Author: N.J. Walters
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: Oct. 13, 2009
4 out of 5 stars
Wowza. This is the first in a shifter series that has a lot of potential. The story was strong and except for a few issues here and there, I really liked the world that the author has introduced.
From Goodreads:
The truth will set her free...or get her killed.
Alexandra Riley's day starts out like any other in her normal, predictable world. Then a tall, dark stranger bursts into her father's garage and shatters the illusion. In one shocking moment, she discovers why she's been feeling hot, restless--she's the half-breed daughter of a legendary werewolf and is a much-sought-after prize.
Joshua Striker, enforcer in charge of protecting the alphas of the Wolf Creek pack, has come to take Alex home. Nothing more, nothing less. From the first moment he sees her, she becomes the one thing he can't afford--a distraction from his duty. A weakness he doesn't want--but can't resist needing.
If only keeping her safe was as simple as fending off males on the hunt for a mate. Through city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, Alex and Joshua have to evade those who don't want their pure bloodlines tainted with human DNA, as well as bounty hunters who think the only good werewolf is a dead one.
What Joshua and Alex can't outrun is the passion that flares between them--or the choice Alex must eventually face. Whether to claim her inner wolf, or forfeit her chance to claim Joshua as her own.
My Thoughts:
Be prepared: this story involves insta-lust between the couple. And in this case I didn't mind it one bit. It fit the story. It made sense, it was written well, and the world the author created supported this. Also, just because they wanted each other almost on sight, that doesn't mean it happened. The author instead provides the reader with a hero who is willing to sacrifice his happiness for his mate, giving her a chance to choose someone other than him. Is there anything more swoonworthy than that? I think not.
Also, in Alexandra's Legacy, the attraction between Alex and Joshua worked. Often in shifter stories the H and h end up finding their mate and want to claim the person quickly. I expected this and therefore was not surprised when the finding each other definitely happens here. What I did appreciate was that, instead of acting on (or at least instead of acting fully on it), Joshua held back claiming Alex so she could make her choice. He didn't want her to choose him because he was the only wolf around. even though he desperately wanted to have her. He did the honorable thing, or tried to, and waited until they got to Wolf Creek so she could, if she wanted, choose someone other than him.
What a nice and honorable werewolf, right?! I really liked Joshua. He was strong, protective, hot, sexy and really cared for Alex. He struggled with the attraction he had for her, the love he felt and the knowledge that she was his, but fought all that in order to give her the choice. This kind of sacrifice isn't seen often seen in PNR heroes and I really liked it.
The author did a great job introducing the 'world' in which the shifters lived, and the background stories of Alex's dad. (I want him to get an HEA! Please, please please!!!!!) He also made huge sacrifices, endangering himself and in some ways his kind, in order to ensure Alex was safe. And that alone makes him a hero I want to read more about. The next story in the series is Isaiah's though (Joshua's brother) and it is already set up and ready to go on my Nook.
I didn't run into any glaring editing errors which is not surprising since this is a Samhain title and they are usually pretty good on that front. However, I do have an issue with the formatting. First, the font is really small. I thought I might end up blind as I tried to read. This is not the author's fault and I didn't take this into account while rating it. But it is something that, for the edition I read, I wish I had known about before hand. Also, there was an issue sporadically with page numbers. Pages were out of order or skipped several pages here and there. I had to constantly manually put in the page number. In my rating I am not counting this as a negative (although in a sense it *is* a negative) but more as a notice to readers to check out the sample pages first. I've had my edition for awhile so it could just be mine. Whatever the case, the eye strain I think might have been worth it anyways. :D
Here are the purchase links for: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
*This book was a self-purchase and I was not in any way compensated for, or even asked, to review this book. All opinions are my own*
This book looks really interesting now that I've read your review. SO I have a question.
ReplyDeleteSince Josh lets Alex decide if she wants him or not, does that mean there is another guy who is trying to get Alex's attention too?
Is this a love triangle?
Not per say. Basically Alex had been kept from the pack by her dad. And so Joshua is the first shifter she meets and he isn't sure whether she is reacting to him on a primal level or if it's a true mating (i.e. love and all that). And he doesn't want to take her choice away. He wants her to get to the rest of the pack and then, once she sees everyone, choose. (Of course he hopes she chooses him but yeah, he isn't sure she will.)
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