I am a firm believer in the idea that if werewolves and other creatures of the night really do exist, then they have existed next to us and we've just never noticed it. They could be our doctor, neighbor, or even a teacher at the school our children attend. And we just don't know it. They have kept themselves as the perfect secret. In J. J. Massa's Family Harmony, werewolves hold down every job there is from actor to musician to cop to doctor. And they have a sense of humor too!

Lakon Montgomery is a famous musician, and loving every minute of it. He's also co-Alpha of his werewolf pack, sharing the position with his twin brother. He is practicing his latest number one hit when a female member of his crew suddenly grabs his attention. Or rather, her denim clad behind grabs his attention. The derriere belongs to one Mya Brooks, who does sound for his crew.

Mya and her twin brother, Myles, have been hiding out for eight years, making money here and there where they can. She has kept her amazing musical talent a secret for fear of becoming known, and those she is hiding from finding out. And she had done a great job of keeping it a secret until Lakon heard her practicing one night on the empty stage as she worked on it. Immediately he offered her a contract to sing with him at his concerts and to perform a few solo numbers of her own.

What he does not tell her is the way she makes his body scream to be with her. But she had been hurt, and it took all of his self-control not to try to latch onto her and make her understand that he wouldn't hurt her.

While this novella had me laughing so hard at times tears rolled down my face, there were parts that made me cry in earnest. Be warned that this story has two rape scenes. While they don't go into detail, they hit me like a fist right below the heart. And if you're like me and you get so into a story that you can't walk away from it, and the emotions on the page become your emotions, be warned that a woman loses the child she is carrying and has to fight for her life. Those with a tender and faint heart make sure there are tissues near at hand.

I liked the book because it made me feel every emotion, from joy to pain, and everything in between. It also painted werewolves in a new light. They are no longer the monsters that stalk you through the woods in the light of the full moon, but people who go through the same things we do. However, you might look at your dog in a completely new light every time he barks!

Reviewed By Marissa
© February 2005

This review refers to a previously published version of this book.