CHRISTMAS WOLF SURPRISE is the third book in Terry Spear’s Red Wolf series. Set in the Pacific Northwest, humans play a big part in this story. In previous books in this Red Wolf series, humans were mainly the bad guys. In CHRISTMAS WOLF SURPRISE, the danger does come from humans, but the heroine is a human who accidentally turned into a werewolf. Through everything that is thrown his way, Red wolf shifter Maverick Wilding is just a good guy trying to do the right thing, protect his family, and woo the woman of his dreams. Sigh.

When Maverick accidentally turns Gina Hutton into a wolf shifter like him, he tries to make amends, and guide her in this new world, without pushing too hard. Gina has her moments of understandable panic, but for the most part, she’s pragmatic and handles her new reality well. Some shenanigans by a competing local business has Gina working with Maverick and helping to create an emotional bond between them. Things are slightly complicated because Gina has family to think of and choices to make concerning them. It’s sweet how Gina’s family is embraced by this hero, and they become his family. I like how Maverick and the pack try to give Gina as many options as realistically possible. Rather than some shifter romances by other authors, Maverick tries to ease his potential lady love into a new world rather than make demands and annoy or frighten her. Gina is slow to shift into her new wolf form except while sleepwalking. It’s a little frustrating for her, but Maverick takes extra care to make sure she’s prepared for any eventuality and is always thinking of ways to make her life better. The “villains” in this story have varying degrees of “badness” ranging from mildly obnoxious to potentially deadly.  Terry Spear does a wonderful job of lulling the reader into a false sense of security with goofy quests to see Bigfoot and wolfy flirtations, but the danger is intense when it manifests itself.

With CHRISTMAS WOLF SURPRISE, Terry Spear proves she writes some of the sexiest nice guy heroes in Romancelandia. Although this is a paranormal romance, CHRISTMAS WOLF SURPRISE is very much a story about family dynamics and will appeal to romance fans who appreciate stories about a sweet hero trying to merge his life with that of the woman he loves. This story has all the feels. The llama drama was a cute touch. I look forward to reading the next installment in this Red Wolf series.

Book Summary