Cara AdamsCritiques

I can't rate this on. I didn't hate it... actually yeah I do can rate this one.
I did not like it. That's on star right there!

Still I will read the next one because A: I already bought it and B: I wanna know who the baby daddy is.

I have to stop buying on an impulse just because a writer I like says this is a good book...

Well the bastard got what he deserved. But even though I stopped at 11% I already got irritated because the two main characters kissed without any preamble.

I have been thinking about this story for a few days now trying to decide how to describe it and my feelings about it. I am absolutely positive I have read The Alpha Takes A Mate before but didn’t write a review. I must have read it a long time before I started writing reviews. I feel like I have a lot to say and am a little nervous that the negatives will outweigh the positives. So, here we go…

The Alpha Takes A Mate is not exactly a good title for this story since there are TWO men in the relationship (the reason for the word MÉNAGE in the blurb, hellooo) making the title not fit the story. Kind of felt like who ever thought of the title was totally discounting Cornelian’s role in the relationship, not cool.

According to the blurb (I am not sure that the part I am talking about is actually part of the blurb but that is where it is located) there is BDSM and toys in this erotic paranormal tail. There are toys briefly and the BDSM is more along the lines of a thought process rather than the hot, steamy graphic acts I was expecting when the words EROTIC, TOYS AND BDSM are involved. When I see the word EROTIC in connection to a story I think am thinking some majorly graphic sex scenes, don’t get me wrong the were some graphics but they felt like token offerings, kind of like the one scene where everyone wolfed out.

I really liked the characters, they were entertaining in their interaction with each other but the story line was rather anticlimactic. Wow, my husband is right, this does sound like a bit of a rant, for that I apologize. When I finally started typing I was still unsure about what my decision would be in what my rating would be, but apparently it was buried in my head all a long.

This Review was originally posted here https://lauralusbookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-alpha-takes-mate-wolf-pack-...

Six gay sons, a paternal order to “find a partner, settle down, and give me grandbabies”, and a mother’s orders to provide her with a granddaughter is a great start for what turned out to be a fun book. Much like in a soap opera, there is some drama, an unmarried pregnant teenager who is rescued by one of the brothers, and the focus is on the actions and revelations that follow. The relationship between Kai, the oldest son, and Adam, the man who helped him rescue the pregnant woman from an attacker, progresses quickly and pretty seamlessly. The result is a whirlwind romance between two workaholic businessmen and a family pulling together in the best possible way.

Kai is the oldest son and, from the sound of this first book, the most successful of his brothers. A multimillion dollar business doesn’t run itself, and Kai is all abut his job and making sure he becomes an even bigger success. Meeting Adam and getting involved in finding out what has happened to Chris, the pregnant teenager they rescued, opens his eyes to other ways to spend his time. Kai is not a complicated man, but he does go after what he wants full steam ahead.

Adam is a successful systems manager with insomnia. His preference for herbal teas was a nice quirk and part of the initial conversation and getting-to-know-each-other phase with Kai. While Adam is not always able to offer the solutions lots of money can, he develops ideas that support the Hill family’s plans. He is also an understanding partner for Kai and his external perspective on the family was helpful for me to get to know them a little as well.

If you like entertaining family dramas rather than literary works with deep characterization, if you want to watch two workaholics develop a taste for each other on top of their jobs, and if you’re looking for a fun read with lots of positive vibes and some legal drama, then you will probably enjoy this novella.

In a continuation of the very entertaining family drama about the Hills and their six gay sons, this second installment focuses on perfectionist Storm and the man he is trying very hard not to be attracted to, attorney Cruz Baker. It was clear to me that something was going on between them from the start, and it was fascinating to see them battle it out. Between Storm’s desire for “a perfect man” – an orderly individual more like himself – and his attraction to chaotic but highly successful Cruz, Storm has a lot of thinking to do. Cruz knows what he wants from the start, but hesitates because he is not sure if Storm will be willing and able to compromise. None of the issues are life-threatening, so the resulting story is dramatic without being too intense.

Storm is the second youngest of six brothers, and that position in the siblings’ pecking order has a lot to do with his need for order. For him it is about controlling at least part of his environment, since he cannot control his brothers. And while not everyone would react the same way in his situation, for Storm, with his slight tendencies toward OCD, it is a good solution. Until he encounters Cruz. Storm’s first reaction is “no way” but that quickly morphs into “why can’t he be more like me” only to end in “maybe he has a point about me needing to relax”. Storm’s initial “objections” may sound superficial, because he fixates on external factors, but for him it is about learning to understand why Cruz does not need to be in control of everything – his body, his apartment, his life.

Cruz is a successful lawyer, his success at defending Chris and obtaining proof of her deadbeat ex-lover’s paternity is proof, but he is not all about the status. His car works – so what if it’s an “ancient rust bucket” that Storm is afraid might leak oil. He enjoys eating so what if he carries a little extra weight. Cruz knows how to dress up when in court where appearances are everything, why should he do it all the time? Meeting Storm and falling for him is a challenge for Cruz as well. He knows that he won’t change to become exactly like Storm, but he is ready to compromise. For Cruz, getting to know Storm is about finding out how far each of them can move toward middle ground. I found that whole process fascinating, and the way the author has written it made it entertaining.

If you want to find out how the Hills and their efforts to protect Chris and her unborn baby are doing, if the differences between Storm’s perfectionism and Cruz’s joie de vivre sound interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is as funny and entertaining as it is hot, then you will probably like this novella.

This newest installment of the very entertaining family drama about the Hills and their six gay sons is mainly about the third youngest son, Sawyer, and the man he’d like to get closer to, Detective Mitch Clarke. They met when a group of young men sprayed graffiti on the Hills’ house, all due to the deadbeat ex-lover of Chris, the pregnant teenager Kai and Alan rescued in book one. Chris is now about to give birth and Tom – the useless teenager who maligned Chris on social media and had to be drawn into court before he submitted to a paternity test – has developed a sudden interest in his unborn baby. With Sawyer and Mitch, as well as all the other brothers and their partners, there to support Chris, Tom doesn’t stand much of a chance. It does mean that Sawyer’s and Mitch’s courtship is more prone to interruptions and surprises than any of the previous ones.

Middle Child Syndrome is nothing to joke about, but Sawyer has made it work for him. He has become Mr. Nice Guy, a peacemaker and master negotiator as a consequence. He uses these skills well in his job as a business lawyer, but he does wish he could be more assertive sometimes. Especially when he meets Mitch and decides the hunky detective with the tempting handcuffs may just be the man for Sawyer. As ever in this series, their romance is of whirlwind speed, and not even “scheduling conflicts” between Sawyer’s court dates and Mitch’s changing shifts can stop them from exploring a romance that moves into the bedroom as soon as they have had their first date.

Mitch is a dedicated cop and loves his job as a detective, never mind the weird shifts and overtime he has to put up with. Meeting Sawyer makes him decide to try for more than a one-night stand despite the fact that cops make notoriously “unreliable” partners. His involvement in protecting Chris from her former lover is a good “excuse” to meet up with Sawyer, but Mitch quickly sees his interest returned and they meet up when they can. The color-coded schedules they use to figure out when they are both available made me grin, but they do make sense. And whatever works, right?

If you are as curious about Chris’s baby’s gender as I was, if you want to find out more about friendly lawyer Sawyer and helpful detective Mitch, and if you’re looking for a read that is entertaining and hot with a touch of suspense, then you will probably like this novella.

What a setting for Storm and Cruz’s wedding! Sun, sea, and beaches in Hawaii – it couldn’t be more perfect. Yet, at the edges of all the activity that the huge Hill family brings to any situation, a tragedy is about to unfold. Stuart came to Hawaii to pick up his daughter from a surrogate, but thanks to a cruel ex-lover he is now homeless and unemployed and fears he’ll never be able to claim her. Jude, the third oldest of the Hill brothers, sees him sit on the beach, watching Chris’s son CC with longing and pain in his eyes, and walks up to him to find out what’s going on. What follows is one of the sweetest knight-in-shining-armor stories I have ever read and a testimony to the miracles a large, loving family can make happen.

Stuart is in an awful predicament. His daughter has finally been born, but he no longer feels qualified to take care of her. He quit his job because he was supposed to be the stay-at-home parent, only for his ex-lover to inform him he no longer wanted a family and that he was in love with another man, followed by a deadline for Stuart to clean out his stuff. Without a home and no hope for a job, since nobody seems interested in hiring a single dad, Stuart is facing defeat. When Jude steps in, Stuart cannot believe his luck. Dealing with an instant family of almost twenty people is a little overwhelming, but it is way better than being all alone in the world. It doesn’t take Stuart long to realize that Jude could mean far more to him than being his rescuer.

Jude is used to people being after him for his looks, and he is thoroughly fed up with it. When Jude walks over to talk to the sad man staring at Jude’s two-month-old nephew, he has no idea he will find such a caring guy in a totally hopeless situation. There is just something to Stuart that attracts Jude, and even though he hadn’t considered an “instant family” with a tiny newborn when he pictured his Mr. Right, Jude is not afraid of babies, and he finds Stuart incredibly attractive.

If you like whirlwind romances, if you want to find out more about two men who find themselves facing a unique situation needing to take care of a newborn baby girl, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet as it is entertaining and will likely pull at your heartstrings, then you will probably like this novella.