Product Description

THE WOLF HUNT is a breathtaking and romantic adventure. When Marie Penthievre of Chalendrey is abducted and taken to Brittany's court she vows never to dishonour her family by marrying a Breton. There is only one who might change her mind: Tiarnan of Talensac, a handsome and noble knight...and a werewolf. But Tiarnan marries someone else - and when his new wife learns of his secret, she betrays him. When the widow joins forces with Tiarnan's enemy, Marie realises something is dreadfully wrong. Only she is clear headed enough to rescue Tiarnan and return him to his rightful status - but can she do so before it is too late?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #332970 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book to settle down with
Why Gillian Bradshaw isn't more widely recognised beats me, and The Wolf Hunt is one of her best (along with, I'd say, Island of Ghosts, Down the Long Wind and The Beacon at Alexandria, for anyone who enjoys this one and wonders what to read next). It manages to pull off that rare trick of being thoroughly intelligent and thoughtful, while at the same time being an effortless read. Other reviewers have already described the story, so all I'll say is, if you're looking for a book that will completely hold your attention and entertain you, you can't do better.

A fascinating book with a great wolf twise
This was the first book by Gillian Bradshaw that I read and I have subsequently searched out several others by her – all surprisingly different from this one!

Warning – there are plot spoilers below!

The plot is that of a young girl, Marie, who is kidnapped and ends up by finding her loyalties torn – those who kidnapped her are her father’s enemies, but they treat her so well that she is unsure of the right path. She initially escapes from her kidnappers and is very nearly raped and worse by some wood people she comes across – she is rescued by a strange man, Tiernan. We hear of Marie’s introduction to the court of Duke Hoel and Marie discovers Tiernan is engaged to Elin. As a reader I decided Tiernan would probably come to his senses before the wedding and realise Marie is the woman for him, but this didn’t happen. In fact he loves Elin very much, and Marie has to watch them marry and try to subdue her feelings.

At this point the focus of the story changes and we start to follow more of the story of Tiernan. He is a very interesting character – and he has a secret. This was fairly easy to guess as the story progresses, and it was more interesting to see how the characters around him dealt with this. His new wife Elin is repulsed when she discovers her husband sometimes turns into a wolf and she schemes to have him disposed of – not by death, but by ensuring he remains trapped in his wolf form.

It is here that Marie returns. The section where Tiernan is a wolf is brilliantly written – his part human but mostly animal intellect and senses is very evocative. We begin to understand what it’s like for him – the freedom of his wolf form, but the knowledge that there is more out there for him as a man. It’s brilliantly written, especially the section where Duke Hoel is hunting him, with Elin’s new husband Alain the chief protagonist – he wants his rival the wolf to be disposed of for good.

Marie’s gentleness and understanding as she gradually realises that the wolf that Duke Hoel has as his tame pet is actually Tiernan is great to read. Tiernan is rescued from his wolf form and returns to his village after an absence of a year, eventually ending up with Marie.

I understand that this book is a reworking of a poem, but I didn’t know that until after finishing it. I felt the book worked excellently – it wasn’t too predictable, the characters were flawed and interesting, and the description of life in Mediaeval times worked really well. This is an excellent read with a gentle love story and a gripping plot.

Reading all night.....
I must admit, that Gillian Bradshaw is my favourite writer of historical fiction. And while "The Wolf Hunt" being a love story set in medieval Brittany, cannot be compared to her other books which often were set in the time of the Roman Empire, it still proves that historical fiction is in expert hands with Gillian Bradshaw.
In this book G. Bradshaw tells the story of Marie Penthièvre of Chalandrey, who becomes a captive in the fight between Brittany and Normandy. She puts the love story more into the foreground than in her other books, but the plot is still expertly woven, and even the werewolf-theme is written very sensitively. I was unable to put this book down "The Wolf Hunt" kept me reading until early morning.