While all the Chanku books have a lot of sex, I really liked that there was much more story intermingled with the sex
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The Chanku are a mighty people who have the ability to transform into various animals. Most, however, prefer eventually transmute into the wolf form. Some still use the magic - look for a tree in the forest with powers beyond the normal - to capture their energy and thus mutate more rapidly.

Lily is a Chanku circulating freely among humans. Beloved, charismatic and beautiful, she is admired wherever she goes. Her Chanku senses are also strong and she manages to capture whether a person is trustworthy or not. That's her biggest question whens he meets Sebastian ...

Sebastian didnt have an easy life. Only at his mother's death he came to know who his father was. Now, known as the son of the powerful Aldo Xenakis, Sebastian is in the spotlight.

When they met each other at a party, Sebastian and Lily can't hide their attraction. The point is: women have been raped and killed in the city and every time it happens Sebastian seems to have been there. How to trust a man full of secrets? Which one Lily should listen: the evidences or her heart?

I confess I didnt know this author. She is well known in the Erotic-Fantasy Literature. Her series are most about wolves/werewolves. But there are also contemporary novels. Her plots are intricade and full of mystery and action. Of course, a big dose of eroticism.
When you read one of her books, you wanna read all of them. Her characters are strong - and so the feeling you have about them. Certainly this is a series that appeals in full to fans of this kind of literature. ( )

Sebastian Xenakis is a powerful wizard with the ability to shapeshift. Lily Cheval is Chanku, a shapeshifter who favors the wolf form. Lily and Sebastian meet at a function at the Museum of Modern Art. They have an instant connection, but something is wrong and neither Sebastian nor Lily knows what’s going on. When young women are being raped and murdered, Lily suspects Sebastian, Sebastian suspects his father and the public suspect the Chanku. Who is really responsible?

Having never read the first Wolf Tale series I had no knowledge of the characters in this book or of the Chanku world. That wouldn’t bother most people, but for me it was a bit like torture, so now I’m on a quest to find all of the Wolf Tales stories, so I can read for myself the backgrounds on how all of these couples came to be, well, couples.

The plot flows quickly and the world and characters are interesting. The writing was decent, but there was a bit too much repetition. I got a little tired of hearing how Alex and Lily weren’t meant to be mates. It was discussed ad nauseum. I got it the first time. The characters wouldn’t shut up, either out loud or in their head, about how much they loved each other and how devoted they’d be to each other. I grasped it the first time it was mentioned and it was tiresome after the third or fourth time.

Ok, having said that, I did actually enjoy the story. And can I say how much I loved the sex scenes? Smoking hot! *fans self* I’m off to find those Wolf Tales stories now. I have this need to see if they’re all as hot.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog. ( )

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

The hotness factor of this book is undeniable; I’d even go so far as to describe it as a full out werewolf orgy. There’s everything from M/M, F/F, MMFF and even furry sex! As spicy as Dark Wolf is on the romp front, I found that all of the humping was distracting and took away from the overall plot. As a result, I struggled to connect with the main couple and found the story to be repetitive at times.

Werewolves and sex go hand-in-hand in my opinion; they’re animals after all and what instinct is more primal than the one to procreate? I liked the way that Douglas weaved the love scenes into the main plot by having the pack’s power stem from physical and emotional intimacy. I also enjoyed her more liberal point of view on relationships; monogamy isn’t unheard of among the Chanku but even the mated couples invite other wolves into their bed from time to time. However, Kate lost me a little by going back-and-forth between werewolf orgies and fated partners. I felt that having both in the same book was a conflict and wish that she’s focused on one or the other.

The chemistry between Lily and Sebastian was practically non-existent; Miss Cheval is obviously a very strong alpha female but unfortunately Xenakis failed to compete with her in the strength department. As much as I enjoy kickass heroines, I love my sexy alpha males more and Sebastian did not fit the bill. Lily walks all over him throughout this book; she basically has his balls in a noose. They did not complement each other well at all; in fact, I actually enjoyed the romance between Alex and Annie more which I found odd considering that they are only secondary characters. At one point their relationship takes over the story for a few chapters; this was both a good and a bad thing. Good because their chemistry is sizzling but bad because it kind of derailed the main plot some.

I didn’t like the insta-love between Lily and Sebastian; it’s also probably partially to blame for their lack of chemistry. I felt like Douglas could have spent a bit more time developing their relationship before they knocked boots, especially considering he tried to rape her the first time they met! As hot and as prevalent as the sex scenes are; they were too repetitive and frequent for my tastes. There are countless words available to describe female/male body parts but Douglas only makes use of a select few. When you’re describing a romp session practically every sentence has “peen” in it but using the same term over and over again causes the scene to read more like an anatomy lesson than erotica. The timing of some of the horizontal dances was off too; at one point Lily and Sebastian are racing towards the final showdown but stop to officially seal their mate bond in the bush. How… unromantic!

Dark Wolf is a steamy read but with very little substance; I would recommend this book only to hardcore werewolf fanatics who have a strong taste for erotica. ( )

Can there be too much sex in erotica? For me this book had a little too much. There were many types too. We had mf, ff, mmf, mmff and wolf form. (Sorry I don’t know the correct terminology used for that form of partnering) That was a big negative for me, the 2 sex scenes one with Alex and Annie and then later Lily and Sebastian when they were in wolf form I had to just skip them they are not for me. I figured they would show up from the one scene at the beginning of the book. I knew so I was a little prepared when they happened I just skipped them. The storyline is good but I think the sex is a little over done and� Lily and Sebastian didn't come across as the focal point either even though they are the main characters there were so many side stories going on they kind of got lost in all of it.. My biggest plus in the book was Lily being the alpha! Doing what she wants and you either do it her way or you did it her way! It was nice to read a book where the lead female character didn’t sit around waiting for Mr. Right to make up his mind. Sebastian on the other hand came across nice but not alpha material IMO. I just could not picture this great alpha the author was trying to make him. He was 39 year old with father issues. This book was ok I just don’t think I will continue on with the series not really my type of Paranormal erotica. ( )