The Cursed One
4 Stars

Amelia Sinclair has always been something of a rebel in polite society so when she makes a sensible marriage to Robert Collingsworth, her family expel a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, trouble follows in Amelia’s wake and she is attacked on her wedding night by a creature with claws and teeth. Rescued by Gabriel Wulf, a man whom she once glimpsed and who has since haunted her dreams, Amelia learns that she is now a widow and the target of a pack of vicious predators who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Can Gabriel protect her from them as well as himself for he too has a dark and dangerous secret?

Series note: This is the final book in the Wild Wulfs of London series. Although each installment focuses on a different couple and a different story, it is recommended that they be read in order for the backstories of the characters.

Unlike the previous book in which the romance was tepid and included most of the tropes that annoy me no end, Amelia and Gabriel’s romance is the highlight of this installment. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot is disorganized and lacks a firm resolution.

The attack on Amelia and the creatures' pursuit begins well enough and creates a compelling sense of intimacy. That said, problems soon arise. First of all, the introduction of the Warg race is sudden and incongruent with the mythos of the first two books in which the Wulf family affliction is caused by a curse. Second, the culprit’s nefarious plan is unrealistic as Myra would never be able to replace Amelia in the ton - it is the small things that would give her away in a society fixated on minutiae). Finally, the final confrontation with the villains fizzles out and the resolution is non-existent.

Thankfully, Gabriel and Amelia have good chemistry and their interactions are entertaining as Gabriel tries to curb his desires and Amelia strives to give in to hers.

In sum, an entertaining series overall despite my small issues. ( )

Incredibly annoying heroine made this last in the series a tough read to get through. Overall the series was okay, but ended on a weak note.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2012/03/cursed-one-by-ronda-thompson.html ( )

Two Minute Review for “The Cursed One” by Ronda Thompson

Amelia Sinclair is married and widowed all in one night. The man who saves her from the Wargs is cursed with fur as well. Wargs are shape shifting wolves, more beast than human. I enjoyed this bit of light reading, both Amelia and Gabriel Wulf are enjoyable characters. They are rather transparent and rather shallow but too sweet for words. I was frustrated that I knew some of the plot twists before one chapter in. ( )

In this third, and as far as I know last, story of the Wild Wulfs of London we join Gabriel Wulf as he is on his way back to Wulfglen from his failed search for his brother, Jackson (from the previous novel of the series). Along the way Gabriel stops at the home of his childhood friend, only to find a young widow in crisis and beasts he never knew existed.

Amelia Sinclair was supposed to be on her honeymoon. Although she did not necessarily love her husband, the rather sickly Robert Collingsworth, she did at least like him and had looked forward to their life together. The last thing she expected on her wedding night was to be attacked by a creature pretending to be Robert or to be saved by Gabriel Wulf, a man she had only once glimpsed but who had haunted her dreams ever since.

As with the other novels and short stories of the series the author has deftly woven together a tale of both historical and paranormal romance wrapped up in a grand adventure. Although Gabriel is the archetypical historical hero, chivalrous and handsome, he has the whole tortured soul thing going on due to his curse which I just love. I also liked Amelia who managed to be strong from the start and just became a better character as the story went along. The plot was not very complicated although this seemed to have a further reaching storyline than the others. It seemed as though the author was gearing up for additional stories in the Wulf world which we will unfortunately never get the chance to see due to the author's passing. However, this particular story did seem to wrap up the series overall and what parts were left hanging were not terribly annoying.

This has been quite an enjoyable series and a definite must read for those interested in paranormal werewolf stories. ( )

Amelia Sinclair is wed and widowed in the same day. Quite impulsive but now she has creatures stalking her and she has to rely on Gabriel Wulf. Neither of them are sure about the situation and are attracted but unsure if they're suited.

It's an interesting read and the characters are great fun. ( )