Review and Giveaway: Cole's Redemption

Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack - Book 5) by J.D. Tyler

Publication Date: 03/04/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Signet Eclipse
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 0451417232
ISBN-13: 978-0451417237

(Received for an honest review from Signet Eclipse)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

J.D. Tyler on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Alpha Pack

1. Primal Law
2. Savage Awakening
3. Black Moon
4. Hunter's Heart
5. Cole's Redemption

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Cole's Redemption, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature. 

Synopsis:

Once, they were Navy SEALS. Now they are the Alpha Pack: a top secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers who take on the darkest dangers on Earth. But sometimes the greatest danger lies within their own hearts....

Healer and black wolf shifter Zander Cole has survived horrors that would have broken a weaker man. But when a battle leaves him deaf and his powers dimmed, Zan is devastated. Believing himself to be a burden to his team, he sees only one option: leave the Pack forever.

White wolf shifter Selene Westfall knows pain—she is certain her father was responsible for her mother’s death. And she lives to exact revenge. So when she is challenged by a savage black wolf, she puts up a vicious fight—only to become the black wolf’s Bondmate as a result of his bite.

Two damaged souls—one filled with hatred and one who’s lost his reason for living—are forced together as they come to terms with their unlikely, turbulent bond. A love neither expected may be all that stands between them and a killer trying desperately to keep the past dead and buried....

Thoughts:

J.D. Tyler returns with the fifth book in the Alpha Pack series, Cole's Redemption. Readers and fans of the series are treated to Zander Cole's story in this installment of the series. After being seriously wounded Zander debates his effectiveness and his loyalty to the pack. Tyler introduces new paranormal characters to the series while still focusing on the shifters of the pack. One of the things that sets this series apart is the fact that these shifters have other abilities as well. But when Cole can no longer use his healing ability, what good is he to the pack? Another great book in this engaging series.

What I liked:

J.D. Tyler has gone to a lot of trouble to create the world of the Alpha Pack. A group of shifters, previous military, who take on the jobs that nobody else wants. She has given this group a close knit kind of society that thrives on brotherhood and cooperation. When Zander is injured so severely that he can no longer provide the pack the kind of healing he once could, he begins to doubt his use to the pack. I thought Tyler did a fantastic job of giving the background in this book and letting the reader understand why Zander was so bothered by this. The fact that he was considering leaving the pack was huge and I thought it was handled in a very realistic way.

In the process of protecting the pack Alpha, Nick, Zander inadvertently finds his bondmate. She happens to be the one who is trying to kill the Alpha, which turns out to be his daughter, who believes he killed her mother. Sound a little confusing? It sounds as if is should be, but it's really not. Tyler does such a good job of balancing the love story between Zander and Selene against the relationship between Selene and her father. Readers who are new to the series won't feel lost at all. Tyler is a master at keeping each book interwoven but still singular and able to stand on it's own. 

The romance between Zander and Selene isn't like most shifter romances. They don't fight their attraction to each other. They don't try to run away and they don't have hidden agendas. Everything is out in the open with these two and that was really refreshing. Their romance flowed easily and created a kind of smooth landing for this book, because of all of the other turmoil surrounding Nick and his daughter. I liked the fact that I didn't have to wonder what was going to happen with them when everything else was so up in the air.

What I didn't like:

I'm not completely sure I liked the addition of the vampire characters. So far the series has not gone that direction and I'm not sure how this will change the coming books. It provided a good story line for this particular book, but may change the overall feel of the series. I'll reserve judgement for now...

Bottom Line:

This is another great book by J.D. Tyler. She continues to amaze with this series. Giving readers characters that are three dimensional and have a depth that characters often don't have. Give this series a try you won't be disappointed.

Cole's Redemption is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag! 

About the Author:

J. D. Tyler has a Master's degree in Education and spent sixteen years in the public school trenches before she left teaching to pursue her dream of writing full time. An active member of Romance Writers of America, she's been a finalist for Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, has captured the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit, and has one book optioned for a major motion picture.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Cole's Redemption by J.D. Tyler.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, April 14th.

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