Review: Rise of the Alpha Squirrel by Kate Lowell

Nathan's met Vince's family, but Vince hasn't met Nathan's, and Nathan would like to keep it that way. Holy smoked almonds, what else do you do when you know how completely nuts your relatives are?

Why, you ease your man into it, by introducing him to normal shifters. Assuming you can find any.

But with a gossipy werehummingbird spreading the news, and a pair of young red pandas wreaking havoc with their fainting goat friends, Nathan’s about ready to climb into a pine cone and pull it in after him.

Then the local playboy weremoose hears about Vince, and Nathan has to find his inner alpha or the consequences will be worse than moldy hazelnuts.

"Oh acorns and apple cores"!

This unicorn is back for more weresquirrel! #TeamNathanAllDay

Kate Lowell followed up to the hilarious fluffy hit, Nuts About You, book #1 of the Nutty Romances series with Rise of the Alpha Squirrel. It is not recommended to read the series out of order.

Nathan and Vince are a couple who are finding their groove together. Nathan can't believe the hunky message therapist chose him, still is working on his self esteem issues and is trying to come to terms that Vince is cools with weres, even if he never introduced Vince any. All of that changed in book #2.
Nathan plans a romantic getaway in the woods, to camp. And meet his "people", so to speak.

"He's one of my 'people.'" Nathan made air quotes around the word.
"A hummingbird?" Vince's expression was incredulous. "You're kidding me."
"What? You can believe in a squirrel shifter, but not a hummingbird?"

The story is basically an entire day in the were-friendly camping grounds that Nathan frequents. There, the walnuts are out of the bag about his human lover and the were-menagerie comes to inspect the human that shouldn't know they exist. We're talking hummingbirds, fainting goats, moose, lizard and twin red pandas. (What's up with the red pandas popularity lately?) The couple continue to bring out the fluff and cheese in this sequel and had a lot of help in the fluff department a la the pandas and goats...they were kids! A major part of the book is dedicated to babysitting them and combating their adorable antics. And in all of that, Nathan has to fight for the man he loves against an unlikely opponent, realizes some things about himself that he didn't believe he could do until he had a reason to.

Nuts About You had a charm to it, this book I think it got saturated at parts with the fluff and cheese. I am a cheese lover myself but even I'll have to call it that this was a little heavy handed. And the couple kinda got lost with all the adorable were antics going around. Don't get me wrong, they still have their moments:

"He'd share everything with Vince. Even the hazelnuts. and the sunflower seeds.
Okay, maybe the sunflower seeds."

Cute right?

I'll admit, I'm a gamble when it comes to established couple romances. I need something to motivate me to read, and I think this story could have been cut down some. the side characters overshadowed the main players in this one. I did love meeting them, so it's closer to a win category than a loss. I just wish some of those moments were shortened. This book was about Vince meeting and embracing the were-world, which he did.

Now, while I liked this book...I think Nuts About You was slightly stronger. I think the author paid attention to the main complaints about book #1 - not enough information and a feeling of wanting more. Because this book details just about every action. And at points, repeats the same idea or statement, more than once. Thankfully, the fluff was there but I was a little lost in it.

 

Onto my favorite bit! I know Jude, the weremoose was supposed to be villain. And he was a dick, but he was my fave character in this book. Maybe it was his arrogance? (*shrugs*) Maybe it was because he had a fat bubble butt, which made me search for hulking muscle booty guys on Twitter? (for science) Or maybe it was with his ridonkulous line:

"Once you've had moose, you'll never notice a mouse."

(*gut laughs*)

He gets his comeuppance for that line (and more). But you always remember your first...weremoose.

Overall, I had a good time. And I like where book #3 is headed- especially if the Walls are proven to be how Nathan has made them seem to be - overbearing, crazy and wild. Good times should be had.

Recommended to unusual shifter readers who like a stick of Velveeta with their fluff and like it light and airy!

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