Anyone not familiar with the Mars Needs Women trope, it’s a society that lacks women and therefore needs to obtain them from elsewhere in order to procreate and avoid extinction. How those societies come about in fiction is rarely explained in any real detail.

 

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Sleeping with the Wolf by Maddy Barone


“Uh-huh.” Carla eyed him doubtfully. “So what’s my name supposed to be now? Carla Wolfe?”

“That’s what the people in town will call you. But we’ll call you Lupa.” Taye stood and began piling their empty plates on the tray. He carried it over to the door and put it in the hall outside. He closed the door and leaned on it, staring at her with his dark eyes shimmering like a cat’s in the dim lamp light. “I need to tell you some things. It will sound crazy, but I’m telling the truth. I’m a wolf. I’m the Alpha wolf of this Pack, and of the forty-eight boys in the pack, thirty-two others are wolves too.”

“Uh, okay. They’re your brothers and cousins? Taye Wolfe and his Wolfe Pack. Ha-ha. Cute. Sounds like a band from the ’60s.”

“Brothers in fur, and some of them are cousins by blood. Wolf-born we call it.

Carla—” It was the first time he had used her name, and it jolted her as much as his serious tone. “—I don’t want any secrets between us, ever. I don’t want us to be fighting because we don’t take the time to talk about things. I’m a wolf. And I’m not talking about my family name. Most of the time I’m a man, but sometimes I’m a wolf.” He searched her face anxiously, then sighed sadly. “You don’t understand a word I’m trying to tell you.”

Carla carefully brushed some bread crumbs off the arm of the chair, avoiding looking at him because she was wondering if he were a little touched. “Actually, no.”

“I guess I’ll have to show you. Remember, I’m your mate. I’ll never hurt you.”

He raised his arms and took a step forward. Carla frowned and blinked. His arms slimmed, turned hairy gray and hit the floor, his nails tapping against the bare wood.

What? Where did—? Carla leapt out of the chair, gaping at the big gray dog standing by the door. No, not a dog. A wolf! Taye was a werewolf! She scrambled back, slamming painfully into the wall. The big wolf—he must outweigh her by a couple hundred pounds!—walked slowly toward her, one large paw at a time. He nudged his nose under her hand and flipped it over his head, just like the farm dog back home, wanting his ears scratched. Her legs gave out and she slid against the wall to the floor. The wolf laid his muzzle on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck through her hair. Her terror subsided slightly when she caught his scent. It really was Taye. He’d kept talking about the Pack, and mates, and … Oh, God. This is what Ray had meant when he called Taye’s Pack ‘those wolves.’

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “It’s you. You’re…” Her hand shook when she reached to pet the huge head lying heavy on her shoulder. The warmth of his thick gray fur bled into her when he leaned his body against her. “You’re a werewolf.”


I don't remember when or where I first saw this book, but it sounded intriguing so when I saw it again, I grabbed a copy. It completely exceeded my expectations. It was so good, I quickly requested the next several books as well. This is very much a cross between Post Apocalyptic and Paranormal Romance with a touch of Urban Fantasy mixed in; but the basics boil down to the courtship and romance between Carla and Taye. He knows that she is his mate, but she needs some convincing to understand this new world she has found herself in and where she fits now that everything she knew is gone. There were so many questions in my mind about what happened and how it came to be, that I immediately dived into book 2, Wolf's Glory to find out more.

This is not the future Carla had dreamed of. A plane crash has landed her more than fifty years in the future! Fifty years after Armageddon. Civilization destroyed. Technology gone. Raging plagues. A world she doesn’t understand and where she has no place. Now she finds herself the prize in a battle where the winner takes her as his bride. This is definitely not the future Carla had planned!

Rising country music star Carla boards a plane in the year 2014. But it crashes in the future, fifty years after Armageddon has destroyed technology and plagues have reduced the female population to a precious few. She finds herself offered as prize in a Bride Fight, where only the strongest and fiercest men are allowed to compete to win a wife. Alpha werewolf Taye knows Carla is his mate. He wins the Bride Fight and takes her to his den, ready to give her everything, even his heart. Will Carla ever be ready to give him anything?

 

Unrealistic, I wasn't particulary attached to any of the characters. A quick shifter futuristic and free read, but I feel a little numb toward this one. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. Do I make sense ? Mmh, not really. I'm sure some people enjoyed reading this.

This book is a tough one to call. It is the fourth book in the series, which I have really enjoyed, but it just wasn't my favorite. The concept and supporting characters are still fantastic, the issue is with the leads in this book.

Lisa is more than a touch shallow and pampered. She is really very sweet but the whining is annoying at times. I do give her props for working hard and trying to make the situation work, but she needs a lot of patience to get to that growth point.

Her new husband Eddie seems like a big jerk most of the time and a real sweet heart others. He can be really hurtful at times with his words and super jealous. He is also rather inexperienced with women and it shows in the relationship.

The book is mostly from the POV of the two leads, swapping the narrative back and forth. It is always a smooth transition. There were a couple spots where supporting characters had control, I wished for more of those.

The story really dragged because I did not like the leads, They were both very immature most of the time and I was ready to throw in the towel more than once. I am glad I stuck with it, because they both had growth in the end. It was just a long road getting there. By the end I had warmed up to them and even got emotional a couple times.

The steam is really delicious. It starts off awkward, he needed a bit of instruction on pleasing his lady. After the first night things are very smexy!! Plenty of yummy details to keep things hot and heavy. Eddie never quite gets as Alpha in the bedroom as the wolves, but he certainly steams things up when he gets the hang of it!

I listened to the audiobooks narrated by Clementine Cage, who really helps pull things together. She does a wonderful job with all the voices, keeping them consistent throughout. Her steady pace in the read helped keep me listening when I was wary in the beginning. The energy in the smexy scenes is delightful. She is given a difficult task as both leads are a touch whiny, thankfully she took the challenge and minimized the effect with her great tones.

Overall, I pushed on and was happy to have finished the story. From interactions with these characters in the earlier books I feared I would not like this book. Thankfully the supporting cast does a great job of keeping me engaged and moving the story along. I am pleased that I finished the book, it filled in more holes in the overall exposition of the series. There are details that give a fuller picture of the post Apocalypse landscape.

I am eager to read the next couple books, I wish they were all on audio, but that takes time! The fist novella is a freebie on Amazon, so that is a nice bonus!

Book three in the series takes a darker turn, this heroine did not have a good experience leaving the plane to seek help. This is not a book for somebody with triggers to read, it isn't detailed but there is enough to cause concern. It is all key to the events of the book and true to the story.

Tami is a strong woman who has a serious will to survive. You can not help but admire her while she struggles to stay free in the beginning of the book. I really liked that Ms Barone did not skip over the healing stages for the character. She did not have her jumping straight in bed with the hero after the horrors she experienced. There is a real progression from the victim fighting to survive to the woman coming to terms and finally finding her self again.

I loved the hero Tracker, he was patient with his mate when she needed space. He was supremely understanding of her feelings and lent support quietly. It was really interesting seeing him walk the line from wanting to be with his mate and not wanting to scare her.

I really enjoyed the story this time, it had real meat on it and took on many hard topics. Don't get me wrong there is some smexy action later in the story, but this is more about relationship building. I loved seeing more of the supporting characters and their growth.

The narrative is mostly from the two leads POVs, alternating smoothly from section to section. It is great for giving a fuller picture of events and helps you understand their feelings. There are a couple spots where you get other character's POV, it wasn't integral to the story but nice to see.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Clementine Cage, who does a great job. She has been with the series from the start and had time to develop character voices. I did think Tami's voice was a bit too deep and butch sounding, but then there were times when it sounded fine. She has a wonderful way of creating movement and adding energy to scenes.

Overall, I am thrilled with this series and eager to see what happens with all the other couples. I wish the other novellas were in audio. This series is a unique look at the post Apocalypse genre. I do wish there were a touch more detail about what happened in the Apocalypse and the extent of the damage. At this point I am left wondering was it just in the USA or all over. A little more exposition would be great.