Dana reviews Under a Blue Moon (Camp H.O.W.L. Book 2, Dreamspun Beyond #22) by Bru Baker (Published by Dreamspinner Press, June 19, 2018, 228 pages) A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this: I reviewed the first book in this series and was excited to see that there would be more to the world of Camp H.O.W.L. I thought book one was great.
To read the review of Camp H.O.W.L. click here.
Blurb:
A Camp H.O.W.L. Novel
Once in a blue moon, opposites find they’re a perfect match.
Nick Perry is tired of helping people with their marriages, so when a spot opens up to work with teens at Camp H.O.W.L., he jumps at it. He doesn’t expect to fall in lust with the dreamy new camp doctor, Drew Welch. But Drew is human, and Nick has seen secrets ruin too many relationships to think that a human/werewolf romance can go anywhere.
Happy-go-lucky Drew may not sprout claws, but he’s been part of the Were community all his life. He has no trouble fitting in at the camp—except for Nick’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the growing attraction between them, and his ridiculous stance on dating humans. Fate intervenes when one of Drew’s private practice patients threatens his life. Will the close call help Nick to see a connection like theirs isn’t something to let go of?
Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | B&N | Add to Goodreads
I know I enjoyed the first book of this series, but I might have liked this one even more. I want to start by saying that the story flowed very well. Once I started it, I didn’t want to stop. And before I knew it, I was done.
Nick and Drew are pretty alike. They are both competitive and tough. They’re both smart, too – both doctors. Drew is a physician and Nick is a psychologist. They both know about werewolves and have lived in packs. But the biggest difference, and it’s huge for Nick, is that while he is a werewolf, Drew is human and just grew up with them. Nick feels that there will always be a part of him Drew won’t understand and that it won’t work between them.
Yes, at times I did want to smack Nick and make him wake up. No matter that everyone at Camp H.O.W.L. kept telling him that Drew was very aware of the life of werewolves, and no matter that Drew could beat Nick in several different activities, Nick just saw him as different. I give him credit, he tried not to see Drew as less than but in the end he was blindly stubborn.
Drew is the quintessential “good guy” in this story. I don’t think there is anyone with any complaints about him. The teens in the camp don’t take him seriously at first but he shows everyone that he can take care of himself and the young wolves. He also takes care of patients at a clinic nearby. There he meets a young woman in an abusive relationship. When he tries to step in and her abuser comes to the clinic, it sets in motion a scenario that does smack Nick and makes him realize what he has or could have with Drew.
Even though I was frustrated at times with Nick, I really liked him and I loved Drew. I liked the way their relationship formed, in spite of Nick’s misconceptions. I liked being back at Camp H.O.W.L. and seeing a few familiar faces. The main characters from book one have moved on from the camp but they do make an appearance, so that was cool. I could see the possible set up for a few other relationships in this series and I really hope the author continues it. It was an enjoyable fun book with a little bit of danger and a much needed lesson that differences are good and not to judge a book by it’s cover. Definitely recommend it.
9/10 Pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
Bru Baker got her first taste of life as a writer at the tender age of four when she started publishing a weekly newspaper for her family. What they called nosiness she called a nose for news, and no one was surprised when she ended up with degrees in journalism and political science and started a career in journalism.
Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now works in reference and readers’ advisory in a Midwestern library, though she still finds it hard to believe someone’s willing to pay her to talk about books all day.
Most evenings you can find her curled up with a mug of tea, some fuzzy socks, and a book or her laptop. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story.
She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 