Reviewed by Marieke
TITLE: Red River
SERIES: Pack Series #2
AUTHOR: Cardeno C.
PUBLISHER: The Romance Authors, LLC
LENGTH: 122 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 19, 2016
BLURB:
Two Alpha shifters join together to lead their pack and build a family.
Commitment, loyalty, and strength aren’t enough to make Wesley Stone’s birth pack accept an Alpha with a physical imperfection, even if it’s a meaningless mark. Putting the safety of his pack above his own wellbeing, Wesley trades himself for another Alpha and agrees to mate with a stranger in a mysterious, insular pack.
Alphas from Jobe Root’s family have led the Red River pack from the first day shifters walked the earth. Now the time has come for Jobe to fulfill his destiny, but to do that, he needs his mate by his side. Spiritual, easygoing Jobe reveres Mother Nature and trusts in fate, yet he can’t help being nervous about how his mate will react to his new life in Red River, his new life with Jobe.
Two Alphas with contrasting personalities, different upbringings, and divergent beliefs come together for the good of their packs. But to stay together, Wesley and Jobe must see beyond the surface and embrace every facet of themselves and their union.
REVIEW:
Wesley is an Alpha who has been training and preparing to take over his pack since birth. But he has a problem. He has a scar that his pack sees as something less than perfect, something bad even. They don’t accept him as their own and being their Alpha will never work. His uncle proposes a trade with another pack, a pack that keeps to themselves so much that no one really knows anything about them.
Reluctantly Wesley accepts, even if he knows his mate will be male. Wesley knows he likes men too, but only allowed him self once to be intimate with one. When he meets his new mate, there is instant attraction between them. But Wesley doesn’t want their relationship to be based on an arrangement, so he keeps to himself.
Jobe is an Alpha too, but in his pack there are always two Alphas who rule. He’s raised as close to nature as possible, and he has a strong connection with Mother Nature. He feels that it’s time to mate his true mate, so the wellbeing of his pack is ensured. Too bad other packs don’t live by the same rules and philosophy.
The first chapter is from Wesley’s POV and immediately I feel for him. The pack and his uncle treat him so unfairly! But when you get to the part where he and Jobe get closer and Jobe slowly introduces him into the pack and their ways, I wanted to smack him upside the head. What a bonehead.
Jobe is so patient with him, and so sweet and loving. I adored him immediately. Just when I thought he was the sweetest character Cardeno had ever written, the whole M-preg thing comes in. The way Jobe doesn’t tell Wesley anything, or doesn’t see Wesley has no clue…argh!
This is the first M-preg book Cardeno has written and usually I’m perfectly fine with these types of stories. But something rubbed me the wrong way with this one, I can’t explain what or why. It just didn’t fit. The characters weren’t at all ready for children, the idea got introduced once, and only near the point where Wesley got pregnant. It didn’t suit him at all. And when he was finally pregnant, it was pretty much glossed over. One minute he got pregnant, the next he’s ready to pop.
Then the description of the birth…*shudders* and when that big bad Alpha says; “She’s an angel.” I’m kinda done. So, this part of the story was not my cup of tea.
I did love the way Jobe and his pack live with nature, how much respect there is. It was as if I was reading some kind of yoga, healing ritual, meditation thing. It felt so good to read that. (Yes, I’m weird, sue me.)
Overall a fine book, nice characters––though a bit dimwitted––good story line, great setting. But the M-preg part…nope. The birth almost gave me palpitations.
RATING:
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