“The unexpected always happens.” – George Bernard Shaw
Title: Accepting the Alpha (Great Lakes Wolves #1)
Author: JJ Black
Publisher: Totally Bound
Pages/Word Count: 145 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: Can an Alpha wolf convince his straight mate to give love a chance, before an unexpected enemy tries to rob them of all they hold dear…even their own lives?
Eli Steele is a wolf without a pack. An invitation from his best friend brings him to Grand Rapids, and a meeting with the local Alpha changes Eli’s life in ways he ever expected.
Kellan Reeves, Alpha of the Grand Rapids Pack, had lost hope of ever finding his mate until Eli came to him, looking for a pack. Realising Eli is his mate, he feels things couldn’t be more perfect…discounting the angry pack Eli left behind. There’s also the insignificant fact that Eli’s not gay. It’s nothing an Alpha wolf can’t handle.
While Eli struggles to understand his feelings for Kellan, an unexpected call for help has everyone on edge. As enemies move in and a horrifying plot is revealed, Kellan and Eli fight back, not only for themselves, but for the fate of all shifters.
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Review: At the beginning of this story we meet Eli Steele. Eli is a very powerful born Beta wolf who has left his home pack and is petitioning to join a pack with his best friend Jai. When he and Jai get to the club where they are supposed to meet the local Alpha wolf, Kellan Reeves, Eli is shocked at his reaction to not only the women but the men there also. Eli has always thought himself strictly straight, but maybe there is a little bit of a bent in him he didn’t know about.
Kellan Reeves is the Alpha of the Grand Rapids Pack, and the instant he meets Eli, he realizes that Eli is his fated mate. During their first meeting, Kellan and Eli end up kissing, and Eli is surprised to find out he likes it…right up until he mistakenly believes Kellan is cheating on someone by being with him. Eventually all of their issues get worked out, but as soon as they set about trying to start a normal life together, Eli’s former life throws a wrench into the works in the form of his father’s Beta, Carl Yager.
Not only is Carl Yager set on returning Eli to his father and former Alpha, but he has tortured Eli’s brother Noah and found some help inside Kellan’s own pack to help pull it off. The story concludes with Kellan tracking down his kidnapped Alpha Mate, some assistance from a lone wolf and finally introducing Kellan’s Alpha Mate to the entire pack.
The fight has only begun for Kellan and his pack. Eli’s father is a truly evil man, and he has enlisted help from other shifters in the area to help carry out his heinous plan. Kellan isn’t sure who to trust but it is clear that he and his pack will fight against all of these men and do what is right.
This was a wonderful story and a great book for first time author JJ Black. I felt that the characters were fleshed out well, and the storyline moved along at a good pace. There was a little too much telling instead of showing, but not enough to ruin the story. I feel that a few things could have been made clearer with a little extra conversation. I didn’t feel it was clearly stated when Eli accepted that he was Kellan’s mate and that was pivotal to the storyline. Otherwise the story sucked me in, and I am completely hooked and waiting with bated breath for the next book in the series.
All in all I am going to focus on the story and say this one is a winner and a fabulous start to what promises to be a great series.
You can buy Accepting the Alpha (Great Lakes Wolves #1) here:
