C+

The Alpha’s Warlock

The Alpha’s Warlock would have been a great book if it was twice as long. As it is, it is entertaining and emotional, but does not contain enough backstory and time to let the characters properly develop.

Nate Hawthorne is a warlock with a lot of power, insufficient training, and an evil dad. Because of pack politics plus vampire stuff, he is forced to enter a mating bond with werewolf Ian Armitage. The two have a long history of what Nate (the narrator) assumes is mutual dislike and yet within the mating bond they have amazing sex. Despite their inability to exchange two sentences without arguing, the two men have to work together long enough to survive what appears to be a full-on war between Ian’s pack and a rival pack that may or may not have allied with vampires and warlocks.

Y’all, I’m never going to dislike a book which includes the line, “I was so, so done with decapitation for one day.” I found Nate and his never-ending quest for a decent cup of coffee amid the mayhem to be adorable, and Ian’s awkward protectiveness is touching. This book involves several tropes that are not to my liking (the forced mate bond, for example) but these tropes, which are pretty common in shifter romance, are handled well and I think that many people will enjoy them, alphas and all. Be prepared for explicit violence and a lot of mis-communication.

Sadly, the book is just too short to give justice to all the fascinating characters it contains. It drops me into the middle of conflict, which is fine, but never backs up to let me know how the characters became who they are, what their lives have been like, or what they want other than to be left alone. Nate and Ian both go through major character development arcs, especially Nate, and these arcs deserve to be explored more fully. Without expansion, the story is not terrible, but it is confusing and not as gripping as it ought to be since I barely know who any of these people are or why I should care about them.

Shifter fans who want some light (but violent!) reading will enjoy this book. Nate has an engaging voice and I liked spending time with him. I just wish there was more of it.

– Carrie S

Cursed, mated, and in for the fight of their lives…

Warlock Nate Hawthorne just wants a cup of coffee. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. Because instead of precious caffeine, all he gets is cursed by a pack of werewolves who want to use him for his magic. Now the only way to fix the damage is a mate bond to a grumpy and oh-so-sexy alpha in the rival pack, who happens to hate him. This is so not how he wanted to start his day.

Ian Armitage never intended to take Nate as his mate. The Hawthorne family can’t be trusted. Ian knows that better than anyone. The fact that he’s lusted after the way-too-gorgeous man for years? Totally irrelevant. Ian’s just doing what is necessary to protect his pack. This whole mating arrangement has nothing to do with love and never will. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.

Nate and Ian will have to work together if they have any hope of staving off the pack’s enemies and averting disaster. That’s assuming they can stop arguing (and keep their hands off each other) long enough to save the day…

The Alpha’s Warlock is an explicit M/M paranormal romance featuring a snarky warlock, a brooding alpha werewolf, knotting, enchanted socks (long story), and a guaranteed happily ever after.