Reviewed by Rhonda

TITLE: Playing Hard To Forget

AUTHOR: Piper Doone

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 193 pages

BLURB:

Ethan Robertson never asked to be the latest in a long line of werewolf hunters, but the war between his family and the werewolf Kinnairds has raged on for a millennium, and he is expected to fight like all the Robertson’s before him. But then he meets Liam Kinnaird, a gorgeous, mysterious werewolf Ethan falls hard for. Despite the danger, they carry on a torrid affair until a terrible explosion destroys everything, including Liam and Ethan’s memories of their time together. Twenty years later, Ethan is embroiled in battle once again and catches a glimpse of Liam. It triggers intense, erotic dreams that Ethan thinks might not be dreams at all. But he’s never been anything but enemies with Kinnairds. He’s certainly never been in love with one. Or has he?

REVIEW:

Hello and Seasons Greetings dear readers. I am so thrilled to share this author with you. Piper Doone certainly knows how to keep you turning the pages with her story about Ethan Robertson and Liam Kinnaird, members of opposing families in a feud that goes back a thousand years. A feud started inadvertently by a Robertson ancestor named Straun, a humble hunter who saved the life of his king by killing the wolf threatening to kill him. Accolades, riches and land were given to him by the grateful king with neither of them realizing that the wolf killed was a werewolf. He was a father, a son and a husband and his family swore revenge on the blood line of the Robertson who killed him and left his head upon a spike on the spot where he was killed. What makes this storyline so interesting comes at the very end of the book in the author’s notes. It turns out it’s a true story in that her ancestor Straun, really did save a king from a wolf and really was heralded and rewarded. The werewolf part is pure fiction but it made for a nice surprise that this story was taken from family folk lore.

So let’s peek in on what Ethan and Liam have going on shall we? They meet while in their teenage years fully acknowledgeable that the man they are standing in front of is the enemy and that they should end the other before he ends him first. Luckily though, despite years of training to do just that, the human Ethan cannot kill the wolf Liam. A connection flies between them forming a bond that neither seems to want to truly break. They embark on a dangerous series of liaisons meeting in the woods, at hotels, motels or an abandoned warehouse for as long as they can. They find out it is not easy keeping their relationship secret when your family members are either wolf hunters or wolves with very good sense of smell. Soon, it is sad to say, they are forced apart in a very explosive way and are forced to go their own separate ways. And of course it wasn’t simply a pact to stay away from each other for safety sake, they are spelled by a witch, paid for by both families, so that they can get their family members back in control.

They all get what they want of course and twenty years go by before our young lovers find each other again. But now the spell is getting weak and the two men are confronted with flashes of the past and once again are drawn to each other in ways they cannot understand. Enter the families. Aren’t families just wonderful when they think they are doing the right thing and things go crazy instead? In fact Ethan’s sister Fiona has been steadily losing her marbles for years and when the two men reconnect, she loses the few she had left. She considers it her mission in life to end Liam and Ethan’s relationship anyway she can as well as kill Ethan for what she considers a betrayal to the family name.

What happens when Fiona drags Ethan’s children into the fight? Oh, did I forget to mention that Ethan is now married with children and a wife? Complications! Is there any hope of a reconciliation between the men with their combined family histories? The history on this story is a wonderful addition to the story, her character portrayal and building is spot on and I give her two thumbs up on not being a bore by describing everything in excruciating detail to try to get her word count up. The book is just long enough to be truly entertaining without making my eyes cross trying to keep awake. Bravo Ms Doone. I look forward to more from you, and recommend this book.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Amazon UK