Book Review: Wolf’s Tender by Gem Sivad

Title: Wolf’s Tender
Series: Eclipse Heat, Book 3
Author: Gem Sivad
Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: March 2013 by Ellora’s Cave

Charlie Wolf is half Kiowa, all bounty hunter and a no-nonsense man—until he meets a schoolteacher with cornflower-blue eyes. After marauding outlaws attack Naomi’s school and kidnap her students, she’s desperate and will do anything to rescue them, even seduce the best tracker in Texas to secure his help.

Naomi offers one night of sexual favors, underestimating the power of Charlie’s predatory charm and his determination to claim her as his mate. She’s impatient with his decisions, questions his authority and generally ignores his warnings. But she melts in Charlie’s arms when he makes love to her.

Blood is spilled, past murder avenged, desperadoes captured and lust assuaged as the two set out to rescue Naomi’s young ladies.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Very good Western with a quick plot and surprisingly intimate romance in more ways than just the sexual.

The Set Up: Charlie Wolf is half-Kiowa and used to people’s prejudice so when schoolteacher Naomi approaches him for help, he braces himself. Naomi overhears that Charlie is the best tracker in the West and she intends to hire him to find her kidnapped students even though she doesn’t have any money. When Charlie offers a trade in eroticism for his tracking skills, it’s a bargain Naomi leaps at.

Why I Read this Book: Western historicals are my first romance loves and every once in a while I return to them.

What I Liked: This has all the elements of a traditional romance but being an Ellora’s Cave book, I knew it would be erotic, which I like. What I didn’t expect is the emotional intensity. Naomi and Charlie are both loners at heart and they slowly open up to each other and this elevated the romance for me. Charlie especially surprised me in his acceptance of his feelings for Naomi and willingness to embrace the changes she brings in his life. Naomi isn’t quite so ready to accept a relationship with Charlie but only because of her fear of him leaving her. I really enjoyed the intense romance with its balance of sexual and emotional. The charming thing too is the humor and gentle teasing between Charlie and Naomi. They share a love of teasing each other that added great levity to the entire book.

What I Also Liked: The plot involving the kidnapped students is an oldie in the genre but it has a good spin on it. The students are early teens and have a part in their own rescue that I really liked. This entire book has a gentle message of female empowerment that appealed to me greatly, especially since it was in a historical Western that normally features damsels in distress.

The plot itself is fast paced and kept my attention. This is the Old West so the badies are super bad and the good guys are good with big dicks—what’s not to like?

I liked the secondary characters as well in this book. Charlie’s cousins and fellow bounty hunters better have their own stories. Naomi’s students were a perfect mix of childish and mature, as is true of teenagers, and I liked their inclusion in the book a lot as well.

What I Didn’t Like: There was a small side story about Naomi and her sister that wrapped up too neatly. I wish the author hadn’t glossed over this relationship, especially since it played such a large role in defining who Naomi is and her fear of being left behind.

IMO: This is a good read with a well balance erotic romance that I enjoyed. This is a perfect example of why I return to the Western historical romance every once in a while.

J9’s Rating: