Romancing the Werewolf: A Supernatural Society Novella Paperback – November 5, 2017

This is an offshoot of Ms Carriger's Parasolverse, which I've loved for years. It's the story of Professor Lyall, formerly beta werewolf to the legendary Alpha Lord Maccon of the London pack (whose Alpha madness forced him and wife Alexia to relocate to Egypt, land of the God-breaker plague) , and Biffy (aka Lord Rabiffino), who despite his young age, became alpha of the London pack. Biffy became a werewolf by accident (he was a drone to the vampire Lord Alkedama), but his innate leadership skills and mastery of the vaunted Anubis form catapulted him to the position. Lyall should have been his beta, but was called upon to escort the Maccons to Egypt, then deal with other issues, so it's taken him 20 years to get back to the London pack. Twenty years isn't a huge amount of time for werewolves, but Biffy has been struggling with his confidence in leading the pack (they argued with him over the color of the drapes he selected! His taste is impeccable.) as well as missing his lover (the two had a brief but passionate romance before Lyall had to leave).Lyall's return brings some help for Biffy, as a good beta supports and balances out his alpha, but leads to some pining, as silly men don't communicate with each other. Add in babies being left on the pack's doorstep overnight and it's a challenging time for the London pack.This was a super fun novella. I enjoyed the characters that I've come to know and love. The cameo from Lord Akeldama was quite welcome, as was the detail of period that Ms. Carriger is known for. I would love to read more about these characters and hope she continues this series.

You can read this novella if you haven't read any of the Parasol books, however, you won't get most of the jokes, you'll have very little idea what's going on, and the bit about the Wicker Chicken will fly over your head. But you know, it is possible to read it much like it's possible to wear a hat made entirely of cheese and assorted baked good. You do you.That being said, this book is the long awaited reunion of Buffy and Lyall, a couple I am highly invested in. which, might be one of the reasons that I found this book good, but not fainting couch good. The length of a novella might not have been the best place to delve into the relationship of these two. I'm hoping that there will be a bit more fleshing out of Lyall's time away from pack with the 3rd Custard Protocol book that will fill in some of the holes and emotional aspect.However, it is a fun little holiday story that introduces a character of two that I am hoping to see later on *CoughRobinCough* even though it doesn't have quite the emotional payoff one had hoped for the reunion. It also lays out some of the difficulties that Buffy is facing with the pack, which hopefully we will be able to see more of later on.Fast read, took me less than three hours, and has some great call-backs for those who are well antiquated with the rest of the series. Looking forward to the novella for Channing, the guy is a bastard, but a big old softy...a crusty marshmallow if you will.

It has the same mixture as the original Parasol Protectorate of world-building, humor and curious characters. There could have been more action and more of an edge, but that's not the big problem. The big problem is that romance has been added. I am an ancient male so romance is unlikely to entice me, but what is it that I disliked? Too much of the same thing. Biffy and the professor are secretly pining for each other. I get the message.What would make it more interesting? Maybe one small part of each wants to hate the other. Maybe one part of each wants to get away from the topic even though it keeps popping up. it couldn't match the uproarious sex scene in Souless, where Alexia thinks of everything but the sex going on. However, that would be a start.

Warning: M/M romance; skip if it's not your thing. This is a very sweet story, both romance wise and with the baby plot. Seeing the werewolves react to babies is priceless. There's a little bit of action, a lot of character development, and some sweet, tender romance. Lovely book.

We finally see what happens to Biffy and Lyall! In Timeless, we see the beginning of a relationship between the two werewolves, interrupted when Professor Lyall is sent to the Kingair pack to be their Beta for 20 years. Fortunately, Romancing the Werewolf prefaces the main body of the story with a replay of that encounter. 20 years has made for many changes in Biffy's life: he is no longer a newly made werewolf; he is now the London pack's Alpha and has just moved them into their new home in Greenwich, only the second move in the pack's history. Carriger shows us the awkwardness that results between two people who were separated before their relationship was established, as they try to find a balance between what was, what is, and what may be. Although I felt this book lacked Carriger's usual humor, I was excited and satisfied to finally read about Biffy and Lyall!

Finally! Two of the most beloved (at least by me) characters of the Parasolverse are reunited! Biffy is struggling to find balance in his new role as Alpha of the London Pack - he's smaller than most, more diplomatic than most, and no one will agree with him over the color of the new drapes. Then Professor Randolph Lyall returns to London after a twenty year stint as Beta to the Edinburgh pack. Biffy is thrilled, yet apprehensive to see him. Many things have changed in twenty years. . . what if one of those changes are Lyall's affections toward him?Then add randomly appearing infants on the pack's doorstep to the mix.The pacing of this story is brilliant and the use of language is as witty and charming as ever. My love for Ms. Carriger's work grows with each and every installment.

Since finishing Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series and missing those characters terribly, Romancing the Werewolf was a lovely Christmas treat featuring some of the characters from that same series.If you haven’t read that series I wouldn’t recommend you jumping into this novella, and it’s probably wise that you don’t read this review if you’d like to read that series with zero spoilers too!After Lyall and Biffy’s bittersweet parting in Timeless, I was so ready for a reunion between the two of them set at Christmas and Romancing the Werewolf certainly scratched that itch. What I love about Lyall and Biffy’s relationship is that you could never predict it in the earlier Parasol Protectorate books; it grows so organically – to the point where I wonder if Carriger herself always planned it or if it surprised her too – and that’s really refreshing. I don’t have a problem with being able to guess who the love interest is going to be, but I equally love being surprised the way these two surprised me.Finally able to return to the London pack after serving time as the Beta to the Kingair pack, Romancing the Werewolf follows Professor Lyall’s reunion with the new London alpha, Biffy, who, while much more confident as a werewolf, is somewhat less confident as an alpha. When human babies begin to be left on their doorstep, the London pack find themselves cooing over several infants on the run-up to Christmas while Lyall and Biffy dance around the feelings they still have for one another.I much prefer werewolves to vampires in this world, so even though I really enjoyed Romancing the Inventor earlier this year it was lovely to be back in the company of werewolves – though I did miss Conall and Alexia a little. It was such a joy to see characters like Lyall again, who is without a doubt one of the loveliest characters Carriger has created, and much to my delight there were a few appearances from Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings whose name continues to make me grin. Biffy, too, is a wonderful character and I love how well Carriger combines the masculine and the feminine in him; he’s no less a man, or an alpha, because he has a fondness for traditionally feminine things, and while he has doubts as to whether or not his pack will follow him his pack don’t doubt his status as alpha simply because he loves ribbon.Just as it was in Timeless, Lyall and Biffy’s relationship is tender and warm, as much an incredibly close friendship as a romance which makes all the difference, and the two of them talk about their worries before they enter into any kind of physical intimacy. As alpha, Biffy could order Lyall to do basically anything, but their relationship is built on genuine respect, affection and hearty consent and they give me the warm fuzzies. I would have loved a few more scenes with the babies, and perhaps another scene or two about werewolves decorating a house for Christmas, but on the whole this novella was like settling down in a cosy, familiar chair with a spiced hot chocolate.

At the end of the Parasol Protectorate series and beginning of the Custard Protocol series, lyall, owing a debt of honour has to work for the Scottish werewolf pack but the harshness of his removal ends up being 20 years long.Lyall finally returns to find his pack, led by Biffy, has moved to Greenwich.Hoping for a pleasant reunion the duo find the pack in upheaval with odd babies being dumped at their doorstep.This seasonal novella is funny, sweet and poignant but as Channing puts it, "about bloody time".Delightful reunion

Finally the Biffy and Lyall book that I've been waiting for. And you get to see the London pack adjusting to having a new Alpha too. It's just what I was hoping for, although perhaps there is slightly less romantic action than I wanted - they don't exactly pick up exactly were they left off, but it actually works very well - and you learn a lot more about both characters. So much fun. Except now I have a big wait for more from Ms Carriger!You definitely need to have read at least some of the Parasol Protectorate and Custard Protocol to get the best out of this.

Was giggling so much in places that I had to read passages out to the other people in the room.I'm hoping to hear more about some of the characters that cropped up in other tales.

I have to say that this was one of the most satisfying of Miss Carriger's books that I have read so far (and that's saying something because each book has been better than the previous.)It's the clotted cream atop the jam, butter and scone of the Parasolaverse!