Spell of the Werewolf is the first book I’ve read by J.R. Loveless and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I’m rating it at 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 but I did have a few issues with it.

First off, I thought the story was very good. It was a different take on werewolves from what I’ve read before and I think it had a lot of potential. The blurb tells us that Vincent is a hybrid but that wasn’t explored much and not even explained until near the end of the story. I would’ve like to read more about that.

Justin’s plight, and his mission, is pretty well explained. We know what happened to him and why he does what he does. It takes a bit of persuading, but Vincent eventually allows Justin to join him in hunting werewolves; something that Justin has been doing on his own for many years.

Not too far into the story (about 15%) there is a big fight between Justin and Vincent – in a public park. Even if it was dark, I think it was a bit far-fetched to believe that no one would hear. I am perfectly willing to suspend belief when reading fiction – this is a werewolf story after all – but little things like this scene kind of bother me.

Another little thing… silver is bad for werewolves – enough of it can kill them in this story – and yet Justin buys Vincent a pair of silver earrings???

The story ends too abruptly for me. Yes, it’s a novella (btw, I love that length of book) but I’m a bit reluctant to even call it an HFN. There is one huge element of the story that remains unresolved and yet I wouldn’t quite call the story a cliffhanger. If I knew for sure that this was the beginning of a series, I’d be fine with how it ended but I can’t find anything to confirm or deny that it is.

I know this review comes off a bit negative and, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering why I rounded my 3.5 stars up to 4 instead of down to 3. Well, the reason is that I couldn’t put this down once I started reading it. So, despite the somewhat negative comments I’ve made, I thought this was a really good story – so different from others I’ve read – and I really want the author to write more in this world. I think Justin and Vincent could have a lot of great adventures together.

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“Because you are so closed-minded you can’t see anything but what you want to see. Justin is a good person. He didn’t ask to be what he is. We can still find the one who bit him!”

Vincent laughed, a clear cynical sound behind it. “If he can find the one who made him. The number of werewolves grows every day. It’ll be impossible. So, no. He has to die!”

Justin had heard enough. He stepped forward and called, “Vincent.”

Vincent whipped his head around and smiled, harsh and bitter. “So you decided to show. This human means that much to you?”

“Let her go,” Justin snarled, ignoring Vincent’s question. “Then we can fight.”

“I’ll let her go… once you’re dead.”

Justin pulled the sword from his back and moved into the light shining from the fountain. “Let’s do it then.”

“Ah, so the little boy went and got himself a big knife, did he? Do you even know how to use it?” Vincent taunted him.

He did an expert twist of his wrist, sending the blade of the sword spinning around him. Vincent’s eyes narrowed just before he attacked. Their blades clashed against one another as they fought; their movements almost an elegant dance between them. “So you’ve had some training, kid? It’s not enough to save your ass.”

Vincent thrust at him, but Justin cut up with his sword and sent Vincent’s flying into the air. The blade clattered against the ground, landing a few feet from them. Before Justin could strike at him again, Vincent leapt backward, grabbed his sword, and flipped, landing several yards away from Justin. Justin knew it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

Circling one another, their swords glinted in the moonlight. Justin narrowed his eyes while he waited for Vincent to make the first move. Too impatient to wait for Justin to make his move, Vincent went to strike once more. Justin blocked the blow and attempted a return hit, but Vincent was too fast, crashing his sword into Justin’s. Swords crossed at the blade, Justin thrust upward and managed to nick Vincent’s cheek. Vincent cursed, jumped backward, and touched the small cut. His fingers were dark with a smear of blood when he dropped his hand from his cheek. Justin smiled mockingly at him. “Aw. Did I cut you?”

Vincent curled his lip into a snarl and rushed toward Justin with his sword raised. The fight continued for some time, and eventually they stood facing one another, panting for breath. Justin could see Vincent’s anger reflecting outward from bright violet eyes. He’d never met another person with eyes the shade of amethyst. If he were honest with himself, Vincent would have caught his attention many years ago. The broad shoulders, gorgeous white hair, high cheekbones, and obvious strength rang all of Justin’s bells. Of course, the idea of Vincent ever having an interest in him caused Justin to snort.

The sound set off the next chain of events, flaming Vincent’s rage even higher, or so Justin figured when Vincent struck harder than before. They circled each other. Vincent took the next chance to slice at Justin, but Justin grabbed his wrist and wrenched him forward and over his shoulder, sending Vincent’s sword across the ground to Kara’s feet with a clatter of metal on the cement. Justin immediately pinned Vincent underneath him. Breathing heavily, Justin sat there atop Vincent for several seconds without a word, trying to catch his breath.

“I don’t want to kill you,” Justin rasped.

Vincent looked up at him in skepticism. “Why?” Vincent demanded.

Justin retained eye contact with him. “Because I don’t like hurting someone who hates those monsters just as much as I do.”

Vincent seemed to contemplate Justin’s words, and then something seemed to click inside Vincent. The fight left his body. Justin became aware of Vincent’s hard body against his, their suggestive position, and what it could have meant in another world. Flushing, Justin stood and held his hand out to Vincent, who studied him for several heartbeats before allowing Justin’s help up from the ground. Justin rushed to Kara’s side to untie her hands and massaged them to bring the feeling back into them.

“Don’t think this means I trust you, wolf,” Vincent growled as he retrieved his sword. “If you even so much as look at a human in the wrong way, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

The sound of his sword bottoming out in its sheath punctuated his promise.

Kara glanced at him and snapped, “How do we know we can trust you?”

“You don’t.” Without another word, he strode off into the darkness.