The basic premise of the book is centered on Abra  Barrow, a Veterinarian Technician.  When her journalist husband (Hunter) returns from a research trip to Romania, he starts being an ass (for lack of a better term, trust me) and to try and save her marriage they move to a rural mansion  upstate. Then she finds out her husband is a werewolf.

When I review books, I really try to see the good in the Author or their characters, to at least find one thing likable about the book.  The Better To Hold You had nothing for me to be able to latch on.

Abra is a weak female lead, she leaves her career to trail after a husband who from the start of the novel, treats her like crap. It left me feeling disgusted, really the husband was horribly verbally abusive and an all around dick. Abra just takes it, the Abra is no heroine, she doesn’t defend herself at all. And when the husband is not being a dick, he’s so despondent it could be considered abusive. The marital troubles in this book, make up the bulk of it. Thus making it repetitive at times and downright annoying. I wanted to strangle both Abra and Hunter.

Could it get worse, I asked myself as I pushed myself to finish this book…oh yes Pixie, it could get worse.

Que in the Redneck. That’s right, Ms. Sheckley introduces Red. A Redneck, named Red. Seriously. Red seems to know what the issue is with Abra’s husband, while flirting shamelesslywith her in front of her husband. He is such a contrast to Hunter, yet as soon as the term Redneck was introduced what little interest I had left in the book, dwindled. I couldn’t find any attractive qualities in him that you find in any-other Urban Fantasy novel.

There wasn’t a big revelation (you’d figure, finding out your ass of a husband is a werewolf would at least garner a freak out), it was like Abra just accepted her husband was a werewolf, much the way she accepted the degradation her husband put out.

I won’t ruin the ending, if any of you have the desire to go out and get this book. But it wasn’t any big surprise either.

It really bothers me to have to rate a book this low, but we can’t like everything now can we?

1/5 Stars