Undertow by Moira Rogers

Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: 10/5/10
How I got this book: Contest Win

Victor left behind a life of crime to focus on a new vision--helping his alpha build an island sanctuary for werewolves. Harsh experiences prepared him for the hardships involved, except when it comes to dealing with the young female refugees of the brutal Boston pack--especially Simone, who rouses his inner wolf like no other. A woman he must resist, or risk becoming just the latest man to make demands on her.

Born to wealth and privilege, Simone lost everything when she fell for the seductive whispers of the textile heir who turned her. Once adrift, now she is fired by a new sense of purpose--the chance to broker peace between werewolves and European wizards. Yet even as Europe beckons, her instincts--the same ones that led to trouble before--keep drawing her back to Victor.

During a sailing trip to the mainland for supplies, Victor finds it impossible to hold himself aloof from the warm, engaging Simone. And when a winter storm traps them together during a full moon, she breaks through his walls so easily and completely, the question is no longer how he'll stay away, but how he'll let her go.
Blurb from author's website

The dynamic writing duo Moira Rogers continues to amaze me with their newest release, Undertow, the 2nd book in the Building Sanctuary Series.

Simone was raised by a prim and proper family, who although were loaded with money, took issues with the way Simone led her life. When she gets mixed up with a bad lover, she is turned into a werewolf, and forced to watch as he continues to take advantage of young women over and over. Now, she is living on an isolated island, trying to build trust among her new pack.

Victor is a strong alpha, who worked to help build this new sanctuary for the Boston pack that was taken advantage of. While he desires nothing more than to take Simone as his mate, he worries that her trust and faith in him stems from the safe environment he is now able to provide.

When the two take a much needed trip to the mainland, they get waylaid on a deserted island when their boat gets crushed in the storm. The two must learn to survive together. With their isolation, the two will rely on each other, fall for each other, but can their new found love survive being rescued?

I really enjoyed this story. I've gotten accustomed to Moira Rogers constantly having some kind of crazy, evil antagonist in each of their stories. While I love the constant good vs evil battle, I also like that this story is a bit more lighthearted. There is no forced oppression, no evil henchman in the background waiting to take over the world. It's just a story about a man and a woman (wolf and wolfette?), trying to find a way to love each other.

I enjoyed both Simone and Victor’s characters immensely. While Simone is not a strong alpha wolf, she is a strong woman, and a strong character. I love that she knew her place as the “mommy bear” providing comfort to everyone around her. Likewise, I enjoyed that Victor was like a “papa bear,” staring down the other males on the island, trying to provide comfort to the refugees the only way he knew how, with space and the chance to feel safe again.

I was glad to see that although Victor didn’t really have to fight for Simone’s love and affection, he was willing to. He was ready to take on any and everyone who potentially wanted to take her away from him, and was ready to fight for his chance to love her.

This was a super fun, light-hearted read, an all around sweet story. I hope to see more like this from Moira Rogers in the future. I like the chance to see their characters take a break from the good fight and just get the chance to sit back and live life.

All in all, I give Undertow 4 out of 5 deserted islands!