Unleashed & Hot Blooded [Wolf Spring Chronicles 1 & 2] - Nancy Holder - 4*

Unleashed &

Hot Blooded

[Wolf Spring Chronicles 1 & 2]

Nancy Holder

****

No Spoilers

I picked up Unleashed from the Library, having seen it many times and always picking it up and debating; well I decided I would give it a go. Getting into the whole 'werewolf' scene, I'm deciding I quite actually them it.

Unleashed starts off quite well, we are introduced to Katelyn McBride. A wannabe gymnast and dancer. Tragedy strikes early on and she has to move to Wolf Springs to live with her grandfather on her deceased father's side. Once in the back woodlands of the desolate town, she decides that she wants out -- the red neck style, the woods, it doesn't appeal to her. But when the hot, mysterious Trick arrives on her doorstep (a friend of her grandfather's and her own chaperone to and from school) she decides that maybe Wolf Springs isn't that bad.

Katelyn causes a stir, with a recent classmate's death being the only topic talked about, her appearance as the city girl causes everyone to start talking. She befriends Cordelia, which in itself starts a chain of strange events. And they aren't just because of Trick and Cordelia's hate for one another. More deaths start happening and they are all certain it is down to the visiting author and 'celebrity' who is unleashing the 'inner wolf'' in city dwellers and the like. Everything in Kat's new life starts to get turned upside down when Cordelia's cousin turns up.

Trick really made this book for me -- gorgeous, mysterious and sweet and charming. I was wanting him and Kat to get together from the get go. He was protective and lovely, a real darlin'. When we were introduced to Jason, Cordelia's cousin, my hackles rose. He is a douchebag, a huge waste of space in my opinion. And I couldn't even see where Kat was coming from with her attraction to him -- sure he was good looking and a real bad by with a motorcycle, but seriously, he was a complete ass. Nancy Holder could have used a better male character for her strange love triangle.

This book did capture me, in a way only good books do; from the first page until the last, I wanted to know what happens. I wanted to know more about the mysterious Trick, and the deaths of school teens and just who was doing it. I wanted to know more about Kat's past and her grandfather's.

Which is why, when I turned the last page, I took it back to the Library and found it's sequel.

* * *

Hot Blooded continues with the life-changing events that occurred in Unleashed. Kat has changed, in more ways than one. I was disappointed that early on there was hardly any scenes with Trick. He was my favourite character, his quirky banter, his music, just him. He made it for me, and my dislike for Jason was just fueled more in Hot Blooded. He is still an absolute ass, but added ten fold. We see little of Cordelia but that is to be expected. She seems so much more annoying in this book, I hated the scenes with her.

Thankfully, we see more of Trick and his and Kat's blossoming 'relationship', which runs hot and cold all the time on her part, mainly because of Jason and his strange hold on her and her 'change' of behaviour.

These two books would have gotten five stars each, but it not for the fact that I disliked a few of the 'main' characters and Nancy's holding back on details that I think really would have gripped you even more, more details about Trick, Kat, her grandfather and Wolf Spring's history would have enlightened a lot of people and caught even more of their attention, which I found started to drift in the sequel. I quite enjoyed the Hellhound element, that was different and left me wanting to know more about it and where it came from and just who it is.

Four stars I think is fair. Most of them for Trick's awesomeness and Kat's growing persona -- even if her taste for men who are taken and absolutely douchebag-y made me shout at her many times.

These two books I definitely recommend for lovers of werewolf books, they are set in a high school scene, in the woodlands of Ozark. Reminding me of Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver series, I think that is why it captured me. Nonetheless, a good story in it's own right, good characters and a lovely setting.

I wish the Library had the third and final book, I just have to settle with hunting it down to buy. The series has drawn me in that much, I want to know whether Kat and Trick actually get together. I love that guy!