Claiming the Land

As a paranormal Western, this book had my attention. If you assume that werewolves exist, it makes sense for them to have lived in the “wild” parts of the US – much like Native Americans - before Europeans started moving across the continent to claim the land. And the wolves in this story are much like Native Americans: they live in harmony with nature, they don’t own land, they respect each other’s needs and packs, and they don’t have any real defense against guns and the human’s territorial ideas. So when a group of humans who have claimed the land legally comes along to make a living raising cattle, the wolves don’t understand, nor do they like them intruding on their privacy. But when a second group of humans comes show more along and is apparently intent on taking the same piece of land by force, the wolves begin to figure out that not all humans are the same.

Elijah and his family are the ones who have a legal claim to the land, and while they know that wolves have followed them for a while and are watching them, they are not sure why they don’t attack. Elijah is the one who begins to figure it out, he is the one most open to communicating with the wolves – especially Armand, and in the end, Elijah takes the lead in making a deal so they can all live in peace.

Armand has been watching the groups of humans, trying to figure out what makes them tick. And why they are so different from wolves. He can take human form, but he much prefers to be a wolf. When his elders tell him of their plan for a deal, Armand as no choice but to take human form more often, so he can talk to Elijah and get him to cooperate. I loved how Armand’s approach to human customs was so different, how he has trouble with having to wear clothes, and how his growing bond with Elijah becomes more and more important as they get to know and trust each other.

If you like Westerns with a paranormal touch, if you want to see how “man meets wolf” might have happened in Colorado before it even became a territory in 1861, and if you’re looking for a read about cross-cultural issues of building trust before beginning a closer relationship, then you might like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Extasy Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less