Never Cry Werewolf by L.A. Banks
It seems that Sasha Trudeau never gets tired and the same is true in the latest book ‘Never Cry Wolf’ by L.A. Banks, the latest in her supernatural series, Crimson Moon. Sasha, a shadow wolf, had most recently stopped a war between wolf packs in the author’s last book, Undead on Arrival. You would think after all that adventure, she might go on a romantic vacation with her mate, Max, but it is not meant to be. After all, she is a soldier and duty comes first. So, after dealing with all the trouble in New Orleans, she and her team go back to her unit, the PCU (paranormal containment unit), for debriefing. They are sent to Colorado immediately to be questioned because they feel Sasha and her team were negligent in their duties since humans were killed in the process of stopping the wolf pack war. Sasha defends her team and her methods but she is still saddled with a second team commanded by a Colonel Madison who just happens to be a supernatural-phobe. He hates all things supernatural – and this especially includes Sasha and her team.
This new team becomes a real problem when an enemy from the past returns, Jung Suk, who is determined to punish everyone who has ever defied her. She hopes to succeed in her task by allying herself with Vlad the Elder of the vampires. Dead bodies begin to turn up after the unholy alliance is formed and both teams, Sasha and Colonel Madison’s, are sent to investigate. Sasha knows that this new Colonel is going to lead them into a death trap because he has no idea what he is getting into and he does not want to know – he won’t listen to reason. Sasha has to try and stop the killers from continuing their murder spree while also trying to keep the Colonel on a short leash.
If anyone is up to the task, Sasha is.
This latest novel by L.A. Banks was a good read but, more than that, it alleviated some of the issues I had with Sasha and Shogun from previous novels. Finally, it looks like Shogun is going to find someone new and the form that new love interest takes is very interesting indeed. I did not see it coming and I totally liked how the author handled it. I have always wondered, as I was reading the series, how Shogun was ever going to get over Sasha. I always felt sorry for him. Now, I can relax and enjoy the ride in the next book without having to feel sorry for poor Shogun. There is nothing worse than unrequited love.
It might seem to a new reader of L. A. Banks that picking up this book in the middle of the series would be difficult, but the author is good about filling in the back story, so, do not let the fact that you might be starting in the middle of the series put you off – it is still a fun book to read. ‘Never Cry Werewolf’ is an excellent urban fantasy – it’s the perfect example of what keeps you going from book to book in this series, just waiting for the next installment. Banks is especially adept at making the supernatural seem plausible by using the military as a back story to the crazy fantasy stuff going on throughout the book. This seems to make it a more interesting fantasy story than usual. The Crimson Moon series was a great read that I think you’ll enjoy.
