I've never read a shapeshifter romance before. It's not generally something that appeals to me, but I was drawn in by the gothic feel of this book. It comes complete with a spooky old house, a dark and mysterious lord, and servants who border on squirrelly. Admittedly, it's cheesy, and that's what I liked about it at first. But over the course of the book the cheesiness got a little overwhelming, the action lagged, and I got bored.

Sara is rescued from debtor's prison by a mysterious man she's never met. They are married by proxy - because he can't leave his home - and then Sara travels to Cornwall to be his bride. As soon as Sara meets Nicholas, Baron Walraven, she wonders why on earth he would have to go to such lengths to find a bride. He's rich and handsome, and surely he could have his pick of local women. The reason he gives for marrying is that he's tired of being pestered to come to London. He wants to live on his own without the constant distraction of social invitations. On her first evening in Ravencliff Castle, Sara learns The Rules. She needs to keep to her rooms and not wander about without an escort, and she is not allowed on the third floor of the house at all. Oh, and there will be no sex, because it just isn't "possible." At this point, I was really getting into the spooky/cheesy atmosphere, although I was a little disappointed that Nicholas didn't tell Sara that she wasn't allowed in the West Wing (as in Beauty and the Beast).

Naturally, Sara immediately breaks all of Nicholas' rules. She wanders around at night and falls into a well-concealed priest hole (she's rescued 36 hours later). She also befriends Nicholas's strange dog, Nero. Nero is very wolf-like, and has almost human qualities of respect and loyalty. Nicholas tells her not to get too attached to Nero, as he may be leaving them soon. Nero is - of course - Nicholas. But Nicholas is hoping that he can be cured and has invited Dr. Breeden, who specializes in werewolves and shapeshifters, to come and see him. Sara doesn't know the particulars; she's only aware that a visitor is on the way. Nicholas puts her in charge of arranging menus, a task she embraces with enthusiasm.

Dr. Breeden arrives, along with Nicholas's steward, Alex. Nicholas barely has time to talk to the doctor before tragedy strikes. Alex gets drunk and tries to rape Sara. Nero comes to the rescue and bites Alex - which makes him a werewolf too. This is where the book took a comical turn for me. Wolf-Alex and Nero start marking their territory in Sara's bedroom and quite literally get into a pissing contest. I don't know if this is de rigueur for werewolf romances, but it struck me as absolutely hilarious. Meanwhile, Sara gets pretty confused, because both wolves look the same. She thinks they are both Nero, and she can't quite understand why he is testy and snappish at some times and then seems like his old self at other times. The action culminates when Sara sees Nero transform back into Nicholas. Now, finally the secret is out, and she needs to decide what to do. Even so, wolf-Alex still has the run of the place, and none of them are safe until he is caught.

I really enjoyed the cheesiness of this book up to a point. I thought Nicholas as a dark, brooding jerk provided some good, campy fun. The book is also chock full of purple prose, which I enjoyed in a guilty pleasure-ish sort of way. Nicholas's eyes are always hooded, and the descriptions of him in his "impossibly tight pantaloons" are a constant. There are also frequent mentions of his scent, and Nero's. They are the same scent, actually, but Sara's a little slow on the uptake and doesn't seem to be able to figure that out. Nicholas also has a habit of transforming when he's aroused, which is kind of funny – but it does provide for some believable sexual tension.

Unfortunately, the book really bogs down on the details. First of all, Sara chafes against Nicholas's rules, but time and time again she proves the need for them. She is almost constantly getting herself in danger, either by drowning, locking herself in some hole, or getting attacked by the wrong wolf. At one point, Nicholas muses, "Perhaps I should tell her to do the things I do not wish her to do. Perhaps then we might have order instead of chaos in the damnable house." I couldn't help thinking that he might have a point. But the problem is, there really isn't much for Sara to do other than get in trouble. She seems to spend hours menu planning, but does it really take that long to decide what to eat? Nicholas doesn't arrange outings or picnics, and Sara has no one to talk to, so it makes sense that she'd get bored.

By the middle of the book, I was pretty bored too. The fun of the cheesiness had worn off, and the characters just seemed to be dilly-dallying. Everyone seems keenly interested in catching wolf-Alex, but as far as I could tell not one of them did anything proactive about it. Nicholas, Dr. Breeden, and trusty valet Mills (who's in on Nicholas's secret) all talk a lot about the need to catch Alex, but other than vaguely wandering around the large castle with guns, they do nothing. Eventually they discover that the servants have been feeding Alex in the kitchen, thinking he's Nero. Nicholas orders them to stop, and continues looking for Alex. Hey, Sherlock! How about waiting in the kitchen for him with your big gun? No such luck. Nicholas just keeps "looking," whatever that means.

By the end, I figured these people were all more than a little stupid, and I was more or less tired of hearing about them. The thrill of the cheesiness had worn off. I imagine most readers would have the same reaction. Even if you like werewolf books or books with a spooky, gothic feel, this one wears a little thin.