There Ain't Any Such Thing As A Werewolf!! "Cry Wolf" by Angela Campbell

Andrea Lockhart's job as a reporter for cheesy tabloid The Naked Truthisn't exactly where she thought her journalism career would end up. She's determined to make the best of it, but when her editor sends her to Woodbine, South Carolina, to investigate a werewolf sighting, Andrea decides the ridiculous assignment will be her last. Until she meets Sean Hunter.

The last time she saw Sean, he had just beat her out for the position of editor of their college newspaper, and told her she'd never make it as a reporter. Given his grand ambitions, she's shocked to find him editing theWoodbine Weekly. Once they start competing for leads on the werewolf, Andrea becomes determined to break the story first—she can't let Sean beat her again.

As they each get closer to finding the source of the rumors, the only thing more surprising than the truth are the feelings Sean is able to stir in her, feelings she thought she had left behind...

We've all seen them . . . those sensationalism-filled news "rags" displayed by the check-out stands in grocery stores and other retail stores. Some of the head-lines are so bazaar that it is more a source of comedy than information. No one really takes the tw0-headed baby seriously! Yet there are people who continue to work for these organizations and they continue to flourish because customers continue to buy their craziness. No serious journalist would work for one of those publications--or so we think.

Yet in this novel that is exactly who is writing for a tabloid called The Naked Truth. Andrea is an award-winning journalist who has been writing for some of America's most respected news organizations, but who now finds herself as a feature writer for a tabloid. And her most unwelcome story to date: getting the "naked truth" about the werewolf sightings in a small community who has reported these for years. All because she laughed out loud at the ludicrous nature of the assignment. Now it is hers.

Adding to the crazy nature of this assignment is the shock of finding herself hanging upside down in a hunter's snare, being rescued by a young reporter on the local weekly newspaper along with his editor who turns out to be her chief competitor from college and an old college crush who "crushed" her with his scathing words about her appearance, wardrobe, and general unsuitability as an aspiring journalist. Those old verbal wounds are still very much alive in her heart and mind, and now she finds that he not only doesn't remember her but she has to rely on him for some of her contacts connected to running down this story.

This is a book that is about werewolves but in a strong sense isn't really about that phenomenon. It is more about the people who are struggling with the issue of whether or not such a creature exists, whether to debunk the legend, dealing with those in the community who will not be moved from their conviction that such a "monster" exists, and the human element in confronting this issue--the old love-interest, family, getting over old wounds, dealing with unscrupulous journalists connected with the tabloid, preserving one's own integrity professionally, and so on. There is so much going on in this book, yet I had the feeling throughout that the author really had it all under control and was going to make it all come together. The story really centers around Andrea Lockhart's own inner struggle as a professional, dealing with the old emotional hurts even as she is getting re-acquainted with the source of those hurts--a man who has clearly changed as much as she has in the ten years since they first knew each other. Her challenge is to balance those old hurts and feelings with what she is learning about him now and who he has become.

I found this novel to be more about the people involved in the story than just about the "werewolf" stuff. And because of that it was a very good reading experience. My entire interest in all romance fiction is exploring the human relationships, the struggle with the human thought process and the issues that influence the way people determine their choices and how they proceed on their life journey. Andrea is like so many others: just trying to do her job, not really sure she can look forward to any kind of private life that will be fulfilling. The hurts of her recent past have cast a pall over any hopes and dreams she may have had. How can she get around those, how can she hope to have a life that is fulfilling and connected to others when any connections from the past have been so disappointing?

Contemporary romance fans will enjoy this book with its many background characters and its interesting story line. Add in the "spice" of the paranormal and you have a unique story that is worth the time and effort to read and enjoy. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

This novel has an expected release date from Carina Press of 10/31/2011.