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  • The Reluctant Alpha

  • West Coast Wolves, Book 1
  • By: Susi Hawke
  • Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
  • Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (41 ratings)

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The Reluctant Alpha cover art

The Reluctant Alpha

By: Susi Hawke
Narrated by: Nick J. Russo
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Summary

“As much as I felt bad for this Elisha person - God, my heart was breaking for the young man and all he'd been through - I was also angry. I'd left that pack in my rearview 10 years ago for a good reason.” 

Matthias Longclaw is happy living his life on the back of his beloved Harley with his five best friends and brothers-in-arms at his side. The West Coast Wolves are a rare pack of alphas, made up of unwanted orphans and second-born sons. The packs they were born to may not have wanted them, but they’ve built a solid family of their own. They help where they can, doing random acts of kindness and expecting nothing in return, just helping to build a world they want to live in. 

Then Matt gets a call from an old childhood buddy. He’s being called back - begged to return - to reclaim his birthright and save a life in the process. The problem is...to do it, he will have to take a mate. And if he refuses? The omega will die. 

Torn between his duty to help others and his resentment of his old pack, Matt never expects for Elisha Whitetail to tilt his world and change everything. Can Matt and Elisha rebuild a broken pack while tending to a new love and a growing family while dealing with outside threats from neighboring packs

They’re wolves. Strong, proud, and willing to do what it takes when their community needs them...whatever it takes. 

This is the first in a new mpreg series about finding joy in a hard world, building family, and discovering that life can surprise a person when they least expect it. Although this world has harsher themes than my previous books, it still has the same heart you’d expect. Plus a dose of my irreverent humor and all the naughty, knotty heat that comes with true mates. It wouldn’t be a Susi Hawke book without it. Be sure to listen to the author's note at the beginning for possible trigger warnings.

©2020 Susi Hawke (P)2020 Susi Hawke

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Alpha to he rescue.

This is the first installment in the West Coast Wolves series. This is a series about Alphas who are not wanted in their birth packs, which have become friends and are a MC. Elisha is the omega for whom Matthias comes back to his birth pack.
There are challenges appearing for the pack and its leadership.
I read this book and have to say I enjoyed the audiobook even more. The narration brings more depth to the characters.
I won a copy of this audiobook and was not obliged to leave a review at all.

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Can love come from pain?

Elisha has known joy and pain. His papa was good to him and his younger brothers. When papa passed, though, his life changed. And when he’s kidnapped and used as a pawn in a political game, his father doesn’t come to his rescue. Instead he tries to see what he can make out of the situation. We don’t know all this when the book opens, though. The first scene is gut-churning as we realize Elisha is in big trouble. And it appears there’s no one to save him.

Matthias left home at eighteen, tired of being abused. As an alpha son, he was due to inherit, but he decided that wasn’t the path he wanted to take. He joined with other alphas in a motorcycle group that travel up and down the California highways. He loves his life – the lack of responsibility brings freedom and relief. He no longer has to think about his horrific past.

Except life doesn’t work that way, does it? He’s summoned home to save a life and then save a pack. As an alpha wolf shifter, he has a strong desire for pack. He’s just not sure he’s ready to go back to the people who turned a blind eye to the horrors he’d endured.

But an omega needs him to save his life and Matt isn’t so callous as to let the young man die. What he doesn’t expect is to find a brave young man who is determined to protect the pup growing inside him. He doesn’t expect to find his fated mate.

Now, Susi Hawke books tend to be on the shorter side and I like that about them – consumable in one sitting. This book was a bit longer and it continued even after the love story was pretty much wrapped up. There was a lot about politics and rebuilding a community – all of which was interesting, to be sure. Also, she’s spent a lot of time setting up future books and this one even ends with a cliffhanger for another character. So, needless to say, I’ll be snapping the next one up to find out what happens.

Nick J. Russo is narrating this series and since he’s talented and fun to listen to, I enjoyed the book. I can’t wait to see where the overall arc of these five West Coast alpha wolves goes.

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  • Overall
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The Reluctant Alpha - great start to a series

Nick Russo did a great job with the narration. His voices were good, and his storytelling was good.

The story itself was good, and I’m looking forward to more. At times it did feel a bit utopian, but who can’t use that right now. There was a lot of background and world-building to establish, making the book feel a tad telling vs. action-packed. I'm confident it’ll pay off and get better and better from here.

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Great start to a new series

Susi is back with a great new series of the type she does so well. There's an omega in distress, and the alpha may be reluctant to start, but he soon steps up. Returning to his home pack, he finds out that things are even worse than he thought, but with the help of his fellow West Coast Wolves, he soon gets on with setting things to rights. Matt (Matthias) will protect what is his, including the omega in question, Eli. I love how this story sets the stage for the rest of the books to come. Nick J. Russo does a good job of bringing the cast of characters to life. Highly recommended for all lovers of Alpha/Omega stories.

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Super start to the series

Susi Hawke did a fantastic job with the start of a series that is sure to have you coming back for more. A bit differents from other stories by Susi Hawke but just as addictive. Nick J Russo did a fantastic job with the narration. Hope the next story will be available soon.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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An amazing start to a great series

This was a great start to a series that has a ton of potential. The gravity of the situation pulled me in from the start as a life and death situation took over Mat's life.

I didn't feel as though I got into the characters all that well with so much going on in the story, the history of the pack, the history of the circular family references, and the reason behind the mating and subsequent takeover, but I did enjoy the setup to the rest of the series with each of the alpha's finding their packs. I really can't wait to dive in to the rest of the series, starting with Lucien!

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Wonderful wolf-shifter mPreg story

I loved this sweet, wonderful mPreg story. It's pretty low-angst except for Elisha's original pain and trauma after his first mate is killed. Matt and the other alphas of the West Coast Wolves were fantastic in their camaraderie and drive to help those in need. Matt really steps up when he agrees to return to a home he left at 18 to save the surviving Alpha-mate and take over leadership of the pack. He gets a pleasant surprise when he discovers the wolf is his true mate. Their love and partnership was endearing. I truly loved Elisha. After all he had suffered - being sold by his father, kidnapped and mated by Horace, then intentionally left to die by his father when he killed Horace - Elisha remained gentle and loving toward his packmates, He maintained a strong, positive outlook. I also liked the way he was concerned for and protective of his brothers, who were still in his father's care. I enjoyed the different view of omegas and the special gifts they have that make them more than just freaks of nature, although we didn't get to see the exercise of those skills much. I am looking forward to more stories of the West Coast Wolves and seeing Matt's alpha buddies find their own mates.


The narration by Nick Russo is fantastic. He does a great job giving the different characters unique voices, and is wonderful at expressing their emotions. He really brings the story to life, and his narration is perfectly paced.


I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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How a pack and a world begin

There are lots of Alpha/omega and shifter books out there where the packs are already established, but this book takes us into the beginning of things where a pack is building their world. We also have characters that go well beyond just Alphas, omegas and betas which I found fascinating. I enjoyed Matt and Elisha as a couple and definitely felt the heat between them. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the Alphas in the pack find their mates. The Alphas is this book seem "lighter" than in some other books, by that I mean they seem to have a broader emotional palette beyond just the stereotypical Alpha. Kudos to Nick J. Russo for his performance in this book. He kept all the world building information accessible and interesting while clearly delineating all the different characters and making us feel what they were feeling.

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Good start to new series

Loved the concept of this one, an all Alpha biker club. The way the plot played out was well-paced and the action scenes were great. Loved the found family aspect that is so common for Susi Hawke books. I adore Matt & Eli, and it was nice getting to see how tshe laid out the rest of the series near the end.
Nick J Russo's narration was superb, as is his usual! He's very good at character voicing, emotion, and his timing is impeccable for humorous bits! Overall, I'd have liked a bit more heat, but that's just me. Very enjoyable story/listen!

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🎧 LesCourt Reviewer 🎧

The Reluctant Alpha (West Coast Wolves Book 1) by Susi Hawke. What a great start to a series. This story develops nicely. A good combination of world building and character development. I really enjoyed this story. Looking forward to the next book.
The Narrator Nick J. Russo did a fantastic job bringing these characters and story to life.

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