Something to Howl About is a good fit for readers who enjoy stories about outsiders finding acceptance and love in unconventional communities, while also exploring themes of scientific discovery and the importance of lineage.

Something To Howl About by Christina Warren is a wonderful romantic tale. A way for Annie Cryer to move back to her original pack, she must help the Mayor of Alphaville, Washington and figure out why the bear shifters can no longer "produce off-spring". The bear shifters in Alphaville have not been able to do so for about 100 years. Upon meeting Jona, Annie's wolf cannot shut up about how they found their mate. Despite how much her wolf is attracted to Jona, she can stand him.
When Jona's bear gets a whiff of Annie and her wolf, the bear cannot get enough. The second thing that makes Jona scared and nervous is the fact that his bear calls her their mate, and how he grew up thinking that bears cannot be monogamous. Something to Howl About is a quick and great novella. The book kept me interested in the story and I could not put the book down.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC through Netgalley. I didn't really plan on reading this when I first got the book because when I read Baby I'm Howling For You I found out that the whole premise wasn't really my thing.

So for this book, I gave 2.75. I kinda like it but I'm not a fan of the writing style. This book, in short, was an ecology lesson I didn't ask for but I really appreciated😂 Compared to werewolves stories I read in the past, Alphaville series is unique in the way that it doesn't just include one shapeshifters but a lot others. There were lions, coyotes and in this book's case, grizzly bears. I was really curious to see how a couple that includes a grizzly bear and a wolf would work out lol.

The other thing that I was not a fan of is that it was a romance-centered book, which is not something I'm currently looking for these days and the romance is more to physical which is not my type of romance. I can see why it can be a lot of people's favourite but it's not really my thing.

Having read Ms. Warren for many years, I found this novel to be "just okay". Not bad, but not her bestwork. As usual , I enjoyed the snappy dialogue & steamier scenes. I look forward to reading other novels in the alphaville series.

Loved this book! Couldn't get enough of it. Reminds me of old-school Christine Warren and why I fell in love with the PNR genre.

Dr. Annie Cryer has a chance to go back to her pack if she just goes to Alphaville and helps the with their fertility problem. Jonas a brown bear shifter is worried that none of his clan has produced any offspring however when he and Annie meet the problem goes on the back burner. Annie is a wolf shifter and Jonas doesn’t believe in mating for life in fact after he insults Annie he tells her so. Now Annie’s wolf is howling and Jonas’s bear is ready to come out and claim the wolf himself but Jonas’s human side is going to need a lot of convincing. Really cute story and Annie’s character was tough and funny, I hope there’s more of their story later on.

Something to Howl About is a quick intro into the Alphaville world. It's a great story to read at any point in the series, but it gives you the backstory of Jonas, the bear shifter, and Annie, the wolf shifter, It definitely sets the tone for the series as fun and filled with suspense.
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

Annie was in the lobby of Alpha, Washington’s town hall. Annie had been living out of two battered suitcases for the last three years.Annie was a wolf shifter and had been banished from her pack as she had placed her pack in danger because of her carelessness with her work previously. Alpha-often called Alphaville by the shifters- was an infamous enclave in the Cascade Mountain range. Annie was there to see the mayor- John Jaeger. Jonas asked Jaeger what he knew about Annie. Jonas and John were the oldest of friends. Annie was a doctor and she had a handful of master degrees and a bunch of letters after her name. Jonas needs Annie to save his bear clan. Annie was also a certified genius in genetics, shifter biology, and biochemistry. Everyone John/Jaeger had spoken to has said she was the best hope Jonas had. Jonas ran his family's company - Browning Industries- he was also alpha of his clan and known as the playboy of the shifter community , he was also billionaire.. Annie freaked some when she seen Grahams name on her cellphone. He was someone she had known all her life. He was her cousin, her playmate, and her Alpha. If she did the favor John asked her banishment would be lifted. Annie hadn’t tried to settle down anywhere as she knew New York was home. Annie instantly noticed the other man in the mayor’s office. All Annie senses were focused on the stranger although through her force of will she still gazed at Mayor Jaeger. The bears scent struck her as pleasant unexpectedly as Mayor Jaeger introduced her to Jonas. Annie’s wolf said Jonas was theirs in her head. As Jonas turned his attention and said he needed her help to save his clan. Jonas realized before he turned to meet Annie his wolf wanted to taste her. Jonas had never had such an immediate reaction to a woman before or rather his bear who usually had no interest in the women in Jonas’s life. Annie Cryer wasn’t Jonas’s type but his bear didn’t care. Jonas told her the women in his clan have been unable to have children. They can’t conceive several had been trying for years. They’d even tried medical specialists and went through several different treatments that had all failed. If they didn't find the root of this problem Jonas was afraid he would have no bears left. The numbers of the brown bears had been declining for at least five generations or about one hundred and fifty years. Annie was given an unused office in the medical center Dr. Doug Kirby told her she could use the lab also. When the doctor left Annie and Jonas alone in the office he kisses her. Even though Annie didn’t want to hear it her wolf knew Jonas was their mate. Than Jonas went on about how bears didn’t mate like wolves. By the time he managed to shut himself up Annie was furious and left. Than she called her best friend Sam back in NY at her pack. They had grown up together and been best friends since they were four years old. and she hadn’t even known Sam had a baby. But graham had told Annie she wasn’t even to talk to anyone in his pack Sam got mad at that as they hadn’t talked for three years. But to her shock Annie no longer missed the Silverback pack like she had the last couple of years. Jonas’s mom went to see him and ask him what was wrong she than told him brown bears did have mates. Jonas and Annie felt like they were individually going crazy as they were mates and hadn’t seen each other in seven days.
I loved this book and it was a quick easy read. I read this in one setting. I loved the plot and pace. I loved how Jonas's mom made him feel like a pup again and she also set him straight about mates. I loved Jonas and Annie together and how they interacted with each other. I couldn’t find anything to criticize in this book - happily. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

Funny, sexy shifter romance…

Funny, spicy and full of uncontrollable heat and passion, Annie and Jonas started burning up the pages the minute their eyes met. Brought together to dig into the mystery of declining population in his pack, Jonas was not expecting to meet a woman who his bear immediately claimed for themselves. A mate was not in his plan or his vocabulary but Annie’s wolf had other things to say….

“He hadn’t expected to find her sexier than a naked lap dance by an enthusiastic lover.”

These two together were both funny and sparky as their first meeting wasn’t exactly a love match. Words were spoken and the silence was brutal… I smiled and laughed out loud more than once as Jonas backtracked and Annie called him on his s**t. Ahh, the age old dance of romance has the same rules regardless of who or what you are… And Annie and Jonas showed it off to perfection.

A quick, satisfying start to this series and I look forward to lots more from this town!

Something to Howl About is the 1st in the Welcome to Alphaville series. It is an okay read. If you are reading this shifter romance book then you have probably read Suzanne Wright's Phoenix Pack or Mercury Pack series. Another very good shifter romance is the Pride series by Shelley Laurenston. Something to Howl About doesn't really compete.

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.

I loved this short story. I can't wait to start reading next book from this series.

Something to Howl About was the first book in the Welcome to Alphaville series.  I enjoyed Warren's Other's series in the past, so I was interested to check out his adjacent world.

Something to Howl About was a little shorter than I would have liked, and I think there was plenty of ways the story could have been longer and more flushed out. I enjoyed the pairing of Annie and Jonas but I felt like we really just got to scratch the surface of them as individuals and as a couple.   I would have loved to understand more behind why Jonas had such a strong reaction to the idea of mating for life.   His reaction seemed to go beyond the belief that it wasn't something that bears did.  I also would have loved to know more about Annie's past in general and seen more of her friendship with her bestie when they reunited.  The most frustrating aspect of the story was that it was never made clear why Annie was banished by her original pack, but perhaps this is something we will learn more about in future installments.

This is my first time reading Christine Warren’s work. It was not a bad experience, but I felt it could have been better. The story was entertaining and easy to read.
I loved the author’s view on the world of shifters. This installment introduces readers to a town called Alphaville. This is a town, which welcomes shifters of all species down on their luck and have issues be it financial, physical and emotional dealing with. The town provides a haven for them to recover, recuperate, retreat and rejuvenate.
I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, which is filled with heat and humour. I laughed out a few times. I loved spending time with them and wished I had more time to know them.
However, as this is a novella there were a few things missing from the story. I believe with novellas, readers are cheated, as we are not given sufficient information to establish a connection with the characters. In addition, the sometimes come to an abrupt end leaving us less than satisfied with how the events are concluded. This was no different.
Character Development:
We are told that Annie (the female protagonist) had been banished from her pack. Since then she has wandered aimlessly from city to city. However, the author failed to enlighten her readers about the events that led to her banishment. I never had the chance to get to know the characters on a deeper level.
Romance
Some may consider this an insta-love scenario, but I am not sure I would call it that. I saw it more as a case of falling in lust. As is the norm for most of the shifter stories I have read, the beasts within recognises their mate from the moment they meet. This was no different. However, there was no romantic development. There was no effort by either of the characters in fighting for their relationship.
Story
Annie came to Alphaville to offer her expertise as a geneticist to assist a bear clan who feared they were facing extinction. I found this aspect of the story to be lacking pertinent details. I never saw her using her skills in arriving at her conclusion. The author also did not follow up on Annie’s option to return to her pack after fulfilling her assignment in Alphaville. The story came to an abrupt end, leaving me with several unanswered questions.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, this was a fun story, and it provided me with the much-needed escape from reality.

Jonas and Annie are great together. Great story if you like shifter romance.

I really enjoyed reading the start to this new series. It’s fun and the characters were quirky. Five glittery stars!

Something to howl about by christine warren.
Annie Cryer has arrived at alphaville. She is doing a favour for her alpha of her clan as she has been banished from her clan. If she does this favour then the banishment will be lifted. But she doesn't realise she will meet her mate here? And that he is not what she thinks?
Fantastic read with great characters. Loved how annie and jonas were together. Looking forward to reading the next one. 5*.

A short novella telling a very typical shifter romance story. Wolf meets Bear, they are mates, insta love, and lots of sex. It basically does nothing to introduce us to Alphaville or it’s inhabitants. We get a barely get to hear about the town and quickly meet characters that say a couple of sentences and leave. Almost all of which are to push the leads story along and not to give us any insight into them. The main conflict of the story has no impact on the future as it is quickly and easily resolved. Also something that bothered me is it was stated several times that Annie was kicked out of her pack for doing something terrible, however it was never said what that terrible thing was. What was the point of having that be part of the story if it’s never going to be revealed?

This is definitely something that can be skipped. There is nothing original about it, the character introductions don’t make you feel like you want to know what happens to them in the future, and it has no impact on the first book in the series. If you’re interested in this series go straight to the first book. If you read the first book and are wondering if you missed something, you didn’t.

This is a perfect and short introduction to the Alphaville series about small town life of 'reject' shifters. Shifters who are on the run, don't fit in, and just need to re-start their life. The collection of different types of shifters I think is a great indication how the series will go.

In this novella we meet Dr. Annie Cryer who has been excommunicated from her pack. She finds herself in Alphaville with a chance to redeem herself and re-join her old pack if she helps out Jonas Browning. Jonas is that billionaire wolf alpha who is plagued by problems that his bear community faces. Dr. Cryer is the one to help solve the problem.

While I shipped the two of them from their snippy introduction, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at their interactions. They got spark, sass, and that insta-romance, which is understandable what with the length of this book and the fact that it is a shifter romance. The biology of attraction... to love rules completely.

Christine Warren is a new to me author, author that I will definitely come back to for some great stories... starting with continuing on with this series.

PS: I absolutely adore the covers!

Book Review
Title: Something to Howl About
Series: Alphaville 0.5
Author: Christine Warren
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Shifters
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Cliff Hanger: No

4 Stars

*This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes and language intended for adults 18+

Synopsis:
WELCOME TO ALPHAVILLE, where the she-wolves and alpha-males play. . .for keeps, in a brand-new paranormal romance series from New York Times bestselling author Christine Warren.

Dr. Annie Cryer has been called many things: Genius. Child prodigy. Scientific wonder.

Wolf Shifter.

Banished from her pack years ago, Annie’s lone wolf wandering has brought her to Alpha, Washington, home to all shifters who don't quite fit in in the "normal" shifter word. Now Annie has the chance to go back home...if only she can make good on a favor her alpha owes the mayor of “Alphaville.” But it's not much of a favor when you're helping the hottest shifter in town...

Grizzly shifter Jonas Browning has a clan in trouble. They haven't had a child born in over a hundred years...and their clan faces going completely extinct. Genetic scientist Anne Cryer has been sent to help save them. But what Jonas doesn't count on is being irresistibly drawn to the small wolf shifter, and his bear isn't about to let her go...

My Thoughts:
This is a new to me author and I was excited to try something new. I have read shifter books before, but this felt different and I really enjoyed it. Alphaville is a spinoff series from this authors’ Others series. You don’t have to have read the Others series to enjoy this one.

When I first picked up this book I chuckled at the title, I thought oh man I hope it isn’t cheesy. Well rest assured it is not cheesy, but boy is it funny! I snickered and barked out a laugh on more than one occasion because of the sarcastic snark.

This is a quick novella that introduces the cast of characters of the town of Alpha, Washington. The opening line in the book, “Hi. Welcome to Alphaville, home of the freaks, the losers and the emotionally challenged. How can I help you?” This opening statement sets the tone for the rest of the novella.

I enjoyed meeting the town mayor, John Jaeger, the charming secretary to the mayor, Vonnie Milner, and Dr. Annie Cryer, our heroine, a genetic scientist with two doctorates and a handful of master’s degrees and a she is wolf shifter. She was banished from her pack and has been drifting from place to place for the last three years while awaiting the opportunity to return to her pack. Her opportunity came knocking when her pack leader notified her that if she went to Alpha to help the mayor of the town with a genetics issue, she could return to her pack. Annie jumped at the chance but what she would rather jump is Jonas Browning! Her wolf kept pacing and insisting MINE as soon as she met him.

Jonas Browning is a millionaire and known playboy in shifter circles. He is also the alpha of his brown bear clan and has a concern with the lack of bears reproducing and is worried their breed would become extinct. He had no idea that his bear would take to the good doctor! His bear has never reacted so quickly to another female! Thus, began the love story of Annie and Jonas.

This novella was a quick, fun read and a cute love story. This is not a heavy, dark paranormal read. It is funny, snarky and sarcastic. Yes, it is insta lust/love but that is the way of the shifters, approach, sniff, pin and mount, to quote Jonas! There is no huge courtship as there is in a regular courtship. I loved the dual POV, so I could be in their heads. The only down side was that I wish it would have been longer.

This was a great start to a new series! I look forward to more from this author and this series.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an honest review.

Something to Howl about was a fantastic book. This was a great way of introducing people to the series. It was short fast read and it is sure to cause readers to fall in love with the Alphaville characters. Anne is probably one of my favorite characters. She is absolutely brilliant and so strong. Jonas is, of course, the very alpha hero who wants to keep our dear Annie.

I love this world and the way the author has written everything just made it alive. The characters were complex and fun. I enjoyed this fast romance so much.