author: robin moray

TITLE: ⟫ Bonded to the Alpha (Book #1)
AUTHOR: ⟫ Robin Moray
RATING: ⟫ 2.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Bonded mates are rare, and every wolf knows that the killing of a bond-mate is punishable by death. But nineteen-year-old Callum is fully human, woefully ignorant of Pack Law, and when an accidental encounter with a frenzied beta leaves the wolf dead and Callum battered but alive, he finds himself facing the wrath of the pack—until the dead wolf’s mate invokes the right to claim Callum as his own.

With his life on the line, Callum’s only choice is to bond with the troubled alpha, and carve a place for himself in the pack by any means necessary.

Taking the bond was the worst mistake Nero ever made. But now, with his bond-mate dead, the clock is ticking. He needs to bond again by the full moon, or his next transformation will kill him. That’s all he needs the human for, just a means to an end. At least that’s what he tells himself. But as the bond takes hold he finds himself falling deeper into something he swore he would never do again.

REVIEW: ⟫
I really loved the idea behind this story and found the beginning quietly interesting. However, as the story went on, I found myself getting annoyed. The sheer fact that Nero had no idea how to create the bond was irritating – like, how did he become bonded in the first place? Even ignoring that, I found that I really disliked the pack – they all admitted how much they hated the wolf that died and yet were willing to kill someone and potentially cause so many issues in their community to avenge their death? It didn’t make sense to me and I found it impossible to suspend disbelief for the rest of the story. I know there are stories that follow on from this but I can’t see me making the effort to read them. Shame because I really did like the idea.

TITLE: ⟫ Changed: Mated to the Alien Alpha
AUTHOR: ⟫ Robin Moray

SERIES: ⟫ The Omega Colony Book #1
RATING: ⟫ 3/5

BLURB: ⟫ The Company said Omega IV was uninhabited. They said Omega IV was safe.
They were wrong.

The giant humanoid inhabitants of Omega IV are conditioned to the Change—a biological event in their development that designates them altha or amekha—but for the new colony of humans, the Change comes as an unpleasant surprise.

Dr Cameron Grant, bitter after a turbulent break-up, finds himself in a first-contact situation that was never covered in training.The alien warrior Tal’jen, seven feet tall and distinctly male, has taken an interest in him, an interest with a clear and pressing conclusion. Dr Grant can’t deny his attraction, even as his body undergoes strange and frightening changes. Whatever is happening to him, it’s obvious that Tal’jen understands it instinctively. He will have to place himself in the hands of an alien and hope that Tal’jen’s interest is as benign as it seems.

Meanwhile, Tal’jen, chief-in-waiting of his people, seeks a mate. The handsome and strange Cam’ren of the newcomers calls to him powerfully, though he has not yet gone through his Change. To be chief Tal’jen must mate with a bearer, so while he longs to claim Cam’ren for his own, he must be patient and hope that Cam’ren’s Change will grant him the gift of bearing young.

As the Change spreads through the human colony, leaving chaos in its wake, Cameron and Tal’jen must fight to protect both the delicate bond growing between them, and each other.

REVIEW: ⟫ I love the whole idea of this but found it very difficult to suspend disbelief throughout the story. It was laughable the way that Cameron behaved with Tal’jen, especially since he hadn’t actually begun the change when things began between them. As things unfolded, I think the lack of panicking and/or proper investigation into what was happening dragged me out of the story – who the heck hears that they’re growing an organ but wants to continue eating alien food? And the fact that this was beginning to affect other people didn’t cause the rush to figure it all out that I was expecting. I enjoyed quite a few aspects of the story but found I couldn’t disengage my brain enough. That’s not to say I won’t read more of the series!