Marie Carlson

I’m always looking for new books to read, so I thought I’d ask you guys what you’re currently reading. (Or what you recommend, either way.) I’ll share mine, too!

I have two paranormal romance novels in progress right now, which is actually a small number for me to have going at the same time. (But to be fair, I have a couple books from my writing group I’m working through, too, which cuts into my reading time.)

The first is Wolf Signs by Vivian Arend.

Blurb: Talk about getting your signals crossed…

Granite Lake Wolves, Book 1

Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.

Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death.

Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.

Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.

Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…

My thoughts so far: The cover is really pretty. I’m a fan of blue, wolves, and cold weather coats. (Though I hate cold weather. I suppose I’m actually a fan of beautiful people wearing cold weather coats in pictures, so I don’t actually have to deal with the cold myself.) I’m a few chapters in and though I am a little skeptical at some of the INSTANT ATTRACTION OMG, that’s mostly because I am skeptical of the whole ONE MATE ONLY, MEANT TO BE, MATED FOR LIFE trope(s), and that’s actually part of the draw for most people, I think. I really like Robyn; she’s witty and strong and determined and she doesn’t put up with werewolf bullshit. I’m liking the politics of the werewolves, too.

The second is Crossroads by Moira Rogers.

Blurb: Derek Gabriel was born human in family of psychics, aware of the supernatural world but never a part of it…until a rogue shapeshifter took humanity from him in a vicious attack. He’s spent two years struggling to adjust, not just to a change that’s driven many insane, but also to the prejudices of a culture where transformed wolves are considered inferior. A serious struggle, indeed, when the woman who attracts the man and the wolf inside him is the daughter of the most powerful wolf in the country.

For Nicole Peyton, nothing is more important than escaping the stifling confines of elite shapeshifter society, an old-fashioned world where women are valued only for their bloodlines and bank accounts. In New Orleans, she has a bar she loves, friends she cares for, and a smoldering, unspoken tension with an unsuitable but incredibly attractive man.

Neither could predict how quickly forbidden longing would erupt into burning need, but Nick and Derek have more than themselves to think about when Nick’s sister arrives in the city with a shapeshifter strike team hard on her heels. The only way Nick can save her sister may be to play by the Conclave’s rules–but it will mean giving up the man she’s falling in love with, unless he’s willing to risk everything in a challenge that will shake the foundations of their world.

My thoughts so far: I won this in an arc giveaway and haven’t had the chance to start it yet, so mostly I feel guilty about not finishing and reviewing it. But I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous (the full moon! the clouds! the city! the wolf!) and I’m looking forward to starting it when I go to bed (as soon as I finish my writing for tonight).

So what are you reading right now?