Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: The Alpha’s Warlock
SERIES: Mismatched Mates #1
AUTHOR: Eliot Grayson
PUBLISHER: Smoking Teacup Books
LENGTH: 172 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2020
BLURB:
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.
REVIEW:
This was a good story. It was snarky and funny in a lot of ways, but it was serious too. There is evil everywhere in this book and no one is quite sure who to trust. Especially when the ones who you are supposed to be family with, are the ones doing the betraying.
Nate has been cursed yet again. You’d think after all the torture he had to endure with his father, he’s be more on guard. But he’d had his drink spiked in a club and then been kidnapped and the start of a curse going. He escaped long enough to make it to Armitage pack lands, but the Armitage he needed to speak to was not the one he got. And it just seems to keep going downhill. In order to not die, he has to mate to an alpha and the alpha he’s going to have to mate is Ian. The one who hates him and has always hated him. Oh joy. They mate, he survives, but it’s definitely not all sunshine and roses. Especially when even the humans are now after them. After meeting up with other beings, the things that Ian and Nate didn’t expect were staring them straight in the face. And it’s a huge slap. But Nate is doing all he can to save Ian, if it will work. He only hopes Ian will make it out alive. He doesn’t want him hurt. What he doesn’t know, is Ian has heard everything going on and is determined to set things right. These two just can’t stop getting off on the wrong foot with each other, but maybe it’s time the truth was told about everything. And hopefully, they will survive all the evil in order to see its fruition.
Why are some parents such scum? Even in stories, you get these parents that I wish I could reach through and slap. No kid deserves to be treated the way Nate has been treated. And then the kidnapping, the way Ian acts with him. He just wishes someone would actually just end his life some days. And often leaves him wondering if life is really worth all it’s cracked up to be. I know if I was Nate, I think I would have tried to find a way to run screaming years ago. Of course with his punk of a father, he may not have been able to, but still. And it’s hard because people who he thought remotely were friends with him, all left him to be tortured by the man daily. Of course, again, knowing his father, it was all hidden and shut away were no one could tell. Nate’s life was pure heck. And now having to mate with Ian, it just keeps getting worse. Over and over, he just keeps getting knocked down. One more nail in his coffin, one more surprise, one more betrayal, one more person to make him feel weak. How much does he have to endure? My heart broke for him so much in this book. And the urge to constantly shake or punch everyone grew with every page. How hard would it be for once, for someone to support Nate and lift him up?
It eventually happens. To a point. But it doesn’t mean he life doesn’t go through the wringer in the meantime. It’s a tough story, but it’s a good. The whole good vs. evil in some twisted ways. I love the characters. Except for the bad ones of course. But for a good story, you need a bad guy most of the time. So even those have a purpose and they were written in well. I’m kind of nervous about book 2, from seeing the snippet at the end of book 1. I hope they can get everything worked out and back on track soon.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: