Book Reviews

Book Blurb

After years of abuse in his old shifter pack, Dante found a new life with Alpha Victor. He would do anything for Victor. Anything but stay away from Jesse, the half-blood stray. But when Victor names Dante his heir, he has no choice but to accept the duties given to him even if it means relinquishing the possibility of love. He owes his life and sanity to Victor, and that’s a debt Dante can never fully repay.

But Dante should have known the good life couldn’t last. His former alpha, Caster, is not a male who lets anything of value slip through his grasp. When rumors fly of Caster’s return, Dante knows the man will stop at nothing to possess him and his talent once again. When Jesse is kidnapped and Victor falls victim to an untimely death, his worst fears are realized. His old alpha has finally returned to reclaim him. Dante must use his fears and nightmares to save Jesse and his pack, even if it means sacrificing himself.

Book Review

The alpha's weave is a fascinating term for what normally is described as the pack bond, although I got the impression that the weave is more powerful and more connected to each individual member, and to the whole, than just a bond. A pack born shifter will go insane and die without the connection provided by their alpha's weave. That bit of difference within the standard shifter lore set the scene for all of the intense world building C.M. Torrens does in 'The Alpha’s Weave'.

Dante forced himself to do as Victor asked and slowly allowed his sense to open up. Victor’s warmth and encouragement coaxed him out more, and finally he could sense the entire weave. Like a warm, fine strand that ran from Victor to each member of the pack. Soft and gentle, nothing hard in the sense.

I struggled somewhat in the beginning trying to get a good read on Dante. He spent many years of his life in Caster's pack being used and abused as Caster's pet. Caster forced him to use his special alpha talent to kill for him until Victor showed up one day, hunting Caster, rescuing Dante, and bringing him into his pack. A very different place than what Dante was used to, a pack that is warm, loving, caring, and a family, that even includes all of them sleeping together in the giant pack bed. It takes years for Dante to acclimate and now, at thirty-five years old, Victor has named him his heir.

Just as Dante is trying to accept being the alpha heir, even with the nightmares he still suffers with leftover horrors from Caster, Victor brings Dante to the annual gathering for the first time. Unfortunately, something no one could have possibly predicted occurs, leaving many dead, Victor in very bad shape, and beginning a war between wolves and obscene hybrids made from shifters and darklings. Trust me when I say it was very disturbing, not just for the pack born, but for me as I read the descriptions of these creatures and watched the devastation, particularly once Caster appeared and tried to make Dante go with him. This is the end of my spoilery writing, however, I don't want to give too much away.

I reached a point in this novel where I was able to truly appreciate what an amazing man Dante is. The strength it takes for him to survive all those years with Caster and then the compassion and love that nearly brings him to his knees when his father, Victor, passes away. Without the weave and his pack he would not have made it and there was still so much to do. Dante has to find and destroy Caster but he also needs to locate August and his mistress to discover what their plans are in terms of these hybrids, not to mention how they're being created in the first place. So many secrets and betrayals at every turn.

“Know that I love you and am very proud of you,” Victor said, and closed his eyes. “Push me under, as deep as possible.”
Dante looked down at his father and touched his forehead. “Good night, Father.”
“Good night, son.”

'The Alpha's Weave' is a captivating, labyrinthine world of shifters, darklings, hybrids, humans, pets, mates, shadows, strays, and the banished. I'm fairly certain I haven't seen all this author has to reveal, either. The ending was phenomenal and blew me away. I'm so looking forward to the next book.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by DSP Publications for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 270 pages/93600 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-October-2016
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $16.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-alphas-weave-by-cm-torrens-319-b