didn't seem embarrassed. It became obvious the twins were comfortable being naked around me. She looked at her brother and then settled her blue eyes on me.

"It's still Riley," she said quietly. "He's fully aware of what's going on. He knows it's you."

Quinn must’ve noticed my hesitation. I'll admit her words made me feel more comfortable.

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