In book two of the Wild Wulfs of London series, Thompson focuses on the second lycanthropic cursed brother, Lord Jackson as he attempts to solve his forebear’s riddle in order to break free of the beast within him. 

The opening pages show Jackson seeking out and finding the witch Lucinda -- fully intending to kill the hag in thinking that with the witches death, he and his brothers would be free of an other witche’s curse.  Instead of what he assumed would be a wart-ridden hag, Jackson found Lucinda.  A beautiful young witch, in the throes of what looked to be a potentially fatal breach birth.  Rather than kill an unborn innocent child, she begged and bargained for Jackson to help her deliver her son and see that he would be provided for -- then he could kill her.  After delivering the child Jackson found he could not kill a defenseless woman.   Other men hired to find Lucinda and kill the babe did find them and Jackson helped Lucinda escape. Thinking Jackson had been killed Lucinda found her way to London passed herself off as Jackson’s widow with infant son and was now living the good life; and then Jackson showed up.  A new arrangement was negotiated.  Jackson would marry Lucinda, raise Sebastian as his own; in return after she lifted the curse, she would disappear.    Unfortunately, Lucinda as a ‘white’ witch who could only heal and protect, didn’t have a clue as to how to lift a curse.  Lucinda felt cursed in knowing that in healing Jackson, she would be leaving the child she adored and the one man she herself had come to love.

***  Thompson’s second entry to her Regency set  werewolf paranormal, while not quite as exhilarating as the first book, still had the ability to grab this readers attention from the very first pages.  In a brave move from the more common innocent virginal heroine, you are introduced to a woman giving birth to another man’s child.  The fact that the child was conceived via a twisted man’s rape upon an unconscious innocent immediately supported my initial regard for Lucinda.  Later, her inept attempts at casting spells for a myriad of causes furthered my appreciation and pleasure in her character.

Jackson was a complicated hero. After years of attempting to live with the curse by drowning himself in liquor and using his unnatural scent and fabulous good looks to seduce and fornicate across London, discovering a woman who didn’t succumb to his desires was a ‘wake-up call’ to his humanity.  From the moment he held the tiny life of Sebastian in his hands he was ready to start on the road to recovery. 

The struggle both made to overcome their fears as each began to hold one another in high regard was paced well with enough narrative to ease both parties into acceptance of one another on a basic level inculding a sensual aspect which was quite inspiring.  With the re-emergence of the twisted villain and the final outcome the author had this reviewer standing up to cheer!    Bottom line – I believe fans of this new series will find book two a worthy addition to the Wild Wulfs of London saga and I can’t wait to see what delights are  in store for brother Gabriel.