Alpha
by Rebecca Zanetti
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Publisher: RAZ Ink, LLC
Book #2 in the Stope Packs series
Number of pages: 309
Paranormal Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: murder, kidnapping,
serial killer, violence, cnc
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The Silver Pack wolves are back in an explosive and sexy romance as a new leader shows everyone, including his mate, what the word ALPHA really means!
As the new Alpha of the Silver Pack, Seth Volk is committed to his people and his duty with a deadly focus. As such, enemies are coming for him from both within and outside the pack, determined to end him before he truly gets started. Even so, there’s one female for him in life, and he guards her above all others with a singular determination that both intrigues and infuriates her.
Mia Stone was a trained FBI agent thrust into this world of immorality with centuries long enemies, a patriarchal structure, and shifting alliances that has her biting not only her lip but her mate. When a killer from her past makes a move toward her, she’s more than ready to meet him and take him down, although she’ll have to get past Seth to do so. Her loyalty is absolute, but the Alpha is about to see her temper in full force. Of course, a true wolf always bites back…
*** Previously published in Kindle Vella as Season Two of WOLF
This review is going to be very difficult for me. I adore this author and, for the most part, am never let down by her books. Not that this story let me down, it didn’t. But it did give me some problems. There is no cut-and-dry reason for why, but I have some theories.
When I started this series, I had some reservations as to how it would read as it’s being first released on Kindle Vella in a serialized form. In the case of the first book, Wolf, I didn’t notice any problems related to the original way it was published. With this book, there seemed to be problems with the pacing. I am chalking that up to its original format.
While I enjoy most of the characters, the MFC was not doing it for me in this one. In the first book, Mia’s blinders as to the way things were bothered me. It bothered me even more in this book. I understand she is an FBI agent and darn good at her job, but most of the physical threats in this story are coming from the wolf shifters. On one hand, she’ll admit they are stronger than the humans and how dangerous they are, then she’ll get upset that Seth and his inner circle are being heavy-handed about protecting her. Mia somehow thinks she can protect herself against rogue shifters yet knows other humans cannot??? That doesn’t make sense and it was hard for me to understand a lot of her attitudes. Especially when she thinks Seth is taking the Alpha thing too far. Umm, ma’am. He is an Alpha, literally. It’s not an act. It’s not a lifestyle choice. It’s who he is!
I will admit that Seth and his brother aren’t perfect either. These guys have no chill. When there are humans who are investigating murders in your town, it sucks to keep the shifter community a secret. Therefore, you should not be acting aggressively when you don’t like what the human officials have to say. It’s not doing you or your community any favors.
On the other hand, a new romance is brewing with a couple of different characters and I’m really glad to see that the next book (or Vella publications if you read that way) has to do with Luna. Because I think that is another issue I have with this serialized format. I have found that I often enjoy when there is a large universe of characters, but I want each new book to focus on a new couple (or throuple, or more). It seems there are a lot of stories to tell within the Stopes Packs and I hope the author will broaden the storytelling to include them all.
It may seem as though I didn’t like this book, but I did. I just wanted more and, with the pacing issues, it didn’t keep me as engaged as Rebecca Zanetti’s books usually do.
3 star
All In Good Time 