Although Wind of the Wolf is published by Leisure books, has a handsome long-haired hero on the cover, and the spine proclaims “Historical Romance,” I would not call this book a romance. It breaks many of the conventions expected by readers of romance novels, and its emphasis is not on a romance at all, but on vengeance and forgiveness. It is a direct sequel to Chase the Wind, a book I called a “compressed epic.” That moniker applies even more strongly to the sequel.

In this new book, Chase the Wind has become Chase Duncan. Married to Jennie Duncan, he and her brother Jamie, along with a group of men and women, all live and work on Jason Lynch’s ranch. Jamie Duncan meets a sweet young blind woman named Sarah Nelson and falls in love with her. They marry, but the Duncan family seems to be cursed. Jason is shot dead on his wedding day by Logan, a villain from Wind of the Wolf. Chase vows revenge and takes off after him.

Chase’s pursuit of Jason is interspersed with stories involving the supporting characters. There’s cowboy Tyler Kincaid, who loves Cat Lynch, Jason’s daughter. Another of the cowboys, Zane, is a big fan of dime novels featuring Cole Lattimore and one day the real Cole comes to the ranch looking for work. Cole falls in love with Grace, the ranch cook with scars on her face put there by a man from Cole’s past. There are also flashbacks from Jennie where she remembers the time she was sold from the orphanage to a couple who had plans to make her a prostitute.

Wind of the Wolf was a frustrating read. There was so much going on, and so many potentially interesting stories, that it would take a novel three times the length of this one to do them all justice. As it is, most of it is taken up with Chase’s tracking of Logan, his anguish over the course of action he is forced to take, as well as the healing power of Jennie’s love.

The relationship between Jennie and Chase is a done deal. They are a couple from the very beginning and there’s no tension in their relationship. The tension in the novel is all internal on Chase’s part, but there’s no doubt that eventually he will forgive himself and move on with his life. The most interesting part of the book is the story involving Grace and Cole Lattimore. His niece was kidnapped by a man who takes young women and sells them into prostitution, and this is the man who scarred Grace. We get enough backstory to whet our appetite, but Cole and Grace’s relationship is left up in the air. I hope Cindy Holby does write a book with them as the main characters. Their story would be fascinating.

Wind of the Wolf is the hardest book to grade that I have read this year. It is very well written and the story carries the reader right along, but it is such a sprawling and shapeless tale. The book feels like it was carved out of a much longer manuscript and there is still a lot more story to be told.