The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare (Guest Blog, Giveaway and Review)

Lydia Dare Guest Blog, Author of The Taming of the Wolf

There are two of us who make up the writing team of Lydia Dare, and as we sit on the cusp of our latest Regency Werewolf romance, The Taming of the Wolf, it seems only fitting for us to look back at where we began in this journey. Initially, we wanted to merge the paranormal world Tammy was writing about with the Regency era Jodie was writing about into one unique world. In doing so, we tossed around several ideas about various paranormal creatures and who we thought might be a good fit for the time period. Aristocratic wolves were born, and earlier this year we were thrilled with our debut Westfield Wolves trilogy – A Certain Wolfish Charm; Tall, Dark and Wolfish and The Wolf Next Door.


Four books later, we’re still writing about Regency Lycans, or werewolves, if you will. (But don’t say the “w” word around Simon, the oldest of the three Westfield brothers. It’s a bit of a slur and he’s been known to have a temper.) From the beginning, Aristocratic Lycans worked rather well with our plans. After all, the Regency gentleman has a reputation for being quite a rake. He’s powerful and commanding, and he is often growly and dark. So, casting a Regency nobleman as a Lycan seemed to be a perfect fit in blending our two worlds into one.


Of course, our Lycans only walk on four feet one day of the month, when the moon is full. The rest of the time, they live in polite society and no one is aware of their predisposition to grow a snout and fur. It’s a well-kept secret, who they are. But, as the moon waxes, their inner beasts come to the forefront. They get a little more lusty, a little more surly and they feel the need to take a mate as their very own. So, integrating a wolfish demeanor with a Regency gentleman is fairly easy and quite believable, and we had a lot of fun putting the traits of both beasts into one man.


With a Lycan’s exaggerated sense of smell, he can sense changes in people just by the way their bodies respond. He can smell fear, aggression, lust, and other body-changing emotions, but he can’t smell or hear love. Here, our heroes are completely in the dark. With their heightened sense of hearing, they are clued into subtle yet definable changes in someone’s heartbeat. He can hear insistent thrum of someone’s pulse when they’re excited, and he can hear the galloping beat of the heart when someone is afraid. Yet he has no way to differentiate between the various emotions. (Even Lycan men are clueless, at times…).


Keeping in mind the five senses --- Sight, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, if you could have one sense that could be amplified, which would you prefer? Why?

Contest Time:  Answer the above question and leave your response along with your email addy to be entered to win one of two copies of The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare.  Open to US and Canada only.  Thanks to Sourcebooks for this great contest.

THE TAMING OF THE WOLF BY LYDIA DARE—IN STORES NOVEMBER 2010

A fresh and imaginative world of noble werewolves, each of whom encounters nearly insurmountable problems in his quest to live a normal life among England’s Regency society.

Dashiel Thorpe has grown up with the sobriquet “The monster of Eynsford.” Each full moon, when he turns into a wild beast, he has been chained to the wall to protect those around him. He has never before encountered a creature like himself, until he goes to visit his university friend and encounters a family of Lycans living just next door.

When the full moon turns the pack of them into wolves, Dashiel’s feral ways bring him to near-disaster, and when he bites Caitrin McLeod he unknowingly sets off a chain of events that could lead to his ultimate destruction.

Banished to Scotland to find a mentor and get trained in how to be a proper werewolf, Dashiel must also find Caitrin and persuade her that she’s his only chance for salvation…

About the Author

Lydia Dare is the writing team of Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson. Both Tammy and Jodie are active members of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and live near Raleigh, North Carolina. They are working together on their next paranormal historical trilogy as Lydia Dare, which will be released by Sourcebooks Casablanca in 2011! For more information, please visit http://www.lydiadare.com/.

(Terra's Thoughts)  The Taming of the Wolf was a joy that I have patiently awaited and ever so glad it's finally here.  If you've enjoyed the previous books by Lydia Dare then this will not disappoint.  It's like coming home to a family reunion when a series of books comes as these have with characters you love, hate and love to hate.  LOL!

Caitrin Macleod is our heroine in this installment and oh my she is a fiery feisty Scot.  Having the power to for tell the future is a gift but unfortunately she doesn't see it that way for it can be a mighty curse when so many people are flooding your head at once when outside ones home.  She finds temporary relief in the least expected of areas and although it is a relief could it possibly be worth the cost?

Dashiel Thorpe, Earl of Brimsworth, has a bad habit of finding himself in bad situations.  He's under guard for his own safety when trouble comes to find him.  It's the full moon and oh how he wants to change into his alter form but alas it's not to be.  Even though he can't change doesn't keep him from sinking his teeth in for just a little nibble that will set off a chain of events that will test his wild nature to it's breaking point.  Who ever said that one taste would be enough!  :)

Our characters go from England to Scotland testing each others will and patience.  The friction is so electric that you can't help but feel as though your fingers are tingling as you turn each and every page.  Caitrin and Dashiel so different in so many ways but are truly both cut from the same cloth and oh what a weave that cloth is.

I tell you that I feel like this series is part of my family and each time I read about another hero and heroine I feel like it should involve me personally.  I love to sink my teeth in and enjoy something so light and enjoyable that it makes reality worth dealing with inbetween.

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (November 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402244371
ISBN-13: 978-1402244377