Red River (Belen’s Review)

Title: Red River (Pack #2)
Author: Cardeno C.
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Release Date: January 19th 2016
Genre(s): M/M Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 122 pages
Reviewed by: Belen
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Blurb:

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.

Red River is the second book in the Pack series, the first being Blue Mountain. This book can be read as a standalone.

This is a SPOILER FREE review.

I FREAKING LOVE THIS STORY! So much so that I stayed up an hour and a half past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down. Totally worth it.

Wesley Stone was born with a scar, so even though he is the logical successor to the Alpha of the Purple Sky pack as the only other Alpha wolf shifter, his pack doesn’t accept him. Even so, Wes is still shocked when his uncle, the current Alpha, informs him that he’s bartered a trade with the Red River pack so that an Alpha wolf from their pack will be sent to Purple Sky pack in exchange for Wes to go to theirs and mate with their Alpha successor, Jobe Root. Essentially he’ll become a co-Alpha after they bond as mates.

“A trade is the perfect solution.”
“A trade?”
“Red River has an Alpha wolf they won’t accept as their Alpha. Our pack feels the same way about you. So Brian Berger will come take over for me, and in exchange, you’ll go to Red River and lead a pack, like you’ve always wanted.”
Rising from his chair, Wesley said, “What I wanted was to be the Alpha of this pack.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’ve spent my life dedicated to Purple Sky.”

Wes is blindsided by the news but doesn’t have any choice. It doesn’t make it any easier that the Red River pack keeps mainly to themselves and no one knows a lot about them. Turns out they are completely self-sufficient, communing with nature, growing their own food and raising their own livestock, harnessing energy through solar power…and totally dedicated to Mother Nature. They’re a bunch of hippies basically.

I love the way the pack embraces Wes from the first moment he drives onto their lands. After more than a decade of trying to prove his worth to his birth pack I was so happy to see Wes finally be included, welcomed, and (pretty immediately) beloved.

There are some misunderstandings and some miscommunication, which normally make me crazy, but I feel like it is very organic and works well with the way the story is constructed. All in all, the story is fast-paced and filled with flufftastic romance and hot sexy times. Even better, this story holds all the elements of shifter lore that is my crack. I am so happy!