NIGHTSHADE

NIGHTSHADE, by Andrea Cremer (Philomel, October 2010)(ages 14+). An intriguing gothic fantasy romance, NIGHTSHADE is a lusty tale of action, passion, lies, and deceit.

In the mountains above Vail, Colorado, seventeen-year-old Callie rescues a handsome human hiker from a bear. But to do so, she has to violate the rules of the Keepers and expose herself as a Guardian, a race of humans magically invested by the Keepers with the ability to change into wolves.

Things become more complicated when, a month before her scheduled union with the alpha of a rival pack, the hiker, Shay, enrolls in her high school. Worse, her pack’s Keeper orders both packs to protect the boy from the Searchers, who have long been at war with the Keepers.

As Callie finds herself increasingly drawn to both Ren, the alpha, and to Shay, the bonds of duty and loyalty become increasingly frayed.

The back-story, and Callie's reactions to the complications Ren and Shay bring to her life, unfold gracefully as she takes steps to discover the truth about herself, the packs, and their roles in the Witch's War.

Book 2, WOLFSBANE, is tentatively scheduled for Fall 2011.