Title: Tempted by the Bride: Blue Moon Brides #1
Author: Anne Marsh
Date Published:  October 26th 2012
Publisher: NA
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica

I am not usually drawn to erotic novels but I do love a good werewolf romance novel as opposed to it's vampire ilk. Perhaps it's the primitive animalistic appeal of a werewolf as opposed to their cold, fang-y counterparts. I wasn't expecting to like this novel considering that it is an erotic novel and I've reserved their likes only on certain occasions when I know I won't get bored with the insane amount of sex. I have too many books to read and this was the latest one I downloaded but for some odd reason, I was drawn to this book and I couldn't help but read it.

TL;DR Review:

Despite this being an erotic novel, I feel that the characters and the world have been sufficiently built to serve the purpose of the limited story. Rafer (and his many brothers) and Lark's character and personality clearly shone through and they were individualistic. What I loved very much is Lark's feisty and headstrong personality, always ready to headbutt. She wasn't some simpering heroine who crumpled and fell at the feet of the sexy, brooding male lead. I also love the emphasis on consent. Nothing is more important in a sexual relationship than consent. Readers should keep in mind that this is an erotic novel and they shouldn't expect much out of it (even though it surprised me). The only things that got me rolling my eyes was the overused vampire vs. werewolf battle and a ménage, having to share booty calls. It could also use some editing as there are some issues with sense of space. Overall, it is a simple and clean read, perfect for a couple of hours of leisure.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

Compared to what one reader on Goodreads has pointed out about not having much world and character-building, I think the characters and world has been sufficiently built to get the point of the book across. Despite it's novella-esque length, it communicated very well the setting of the bayou (I am somewhat familiar with the bayou setting from Sandra Brown's Slow Heat in Heaven) with one shaman woman, lengthy descriptions of the bayou and multiple mentions of the danger that it presents. I kept constant images of the water and houses on stilts in my mind. Perhaps a stereotyped vision but still, that was the image the novel presented. Although, I did find the flower farm rather out of place in the bayou area.

There was also enough character to read that the heroine, Lark Andrew is not a weak and submissive woman as more than one erotic novel has painted their heroines. She is the kind of heroine that I would love immediately and I could feel that my mental had made a connection with Lark (despite not having to pay a mortgage yet or suffer from monetary problems). I loved her from the first moment I read her. There was just something humanising about her, rather than just a sex object/character to achieve the means to and end in a book. However, towards the end, I experienced some disconnect on her level and things started to get a bit...awkward.

Somewhat Spoiler Alert: There was a less than exhilarating ménage where much like a sex scene in a movie, it was confusing, not knowing what was what and who was what part of the human body. It felt like a fight scene from Transformers where you can't tell what body part belongs to whom. Also, when I have a man that I am highly interested in, I will not share him with my sisters, no matter how desperate for pro-creation they are. I am highly selfish and possessive when it comes to my mates so, it is personal preference/disdain for this menage. I can see why Lark would consent to it though but I do not approve. And it certainly was rather awkward.

Some have commented that it ended abruptly but I think the ending worked rather well. It was a simple and clean ending to Rafer and Lark's romance which is exactly what the novel is about. It presents conflicts in the form of werewolf-hunting vampires but the main point of the book is not the conflict in the vampires but the conflict between Rafer and Lark. Take a look at the other books in the series and it is not a continuation of Rafer and Lark's story but rather the focus is on the rest of the Pack finding their mates. (There was the hint that Rafer wanted to turn Lark into a true werewolf but she wasn't ready. Perhaps we'll see this in future books.)

However, I did feel that the build up to the ending was rather rushed and not properly thought out. It felt like it was still a first draft.

Marsh has a rather fluid style of writing, drawing in the reader instantly, especially when it comes to a dark, sexy and brooding male lead, or rather, leads. However, there are a couple of things that should have been noted and cleaned up during editing. One glaring problem with the novel was the lack of sense of space. For example, in one scene, Rafer and Lark are on the porch of Lark's house but several passages later (and without any transition), they are suddenly in Rafer's bed. And there are many other instances more where space hasn't been given much thought and the characters appear to be able to tele-transport.

Overall, it was an amazing and simple read. It could use some clean-up but I was very pleased with what I had read. In fact, this is the only ebook where I was actually quite desperate to get the rest of the series. Now, if only I didn't feel so bad using the credit card, I would actually get it.

What I Liked:

1. The lead characters of Rafer and Lark had character and four-dimensional qualities, contrary to how characters are in erotic novels.
2.  Consent, Consent, Consent. The characters always asked and stressed consent before having sexual intercourse, Lark's well-being was always taken care of.
3. Tempted by the Pack jumps right into things without all the beating around the bush nonsense. (Although I did question how well it would work out)

What I Didn't Like:

1. Oddly enough, the book starts with Rafer stalking Lark. Perhaps he can be forgiven because of his wolf/animalistic side but it still drew a red flag for me.
2. The same, repeated and cliched vampire vs werewolf battle.
3. The typical woman-saves-man trope, where a man needs the loving of a good woman to save him from his "animal" or "wild" side which is threatening to consume him.

Some Quotes:

Chapter 1: "She smelled of sunlight, of honey and sage." (pg. 3)
Chapter 1: "A blue-moon brides always dreamt, sexy, erotic dreams that would wake her early and leave her sleepless and aching for a lover's touch." (pg. 4)
Chapter 3: "She was the spiritual and moral anchor that completed him. The missing half they all needed to find because they were unrepentant, soulless bastards who knew how to kill and how to fuck but not much more."
Chapter 7: "Skins touches were an important part of Pack life, and it was the responsibility of the female wolves to make sure the unmated wolves had what they needed."
Chapter 9: "Somewhere, somehow, her nice, ordinary life had done a 360 and the unexpected geometry had brought her here."

Would I recommend it: Yes. Definitely. (Although paranormal romances have only a small following) This is the only free novel I had gotten through BookBub where I really wanted to get the rest of the series.
Rating: 3.5/5