The Doctor's Wolf started out on Ream as a serial. Now author Alexa Piper has released the story in novel format.
From the blurb:
Gordon is a nerdy forensic pathologist who enjoys talking to the corpses in the morgue. Oh, and he’s a vampire. The corpses—and his lab assistants—have been enough for Gordon for a very long time, but every now and then, Gordon wonders what he might find if he ventured outside his comfort zone.
Adler considers himself a pretty normal homicide detective, except of course he turns into a wolf once a month. He can trust his instincts, and they tell him that nerdy, vampiric, and smart is what he needs, both in wolf and human form. The only question is, how to win the heart of a doctor who mostly talks to corpses?
Can those two make it work in a world that has gotten used to vampires and werewolves, but maybe not so much to one of each dating? They will have to figure that out while working together to solve a string of copycat murders and keep their city safe.
The Doctor's Wolf takes you along to murder scenes, so there is blood and violence. Domestic abuse is discussed.
Jacquie's Review:
Alexa's world-building is great in this. In a world where the supernatural live alongside humans, Adler is a detective with the police and Gordon works for the Forum, the entity that covers supernatural matters. They cross paths on a murder investigation.
Maxim, a hunter who I adore FYI, sets them up, and though it's a bit rocky at first, once they agree to have a date, it's just sweetness.
One of my favorite things is characters who communicate, even when it's hard, and these two certainly do that. I loved their connection. It's very much a slow burn in terms of heat, but once they get there, it's fantastic.
The Doctor's Wolf is very much a HFN and though it was initially a serial, I didn't feel that with reading the book. It had a cohesive plot and didn't give me the episodic feel.
I'm looking forward to part 2 for more of Gordon, Adler, and Maxim. I hope Maxim gets his own love interest. His interactions with his son are hilarious.
I want to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. It is so nice to see Alexa write in a slightly different style than their Phoenix Immortal series. While this one does have vampires too, the scenery, world building, and the characters themselves are completely different than those in that series. I love when an author can show variety with their writing, and when they are able to create new worlds with exciting new characters that are unique and fresh. That's what Alexa did here with Gordon and Adler.
This story started off a bit slow for me, there was quite a lot of back and forth between the two MC's which got a bit redundant after a while. However, once they were finally able to find their footing with each other the pace picked up a bit and flowed a lot better. I liked how there was different POV's, but in the beginning where the chapter started in Gordon's POV then switched to Bryan's mid chapter I wish that switch was marked. Since it wasn't a notable switch I was a bit confused that it went from Gordon's POV to Bryan's back to Gordon's. Despite that first chapter though, each time the perspectives switched after that were marked, which I appreciated.
The characters themselves were great. I liked how quirky and unique Gordon's character is. He loves collecting trinkets, playing games, reading, and giving special cookies to his coworkers. He's a bit of a recluse but due to Maxim's matchmaking interference, he's getting more out of his comfort zone. Adler's character is great as well, you can tell he really cares about Gordon and is passionate about his job as a detective.
The case that was prominent throughout the story was interesting and written well. I was trying to figure out if they're was clues within the writing that would point to who was the bad guy. I liked how that was written, and I loved all the intricate details that went into describing each crime scene, along with explaining what was happening next with the case. Overall this was a great way to start a new series and I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes from here.
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's review:
"Gordan looked at the werewolf above him, getting ready to descend, and wondered if he'd be there from now on. If he'd be someone Gordan would be coming home to."
This was different than I expected, but I enjoyed it quite a bit! The social awkwardness between Gordon and Adler was pretty darn adorable if you ask me. The blushing and the stammering and the nervousness to not say the wrong thing. And that describes both of them! Even the wolf! If you think just because Adler is a seasoned werewolf detective that the man doesn't get tongue tied when faced with the guy he has a crush on, then you'd be wrong. Seriously, it was just so cute!
"He wanted to make sure Gordon knew what it meant that he was here, in Adler's bed. No wolf would take a random lover home like this, show him off, allow in a strange scent."
I loved the fact that Gordon was a pathologist. It's a profession we don't often hear much about. I think that is likely why the word corpse coming up so much in the book was kind of startling in a way. It's not a term one hears in the day the day of everyday life for the majority of the population. In many of the conversations the word was being used by Maxim, a vampire hunter, in such a sophisticated, yet sassy way I was often laughing. Maxim was an absolute treat, and I am so happy Piper has confirmed he will be getting his own book in the future.
As for the romantic aspect, the relationship between Gordon and Adler is sort of just beginning. Even though Adler's wolf instincts tell him that Gordon is his mate, Adler still has to respect Gordon's choice in the matter. Gordon is a vampire, so he doesn't have the same possessive instincts as his detective. In fact, those instincts of Adler's get him into trouble a time or two with his vamp. I'm waffling back and forth on whether to consider the ending a HFN vs HEA. I can't get into the specific reasons without spoiling the story, so I think I'll just let readers decide on their own when they finish.
The Doctor's Wolf is available to buy wide.
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