Review + GIVEAWAY: Red River (Pack #2) by Cardeno C.

Two Alpha shifters join together to lead their pack and build a family.

Commitment, loyalty, and strength aren’t enough to make Wesley Stone’s birth pack accept an Alpha with a physical imperfection, even if it’s a meaningless mark. Putting the safety of his pack above his own wellbeing, Wesley trades himself for another Alpha and agrees to mate with a stranger in a mysterious, insular pack.

Alphas from Jobe Root’s family have led the Red River pack from the first day shifters walked the earth. Now the time has come for Jobe to fulfill his destiny, but to do that, he needs his mate by his side. Spiritual, easygoing Jobe reveres Mother Nature and trusts in fate, yet he can’t help being nervous about how his mate will react to his new life in Red River, his new life with Jobe.

Two Alphas with contrasting personalities, different upbringings, and divergent beliefs come together for the good of their packs. But to stay together, Wesley and Jobe must see beyond the surface and embrace every facet of themselves and their union. 

I have two reactions I flip flop between when reading Cardeno C. I'm either saying "D'aawww!" or "Holy shit, that's hot." Happens every time.

Wesley is an alpha and is so ready for his uncle to hand over the reins and start leading his pack. But his pack doesn't trust him and would never be okay with him being their leader. He has a scar-type mark on his stomach that he was born with. Wolves are very much into appearances when discerning weakness, so for them, this makes Wesley appear weak and not fit to be alpha. He really couldn't have done anything to gain their trust, it just wasn't going to happen for him. I'm still not quite sure why they were so flippin' hard on him. Are they just that narrow-minded? I'm not sure, I'd have liked more explanation other than just that he was imperfect.

He was sent to another pack that was in need of an alpha and would welcome him with open arms. Not only would they make him alpha, but he had a mate waiting there for him. Even though mates are fated and nobody can just choose one for you. In return he was getting a pack to lead, so he went with the whole mating thing.

So... his mate, Jobe, is all kinds of awesome. He's kind, sweet, and down to earth. He's very in touch with Mother Nature and the impact she has on their pack. Wesley's pack wasn't as in tune with Mother Nature as this new pack and had to adjust to the importance Jobe set on her. But Jobe would wait. He was so patient. Gawd, that man is a saint! For him, he's already waited for his mate for years, what's a little more time?

There were a couple misunderstandings that I saw coming pretty early on. They weren't due to a deliberate lack of communication, they both made some assumptions that led to some pretty big misunderstandings. Especially for Wesley.

Poor Wesley. He really was a great guy and was dealt a crappy hand. He was treated unfairly by his pack in the beginning, no matter how obvious it was that all he wanted was to lead them. Hopefully, the new alpha of his old pack will set them all straight.

Which I'm hoping will happen in book 3. We are getting more of these sexy shifters, right? We can't leave Ricky hanging.

Check it out on Goodreads!

 

GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter to win an ebook copy of Red River! Comment below with your name and a way of contacting you (email, Goodreads, Twitter, etc). This giveaway will end on March 2 at 9PM PST when a winner will be randomly drawn. Please respond to the winning email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.