The Alpha / Christine Rains

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy

Approximate word count:20-25,000 words 

Availability   

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES

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Author:

Christine Rains’ writing covers all genres of dark fiction, but she loves to lose herself in paranormal romance most of all. She has published four novellas and twenty short stories. Ms. Rains is a member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms and resides in Indiana. To learn more check out her website and blog.

Description:

The Alpha is the second novella in the series The 13^th Floor.

Werewolf Stefanie Porter is a female Alpha that has been dethroned by Wyatt, a manipulative and vicious Alpha seeking a new pack. After being imprisoned and beaten, she finally managed to escape, and has sought sanctuary in apartment 1302 in the city of Carmine on the mysterious 13^th floor. She is now trying to rebuild her life apart from a pack.

When her old pack catches up with her, during a run in the woods, a mysterious lone wolf jumps in to help Stephanie escape. With the pack scouring the city for her, Stefanie must put her trust in James Roberts to teach her some unusual urban survival tricks.

Appraisal:

This story has an interesting twist in that Stephanie is a female Alpha that was born from a long line of Alphas, so it is not surprising that she insists on doing things her way. She is strong, smart, and protective of her pack, however she needs their psychological support for added strength. James is an enigma to her, he is a turned wolf, and was taught by his sire how to hide his scent. Everything about Ms. Rain’s werewolves is unique; I found it a refreshing change from the norm.

The main characters are original and well drawn. We are also given enough information about the secondary characters to understand how they influence our heroes and the plot. I enjoyed the interaction between Stephanie and James; no matter how hard she tried, she could not get away from her wolfish tendencies. The wolf wants what the wolf wants, period, the end, that’s that. The action is nonstop from the very beginning as they try to escape the wolf pack and there are a couple of graphic fighting scenes that are well done. It was interesting to note that this story is happening simultaneously with the story from The Marquis, as the demon is wreaking havoc on the city of Carmine. It was clever of the author to weave these two stories together this way; I have to admit it took me a minute to catch on though. I also have to say I liked the way The Alpha ended; it completed the circle and brought a smile to my face.

FYI:

This is book two of The 13^th Floor series and while it can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading The Marquis first.

This book contains adult language and situations that may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant errors or issues.

Rating: **** Four stars