Tag Archives: #DiverseRomanceBingo

The Alpha King

Book Review of The Alpha King, by Victoria Sue

Leave a reply

I received an Audible code for a copy of Victoria Sue’s The Alpha King through AudioBookBoom.

Description from Goodreads:
The Kingdom of Askara has been torn apart by conflict for centuries, where humans exist as subservient beings to their werewolf masters. Legend says it will only be able to heal itself when an Alpha King and a pure omega are mated and crowned together, but a pure omega hasn’t been born in over a thousand years.

Luca is an Alpha-heir eagerly awaiting the choosing ceremony on his twenty-fifth birthday and the gifts granted by whichever omega he mates. His small pack is destitute due to the decisions of its ruling council, but being only an Alpha-heir, he has no authority to challenge them. Not until now—this moment he has waited a long time for.
Kit grew up as a street-rat, an unlicensed human who would never be more than a slave for whichever master owns him. Then one day he came across a young Alpha-heir, attacked and dying of poison, and found out their fates were suddenly entwined.

Luca needs to take over his pack and save his people. He cannot afford to be distracted. But when he meets Kit, he develops abilities indicating he is not just a pack Alpha, but the King his world has needed for a thousand years.

Is Kit really the cause of Luca’s newfound power, the true mate he needs? How is it possible when the young man isn’t even a werewolf, and as merely a human, a mating is not only forbidden, but for Kit, a sentence of death?

Review:
I honestly take no joy in writing bad reviews, especially of books that make me want to rant because I was so displeased with them. It’s hard to rein my hate in enough to express my concerns, without just sounding like a harridan. And The Alpha King is one such book.

Even if I overlook a lot of the lack of world-building by accepting this as part of an established Omegaverse, this book is full of plot holes and inconsistencies. Example: One character overhears part of a conversation and illogically jumps to the conclusion that the other has betrayed him. He then reacts badly, doing something public and cruel; we’re talking flat out abusive.

Now this trope is cliched and overused as it is. It is also shoehorned in, as the conclusion jumped to barely makes sense from the conversation heard. But the two characters are TELEPATHICALLY bonded. True, they can’t read each other’s minds, just talk and get a general sense of the others feelings. But it still shouldn’t be possible for one to a) not know the other loves him with his whole heart, b) miss the lack of betrayal in his partner, c) be so cruel to the person he supposedly loves above all else. It makes no sense. Additionally, as a reader I then had to contend with, every time the character said how he loves his partner and would never hurt him, I was forced to call BS, because he had already shown that he obviously would with very little (basically imagined) provocation. And his doormat of a mate would take him back without even an attempt at apology.

The most grievous issue for me however, was that the book is supposed to be about a werewolf who is to become the Alpha King, you know One King to Rule Them All, uniting the disparate packs and freeing the enslaved humans and creating peace with the rebel humans. But the vast majority of the book is dedicated to things like party planning, and jewelry design, and stupid jealousies and delivery of children that is only notable because they are coming from a man. All these big, heavy important issues and the book focuses on the minutia.

It managed to complete an actual story arc only because the characters coincidentally ran into and effortlessly charmed all the people they need to make it happen. It stretched incredulity far, far, far, far, far too far. And this without even touching the politics necessary to make some of the horribly treated, enslaved humans dedicate themselves loyally to the main character, who lets not forget is a werewolf, i.e., their oppressor. (This is ignored for the whole book.)

There is also the small issue of how did Luca, born and raised same as all the other werewolves, come to possess all his modern liberal morals? Why does he, and only he, seem to want to free the humans? Why does he, and only he, see women as equals? Why does he, and only he, see a problem with child labor?

I could go on, I had so many issues with this book: the way rape is volleyed about every time a villain shows up, the utter predictability of it, the cliches, etc. But I’ll stop. This book and I didn’t get along. Mechanically, the writing seemed fine (or as well as I could tell in a audiobook) and the narration by Joel Lesliewas ok. I, personally, didn’t care for some of the accents (Why were there so many?), but that’s a subjective thing.

Book Review of Abroad: Book One (Abroad #1), by Liz Jacobs

Leave a reply

I received an ARC of Liz Jacob‘s Abroad.

Description from Goodreads:
Nick Melnikov doesn’t know where he belongs. He was just a kid when his Russian-Jewish family immigrated to Michigan. Now he’s in London for university, overwhelmed by unexpected memories. Socially anxious, intensely private, and closeted, Nick doesn’t expect to fall in so quickly with a tight-knit group of students from his college, and it’s both exhilarating and scary. Hanging out with them is a roller coaster of serious awkward and incredible longing, especially when the most intimidating of the group, Dex, looks his way.

Dex Cartwell knows exactly who he is: a black queer guy who doesn’t give a toss what anybody thinks of him. He is absolutely, one-hundred-percent, totally in control of his life. Apart, maybe, from the stress of his family’s abrupt move to an affluent, largely white town. And worrying about his younger brother feeling increasingly isolated as a result. And the persistent broken heart he’s been nursing for a while . . .

When Nick and Dex meet, both find themselves intrigued. Countless late-night conversations only sharpen their attraction. But the last thing Nick wants is to face his deepest secret, and the last thing Dex needs is another heartache. Dex has had to fight too hard for his right to be where he is. Nick isn’t even sure where he’s from. So how can either of them tell where this is going?

Review:
This is a situational, character-driven novel if I’ve ever read one. It is essentially conflict-less, or at least there isn’t any conflict from outside the characters themselves. Then there are all the points of view.

There are three first-person POVs, which confused me for a while. Two are very obviously a couple-to-be, which in most such books makes them the main characters. But then there is this third POV, which honestly felt like a 3rd wheel to me. That is until I realized it’s not the individual characters the story centers around, but their collective lives, negotiations, and self-discoveries. It’s in how they relate and compare to one another, their similarities and differences that this book shines. And shine it does. Everyone should read it.

My complaints are few, but I do have some. I felt like Dex and Nick’s attraction was a little too instant and there was so little direct interaction between them that I didn’t feel their relationship grow. I feel I learned a lot about their insecurities and various social challenges, but very little about them outside of these narrow disclosures. I thought the sex scenes, though wonderful, were too long and too similar; this despite one being F/F and one being M/M. (It’s wonderful to have both in the same book, BTW.) I thought the writing, which was mostly fabulous, got a little too purple at times, especially toward the end. And I thought the 3 POVs, diluted the story a bit. It made obvious that the intent was to explore different sorts of sexuality and sexual discovery, but it made for a thin plot.

All in all, I didn’t think it was perfect. But I liked it enough to be looking for more.

Oversight

Book Review of Oversight (The Community #2), by Santino Hassell

Leave a reply

I received an ARC of Oversight, by Santino Hassell. I read it while traveling from Florida to South Carolina, during my summer vacation.

Description from Goodreads:
Holden Payne has it all . . . or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community—an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics—he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.

Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man-bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an Invulnerable—supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.

As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves.

Review:
This will be a brief review, as I’m on vacation and my internet connection is sketchy, at best. I enjoyed this new Hassell book, as usual. The magic system (for lack of a more accurate, but equally concise description) is interesting. I liked the characters, both old and new, and the writing is engaging. Admittedly, I never felt especially I connected with Sixtus and I don’t know that I would have with Holden if it weren’t for book one, and it was a bit too much of an insta-lust/insta-love for my taste. Plus, the darned thing ended on a cliffhanger. But overall, I liked the book and will look forward to book three in The Community series.