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The Passion
Donna Boyd
ISBN # 0-380-79094-7
1998
Avon Books, Inc.

Opening the cover of Donna Boyd's The Passion is like opening the door to another world: the fascinating, frightening and absorbing world of the werewolf like we've never seen it before. From the first page to the last, this book takes the reader on a fantastical, yet believable journey in which we discover that werewolves, previously thought of as deplorable, murderous beasts who hunt humans at every full moon, actually walk among us.

Humans cannot tell werewolves from people because they look just like us. They own businesses, they live in houses, they eat the same food we do, they drink the drinks we drink. But they are far superior in many ways. They uphold themselves to the highest moral standards. Their rich are richer, their artists infinitely more talented, their businessmen more shrewd, their craftsman far more skilled. They mate for life literally for when a mated werewolf dies, the bond between the two is so strong that the other follows soon after, often within hours. Humans rarely can know the world of this werewolf, for we are looked upon as inferior. Despised by some groups, kept as servants by others, even thought of as pets by the more forward-thinking of the werewolves, humans are rarely welcomed.

When one human, Tessa LeGuerre, infiltrates the pack and becomes a pet, of sorts, to a very powerful werewolf, things will never be the same for her, the werewolf she falls in love with or the leader of the pack who befriends her and indeed will change the course of werewolf history forever. The novel opens with a terrible tragedy. A murder, discovered by Nicholas Devoncroix. Somehow, inexplicably, a human was involved. Nicholas catches the scent and immediately suspects the now dead werewolves, some of his close friends, have gone against one of the packs strongest tenets: humans shall not be killed. When he starts asking questions of his father, Alexander Devoncroix, he finds things are not nearly as simple as he thinks. Instead, he discovers a well-guarded family secret, the origins of which date back to late 1800's Paris.

To say The Passion is spellbinding would be an understatement. Boyd's novel is packed (no pun intended) with mystery, romance, sensuality, horrors untold, heartbreaking tragedy and thrilling excitement. The plot is intricate and riveting, the characters so real they practically leap off the page. The descriptions are so rich you will smell the scents, see the surroundings, feel the textures. The humans will inspire jealousy, making you wish that just for one day you could live in their place. The werewolves will make you ashamed to be human. We are, compared to them, dirty beasts at worst, and at best, silly, little creatures with little intellectual ability. Much like our cats and dogs seem to some of us.

The sequel to The Passion, called The Promise, an excerpt of which is included in the paperback edition of the original, "promises" to be even more compelling, more beautiful and more intense in its emotions. I highly recommend The Passion, and if the sequel is anything like the first, it is recommended as well.

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