REVIEW: Jaded, Bearded, Wolfish: A Halloween Romance (Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish Book 3) by G.G. Andrew
It’s been a year since Zach got his heart pulverized. A year since he’s sworn off girls.
But then, at the haunted house where he dresses up as a werewolf, she shows up.
Samantha. Sweet, pretty, perky — totally not his type. You know, if he was even interested in dating again.
(Which he isn’t.)
But some girls just have a way of getting under your fur…
Dear Ms. Andrew,
Back for the third novella in this series about a group of people who all are way more into horror movies and working in a haunted house than any group of people I’ve ever heard of. But hey, whatever sends shivers down your spine.
After listening to Zach – who has played one of the werewolves at the Haunted Shack for many, many. many years – tell fellow Shacker Nora, because he was hurting due to his fiancee cheating on him last year, that love is for idiots and that she and her boyfriend were doomed to break up, I knew that poor Zach had to have his story and find love again.
That initially looked like it would be a while in happening as in the year since his heart was ripped out and smashed, he’d only progressed from angry to bitter. Something his friends comment on warily. His first meeting with Sam doesn’t clue him in that his future has arrived as Sam is already in her werewolf costume. Aside from thinking Sam needs to deepen his growl, Zach feels the guy will work out. That is until their first break when Zach discovers Sam is a werewomanwolf. And she’s perky and smiles. Just what he doesn’t want to work with.
Zach cleared his throat and added, “She’s perky. She’s just so perky. Friendly. Real happy-like.”
“Like when she’s a wolf?” Tim said.
“No, like as an actual person.”
I saw Tim in shadow raise his hands in a so-what gesture. “What does it matter? We don’t discriminate here against age or national origin or perkiness. Plus,” he added, “some of the scariest people I know are girls. Perky ones, even.”
Sam overhears Zach’s criticisms and throws her anger into scaring the crap out of the customers then tells Zach off even as she advises him he needs reiki or soothing music or something in his life to take the edge off his attitude. She has a wonderful boyfriend who texts her pictures of flowers that he says reminds him of her, even if he forgets to pick her up after work. Disgusted Zach insists on driving her home because he’s not the type of guy to leave a woman in a deserted parking lot at 1 am.
When Zach hurts his back, he finally agrees to get a massage from therapist Sam and the two open up a bit while Sam is working the kinks out of his muscles. Then she goes and realizes that Zach is really hawt in his lumbersexual way and things get awkward. But when faced with a choice between honest and will-be-there-for-you Zach and August who writes emo songs for her, which way will this go?
I saw some of the things coming in this story but I still enjoyed the heck out of most of it. The increasingly sensual scene between Zach and Sam made me think – at work, co-workers, Sam has a boyfriend. Thankfully she realizes this too. There’s also a scene that is both hilarious and a little strange featuring most of the characters from the first two novellas when they take someone out to get her drunk for the first time at a bar. I was laughing as their first impressions of someone Vin talks to veer from “oh, aren’t they cute” to thinking the guy might be a serial killer because they’re all horror fans and that’s how their minds work. But at least they circled around her the whole time to whisk her away in case he does turn out to be a serial killer. And yes, Vin wanted to go and get drunk.
There’s a resolution to Sam’s relationship I didn’t see coming but yay! she’s the one to make it. Then I was glad to see a bit (tiny but there) of time spent giving Zach some closure before the final conflict with Sam must be resolved. That I kind of figured out early on from things a few people said but damn! it is one of the finest “Lloyd Dobler boombox” moments I’ve read in ages. Truly a fabulous scene that spells out how much Zach wants to be with Sam. The whole thing would be quoted here except that it is so fine that it must be read in context and I don’t want to spoil it. I also think that quoting each other sappy inspirational lines might become their “thing” which they totally need because they’re so cute together. Now I can’t wait to see Vin find her guy. B
~Jayne
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