Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers

Genre: Steampunk Western Paranormal Romance
Pub Date: 3/8/11
Format: E-book
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Note: I won a copy of the book from the author on twitter

Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America's frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication--keeping his hands off the man's pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira's only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn't going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel's life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn't worth saving. Besides, if there's one thing she's learned, it's that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they're fighting to save.

Wilder's Mate is the fist in Moira Rogers' new Bloodhound series. At around a hundred pages it's a pretty fast and easy read. The story is a lovely mix of steampunk fun and paranormal romance, so fans of either should enjoy it.

Wilder is a great hero. He's alpha, but he's actually very tender and caring and very observant. He realizes early on what Satira needs on an emotional level in order to be satisfied on a physical level and he strives to give it to her. He's insightful, brave and noble. He was actually a very different character than I had assumed just based on the summary and it was a bit refreshing.

Satira is an interesting character. She's brave but not too stupid to live with it. She does admit to herself and Wilder that she's desperate enough to save her mentor that she would indeed be willing to do some stupid things, but I could understand what drove her and that she was always aware of what she was doing. Satira was a bit of a contradiction. In some ways she is far from innocent and in others she is very naive which I think is one of the things Wilder liked about her. She's a good heroine but her neediness and constant inner doubts did annoy me after awhile.

Overall the story is a good one. There's adventure and sex and a wild west meets steampunk feel going on that made for fun reading. The romance was good and felt real enough. My one complaint on that end is that Satira was so needy. It was a bit hard to believe she wouldn't have fallen hard for any man that didn't treat her bad and made her feel needed. Aside from that, it was a good story with likable characters and interesting twists.

Final Grade: B

Wilder's Mate: Bloodhounds, Book 1

Author's Website