Review: Her Lone Wolf by Paige Tyler (X-Ops #2)

Her Lone Wolf (X-Ops #2)
Paige Tyler
Published: Nov. 4, 2014 (Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amanda

Rating (out of 5): 2.5 stars

Two years ago, FBI Agent Danica Beckett walked away from the love of her life. Now she’s forced to team up with him when the Department of Covert Operations (DCO) sends him to help out with a case. A murderer is on the loose, and the markings found on the bodies are strangely animal like. Danica’s got a sneaking suspicion as to why it looks like the victims have been in a wrestling matching with a mountain lion.

DCO Agent Clayne Buchanan thought he’d never get to see Danica again. He’s not sure he even wants to. The first woman to ever really get him, to calm him, to make him a better agent and a better man dumped him in a brutal manner, and he hasn’t gotten over her. Being forced to work with her must be some sort of cosmic joke.

They always worked well together, though, and time hasn’t changed that. Soon they fall into old patterns—in more ways than one. But as they close in on the killer, the danger increases. The Hunter’s shifted his focus, and he’s got Clayne and Danica in his sights.

Her Lone Wolf fell flat for me as a romance. I couldn’t connect with either Danica or Clayne and there was something about their chemistry that felt forced. There was a surprising amount of angst over the death of their previous relationship on both parts. While normally that wouldn’t bother me, it did this time, because it became very repetitive. Clayne was the more interesting of the two. I liked that, despite being an uber-alpha male, he was more hurt than angry over losing Danica. It softened him somewhat, and that was necessary, because he’s got a bit of an anger management problem.

I found myself more intrigued by the hunt for the murderer, whom the media has dubbed The Hunter, but even that didn’t quite hit the mark. While the rest of the task force was busy running in circles, Danica, Clayne, and Danica’s partner Tony came up with creative solutions and teased out slim leads that had big payoffs. The procedural stuff was tight and well paced, with enough red herrings and twists to keep me turning pages. I was hooked right up to the showdown with The Hunter—and then it just unraveled from there. At the end, I felt cheated.

Paige Tyler’s take on shifters is interesting, though. It took me a while to figure out, but they don’t actually shift all the way into animal form. The image I got was one of Michael (Scott Speedman) from Underworld: human but with definite wolf-like features. And there’s a very Underworld-esque subplot that made me curious.

Unfortunately, not curious enough to want to read the next book, or go back and read the first one. Her Lone Wolf falls solidly into the “I wanted to like it”category, and I wish it had been better executed.

Sexual content: graphic sex