BOOKS n COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS The Alpha King by Vicktor Alexander
3 Stars
Review of THE ALPHA KING, by Vicktor Alexander
MM Romance / Fantasy-SciFi / Post Apocalyptic / Shifter / Mpreg / Light BDSM
(Copy provided by Publisher for an honest review)
Reviewed by Jaycee ~ for Books ‘N Cozy Spots Book Reviews, www.Talon-ps.com
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Centuries after the destruction of Earth, destiny is being fulfilled and plans are in motion to restore not only the Earth, but mankind, to its former glory. One family is fated to bring about this amazing destiny. One man puts it all in motion, the day he crashes onto the wolf-planet of Tumaro and meets his mate.
Talon Versuthion always knew that some kind of way, life was going to screw him over. His parents died when he was just a boy and he can’t remember a thing about them. He was adopted by a great family only to have them tell him that he is a Vermithian, one of the most despised humanoid species. Even worse than that? He has no idea that a prophecy was made about his family, one that mentions that someone from the Versuthion family will bring back a pure human race. And there are people out there who will stop at nothing to make sure that never happens. No matter what.
While on a delivery for the GPA with his adopted sister Josie, however, Tal’s space shuttle crashes onto Tumaro, the notorious wolf-shifter planet. Tal is lucky to be alive, though Josie can’t be found. He is desperate to find her, but destiny steps in and history is changed forever. Because the Alpha King of the planet, Blazell Roughshire, is Talon’s mate. And before the two men can even settle into their new relationship they must deal with conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and a centuries old plot to completely eradicate the human race. Will Blaze be able to keep his mate safe from those who would see him dead? Is Tal truly the only one left from his family who can fulfill this centuries old prophecy? And can Tal, who has made it a point to never fall in love with anyone, open his heart and let Blaze be Passion’s hero?
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The premise behind the series in this opener is an interesting one, set in off-planet Shifter worlds post-annihilation of earth and the pure human race. There are a few humanoid races, some, such as the Vermithians, able to mate and procreate with any race and any gender of any race. Prophecy says the focus family of the story will be the instigator for the return of a pure human race. Prior to its destruction, humanity was widely viewed to be a race of arrogant, short-sighted beings and so the idea of their eventual return is not an entirely popular one among the remaining worlds. And while covert efforts were made to eradicate this Vermithian family specifically, they were unsuccessful, though the young children of the family were scattered and not fully aware of their identity or prophesized importance.
In The Alpha King, our now adult and adrenaline junkie Vermithian hero named Talon, is purported to be the one who will conceive and bear the first offspring that will regenerate the human population, all unbeknownst to him. He barely remembers his murdered parents and is completely unaware of his true racial heritage. He knows he is gay, and in a universe of varying tolerance for homosexuality, it comes as a great shock to him that he can also conceive and bear children. His solution is to eschew relationships and to remain emotionally distant in his encounters.
Enter our Alpha Hero, the Alpha King, Blazell Roughshire…
Blaze is the Alpha King of the Wolf Shifter race, and on a fated day during an ill-fated delivery run, Talon crash lands on Blaze’s planet. The King recognizes his mate in Talon, and mates are both fated and for life. In a dizzying case of insta-love disguised as lust, the deed is done, the mating confirmed and suffice to say The King’s gun does not contain any blanks. Talon is carrying the children of the King and despite a consummated and certified mating, the evil that would see not only the offspring removed but the King himself, continues its intended coup plans.
There is plenty of world, and intrigue, and a bevy of characters to bring this series to life, but I did have a few concerns with how ‘The Alpha King’ began the unveiling.
This is a complex universe with multiple races having multiple belief systems. The foundation-setting of this story line is crucial to a world that translates seamlessly from book to book. I found myself on several occasions, having to stop and think which race I was reading about and how their particular belief system impacted the scene in the immediate sense as well as the longer course of the storyline. I found it disorienting initially, though I did have “the hang” of it by about mid book, and the sense of disruption disappeared. I do have some concerns about reestablishing the background in the next book.
Talon and Blaze did not really gel for me as a couple until almost the end of the book. I realize they were both confused and unable to believe their feelings were true given the speed with which they happened, but the sense of an emotional pull such confusion should result in, never really manifest for me. I struggled at times, for a feeling of where they were as a pair. In fact, the glue that held the story together was not the two main characters, but the secondary ones. While disappointing to me in this particular story (because I am all about the relationship) I do believe there was a purpose to this course of events, and much of that purpose is probably yet to be revealed. In addition, I believe there are some deeper, more gripping relationship courses to be told, none with more potential than that of Buck and Percy in the next installment entitled The Beta Prince.
I think there is a good series in here, and I hope with what I saw as deeper characters having more gripping life-stories to tell and a clear, solid world building effort, the meat of the series is yet to come.
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THE ALPHA KING also received the following ratings:
ROMANCE FACTOR ~ 2 Hearts ~
HEAT FACTOR ~ 2 Flames
TWIST FACTOR ~ Male Fertility ~
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