The Big Alpha in Town
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
About the Novellas & Authors:
BEARING HIS NAME
Meeting his mate should have been cause for celebration. There’s just one teeny tiny problem. Jade thinks Ark might have impregnated her sister. He didn’t, but convincing Jade is going to take a bit of honey.
EVE LANGLAIS is a New York Times bestselling Canadian author who loves to write hot romance. She enjoys strong alpha male heroes, shifters, and a happily ever after. Eve's novellas include Legal Wolf's Mate, Catch a Tiger by the Tail, and The Alpha's Mate.
OWNED BY A LION
Keir’s been told to stop playing the field and settle down—difficult advice for a hard and hot man with a lion’s heart to follow. But his sights have always been set on Ally. She’s his mate, plain and simple. With her sweet and delicious curves, she’s nothing but sugar and trouble all rolled into one. But he’s known her and sparred with her for years. She’s his best friend’s little sister, and it’s going to take a whole new level of convincing that he’s the mate for her.
MILLY TAIDEN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the renowned Paranormal Dating Agency (Kiss My Asteroid), the Sassy Mates books (Scent of a Mate), and the Federal Paranormal Unit novels (Wolf Protector).
NO NEED FUR LOVE
Moving with his pack to the tiny town of Stanley, Idaho has Owen Courtney a little on edge. With literally no women in sight, Owen will be lucky to find a date, let alone his true mate. But you know the saying about a werewolf walking into a bar…
Gorgeous wood nymph Mia Oliver is on a mission: Find a suitable male to get her good ‘n pregnant and provide her with an heir. But when Mia decides to pick up a gorgeous and oh-so willing werewolf at the bar, she realizes she might be in over her head.
KATE BAXTER is a die-hard romantic with a thing for Shakespeare. She lives in the great northwest and writes about all things fanged, furry, and undead, including The Last True Vampire series (The Warrior Vampire).
The Review
The authors included in
this collection of novellas have a talent for producing mouth-watering tales
that keep their audience(s) glued to every page. The stories included in
The Big Alpha in Town don't fail to disappoint as a collection.
Overall rating for this collection is 3.5.
Bearing His Name by Eve Langlais
The ever caring Jade has a problem – she has a very pregnant sister living with her and baby sister doesn't have a clue which Zeus knocked her up. Besides, looking after baby sis becomes very difficult after the appearance of a very determined Greek bear at her door. Bear shifter Ark believes he is after the possible mother of his child but on the other side of the door is fate.
There is definite chemistry between the hero and the heroine but it isn’t as fiery as it could be. With a heroine who’s preoccupied with everyone’s well-being, it is hard for this couple to focus on the romance that a reader may be looking for. The male and female leads are the standard good looking couple with the hero being the territorial 6'5" overly possessive wealthy shifter. The heroine has her own set of issues besides the pregnant sister but due to the condensed story, full exploration of her issues wasn't possible. A noteworthy mention would be the second male lead (Stavros) who appears to be a bit edgier.
This novella is well constructed with a clear separation between the beginning middle and end (with some clumsy action sequences thrown in for good measure) but there are some issues with holding the reader's attention for an extended period. Due to the length of the story, there was a rush to close the story as neatly as possible. Though the story is shortened it remains a good read.
Owned by the Lion Millie Taiden
Ally is the curvy heroine of this Tale who is full of SASS and spunk. Keri the male lead who is has the full package and has used it all to his advantage. His character isn't the shallow but life and circumstances have influenced have behaviors. There is definite smoke between the leading characters but also the reader will be able to feel the connection between the characters.
This novella also hits another aspect that I love in these types of stories. It always spices a story up when jealous exes appear within the tale. Not just the average jealous ex but a crazy jealous EX. Now, there were some jealous female characters and some overly inquisitive ones that the leads had to dodge but they were not at the level of crazy needed to make this a true page-turner. Though the story is entertaining and the parade of women gives the reader hope that one will move fully to the dark-side, this just never happens. In the end, the story is neatly wrapped up and concluded without a cliffhanger.
No Need Fur Love by Kate Baxter
So, a Wood Nymph and a Wolf meet in a bar ... this is not the start of a dirty joke but the start of the best of the three novellas. I've never come across a paranormal romance with the heroine being a wood nymph but would have liked for this story be expanded. No Need Fur Love has a lot of great elements besides the attractive leads with insane chemistry. There is the Wood Nymph leader who would name an awesome villain in an expanded story and I hope that the author would write more using his character. I see a very wicked good time with Nymph Daddy if he happens to appear again. Overall, this was a fun read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
