Review: The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare

He could never lose control...

Dashiel Thorpe, Earl of Brimsworth, has spent his life fighting the wolf within him.  But when the full moon rises, Dash is helpless.  A chance encounter with Caitrin Macleod on a moonlit night inadvertently binds the two together irrevocably, and Dash's implusiveness plunges them both into a nightmare...

She never saw him coming...

Caitrin Macleod is no quiet country lass, but a witch with remarkable abilities.  But when it comes to Dashiel, she's as helpless to fight his true nature as he is.  Her senses overwhelmed, she runs back to the safety and security of her native Scotland...

But Dashiel is determined to follow her--she's the only woman who can free him from a fate worse than death.  And Caitrin will ultimately have to decide whether she's running from danger or true love...

This book features minor characters introduced in the previous two books, Tall, Dark and Wolfish and The Wolf Next Door.  I'd really enjoyed the trilogy featuring the Westfield brothers, but The Taming of the Wolf, while still good, was good in a different vein. 

The major conflict, and what drew me to the series initially, was the fact that the potential lady loves for the Westfield brothers do not know their true natures.  The Taming of the Wolf tossed this conflict out the window. Cait knows exactly what Dashiel Thorpe is -- and she hates him for it.  Of course, she's going on the past experiences of her involvement with Benjamin Westfield, so her preconceived notions of what a wolf is and does don't match Dash at all.  So when she poisons his tea with a sleeping draught, well, there's nothing a wolf likes as much as a good chase.

The Taming of the Wolf also set up what I predict will be the next two novels, featuring Blaire and Sorcha, two witches in Cait's and Elspeth's coven, as the heroines of said books. 

Still, the pacing is fast and though I probably shouldn't, I love the modern tone of Ms. Dare's dialogue.  I plan to keep reading these interconnected novels to see what's going to happen. 

(A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC of The Taming of the Wolf.)