Book Reviews

Book Blurb

One regret. One relentless mate. Fate won’t let him run forever.

Zane Mitchell has spent his life following the rules of his pack—even when it meant turning his back on a friend. As alpha of the Gila National Forest shifters, he bowed to the elders’ demands, banishing a packmate for being gay. Now, that choice haunts him.

When Zane is summoned to a mandatory meeting with the Dux Ducis—the dominant leader of the Southwest packs—his world shatters. Aidan Criswell isn’t just the most powerful alpha he’s ever met. He’s also Zane’s fated mate.

But destiny isn’t always easy. Aidan is shocked to discover his mate is the very man he’s been ordered to investigate—a leader who once cast out one of his own for simply being who he is.

Zane knows he doesn’t deserve a mate like Aidan, and running seems like the only option. But Aidan isn’t one to back down, and he’s ready to claim what fate has given him.

The past can’t be rewritten, but redemption is within reach…if Zane is willing to fight for it.

 

 

First edition published at Pride Publishing, August 2010. This expanded edition of Relentless has been revised in first-person, present tense for a richer, more immersive experience.

Book Review

‘Relentless’, the second book in the Southwestern Shifters series, packs a very hard punch, in the best possible way, while delivering a scorching romance. The continuation of the overall story satisfied my need to know what happens to all the characters and the fact they get to play a fairly substantial role in this second book delighted me. This volume picks up where the first book left off, and gives us the story of Zane, the pack alpha who kicked out Mika, and Aidan, the new regional alpha, or Dux Ducis, who is in charge of ‘modernizing’ shifter society.

Discovering the real reasons for Zane’s behavior was fascinating. His story and the way he deals with his past show what a strong character he is. The suffering he went through would drive anyone to their knees, but, luckily, he has Aidan to help him through it all. I loved the emotional intensity behind his situation, as well as the sizzling heat between him and his newfound mate.

Aidan starts out as a bit of an arrogant idiot. He assumes all kinds of things about Zane, which I thought was interesting because it sums up what I bet a lot of readers (including myself) thought about Zane after the first book. In a way, I learned with Aidan and that made the book very interesting. The attitude adjustment Aidan makes is substantial, and while it starts out in his head (needing to at least hear the other side of the story before making a final judgment), his heart quickly gets involved as well.

If you like shifter stories with more than just pack politics, a gripping plot which deals with some pretty serious issues at the same time, and a scorching hot romance, you will probably like this book. It does contain some pretty graphic references to emotional abuse, so if that bothers you, this may not be for you. However, the focus is more on the aftermath and recovery, which mitigated its effect on me. I was enthralled from the beginning and loved reading the book.

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this books was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 329 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	31-July-2025
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-shifter-romance-Southwestern-Shifters-ebook/dp/B0DZ71M4JM