Primal Law (Alpha Pack1) by JD Tyler

Hello to all,

   Are you ready for Halloween? All the decorations are up? To be honest, in my case we still haven't started pulling them out of the box ^^;; and i have been spending as much time as possible reading with the result i have difficulties to decide which review to offer you each day  i will perhaps even have to put two on a same day who knows.... i guess it will make your wish list reach a new level if you hadn't read those first.

First i wanted to tell you about Kallysten new release but it will be free later this week so i will wait until then....then i tried to find a book that could be linked to Brenda's today topic in her big event The Ghoulishly Good Monster Mash Mix up. I have started a book from her selection and i do hope to finish it on time but right now it's not possible so which book could work?  It was a tie between one with a shaman but it's so good i will keep it for halloween  then a book i did also read this month because it was featured on her werewolves day and in my TBR pile... that one works really well because it's about shifters yes but you got a necromencer too and some ghosts in bonus so really a perfect book for this month and several of the challenges i've entered...sadly it's the book i least liked this month so far...anyway it could be your favourite one so let's see what i thought of it and why.

Happy reading!

Publisher: NAL/Signet Eclipse

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0451234340

Genre: paranormal romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+

Source: bought
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Founded by a group of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers tasked with eliminating the most dangerous predators in the world. But the gift of their abilities comes at a price…

After a massacre decimates half his team and leaves him crippled, Jaxon Law must relearn how to fight—and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when he rescues a beautiful woman who reawakens his primal instincts, Jax is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead.


On the run from her employer, brilliant lab assistant Kira Locke has evidence that leads the Alpha Pack on a hunt for someone targeting human civilians with Psy abilities. And as Jax and Kira circle both the killer and each other, Jax will have to decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth breaking the ultimate shifter rule—because bonding with Kira means putting his abilities at risk, and they might be the only tools he has to keep his mate alive…

My opinion:

          The premise of the story is interesting I mean shifters with psychic abilities a novelty for me and I was expecting perhaps too much from this one because yes there are shifters but it missed to catch my interest and I’m angrier after finishing it that anything else.

First yes it’s about shifters and we learn in the book that it won’t be only werewolves even if in this first book we first focus on the first member of the alpha team some seals who got bitten and if they survived became werewolves, then we also meet one (two but let concentrate on the most active one) born shifter Nick, their chief. So far it stay classic I mean they are shifters and you can be born or become one because of a scratch or a bite, even while in animal form they still keep their human minds too. So far so good.

However the fact they are ex- SEAL’s is bothering me on some levels…as soon as Jax , the main hero in this first book, explains how they got bitten it ticked my instinct I mean it’s so suspect but they never suspected something no. They got bitten, some survived and then they live in a military complex with doctors they are conducting highly dangerous mission while people still study them. I mean how can they be so blind? Why werewolves would attack a group of armed humans outnumbering them …. Yes some died but then why not make sure the injured ones are dead? It sounded so strange to me I started to be angry. Yes they were in the army and not used to ask question but after such an event you think they would want to be free, to hide but no they accept to be studied… officially to help but really  you think such an amount of money would be spend just to help them without hidden intentions?

What was even more curious is that Nick a born shifter, not in the army joined their group like that accepting to be subjected to the tests etc while he could have stayed hidden…. Really strange yes he is a preco, so perhaps his powers lead him to join the team that I could eventually accept but the way they trust the system blindly is more than irritating even more since later we learn they never even asked question, never thought about what happened … just followed the movement.

Then they were betrayed and lost a part of their team leaving some like Jax suffering from serious injuries …once again we learn they didn’t question anything and until some of the events happen and more specially Kira as a outside ask question we discover they just believed what they were told without looking for a proof or anything….when we learn they are supposedly professional and strongly linked together it’s even stranger.

 I appreciated the fact they didn’t utilise their specific power without thinking about the consequences but then it went in the extreme too.

Now if we focus on the main plot and the romance between Kira and Jax, I was surprised to learn that Nick didn’t explain all the consequences of refusing to mate one soulmate….we can guess he lived something tragic but that’s no excuse in my opinion. First we are not sure who is giving the orders, yes Nick is the chief of the team but he is not at the top, he receives his orders from someone so we don’t know which level of free will they really have… if they can refuse a mission  etc……I regret they didn’t seem to have learned from the past, to have better strategy and how they didn’t guess what was happening at the end they really had everything to at least make solid supposition… they just went to save those who could be there ( yes could they weren’t even sure)…I understand self sacrifice but it works once not that often or it become stupidity. Also another thing didn’t sit well with me… it’s a secret group…they have strong ties to each other…but then they include other way too easily I mean oki Kalen has powers and needed a place but just like that we meet and the next day we offer you a place…AJ also, welcome to the group in matter of second…. Where is the secret and the security if everyone can join so easily.

The romance is there with highly steamy part but it felt wrong… she doesn’t want to mate without love but then having sex is oki… it went too quickly to my taste, even with a countdown , they are some steps but no directly in the other bed, little gesture, romance all forgotten…. Yes he is partly animal but even it could have been handled differently.  Oh I appreciated the fact he didn’t want to force a choice on Kira, accepting the consequences no matter what she chose but  he suffers from Beryl’s betrayal, refuse to admit she is his mate but having fun with her is not a problem….

Kira is a kind soul and surprise! She has power too….she is an empathy but she realise it only when she joined the team. Yes it sound something really important for the rest of the story but I guess I was put off by the fact she didn’t thought about it before and  that it took her so long to confess it after.

Add to all of that the fact the end is a cliffhanger and not really an happy one and you have the perfect recipe to make me disappointed and worse…I will give a try to at least another book in the series to see if it improves for me but right now I wouldn’t recommend it . They are so many excellent series with werewolves and shifters that I really prefer so it wouldn’t be fair or honest if I told you to get this one when I think others are really better. Now perhaps you love shifters book, with paranoia, conspirations, tragedy etc in that case this book is right in your alley but I do prefer when I finish a book to get a feeling of contentment than anger

Score:  2,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

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Hey like i said this book covers several creatures so you should be able to find at least oen to your liking and it help me to remind you that you can win great prizes on brenda's blog.. check all her posts but if you are more into zombie it's here, for wizards/sorcerer Here and for werewolves lovers enter here . Remember you have only until halloween ^^ Good luck