Tag Archives: short story

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**REVIEW** Hunted (True Alpha #3) by Alisa Woods

Hunted (True Alpha 3)THIS IS THE THIRD EPISODE OF SIX in the True Alpha serial.

Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.

Now that Mia understands what happened to Lucas’s dead mate, she questions whether he’s truly the mate for her. Meanwhile, Lucas wrestles between keeping her close and letting her go… but he can’t resist when she asks him to teach her more about being a wolf.

Hunted (True Alpha 3) is 75 pages or 18,000 words. It’s the third of six episodes in the True Alpha serial.

REVIEW

This short story series keeps on getting better! With Mia relenting to the fact that she will not be Lucas’ mate, she decides to help him as much as possible to come to terms with the death of Tila. She wants to be his friend at least, at the same time as his professional assistant in helping him analyse the LoopSource app statistics in the decision of whether Lucas’ father’s company should take on the software before their rivals, The Red Pack, make an offer.

The reader is constantly guessing whether Mia will tip Lucas over the edge and he just simply won’t be able to resist her. On the other hand, he tries his hardest not to give in and decides to sort out the LoopSource deal as soon as possible so that he can leave Mia with a bodyguard and create some distance between them. Lucas is in fear of his feelings for Mia and the reader can really sense this throughout the opening chapters.

However, in return for her kindness he does agree to help her discover more of the wolf within herself. This opens up a fast-paced, adventurous and dangerous storyline, which completely thrills the reader and creates moments for the reader to fear for Mia’s safety. There are also some moments of romance and the reader feels Mia’s heightened feelings for Lucas.

Hunted is a truly exciting read that will leave you on an edgy cliffhanger, ready for the following episode. And book 4 of the series, Captured, is out now, making it very easy for the reader to keep on reading! As I have said in previous reviews for the True Alpha series, this is a must-read for shifter and werewolf fans, and paranormal romance fans!

Hunted (True Alpha #3) was provided by the author, Alisa Woods, in return for an honest and fair review.

Check out my previous reviews for Desired (True Alpha #1) and Guarded (True Alpha #2)!

Hunted (True Alpha #3) is available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

 

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Guarded (True Alpha #2) (short story) by Alisa Woods **REVIEW**

Guarded (True Alpha 2)New Adult Paranormal Romance serial

THIS IS THE SECOND EPISODE OF SIX in the True Alpha serial.

Blurb: Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.

As Lucas fights his instinctual attraction to Mia, focusing instead on guarding her and keeping her safe from the Red pack, Mia tries to discover the truth about Lucas’s dead mate.

Guarded (True Alpha 2) is 70 pages or 17,000 words. It’s the second of six episodes in the True Alpha serial. 

REVIEW

Whereas book one was a very intense and hot read, Guarded (True Alpha #2) focuses on the emotional tension between Mia and Lucas. After a passionate night with Lucas, Mia’s inner wolf knows that he is right for her and that she belongs with him but Lucas is still in a great deal of heartache and pain from the death of his mate. The reader remains gripped to these characters and will question whether Mia will ever be able to help him come to terms with his deceased mate and allow her to belong with him.

Lucas battles his feelings for Mia, knowing that he can’t go there again. He can never be as close to anyone as he was with his mate. And, as much as he will protect and guard Mia from the Red Pack, he will not take her again or even come close. Guarded actually breaks down these two great characters where the reader will see Lucas’ more darker, serious side, his sorrow and pain, as well as his desire to keep Mia from this.

As a result he puts his defences up and distances himself. This makes him a little cold and impersonal with her at times, although it is also clear that he doesn’t want her to think bad of him. This in turn makes it more difficult for Mia to be with him and know how to respond. Book 2 certainly holds more emotional tension as opposed to sexual tension.

The reader can certainly empathise with both characters, making it unpredictable on the outcome of these two. There are twists and turns, a strong attraction, and danger from the Red Pack, as they will do anything to keep business going their way. (The Red Pack own a rival company to that of Lucas’, and threatening Mia may seem like a good idea to them – especially as they sense the connection between Mia and Lucas and his need to protect her.)

Mia’s character is strong as she feels that if she can help Lucas to open up and face what happened then she is in with a chance. She has much to understand about packs, mates as she has never been raised by one. At times this can make her seem a little naïve to Lucas. This makes the reader just long for Lucas to take Mia under his wing and teach her all he knows, guard her, protect her and love her! But will it all be too much for Lucas to bear?

Lucas’ dad has a strong impact on Mia as he is accepting, gentle and protective – all the things that a father should be that she has missed out on not having her own around. This scene was relatively small and yet had such a deep meaning, especially for Mia. I would like to read a little more about these two in the subsequent books.

The reader doesn’t miss a thing as Guarded (True Alpha #2) picks up where we left off in Desired (True Alpha #1). There are reminders of what happened previously, allowing the reader to easily remember and continue the story without having to keep checking back to the last episode. I cannot wait for the third instalment, Hunted. This series is a strong one for many a paranormal fan to follow. You will not be disappointed with the power and depth that these short stories provide!

Guarded (True Alpha #2) was provided by the author in return for an honest and fair review.

Guarded (True Alpha #2) is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

You can also check out our review of Desired (True Alpha #1) (short story) by Alisa Woods here.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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Desired (True Alpha #1) (short story) by Alisa Woods **REVIEW**

Desired (True Alpha 1)

A VERY HOT AND INTENSE READ!

RELEASED TODAY, September 2nd 2014, I am proud to present the first of six New Adult paranormal romance short stories in the TRUE ALPHA series. The first episode, DESIRED, is 80 pages or 20,000 words.

Blurb: Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.

Mia is just a college girl trying to earn her business degree and dig out of the poverty she was born into—being a shifter is something she hides, hoping her secret won’t sabotage her dreams.

Lucas is a broken alpha, a wolf who lost his mate, his pack, and almost himself—he wasn’t looking to rescue a girl or start a pack war. But now he has to keep her safe or it won’t just be her life, but his whole family at risk… only his inner wolf can’t seem to keep its paws off a girl who has secrets of her own.

REVIEW

Desired (True Alpha #1) is a fantastic opening to a series. From the very first scene I was hooked as it was full of action and attraction between the two main characters, Mia and Lucas. Mia is about to be attacked by a pack of wolves and she is very much in fear of what they will do to her.

The violence and sexual tension rises dramatically and yet Mia still longs to hide the fact that she is a shifter herself. However, the tension, fear and heightened levels of emotion are bringing her to the edge, to the point where the wolf inside her could turn loose at any time!

This scene alone is gripping and intense. The reader will not be able to put this short story down! And then comes Lucas……

With Mia needing protection from the Red Pack and Lucas finding himself being the one protecting her, the intensity reminded me a little of the introduction to J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Dark Lover, with Wrath and Beth. Albeit, shifter instead of vamp!

Bear in mind that this is just the first scene! The sexual attraction and tension continues between these two characters when Mia begins her work experience the following week and the company is owned by the pack in which Lucas belongs.

Working so closely causes conflict within Lucas. He wants Mia just about as bad as you can possibly imagine and yet the only one for him, his mate, has been deceased for some time and he never believed that he would feel these feelings again. Maybe he even feels like he is betraying his mate? His reactions confuse Mia at times and can bring a little fear. At the same time she tries to conceal her inner wolf and yet her feelings are just as strong as Lucas’.

You find your heart pounding and blood boiling during the scenes of protection and the intensity of Lucas sets you on fire. It warms you at the same time as making your hairs stand on end as you feel the temptation and fear from Mia.

Desired is a fantastic way to start a series and gain some pretty hardcore fans. There is a brilliant storyline and amount of description packed into a full short story. It wraps up perfectly but leaving the reader wanting more. I cannot wait for the second episode!!

A copy of Desired (True Alpha #1) was provided by the author, Alisa Woods, for the purpose of an honest and fair review.

Desired (True Alpha #1) by Alisa Woods is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

 

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You Might Just Get It (short story) by Julia Barrett

You Might Just Get ItShort, contemporary erotic romance (Recommended for readers 17rs+)

Book blurb: Kate has locked herself out of her new apartment building for the third time in a week. She’s on the stoop in the rain, barefoot, shivering and soaked to the skin. Her neighbour, Eric, arrives home in the nick of time and lets her in. That’s twice now he’s saved the day. When he invites her for a quick supper, how can she say no?
Eric has been waiting for an opportunity to get to know Kate. His kitchen window faces hers across the courtyard and he noticed her right away. How could he not, with her lovely halo of short curls and her beautiful smile? When he finds her stranded on the stoop, he gets to play the hero. When she agrees to his dinner invitation, he hopes he’ll get to play a lot more than that.

You Might Just Get It is a short, hot and fun contemporary read. It’s only 15 pages long and easily fits in-between some lengthier novels, making it refreshing and handy if you only have a few minutes to spare. Due to the content I would recommend it for readers of 17 yrs plus.

Although it doesn’t mention it in the blurb this book does cover age difference, as Kate is in her early forties and Eric in his twenties. I found this area of the story interesting as not too many authors explore these types of situations. Kate is an attractive, sexy woman who certainly is young at heart, and Eric likes a woman with experience and maturity. He quite possibly regards Kate as a challenge, to see if he can win her affections over. It is obvious that Eric is serious about Kate. Julia Barrett has written this well and made these characters believable.

However, some aspects were a little too convenient for my liking; the woman he liked happened to be the one he could help and she doesn’t take her time in getting to know him. Although for a short read, initially written as a Cougar story, it is understandable that the characters become intimate fairly quickly.

I am still unsure how I feel about Eric’s character. He’s a young guy that finds himself attracted to his neighbour. But as they share dinner together and it is revealed how he sees her through his window, it does seem a little creepy and stalker-ish! And then, as they become intimate, my feelings change again as he leaves you spellbound and totally into the story. With a few more pages to delve into the lives of Eric and Kate a little more, the reader would feel a little closer to the characters.

You Might Just Get It makes a great, few minutes read. It is hot, sensual and very physical throughout as well as being well written. Don’t let it get away!

You can find You Might Just Get It on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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A Night of Yowling Dogs – short story by Henri Bauhaus

A Night Of Yowling DogsInitially, although not a bad start, I was a little disappointed with the lack of connection to the characters. However, as this is a short story I carried on reading, hoping that the events of the yowling dogs and what was to ensue would be exciting.

The story begins with Lewis, a guy from New York, taking a break in Colorado. He stays at the Blue Spruce Zen Centre and on booking in he meets the new manager, Marisa Suri. They go hiking, across from the highway, up into the hills and whilst atop Slatetop Mountain they attract a pack of wild dogs from across the woods. These wild dogs chase them and begin to yowl. Whilst there is some action when it dies down it was unclear to me where the story was heading thereon.

The ending of the story did arrive too soon and it would have been nice for the author to elaborate on the main character, Lewis’ feelings and how the yowling dogs affected him thereafter. I felt that the reader is given a snippet of this but not enough. The yowling, wild dogs obviously affected him, as they did most of the town for the night. This left Lewis questioning himself about these wild dogs. It would have been fantastic to read about the answers to these questions and how he would handle them. Maybe a short story sequel would be great to follow on from this.

This short story was free on Amazon for the Kindle at the time of purchase, however I believe it is currently 77p at Amazon UK and $0.99 at Amazon US. I would welcome anyone who would like to spend a few minutes reading this story to go ahead and perhaps mention their take on it as I would welcome a different opinion.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker