The Huntress Reviews - A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing

TITLE: A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing

(Sisters of Colford Hall ™, #3 / July 28, 2009)

AUTHOR: Deborah MacGillivray

13 ISBN: 9780505527813

10 ISBN: 0505527812

5 STARS! *****

Set in England, close to London. Trevelyn "Trev" Sinclair Mershan and his brothers are on a mission of vengeance. The Mershan brothers never stopped blaming Sean Montgomerie for their father's suicide. It has taken decades of work and maneuvering, but the Mershans are finally set to extract some justice. Since Sean is deceased, the brothers are going after his grandchildren and the family business, Montgomerie Enterprises (M.E.). Quietly they have been buying up the company's stocks and soon the hostile takeover will begin. So that no one will connect him to the Mershan family name, Trev will be known as Trevelyn Sinclair. His duty is to get close to Raven Montgomerie, the timid sister, in order to keep an eye on her CEO brother, Cian, and the daily operations of the business.

Trev manages to get an invitation to the annual charity gala M.E. is hosting. Since Raven is the artistic sibling, she has set everything up. She even brings one of her most cherished possessions as a prop. It is a birthday present from one of her absent sisters, a fortuneteller booth. When someone drops in a coin, the life-like gypsy doll within consults her crystal ball, followed by a card popping out with their fortune upon it. The gala is going well until Raven spies her abusive ex-husband, Alec. Just before Alec could manage to publicly humiliate Raven, Trev steps in to rescue her and begins to work his charms on the shy lady. But Trev has underestimated the effect Raven would have on him.

Raven is one of seven sisters. Though most of the family in the area resides at Colford Hall, the family's massive manor, Raven prefers to live in a thatched cottage on the far side of the vast estate. Here, Raven can paint in solitude and hide away from the world while doting on her menagerie of pets. The two fat cats, midget pony, and one-legged sea gull are the only companions she desires. But after Trev manages to storm into her heart and her bed, Raven finds herself coming out of her shell.

***** FIVE STARS! This is the third installment of the "Sisters of Colford Hall ™" saga. All three of the stories run in the same time frame. It does not matter in what order you read them, but if you wish to read them in order of publication: One is "The Invasion of Falgannon Isle” and is the story of Desmond and BarbaraAnne. Two is "Riding the Thunder” and is the story of Jago and Asha.

One thing I enjoy about this series thus far is the setting changes. The first book is on an isolated isle, the second is in Kentucky, USA, and this one is in a small fictional town near London, England. The author inserts humor into them as well. In this one, Trev is allergic to the two cats, the black mini pony keeps breaking into the cottage and loves to be chased by humans, and the one-legged sea gull thinks it is a cat but enjoys pecking on Trev's bare toes. I fell totally in love with these animals.

For those who enjoy some suspense, the ex-husband causes lots of danger and trouble due to his hatred of Raven and of Trev for defending her from his bullying. There is also some eerie magic. The booth's fortune teller looks very life-like. No one can figure out how the booth makes its special affects and the fortunes she pops out are always spot-on. She gives ominous warnings that are totally correct every single time. When I saw the gypsy doll for the last time, I actually felt a chill go down my spine. I have yet to succeed in getting THAT scene out of my head.

Needless-to-say, I believe this title is the author's absolute best story to date. It flows smoothly, all the characters are will developed and have their own personalities and problems, and the writing style is superb. I can hardly wait for the 2010 release of "To Bell a Vampire”, Brishen's tale. Author Deborah MacGillivray gets better and better with each story she puts out. *****

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Reviewed by Detra Fitch