Lone Wolf (compilation)

Lone Wolf
by Diana Palmer, Kate Pearce, and Rebecca Zanetti
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Zebra              
Number of Pages: 416
Kindle Edition
Source:  ARC from Net Galley
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating:  R
Read 4/11/21 to 4/12/21

Loyal as a wolf—and just as strong and untamed—three solitary heroes are about to meet their perfect partners, in this thrilling collection from a trio of New York Times bestselling authors…

COLORADO COWBOY by DIANA PALMER
Fleeing her mother’s killer, Esther Marist ends up at a rugged stranger’s cabin. A wildlife rehabilitator with a menagerie that includes an elderly wolf, Matthews isn’t the type to turn any creature away. As Esther heals, she realizes how much danger she’s brought to his door—and how far he’ll go to protect her.

THE WOLF ON HER DOORSTEP by KATE PEARCE
Beth Baker senses her grumpy summer tenant must be in trouble when his pet wolf shows up at her door, demanding she follow. Conner O’Neil, solitary and stubborn, doesn’t want Beth’s help—but only he can show her how to trust again.

RESCUE: COWBOY STYLE by REBECCA ZANETTI
Trent Logan has his ranch, his friends, and his wolf, and that’s more than enough—until a shivering city girl runs into the Cattle Club to escape a Wyoming storm. Her eyes hold a world of secrets, and he’ll have to face the demons of his own past in order to save them both.

I’m going to be straight up harshly honest here. I didn’t read Diana Palmer’s contribution to this compilation. Kate Pearce and Rebecca Zanetti are two of my go-to favorite authors. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read their stories when I came across this title on NetGalley. But I have had absolutely no luck with Diana Palmer’s books in the past. I mentioned that in my review of Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy just last fall. I also reminded myself by re-reading that review that I do not want to continue to read her work. It’s not fair to me or her. I know I’m not going to have a good experience, why should I subject myself to that or her to the bad review I’m ultimately going to give. So, to follow is my review of only two of the three stories in this book. But those stories alone make this book worth picking up. I promise.

The Wolf on Her Doorstep
(Morgan Valley Novella)
by Kate Pearce

Kate Pearce really does a good job with short and sweet stories. Like the story she included in the Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy anthology, this story takes place in Morgantown and involves the sister of the hero of that previous story. Beth is years past an abusive relationship, living her life as a single mom to two late-teen boys. While they’re both college age, she still feels reluctant to let go because of their pasts with her ex. She’s also not interested in any type of new relationship. Connor is pretty reclusive and quite grumpy, but he has to interact with Beth on occasion. When this story starts, Connor isn’t doing so well and his savior happens to be Beth, the ray of sunshine he has been trying not to think about.

Beth and Connor have great chemistry. The way they end up coming together is really sweet and empowering. While I appreciate the story of Beth’s younger son and the turmoil he’s going through in regards to his dad, and I loved the way Connor handled the situation, I really wanted more of Beth and Connor one on one. I felt this story would have been really amazing if it could have been longer and not part of a novella collection. I still really enjoyed all of the characters and connections, I just felt it was a bit rushed for what the story was. ~4 stars

Rescue: Cowboy Style
by Rebecca Zanetti

As far as I can tell, this short story is not directly connected to any of this author’s other series. Which makes me hope that it will be an introductory novella for a new series. I love the concept and the cast of characters.

Things move quickly in this story, as is normal in a story of this length. There is definitely insta-love, but it was really sweet at the same time. Trent and Hallie have an instant connection. While Trent doesn’t seem to question that, Hallie does at least try to proceed with caution. And while she makes a bit of a boneheaded decision at one point in this story, I almost can’t blame her due to the speed in which she has let herself trust Trent and his brothers.

I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll keep this brief. I just know that Trent and the rest of the cattleman intrigue me and, knowing how Ms. Zanetti can spin a tale, I cannot wait to see what could be in store for this small town. ~4 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**