This series is a bit different for Susi Hawke. I’ve read both book one and two and I had mixed feelings at first. Book one, The Reluctant Alpha, seemed almost too sweet to me. Not the story itself, which I liked very much, but the interaction between the Alpha and his Mate was a bit too syrupy sweet for me in places. Book two, The Defiant Alpha wasn’t quite as heavy on the sweet factor between the two MCs. They definitely were very sweet with each other at times, it just didn’t feel like too much to me.

Overall, I liked both books a lot. The Reluctant Alpha did a lot of set up for the series but it still had a very compelling story line. There’s a fair amount of violence in both books so take heed if you’re squeamish. When the wolves fight each other, nasty things happen and the bad guys get what’s coming to them.

I liked The Defiant Alpha a bit more than The Reluctant Alpha. I’m not quite sure where “defiant” came from, though, because Lucian never seemed defiant to me. But in book one he didn’t really want a pack so maybe that’s where it came from.

The Reluctant Alpha ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but the love story for the main couple had an HEA. The cliffhanger set up book two and I was glad that I had a copy to immediately start reading. The blurb for each book does a great job of describing the relevant story.

The primary focus of this review is book two. As the blurb says, there were a lot of things to laugh at but there were also some tissue worthy scenes. I loved the way that Thirteen/Charlie slid right into his role as Alpha-mate. I liked the way the rescued omegas picked names for themselves and the reasons behind what each of them chose.

There is a rich cast of secondary characters and we get to visit with a few from book one. I didn’t feel like this story ended on a cliffhanger. I’m pretty sure that there are more books planned for this series but if by some chance there aren’t, it wouldn’t be a huge issue for me like it would have if book two hadn’t been written to resolve what happened at the end of book one. I am curious to see where the series goes if it continues and will be reading any additional books that come along.

Reviews for Susi Hawke

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The closer I got to home, the more the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my stomach clenched. Whatever was about to happen in my life, it was close. My eyes automatically started scanning the road, my shifter-enhanced vision helping me see more of the dark ground off to the sides than a human ever could.

I eased off the throttle and slowed as I came around the first curve taking me higher into the mountain. If I hadn’t, I might have missed the brown dog lying half out of the ditch. At this speed, I was able to stop in plenty of time to check it out.

The poor thing looked dead. Hopefully not, though, since I was feeling strangely drawn toward it. Had someone’s dog been hit by a car? Or even worse, had an animal been abandoned and left to die? While sickening, such cruelty wasn’t unheard of, especially on high traffic roads like this. No matter. I’d always wanted a dog. If this one could be saved, I’d give it a home with all the love its heart could handle, since I knew a thing or two about being tossed aside.

Parking my bike as close to the side as possible with the attached sidecar, I hit my flashers and crossed my fingers no one would come hurtling around the corner and crash into my ride. My headlight lit up the area, letting me see the unprotected stomach and balls of a medium-sized, toffee-colored wolf. Huh. Seeing such sensitive areas on display told me the wolf was either dead or knocked out.

Before I took a step away from the bike, my wolf howled and tried to jump forward. He slammed against my chest, pushing to take over. Fighting him back took more strength than it ever had in my life, and within three more steps, the wind shifted, and my human nose understood what my wolf had already discerned.

This wasn’t a wild wolf, and he wasn’t dead. This was my mate.

I took off at a run, rushing to his side and frantically checking for a pulse. Between the thick fur and my own nerves, finding the fluttering proof of his heartbeat took longer than it should have.

Even as I breathed out in relief, I felt almost foolish. On some level, I’d known he was alive since he didn’t smell like death. No, he smelled like candied ginger and some soft herb I couldn’t quite name at the moment. And more importantly, he smelled like… home. Like my home. The one place where I would always belong.

His weak heartbeat concerned me, as did the dried blood covering his paws and the ridiculous amount of burrs and nettles matted into his fur. He clearly needed a healer. Sliding a hand under his head, I gently lifted it and brushed my fingers over his muzzle while I considered my next steps.

A human doctor was out of the question, but the one thing lacking in my new pack was anyone with medical skills. The sole epsilon I knew of was an hour away, give or take, in Lucerne Valley.

Shit. Of course I should’ve thought of Matt’s pack immediately. Not only did they have an epsilon, they were better set up to help protect and defend my omega mate than my newly trained deltas. The men in my pack had fighting skills, but they weren’t soldiers. Matt sent a couple of his Delta captains over to help with my newly formed squadron, but it was a work in progress. Not until this week had we finally been able to start zeroing in on possible captain candidates to take over when Matt’s men left.

Carefully lifting him, I cradled my mate against my chest, shielding his body from further injury. A semi rumbled by, throwing a blast of heated air our way. Seeing the truck reminded me of our vulnerable position, further hammered home as several cars roared past.

Moving carefully, I hustled as much as I dared, carrying him to my bike, where I settled him on the sidecar’s floorboard. I snagged a blanket from one of the compartments, tucking it around him as best I could to help protect his smaller body from the wind. I wasn’t sure if it would hit him down there, but better safe than sorry.

Once I had my helmet on, I fired up the beast and merged with traffic while I tapped the button for my Bluetooth. As soon as Raul came on the line, I explained the situation and asked him to oversee the pack run tonight. Raul had already proven himself to be efficient and the perfect beta for me, so I wasn’t surprised at his easy acceptance.

“No problemo, Lucian. I’ve got things here. Your mate comes first. We’ll be here waiting to meet him when he’s well. I’ll let Mamá know—she’ll want to light a candle. Be safe. Don’t drive like a demon tonight. Remember, getting in an accident will only prolong getting him to a healer.” Considering the way he drove, I grinned at his warning, but appreciated the concern.

“Thanks, Raul. I’ll be in touch.” After I ended the call, I pushed aside all worries about my pack. For the rest of the drive, I focused on two things—the road and keeping one eye on my mate for any sign of further distress.

West Coast Wolves Series

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