Alpha’s Prize: A Werewolf Romance
âMy eyes crack open, gritty and sore. Iâd rub them if I werenât in wolf form. Where am I? I rise and knock against metal bars. Oh fates. Iâm in a cageâa fucking cage.â
That early sentence says a lot, though from the title you probably didnât need the wolf mention. A female werewolf on vacation in Mexico gets imprisoned by the local pack to breed with their young alpha; seems inbreedingâs a thing. But because this is a romance. . . well, you can figure it out.
There are a lot of viewpoints used, especially at the start. I get the need to introduce all the main characters, but it was a little confusing. But more than anything, I really wish this book had been more FUN. Everyoneâs miserable, even when the story shifts to Paris.
Iâm more used to Ms. Roseâs sci-fi, which I like a lot more than this werewolf stuff. The main male character started out as a douche but redeemed himself, so thatâs a good point. I liked her from the start. Thereâs some interesting cultural stuff amid different locales, but despite the good writing, I didnât enjoy this nearly as much as I feel I should have.
3/5
Zandian Pet
As in the last installment of this series, the female lead is not a human slave that her dom eventually falls in love with, but one of the last surviving Zandian females. In fact, sheâs the sister of the main female character of the previous book. This one is accidentally found in a sex den that caters to aliens. She doesnât mind, as sheâs been in what she considers worst situations before.
This chapter of the long-running series was, in a word, typical. It should not have been, given where it started, but it has definitely settled into a formula, which is too bad. It always consists of the two protagonists making dumb decisions. The sex is great, the bondage well done for those into that, but I wish the psychological aspects were done better. One thing that kinda bugs me is that the guy in these romances is always the first one who spots her!
3/5
Off Limits
The execute assistant has the hots for her billionaire boss, who on the one hand canât forget his dead wife and the other has nothing but one-night stands.
A quarter of the way through and I was completely bored. Various cycles of âWill-they-wonât-theyâ are interspersed with âyes-they-will,â leading to regrets and starting the cycle again. Hardly anything else takes place or matters. With all that introspection, it was easy to get distracted. One of the bright spots was the discussion on flowers, which was surprisingly deep and funny, one of those moments that is in no way necessary to the story but adds to the enjoyment. That, however, was more of an exception.
Itâs amazing to me how these books, which are basically about the start of a relationship, can last for so many pages. I liked some of it, mostly because I liked her. As usual, I didnât like the dominating ass sheâs into. Just felt like it went on for too long.
3/5
The Traveling Sex Game
If you see a suitcase or purse or such with ribbons hanging from it, it could mean the owner plays a sex game. Ribbons signify what kind of sex you want. Itâs supposed to be an anonymous hookup, but it doesnât always work out that way.
This book is basically sexual vignettes reminiscent of Penthouse Forum, held together by small bits of reporting and sexual psychology. After the reporterâs intro to the game and a few interviews, the book moves to individual stories. Unfortunately this guyâs writing style didnât do it for me; felt like he didnât have much experience writing. The sex scenes were kinda matter of fact; obviously these were hookups and not romances, but they could have been longer.
2.5/5
Saved
A woman not-so-mysteriously comes back from the dead, only to find her reunion with her fiancĂŠ is not how she thought it would be. (I donât feel thatâs a spoiler, because with the dream at the beginning overdoing it to such a huge degree, the âmajorâ twist wasnât at all surprising.)
In a genre known for stubborn characters, this one goes beyond. Iâve climbed mountains more pliable than this guy. I liked her, but most sane women would have cut their losses no matter how deeply in love they might have been.
Just when he has a breakthrough, thanks to the last person he or we would expect, things go to crap again. Despite it being a clichĂŠ, this part was well done.
There were several parts I really liked, but more that I couldnât stand. The last fight scene was too convoluted to picture. Thereâs a lot less erotica than expected, which is too bad because those scenes were written the best.
As a former Marine, the soldier patter made me laugh.
3/5
His Human Bride
Funny: when I started this I had no idea it was a sequel to a book Iâve already read.
In the first book, a nurse/scientist helps a Roswell alien escape captivity and flees with him off Earth, wanting to help cure his people of an epidemic. Now, after spending pretty much all of the voyage having sex, she faces her toughest challenge: his mother, the queen. After a quest, needed because momma gave the thumbs down, itâs time for the final judgement.
As is pretty much expected from a romance, even if this one comes with a generous heap of erotica, thereâs plenty of misunderstandings to go around, although this one has a bit of an excuse in that alien species think differently. On the brighter side, the characters are likeable, and no matter how stubborn Mom can be, sheâs heaps better than the scientists and soldiers of the previous book.
But my favorite part is at the end: âI have to thank Carrie Fisher. I donât know her. I never met her. But she inspired me so much it seems wrong to publish a book without thanking her. Thank you, Princess.â
4/5
;o)