Spotlight & Giveaway: Protecting the Gray Wolf by N.J. Walters

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author N.J. Walters to HJ!

Hi N.J. Walters and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Protecting the Gray Wolf!

 
Thank you so much for having me at HJ!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Artist Luna West has always been obsessed with wolves, but now she has been dragged into a world of dreams and obsession, where werewolves and magic are real. Dark magic brought her and lone wolf, Kade Alvarez, together, but is it the only thing feeding their attraction?
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Kade Alvarez peered in the window of the upscale Manhattan gallery and snorted. Not exactly his kind of place. He rubbed his hand over his jaw. The two-day-old stubble, black jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket likely didn’t meet the dress code. It would have to do. His prey was inside.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Luna has always been fascinated by wolves, including dreaming about them.
• Kade mistakenly believes he can keep his attraction under control. That resolve doesn’t last long.
• They’re able to connect in their dreams, something that shocks them both.

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

What first attracts Kade to Luna is the fact her eyes are gray, like his, and she has a streak of gray in her hair that matches his gray hair. She’s also the artist of a painting of a wolf—exactly what he looks like when he’s shifted, including his tattoo.

Luna is drawn to Kade from the moment she lays eyes on him. She has the offhand thought that if the wolf she’s been dreaming about her entire life was human, he’d look just like Kade. Little does she know how right she is.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Dark. Dangerous. Intense. Sexy. Fated.
 

The First Kiss…

Grabbing the skin on her forearm, she twisted. “Ouch.”

“What are you doing?” He pushed her hand away, lifted her arm, and rubbed the red patch. The touch was impersonal, but her inner muscles clenched, as if he’d stroked her intimately. Her uninhibited response was both embarrassing and infuriating.

“I’m trying to wake up.” A lucid dreamer since childhood, it was something she’d taught herself. It was usually no problem unless she was in a really deep sleep.

“You don’t want to do that.” His voice seemed to drop an octave, becoming impossibly deep and gruff and raising goose bumps on her arms.

“I don’t?” Heat rolled off his big body, chasing away the chill. He was so close she couldn’t help but notice the way his gray eyes darkened. She was breathless, her heart going ninety miles an hour. “Why not?”

“Because then you’d miss this.” He lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers. The world around her went still and silent when he made contact. Her eyes fluttering shut, she willingly sank into the kiss. Just this once, she told herself. The caress was soft and brief, his breath warm on her face. When she licked her lips, he growled and took her mouth again. There was nothing tentative this time.

The ground beneath her feet trembled, or maybe it was only her shaking beneath the onslaught of desire. She clung to him when her knees went weak, digging her fingers into his hard biceps. She’d had several lovers in her life, had briefly lived with a guy for four months in her late teens, but none of them had ever kissed like this.

The intensity and focus was all-consuming. He claimed her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside, tangling it with hers in a dance of back and forth. Going up on her toes, she gave in to the heated madness with a ferocity that would have scared her in real life.

But this was a dream.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

It’s impossible to pick a favorite scene, but one of my favorites is where she realizes he is indeed the gray wolf.

Faster than he’d thought possible, he kicked off his boots and yanked his shirt over his head. His hands were on the zipper of his jeans when her hand hit the door handle. “Luna, look at me.” Shoulders tense, she peered over her shoulder, eyes widening when she caught sight of him.

“What are you doing?”

He shucked his jeans, leaving him naked. “Showing you I’m not lying.” He slowed the process so she could witness his transformation. His limbs reformed. Fur pushed out from beneath his skin. His jaw elongated. His forehead flattened. Even at leisurely rate, it took mere seconds.

The man was gone. The gray wolf remained.

Luna’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Her back hit the door. As if her knees had simply given out, she slid down until her ass was on the floor. “This can’t be real.” As she had in her dream last night, she pinched herself.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Their first meeting sets the stage for the entire book.

The air stirred behind him. Goose bumps rose on his skin. Kade’s head snapped around, searching for what had disturbed him. The woman was almost six feet tall, even wearing flats. The dress she wore was a pale gray that matched her eyes. It was loose but gave the impression of generous curves beneath. Curly brown hair tumbled around her shoulders. Streaks of gray ran through the front part so the strands framed her face. And what a face it was. Her lips were full, her chin slightly rounded. High cheekbones brought his gaze back to her eyes, which widened beneath thick, dark lashes.

Part of him hadn’t believed the white wolf, or hadn’t wanted to, but there was no denying the vision before him. The gray streaks in her hair matched the color of his hair, and her eyes were a mirror image of his. Their eyes met, and she came to an abrupt stop. Every muscle in his body tensed, poised to give chase if she ran. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside him.

Lust warred with surge of possessiveness and the unexpected urge to protect. When she licked her lips, his jeans grew tighter. He clamped down on his emotions, exerting iron control over his wayward body. Last thing he needed was a hard-on in the middle of an art opening.

She squared her shoulders and made her way toward him. His wolf whined, wanting to rub against her, mark her with his scent. Ignoring the creature, he focused on the woman. There might be gray strands in her hair, but her skin was smooth and unlined. Her lips glistened, not with lipstick but with what seemed to be some kind of gloss. He sniffed. Cherry, if he wasn’t mistaken.

He had a sudden craving for the sweet fruit.

“What do you think of the painting?” Her soft, lyrical voice skated over his skin like a caress. He barely kept from shuddering. He was acting like a teenager with his first woman, not a hundred-year-old immortal werewolf. He’d seen more beautiful women. Hell, he’d bedded them. But right here and now, he could bring none of their faces to mind, all of them eclipsed by the loveliness of the one before him.

Magic, he reminded himself. His emotions were being manipulated. Devlin had warned that the attraction would be immediate, that he’d feel as though she belonged to him on an instinctive level. Not that it would be like a punch to the gut.

Readers should read this book …

If you enjoy a sexy, action-packed paranormal romance, this book is for you.

This book has a sexy loner werewolf and a feisty heroine brought together by magical forces who must learn to lower their guard and trust their hearts if they hope to survive their deadly enemies.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently working on a new series. Always fun!

The third book in the Lone Wolf Legacy series should be out later this year. It’s written and just waiting to be edited.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Win A $5 Amazon Gift Card. (USA and Canada only.)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What is your favorite romance book genre?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Protecting the Gray Wolf:

Fear had a taste; it was bitter and foul. Sweat beaded on her brow. Her throat tightened, making her threat to yell a lie.

Fight or flight. He was too damn big to fight. Putting both hands against his chest, she shoved. Caught off guard, he pitched backward. She ran for the door. She’d barely made it two steps before a big arm banded around her waist and plucked her right off her feet. She kicked back with her heels.

“Stop fighting me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Like she’d believe him. She had and the hurt of his betrayal was almost as bad as the loss of her work. That could be replicated. She doubted she’d ever lower her guard enough to trust another soul as long as she lived. Lesson learned. Kick someone enough times and they finally got the message. People couldn’t be trusted.

She threw her head back, trying to catch his nose. He swore, managing to duck out of the way. “Let me go.” The demand came out as more of a plea.

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. “I can’t.”

Physically and mentally exhausted, she stopped struggling. There was no way she could win against his strength. If she was smart, maybe she could lull him into believing she’d given in and watch for another opportunity.

“I don’t know Solange Dupree.” Ignoring her snort of disbelief, he forged on. “But I know the name. I recently learned I had an enemy. Want to guess her name?”

“That’s not possible. We never met until last night. Why would she bother with me?”
He slowly lowered her so her feet touched the floor but didn’t remove his arm. “It’s a long story.”

She snorted. “Not like I’m going anywhere.” Not yet, at any rate. The door was a matter of feet away, but it might as well have been miles—with a gator-infested moat
in-between.

Sighing, he unwound his arm. “I won’t keep you against your will.”

Wait. What? She turned, certain there must be some kind of catch. His lips were tight. His stormy gray eyes burned with anger. Her earlier fear dissolved, which made no sense.
He’s angry at himself, not me.

He was also telling the truth. “Why? Why let me go?” Seconds before, he’d blocked her from leaving.

“Having you afraid of me is worse than losing you.” He straightened and put his hands on his hips. “I’ll let you go, but I’ll follow. If you don’t believe anything, believe this. Solange will stop at nothing to capture me. If that means she has to hurt you to do it, she will. I can’t allow that.”

Luna rubbed her fingers over her forehead. “I feel like I’m missing half the conversation. Nothing makes any sense. Why does she want you? And why do you care what happens to me? I’m nothing to you.”

He reached out, as if to cup her face, but dropped his hand back by his side. “We’re connected you and I.”

Damn it, she felt it, too. As much as she wanted to deny it, pretend it wasn’t real, the link existed. “Why? How?”

“I keep telling you. I’m the gray wolf.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

I’m used to other wolves coming for me. They want their chance to try and take out the infamous Gray Wolf. And every single one of them fails—because lone wolves aren’t like the others…we’re stronger. Harder. Meaner. Immortal.

But it also means I’m alone. No pack. No alpha. Just the three of us—white, gray, and black. Two too many, if you ask me.

But with power-hungry mages gunning for us, I don’t have the luxury of reflection. They’re in New York City, and I Will. Hunt. Them. Down.

Which is when I see her, and every cell in my body is on alert, filled with the kind of primal longing I never knew I was capable of. Luna West may be human, but there’s some kind of thread connecting us. Call it destiny, fate…or voracious animal hunger.

I know she’s bait. She’s meant to tempt me, to make me weak. But even if I could resist her, I’m not sure I want to.

Because I’ve never denied my wolf anything…especially the chance to raise some serious hell.

And I’m not about to start now.

(Author Note: This book is told in third person point of view, even though the blurb is in first person.)
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |