Friday, August 28, 2015

An Alpha's Choice by Carrie Ann Ryan - Review and Giveaway






Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Publication Date:  18 August, 2015
Publisher: Fated Desires Publishing
Series:  Talon Pack, book 2
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Shifter
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

Brynn Brentwood has spent the whole of her life protecting the Talon Pack through terrors only she will ever know. She’s never asked for more in life other than to live to take her next breath and to ensure her family is safe. Regardless of her selfless wishes and the atrocities the former Alpha committed, she has always known that fate would provide for her as it had countless others. Fate is what has carried her through with one exception—upon meeting the one wolf who could be hers, he doesn’t feel their bond.

Finn Jamenson has been broken more than once, left beaten and half dead—and that was before he was an adult and Heir of the Redwood Pack. When called upon to work with their allies, the Talons, he finds himself intrigued with a woman who his wolf doesn’t claim as his own. Though he knows there could be something there, he refuses to tempt himself with a wolf who could never be his when his own mate could waiting for him.

The world changed in a blink of time and now the two wolves must fight as one—ignoring the burning temptation between them—when their people are threatened. With one wrong move, their homes could be destroyed and its up to Finn and Brynn to save them all…if only they could save themselves.



My Review:

"They'd come for her family, her pack.  They'd come for her."

The world knows, they know that Shifters exist.  Will they accept that knowledge, can they accept the Shifters, or is a battle looming between Shifters and Humans and if so is there any way to stop it.  

After the fight within the Talon pack that lead to humans discovering that Shifters were and had been living among them the world is on edge.  Humans are scared and Shifters simply want to be left to live in the comparative peace that they had been until that tragic day when a Talon Pack member shifted on live TV.  

Brynn, sister to Talon Pack Alpha Ryder has been the face of her pack for the past year.  She's been trying to foster a sense of normalcy between humans and shifters, but she knows deep down it isn't working.  She can feel the humans unease and she and other Shifters no longer feel safe.  She's lived a life most humans (and shifters) can only imagine.  The daughter of a tyrannical and abusive father, the niece of an unstable uncle, and she holds a painful secret in her heart that is slowly tearing her apart.  

Finn Jameson is the Heir from Talon's rival  pack, the Redwoods.  An Alpha on par with Brynn's own Alpha strength.  He and his peers are beginning to take over the pack hierarchy and while he knows becoming the pack Alpha is his destiny and the path he wants to take he knows that there is something not quite right between he and his wolf.  Brought back from the brink of death as a child, his connection between he and his wolf have since been muted.  He doesn't feel the tug from his wolf, the voice, and feelings that he knows other Shifters feel, but he doesn't know just how much he is missing because of it.  

Thrown together by the two packs to represent them out in human society Finn finds himself fighting his human sides attraction to Brynn, knowing that his wolf has no mating feelings toward her and he finds himself constantly fighting Brynn but he has no idea why.  Why does she hate him, what did he ever do but try and be nice to her, try to be friends?  Bryan on the other hand knows something that Finn doesn't and it is eating away at her and having to spend time with him is beginning to break her down.  

I really enjoyed the dynamic between these two the push and pull was heartfelt and realistic.  Sometimes when you get a book where a couple is fighting the draw between them it can get overly frustrating but Carrie Ann Ryan manages to make this pull and push between these two characters simple, heartbreaking, and beautiful.  You just want so badly for both of these broken people to find their happiness and to find their love.  

I also really enjoy a common theme to Carrie Ann Ryan's pack novels and that is how much these families love one another.  It isn't simply about the love between two destined mates, it is the love of entire families and to some extent their entire packs.  I love how these characters will do anything to save each other and how they will come together in the most beautiful moments of strength just to help hold up one of their own while they are breaking apart.  

The storyline here is fantastic.  I like the idea of the shifter packs and humans having to come together to find common ground.  It could get overly complicated but Carrie manages to pull it off effortlessly.  Although there are machinations going on in the background and we don't have full answers yet, you aren't left hanging and confused.  I liked that even though this book is part of a series, and I of course suggest reading the series in order, you won't be lost at all if you don't  I can see that will likely not be the case as we get more books and the plot becomes thicker but for now, if this is your first Carrie Ann Ryan book you won't be lost or disappointed.  

The story of Brynn and Finn is truly and beautiful, heartbreaking at times, emotional story.  Fans of Shifter books, suspense, paranormal romance will enjoy this story.  This is the second book in the series but like I said earlier don't shy away from this one if it is the first book of Carrie's that you will read.  I am really looking forward to book three!  

~ HAPPY READING ~



New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.



Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.





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