Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: The Defiant Alpha

SERIES: West Coast Wolves #2

AUTHOR: Susi Hawke

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 158 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 28, 2020

BLURB:

“Between the thick fur and my own nerves, it took longer than it should’ve to find the fluttering proof of his heartbeat. I’d known he was alive since he didn’t smell like death. No… he smelled like… home. Like my home. The one place where I would always belong. ”

Lucian Smith, unwanted at birth, is a defiant alpha who’d not only dare anyone to call him unclaimed, he’d proudly display the proof. He doesn’t want or need a pack other than the family he’s built with his crew—The West Coast Wolves. For so long, it was just them… an unlikely pack of alphas who took to the open road and helped where they could, doing random acts of kindness and expecting nothing in return.

Until the first of one of them stepped up when duty called and took his own pack to rule. This ended the brothers-in-arms’ days of riding wherever the road took them when fate conspired to give each of the brothers a pack to rule. Even Lucian… the unlikely defiant Alpha who would not only dare anyone to call him unclaimed, he’d proudly display the proof.

While out on a night’s ride, Lucian comes across a half-dead dog on the side of the road. After stopping to help, he discovers it’s no dog, it’s a shifter—an omega wolf. The true mate Lucian never dared hoped for is now in his arms, if he can just rescue him first. Little does he know there are a dozen more omegas who need saving, his mate is just the start.

With a secret over twenty years old and millions of dollars at stake, the people who stole innocent babies with plans for the ultimate payday won’t let go of them easily. Except… even omegas have hidden strength and their own ways to fight back. With the help of his crew, Lucian is in a unique position to help these lost young men and set right to old wrongs.

This is the second book about finding joy in a hard world, building a family, and discovering that life can surprise a person when they least expect it. Although this world has harsher themes than my previous books, it still has the same heart you’d expect. Plus a dose of my irreverent humor and all the naughty, knotty heat that comes with true mates. It wouldn’t be a Susi Hawke book without it. Note: possible trigger warning for mentions of stillbirth, medical abuse, and child abduction.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Gangster

SERIES:  Magic & Steam #2

AUTHOR:  C.S. Poe

PUBLISHER:  Emporium Press

LENGTH:  242 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 12, 2020

BLURB:

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, magic caster for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has recovered from injuries obtained while in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Now back in New York City, Gillian makes an arrest on New Year’s Eve that leads to information on a gangster, known only as Tick Tock, who’s perfected utilizing elemental magic ammunition. This report complicates Gillian’s holiday plans, specifically those with infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly, who promised they’d ring in 1882 together.

The two men stand on the cusp of a romance that needs to be explored intimately and privately. But when Gillian’s residence is broken into by a magical mechanical man who tries to murder him on behalf of Tick Tock, he and Gunner must immediately investigate the city’s ruthless street gangs before the illegal magic becomes a threat that cannot be contained.

This might be their most wild adventure yet, but criminal undergrounds can’t compare to the dangers of the heart. Gillian must balance his career in law enforcement with his love for a vigilante, or lose both entirely.

The novel-length follow-up to The Engineer, in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.