Wolf's Castle

GOTHIC:  Vivian Stuart barely escaped with her life when a violent storm at sea killed her father and washed her ashore - and into the arms of the most fierce, angry man she has ever seen.  Begrudgingly taking her to his castle on the small island, Laird Galen Maclean insists she will only be staying until the weather allows her to leave.  As the days progress, however, Vivian can’t help but be drawn to the enigmatic man. Obviously harboring hurts that even she can’t fathom, Vivian determines to bring at least a little happiness to this dark place.  Little does either know, however, that the darkness is growing and unless they can accept each other, neither will survive.

What a promising debut novel for a talented new author!  There is obviously a rich store of possibilities in storytelling ahead and the overall story is a great one.  One must first address the myriad of small glitches that stop this tale from truly shining.  The flow is extremely choppy - one is never allowed to smoothly grow and understand both the feelings and actions within the story.  Galen, for instance, is nothing but off-setting:  pushing Vivian rudely away, and then suddenly they are making love! Or, he refuses to go after Vivian, then again, suddenly he’s there with no understanding behind the change.  This happens throughout with threads and understanding left hanging.  If the author can smooth those transitions and give the reader a greater depth to follow, subsequent books could be riveting indeed!

Ruth Lynn Ritter