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Ritter Werewolves #2

Embracing the Wolf

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Werewolves come in two different categories, good and evil. Although Richard Ritter's family has encouraged him to make the change for years, he never considered embracing his wolf until he meets Kate Davis. One night with her however, and his life changes forever.
After a horrifying evening of violence, Kate Davis's life is turned upside down. Richard offers more than security; he offers her passion, someth ing she hasn't experienced in years. Falling in love with him was easy, but once she learns what he becomes every month her fear of the unknown threatens their future.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2010

102 people are currently reading
1144 people want to read

About the author

Catherine Bybee

60 books21k followers
New York Times Bestselling Author
USA Today Bestselling Author
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
Amazon #1 Bestselling Author
#1 IndieReader Bestselling Author

RONE Award Winner 2012
Not Quite Dating
Married by Monday

RONE award Winner 2013
Not Quite Enough

Winner of the More Than Magic Award for Paranormal romance 2011
Silent Vows

Finalist RT Award in Contemporary Romance
Fiance by Friday

New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating from high school, she moved to Southern California with hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the International Bestselling Not Quite series, the MacCoinnich Time Travel series as well as the Internationally Bestselling Weekday Brides series.

Her books have been translated in over twenty languages.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for M3tamorphasis11.
142 reviews11 followers
March 20, 2013
I liked the story and thought it to be entertaining.

Its starts with Kate, a single mom, waitress, getting shot trying to protect a fellow co-worker. The weird thing is that the guy holding up the diner where she works, has a wolf with him. That wold just sits in the middle of the place watching her every move. coincidenc...think not! After being shot Kate blacks out and upon awakening she is being worked on by a paramedic and see's a police officer there. The girl just came to and starts getting bombarded with questions...dude,seriously, give the girl a moment. Fastforward, the paramedic has Kate strapped into the gurney and is getting ready to wheel her out and in walks RICHARD RITTER! All gorgeous, tall, muscular, sexy, man! By the way he looks you would figure him a detective, yeah? Well, Nope, he is co-owner of a security business. Who watches of the restaurant and who belongs to a family of werewolves...interested yet? Uh-huh. You'd figure he is a werewolf, but he isn't, his brother Max is along with others from his family. Richard has refused to turn for so many years now, but things are about to change because now Kate is in his life. From the moment Richard walked into that diner, he will not leave Kate's side, mainly because that burglary, isn't just a simple stick up. There is more to it than meets the eye and apparently in line to a list of many others. The only difference between them all is that other female staffed at the other places held up were reported missing. Kate was the one who got away. Kate is now the target of an evil werewolf and the Ritters are trying to track the evil werewolf down. Until they can, Kate along with her son Joey will be under the watchful eyes of the Ritters, mainly Richard. Throughout, things begin to change between Richard and Kate. That will bring them to have what they never thought they could before...

I enjoyed reading this story. It was cute, entertaining, and detailed. How amazing for Kate to have a man like Richard, so interested and so attentive. Its ashame what happened to Kate and for that her family sucks! Rich Snobs for sure! Oops, gave more away, dah, well, you'd have to read to find out more. The intentions of the nemesis wasn't very obvious at first, but eventually you would figure it out as you read on. The obsession over Kate being the target didn't make any sense. To me it just came across as a; just because, a capricious reason. No other. Mainly being the guys down fall. The sidekick was just a fixture in the background to me in this story. Loved Max and Janet, they were funny! Joey was such a cute and adorabel little man! The way he just puffs is little chest and holds out his hands for those manly hand shakes in introduction. His ever attentiveness to his mom! I <3 his love for his mom. He is the ideal kid :) Fun, Fun!
Profile Image for Bernie.
324 reviews39 followers
November 30, 2013
Spoiler warning!

The book was an epic one!

Richard is the brother of the first book's main male character, Max Ritter. He is a security gard and human (yet...).

Kate is a single mom with a very cute and adorable 6 years old boy, Joey. I am so want a boy like him! Seriously, he's just so sweet and with full of energy. And I admire her, It must be a really difficult thing raising up a little boy alone.

Soo. I loved the book. It was so romantic and with so many action. I love mistery and romance in one book and I got it from this novel.

My favourite scenes was the flirt scenes (of course...) and when Joey asked for a baby brother for Halloween (soo adorable!).

“Never mind,” he said instead, “I should have been easier on you.”
....
She rubbed her knee against his erection. “Some of you isn’t sorry in the least.”
“Never mind him, he doesn’t know when to quit.”


“Are you happy, sport?”
He smiled, nodded, and whispered in her ear.
“I only want one more thing.”
“He’s not going to bite you.”
“I know, that isn’t it.”
“What then?”
He put his little hand up to her ear, “A baby brother.”


I really would like to read a short story about their after life, if they will have a baby together, how Brandy will grow up, etc... Oh, Brandy. I absolutely loved the moment when she was born! It was amazing, with Richard holding her the first time, with Max and Janet looking proud of the life they created together... It was so touching. I loved it.

I don't know if there will be a continuation for this series, but I will definitely read it.

I give 5/5 stars for this book. I simply loved it :)
Profile Image for Scott-robert Shenkman.
235 reviews79 followers
February 11, 2013
I have a big problem.

Yes, it’s true. I read Ms. Bybee’s “Not Quite Dating” and I thought it was awesome. Then I realized she wrote the Ritter werewolf books, and I had the first one on my Kindle for…well, forever. So I jumped and read that ASAP. It was so good, I bought this one and devoured it (pun intended). Then I bought Soul Mate, and now I have to read Possessive and then there are all those time travel books she’s written…Catherine Bybee has gone into my Top 10 favorite authors and I can’t afford all these books! Alright, so maybe my family won’t eat for a week.

Seriously, this book is great. It’s an awesome werewolf story, the characters are great, and compared to the first one…it’s FULL LENGTH! I command it – read them both immediately.

Profile Image for TJ.
3,312 reviews295 followers
July 15, 2010
I've come to realize I really prefer a full length novel. There just isn't enough time for depth in shorter stories. I so enjoy Ms. Bybee's writing style, though that I will endure as long as she writes! She is somehow able to create likable characters that draw the reader into their lives and get them emotionally involved in the outcome in only 177 pages. (disclaimer: for those who don't like steam, there are a few scenes to skip.)
Profile Image for Jennette.
573 reviews
March 12, 2014
just what I was in the mood for... I didn't want anything to complicated or too long. I wanted a love story and a werewolf story. Of course I wanted Richard's story and of course it takes a hard working single mother to bring him to his knees.
Profile Image for Kelley.
109 reviews3 followers
September 18, 2012
Am now a Catherine Bybee addict! I love the stories, romance and the fun characters.
Profile Image for Stacie.
2,581 reviews274 followers
January 13, 2014
This book was good. I absolutely love Richard. He was a sweet heart. Happy reading!
Profile Image for Raquel Vega-Grieder.
112 reviews67 followers
August 25, 2010
Review Of Embracing The Wolf By Catherine Bybee For Romance In The Backseat Blog/Naughty In The Backseat Blog

Ebook format: 177 pages

Published: June 30th 2010 by The Wild Rose Press
Link to Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com
Link to purchase: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index...
Age: 18 and older

Blurb:
Werewolves come in two categories, good and evil. Although Richard Ritter's family has encouraged him to make the change for years, he never considered embracing his wolf until he meets Kate Davis. One night with her, however, and his life changes forever.

After a horrifying evening of violence, Kate Davis' life is turned upside down. Richard offers more than security; he offers her passion, something she hasn’t experienced in years. Falling in love with him was easy, but once she learns what he becomes every month her fear of the unknown threatens their future.
WOW, what a great read this story is. I knew the blurb sounded good but since I am a die hard Vampire fan I wasn't sure if I would truly enjoy this book. This book made me want to make a space for werewolves in my life. Richard and Kate's story was so intoxicating. I was so deliriously drunk on their instantaneous chemistry. I had so much trouble putting this story down. Who wouldn't love a handson stranger who wants nothing more than to protect and love you. This story also shows Kate's fiery spirit as a devoted single mother. She makes you believe if she can make it on her own than there is hope out there for all single mother's who may not think they can handle it on their own. I wished Richard and Kate's story wouldn't end. If you believe in Soul-Mates and love werewolves than you REALLY NEED to read this story. On a scale of 1-10 this book gets a BIG GIANT 10.

5/5 Whips for me 5/5 for the story

Link:
http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/h...
http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/n...
Profile Image for Karen.
1,332 reviews41 followers
April 1, 2014
I was looking forward to getting to know the other Ritter brother and it was well worth the wait. The writing here is crisp and expressive with characters who are as real as any I have ever seen. The story flows easily and pulls you along as the tension builds to a great conclusion. The language is perfect and makes me feel connected to everyone.

Kate Davis is a waitress at The Eatery and is working the graveyard shift when a man and a wolf come in to rob it. Unfortunately she is shot when she tries to protect one of her co-workers who wanders in not knowing what is happening and wakes without knowing what happened. Enter Richard Ritter who runs the security company which monitors the diner. He needs to speak to her and so goes to the hospital to continue the questions but never really got around to it. What he does find out is that Kate is the next target of a wolf who has been kidnapping and changing young women against their will. He feels drawn to protect her for a reason he is not sure about and the only way to do that is by taking a step he has avoided for years even while being nagged by his family. Has he found his true mate?

I really fell in love with these characters and the story fit what I would have expected from them. This was a sweet, sexy story with paranormal overtones. Not many wolves seen but a nice fight scene.
Profile Image for LynnMarie.
856 reviews79 followers
June 10, 2010
Angelique’s Review

Looking for a sexy thriller? You will find that and more in Ms. Catherine Bybee’s, “Embracing the Wolf.” Starting from an action-filled first scene, you will join Kate and Richard on an emotional rollercoaster with plot twists at every turn. Just when you think you have the story figured out, another twist will send you in the opposite direction.

While I liked Kate, I thought her character could have been stronger. She seemed a little too meek and trusting for a single mother with the hurt she suffered in her past. She was, however, a good balance for the fiercely protective Richard. And though it was interesting as we were learning about how he becomes a werewolf, he was definitely not in his canine form long enough for this werewolf lover.

The climax of this story left me a little underwhelmed, but don’t let that deter you. Ms. Bybee definitely has a way with words, especially when it comes to love scenes. I could see the characters and feel their passion grow as the story continued. And if you like sweeter sex scenes, these are definitely for you.

“Embracing the Wolf” is full of humor, action, lust and of course, hunky werewolves that will keep you entertained and howling at the moon.


3 1/2 Tea Cups!
Profile Image for Jade Archer.
Author 24 books174 followers
July 11, 2010
Embracing the Wolf is the second book in this series, following on from Before the Moon Rises. While I enjoyed the first, I think Ms Bybee did an even beter job with this book. The writing is excellent. The plot interesting and well developed, and the ending particularly satisfying for this lover of all things romantic. It was the characters themselves, however, that really had me enjoying this book. Particularly the heroine, who's life experiences give her much more depth and maturity. She had so much more going on in her life than just her attraction to the hero, and I really appreciated her portrayal as a woman trying to do her best while struggles with a very traumatic, scary situation. Recommended for anyone who loves a good shifter romance and a heronine that refuses to be dictated to by her libido or commit the ultimate sin of being `too stupid to live'.
Profile Image for Gina Ceballos.
342 reviews5 followers
August 18, 2012
Even better than the first book. Of course this is a full length book, so there was more time to develop the characters. Richard was charming, adorable, sensible and funny. Kate was the damsels in distress, but with a strong character. It’s impossible not to relate to them.

Joey was an amazing kid. For me, he stole the show a few times.

I’m not detailing the plot here, but know that this are happy werewolves, no moody persona, lots of great chemistry and sex, quite a few laughs and scares plus Max and Janet are still in the picture.
You can’t go wrong with this book.
Profile Image for Melissa.
457 reviews1 follower
September 11, 2012
Catherine Bybee's short stories make me smile. I normally hate short stories be Aude everything happens so rushed I first read her Contemporary romances Wife by Wednesday and Married by Monday I cannot wait for the next book in those series or this series I like how all her characters are developed and the stories make sense and don't feel forced or rushed. And honestly I know this is cliché but I only like happy endings and hers always satisfy that for me.
Profile Image for Diana Pezzino.
59 reviews
September 8, 2013
Richard like his life as a human and does not want to take the change like his brother. Kate is a waitress who's restaurant gets held up and when shot at she passes out. When she awakens Richard comes in and he is there to help her. Kate has to get home to her son by Richard will not leave her side and finds ways to stay. Kate's life is in danger and Richard has to protect her and her son. Will Richard make the change to save them both or will he want to stay human?
Profile Image for Beth Orsborn .
157 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2013
I love this series! richard and max make it hard for their women to resist. kate and janet both went through the same situation and are a great pair of friends right from the start! little joey is an intelligent 6 year old who act older then he is and finally acts his age when richard falls into their lives after a robbery at kates work. what an amazing follow up and story of the ritter brothers.
Profile Image for Beth Orsborn .
157 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2014
Owner of a security company gets in a little deep after he realizes the girl he is protecting is his mate. Will she except her role in his life? Will she be able to serve this attack?

Loved this book. Shifter and protector. Mate? love it!

I would recommend this to anyone who loves paranormal romance and shifter books. 18+ for sex and violence
39 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2012
This was a very exciting storyline with a heroine readers can relate to: struggling, single mom, trying to do the best she can in an often unfair and scary world. The love scenes were very sensual and the interactions feel real and unrehearsed.
Profile Image for Kristy Mills.
1,937 reviews38 followers
June 13, 2012
I liked this one. I didn't love it like the first one, there was just something about Kate that I couldn't warm to. I don't know what it was. But it was a still a cute story and I really liked Richard. I am enjoying this series, I hope there is more to come.
Profile Image for Elaine.
1,060 reviews14 followers
August 3, 2012
Catherine has the ability to grab her reader's attention immediately. I agree with TJ's review. I like longer stories but if I am going to read a short one it will be one of Catherine's. Lots of steam in this one so if you don't like steam you might want to skip this one.
Profile Image for Karen.
28 reviews
August 9, 2012
Read this book following "Before The Moon Rises". This book was another great quick read!
Again, it was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed following the story and romance of the Ritter Wolves through the eyes of brother Richard.
Profile Image for Monique Grasso.
89 reviews5 followers
August 16, 2012
This book was much better than the 1st one. I liked how the characters interacted. I felt invested in Kate and Richard and wanted their relationship to work. Although the villains in the both books were similar in their intent there were some subtle differences which kept me intrigued......
Profile Image for Sarah.
2,141 reviews30 followers
May 27, 2013
Loved this second book. Loved how Richard develops as a character. Really like the carry on from first books. You find out how max and Janet have got on and their little HEA. Love joey. He's totally sweet 6yrs old and really helps the story along.
Profile Image for Rochelle.
3,462 reviews56 followers
December 27, 2012
I absolutely loved this book, as much as book 1! I hope that there will be a book 3!
Profile Image for Sussan.
187 reviews
August 31, 2013
Great plot, great characters and enjoyed the kid
Profile Image for Laura Goff.
230 reviews2 followers
August 26, 2013
Short , drama, love, angst ........ I recommended for a short quick read I kinda wished it was a little longer though
Profile Image for Amy.
54 reviews8 followers
September 17, 2013
4 1/2 wish the stories were longer as the stories develop then end too quick!
Profile Image for Samantha Holly.
331 reviews3 followers
April 5, 2020
I found it really hard to obtain a copy of this novella but thanks to https://novel24.com/ I was able to curl up and read directly from my laptop!

Although you could classify this as a standalone, I recommend reading Before The Moon Rises to meet three of the four protagonists: Janet, Max and Richard. The first book introduces the relationship of Janet and Max and well their first conversation was an introduction you'll remember!!

This series is a different take on the werewolf phenomenon. The Ritter family are born with the werewolf gene but make a choice to become a shifter or stay human. Werewolves are either good or bad depending on the personality of the human before they were turned. A human bitten by a bad were will turn evil regardless of their good nature. For many generations the Ritter family have striven to cull the bad werewolves. After their father is taken ill, Max decided to turn but Richard has always remained stoic on the matter until he comes face to face with the one woman fate throws his way.

Working the midnight shift at her local diner, Kate Davis walks directly into an ongoing robbery . Dropping dishes at her feet she freezes; just as the gunman and the single wolf beside him, direct their attention to her. Handing over the night's cash takings, Kate makes a split moment decision to dive towards Julian (another employee) before he walks into the ongoing scene. Kate is shot. As bullets are fired in her direction, glass from the displays splinter over her unconscious form.

Another diner has been hit. Ritter Securities is called to investigate to ascertain if any of the patrons have been bitten or marked by the wolf. With the full moon fast approaching, any human marked is at risk of turning.

Walking into the diner, Richard is drawn directly to the sharp witted waitress covered in shards of glass and suffering from a bullet wound. Finding both her car and apartment complex marked by the evil wolf, using the initial line of needing to ask questions about the robbery and assault, he is able to inject himself into Kate's life as her protector. Offering security, protection and a safe place to live it doesn't take long before he's offering a lot more. Richard slowly realizes Kate is the one woman he is willing to risk his humanity for.

Kate's life is turned upside down in a matter of day. Needing protection from a deranged gunman and his 'pet', Kate accepts the help offered to her by Richard - the one man who sets her nerve endings on fire; makes her want things she hasn't thought about since before the birth of her son. Taking each day as it comes, Kate's faith in the family grows but she has a niggling feeling they are holding something back from her.

As their relationship slowly blossoms, Richard makes the ultimate sacrifice too ensure Kate and Joey's safety.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and laughed a bit at the antics of Max and Richard especially at some of the things you expect siblings to make. I guess if you read the first novella, you are able to relate to a lot of the camaraderie between the brothers.

Embracing the Wolf is as much Richard's story as it is a love story of Richard, Kate and Joey. I thoroughly enjoyed it.



This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Maura.
3,883 reviews116 followers
August 27, 2023
Richard, who has not yet become a werewolf, meets Kate after she is shot and nearly bitten by a werewolf while working at a diner. He realizes he has to protect her, and her son Joey, because the werewolf has marked her and she's now a target. And so, he decides to become a werewolf for her.

This one is longer than the first story, a contains quite a bit more angst, both good and bad. Most of the angst comes from the characters personality flaws. Richard is kinda controlling and more or less takes over Kate's life. She allows it and doesn't seem to resent it too much, and I think I resented it more than she did. Kate has single mother syndrome...she's gun shy about trusting again, she bases all her decisions on her son's well-being (justifiably) and is really bad at communicating why she feels she needs to leave. But, both characters are more or less likeable and their chemistry is pretty top notch. And, this book does not rely on insta-love. These two have to work out some stuff before they figure it out, which is all part of the story journey. Major props to the author for writing a kid character who is actually likeable and more or less acts his age. Joey was actually one of my favorite characters in the whole story. And the story itself was solid. Classic harem-collecting villain presents a threat to Kate and both Max and Richard come together to help protect her, mostly by keeping her in the house, but also helping out the police and doing investigating.

However, I had issues with two things primarily. First of all, Plan B is not an abortifacient. Kate and Richard forget the condom once and Kate sneaks down to the ER while they're in the hospital to try to get it. Richard gets all butt hurt that she's trying to "stop any pregnancy from continuing if a child is already conceived." Research refutes this, so this is straight up misinformation (granted perhaps the author didn't know that at the time as this misinformation was probably prevalent when this was written). Meanwhile, they've known each other for less than a month and he's furious that she wouldn't want to be pregnant? But it turns out he's actually mad at himself for not having the courage to confront his feelings and is taking it out on her? WTF? Secondly, the police chief guy, Devon, wants to use Kate as bait. And Kate is all for it because she wants this to be over, so she agrees to do it. Problem is, she has no idea what she's up against. She thinks she's going to face a man and his dog. She doesn't realize that she's been targeted by a werewolf...much faster, much more dangerous than a man. And so both Kate and Richard should have been furious with Devon for putting her life at risk like that without giving her all the information. I was disappointed that no one thought to point that out and just forgave him so quickly.

So, yeah, this book, this series is a good, solid, entertaining read. Am I going back for a re-read? Probably not. For the 99 cent price tag on Amazon, this is definitely worth the read. The whole series is actually worth it, in my opinion. I liked the first one better, but this one was good too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
210 reviews3 followers
March 8, 2021
After reading the first in the Ritter Werewolves Series I couldn't wait to read this one and it did not disappoint.
Kate is working as a waitress and someone comes in to rob the restaurant late one night. The thing is the guy has a wolf with him. Kate gets shot and she comes to with Richard Ritter walking in. Richard is very interested in information of the robber and wolf and he also realizes Kate is his soulmate.
Richard never had a desire to become a werewolf as most of his family, but Kate and her safety from the evil werewolves along with Kate's son is his priority.
Richard is Kate and her son Joey's dream come true. But surprises and problems arise and lots of things to work through make this novella a can't put down.
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