Fictional Candy: Bite Size Review: Alice's Alpha by Ann Gimpel

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Bite Size Review: Alice's Alpha by Ann Gimpel

Title: Alice's Alpha
Series: Wolf Clan Shifters Book 1
Author: Ann Gimpel
Published: July 2013, Liquid Silver Books
Format: Ebook provided for review

It’s 1936. Thirty-year-old Alice has almost given up finding a man. Between civil engineering and mountain climbing, her interests are so masculine she scares men away. A poor route choice lands her next to horror movie star Lon Chaney’s cabin deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She’s wary when Jed, a strikingly handsome man, offers her shelter.

By the time she discovers he’s clan leader for a pack of wolf shifters, she’s in way too deep to back out. Her carefully tended wasteland of a heart cracks wide open and all her preconceived notions shatter. Snared by the mate bond, Alice discovers passion hot enough to change her forever. She’s just getting used to Jed when his lieutenants show up, and she discovers she’s mated to all three.

***Bite Size Review***

It's 1936 and Alice is a forward thinking woman. She wouldn't be content to sit home and be a wife, she wants to see, to learn, to do. This is something I find myself liking about her. One day, while mountain climbing with her best friend, Brent, he suddenly has to leave without reason. He tells her to quickly find her way to the car and lock herself in. Seriously, what? This just seemed very... unlikely. First of all, he supposedly is her best friend, but he's leaving her on the side of the mountain. And secondly, she doesn't flip out on him? I repeat, seriously.... what? And then she runs into a man at Lon Chaney's cabin. His name is Jed, and I did find myself liking him quite a bit. He was definitely the Alpha of the wolves, and acted it.

Overall, I just don't think this story was for me. I did enjoy some aspects - the sex. Hey, reading menages is fun. Although the menage in this book didn't get as graphic as I am generally used to, it was still enjoyable. The new men in Alice's life, Jed, Terin, and Bron, all have great personalities and are likeable. It was Alice herself I didn't quite like. And there was some toe sucking and urine splashing (not at the same time!) that gave me a few "ick" chills.

As for the end of the story, I liked how it went for the foursome. As for her best friend, Brent... well, I'm not entirely pleased with how that part of the story played out. After all is said and done, the book was alright. It wasn't my favorite, but there were some things I did like. I hope you give it your own chance, it does seem to have many positive reviews.

Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and Psyche’s Prophecy, Psyche’s Search, and Psyche's Promise are small press publications available in e-format and paperback. Look for two more urban fantasy novels coming this summer and fall: Fortune’s Scion and Earth’s Requiem.
anthologies. Several paranormal romance novellas are available in e-format. Three novels,
A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.