Good Listen

This was a nice paranormal listen. I enjoyed the narrator and the author did a good job. I love the snark but sometimes it was a bit much in this particular case. I say this because the story is just from one character's POV. We have to garner how the other character feels by his actions and responses. Other than that, I loved the story line. A little bit of gore, action and smexy. Great narration.
Worth a credit.

5 people found this helpful

Wowsa

Another five-star banger!

Holy s***, two in a row already as we move through 2021.

Look, aside from a majorish plot hole (that may get solved in the next book?? idk), this book was soooooo f-ing good.

I loved Nate and Ian. AH!!!

As usual a misunderstanding that could've been solved as children, really, got these buttholes into their current predicament-and what a predicament it is. These two were sort-of-friends at one point as kids, but then everything turned to s*** and they grew into messy adults. </3

I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, which is kinda weird, because it's never been something I cared for in the past. Or at least, nothing that I actively sought. But now? I'm into it, I guess. And these two knuckleheads did not disappoint.

Nate is a warlock, or rather, would've been one had his jerk of a father allowed him to fully embrace his powers instead of siphoning them for himself. I'm not sure, but I think Nate is sexually assaulted at the beginning of the book. The author doesn't elaborate on the "failed bonding," but that's what it sounded like to me. So CW if that's something you need to know. He has a lot of self-esteem issues due to his past trauma, and watching him work through them is difficult at times.

Ian is an alpha werewolf. If you've ever read a book with an alpha werewolf you know what you're getting. But something happens at like the 80% mark of the book that changes everything, and Ian stops being such a huge prick to Nate. The misunderstanding I mentioned? Yeah, that gets brought up and both of these dudes are like WAIT YOU THOUGHT WHAT? THAT I WHAT?

This book deserves a listen and a re-listen because what comes off as Ian being a complete f-ing jerk will probably sting a little less now knowing why he does and says the things he does (and Nate really shouldn't have called Ian stupid all of those times or taunted him for being a big dumb werewolf, bc totes unfair).

Bah. I loved this book. It's short enough to read/listen to on the couch in a day, and it keeps you on your toes literally the whole time. I know because I was up until 3AM listening to the darn thing, then got up and finished the book after I made coffee.

I can't wait to listen to the next one. So many books, so little time!

3 people found this helpful

fun & light

The cover had me thinking this might be a bit serious, but it's definitely not. This is a straightforward fun romance, no heaviness or angst. I usually prefer angsty slow burns, but I loved this anyway because it's well-written & pulls you along for a quick, light bit of fun. Great happy escapism! The playfulness suits the fast-paced, shorter format. Consistently funny, too. The romance develops a little too quickly for my usual tastes, but it suits the story's easygoing style.

I would have liked a couple more chapters at the start with more interactions between the leads before it jumped off into action so that their romantic declarations, new friendships, and internal thoughts felt a bit more established/earned, but it was easy to suspend my disbelief on that part and keep listening because of the playful style of the story.

Narrator is great! No complaints.

2 people found this helpful

Omg, I love it

The story is wonderful, the characters are wonderful, the emotion is wonderful, and the narrator is wonderful! I’ve been in such a book slump lately and nothing has been able to hold my attention until I started listening to this! It hooked my attention right away, and it didn’t let go.

2 people found this helpful

werewolf and Warlocks Oh,my!

Once again we have a story of fated mates coming together after much trial. and tribulation .
Although this is an oft repeated theme in The Alphas Warlock it works, I loved the main characters, the humor kept me laughing and Chambers narration is spot on.

1 person found this helpful

I LOVE THIS BOOK SOOO MUCH!

I LOVE THIS BOOK SOOO MUCH! It is thrilling it was very much an enemies to lovers but never truly enemies time situation I love it!

Meh

I have a weak spot for paranormal romances, especially when the human and supernatural worlds seem to intersect in mundane ways. But this book left me pretty disappointed. There really isn't much in regards to world building or setting the stakes, you don't know who is who or why things are supposed to work the way they do. The characters are bland and you don't really get to know them anyway. Is it the worst book I have ever listened to? No, but it really doesn't do anything. I just wish Audible would let me return the title, guess I am just out $13.

High angst, minimal communication, ugh.

Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of high angst stories. I don’t mind, and even enjoy, high suspense/drama stories, but I am not a fan of angsty books, so keep that in mind while you read this.

This was well written and edited, or it sounds like it in the audible version. I enjoyed the premise of the story and it’s why I pushed through and finished listening. I almost stopped and returned it several times because I did not enjoy the “development” of the relationship. I liked Ian a lot and sympathized with him from the beginning, and from the beginning I recognized that he’d had feelings for the MC because of the way the MC described his behavior around them. I also liked Nate (MC and sole viewpoint) but he really pissed me off and is the reason I almost returned this book a few times. I enjoy his snarky sense of humor but he frequently calls Ian a dick and an idiot when really HE is the one acting like a complete douche. Ian is brusque but makes an effort, shocking Nate every time, but does Nate ever thank him or make any effort whatsoever to show appreciation or *gasp* to maybe even reciprocate with an olive branch of his own?! No. Instead, he cries, he lashes out, or mutely freezes up while internally discussing his feelings for 10 minutes and leaving Ian feel like a rejected gerk for even trying. Oh, and Nate uses the F word in his internal dialogue (and out loud) A LOT to prove he’s not actually the child he sounds like in his head, but at least he’s self-aware enough to acknowledge, in his head, that he’s not great at “adulting”. There is progression and them coming together in the end is believable, despite cringe-y behavior and attitudes from both, but I will definitely not be re-reading this or continuing the series, and I probably won’t listen to this author again.

To recap: well-written but definitely not my thing, despite enjoying the idea behind the background story.

Why do some authors think sex is plot?

It's sad how many authors do not understand the intricacies and subtleties of plot and characterization. Instead, everything is sex. I hate to tell them this, but that makes this erotica - not urban fantasy romance. They add a sad storyline that never really gets touched on. because they are too focused on the couple - the REALLY badly written couple. They have two characters - the growly alpha and the cowardly, snarky mate. Then, to add insult to injury, they haven't read up on the mating practices of wolves - instead they took what another bad writer did in a book and write the same bad sex. Look up what a knot does, folks. Seriously. If you're going to have a wolf knot his mate, find out what it actually DOES!

I'm disappointed. The very beginning held promise. For less than a chapter. The enemy pack. The kidnapping and curse. That really held promise. But it died in the whole badly written relationship between the warlock and the alpha wolf.

It's times like these where I think romance should be banned as a genre... because there is far too much variance in what it is.

Perfect Narrator for Alpha's Warlock

I read Eliot Grayson's The Alpha's Warlock a while back and when I saw it come up on Auduble's sale list decided to check out the audio. Chris Chambers was the perfect narrator for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.