THE LONELIEST ALPHA (The MacKellen Alphas) by T.A.Grey-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 14, 2013

ONE LOOK WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER

Lingerie designer Alicia Clarkson just had to open her stupid mouth. Now thanks to trying to defend a fellow pack mate, Alicia’s been blindfolded, tied up, and carted off to the new alpha of the Oregon pack—Gavin MacKellen.

However, the blindfold doesn’t come off so soon as Gavin reveals he’s searching for a mate. But Alicia’s curiosity gets fired up when Gavin refuses to reveal his face to her. Just what happened to him? He talks to her from shadowy corners and behind closed doors. The man is as allusive as a squirrely fox. But Alicia doesn’t play games and the quiet spoken, hoarse-voiced alpha doesn’t stand a chance against her. They settle on an agreement, thirty days for them to get to know each other because that’s the only way this cowboy alpha will have it.

Gavin MacKellen needs a mate. But he knows no good woman would ever want to look at his face after the incident he suffered. After one look at Alicia Clarkson all his plans fly out the window. The woman’s beauty has stunned him damn near speechless. She torments his thoughts and Gavin finds himself yearning to know everything about her. As a relationship forms and love threatens to grow between them, Gavin struggles to cope with his physical appearance in the face of the beautiful Alicia. Will she be the one to stand in the face of a monster and accept him or will she turn her back on him?

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REVIEW: THE LONELIEST ALPHA is the first storyline in T.A.Grey’s new series-The MacKellen Alphas. This is Gavin MacKellen and Alicia Clarkson’s story-a story of beauty and the beast.

As the blurb says, Gavin is searching for a mate. As the new alpha of the Oregon pack, Gavin needs a mate to stand by his side and support him in his role as leader, but there are no available females in his pack –or at least – there are none who are willing to mate with a man whose face has been ravaged by an attack. When his lieutenants kidnap several potential females from other packs, Gavin will find himself intrigued and attracted to feisty lingerie designer Alicia Clarkson. But Gavin refuses to show his face and forces himself into the shadows where Alicia is unable to get a clear view.

The storyline progresses as Gavin begins to fall for Alicia, knowing he would have to reveal his appearance but for the time being Alicia is kept in the dark or blindfolded whenever in the company of the Oregon alpha. Their relationship is obviously acrimonious in the beginning but will become one of friends to lovers when Alicia’s life is threatened on numerous occasions. Believing a former alpha rival is to blame, Gavin will go in search of proof to his guilt only to find that another member of his pack, once closer to home, is leading the assaults against the alpha and his mate.

The relationship between Gavin and Alicia is slow to build because of Gavin’s reluctance to reveal his scars but Alicia is having nothing to do with his secrets and pushes Gavin at every opportunity until another threat against her life has the truth finally revealed. I don’t know if Gavin felt sorry for himself, but he definitely had issues with the scars and disfigurement- a once seductively beautiful man, Gavin has been reduced to the wounds and stigma of an attack that was both personal and familiar.

There is no question that Gavin knows Alicia is his mate but the only question is whether Alicia will accept Gavin-scars and all. Gavin is a well respected and trusted alpha but there are problems plaguing his pack and it is his responsibility to uncover the who and what behind the threats and missing members.

The world building is smooth but limited as a good portion of the story focuses on Alicia. I would have liked to learn more about the pack dynamics but as this was only the introductory storyline perhaps there will be more revelations in future installments. The characters are colorful and Gavin’s sisters add plenty of humor when they ‘steal’ Alicia for a girl’s night out-I was laughing along with the trio.But one thing I did notice– there was no mention of shifting or characters shifting in the storyline-interesting considering this is a story of lycans and the paranormal.

THE LONELIEST ALPHA is a fast paced, and interesting spin on the Beauty and the Beast storyline phenomenon. This is a story of suspense and mystery, love and hate, betrayal and heartbreak, friends and family. T.A. Gray pulls the reader into the storyline of one man’s need for a mate, only to be refused over and over because of his scars. But in the end it is the scars in his heart that will be healed first-when he is willing to die for the woman he loves.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

 T.A.Grey loves to write the kind of stories that will keep you up late at night and make your heart pound. It is her goal to make each new book better, more exciting, and more action-packed to keep thrilling the reader. She is always trying to push the boundaries with her imagination, as well as the reader’s, to create something new and different.

Open up one of her novels and the reader will find hot, erotic stories that will make you laugh out loud, cry, and fly through the pages. 

Visit T.A.Grey’s website to learn more about her books at www.tagrey.com.