Review: Alpha Mine – Brenda Sparks

In the shadows of the night, there exists a band of warriors–a group of vampires, known as the Alpha Council. Their formidable leader, Stephan von Haas, has vowed to protect not only his kind but the humans existing alongside them. His duty comes before all else–until a sassy blonde saunters into his life.

When a sensual, dark-haired stranger walks into Katrina Spencer’s life, he stirs her deepest desires and sweeps her into a world beyond her wildest dreams. But when Katrina is targeted by Stephan’s enemies, reality shifts into something violent and deadly, as she is thrust into a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and vengeance is coming for her.

Together they will confront an extraordinary destiny of peril, passion, and dark pleasures. But when one horrid mistake brings retribution, their love may pay the price.

Series: The Alpha Council Chronicles #1
Release Date: October 26th 2013
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Source: Provided by Author/Publis
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Reviewer’s Thoughts

3.5 Cocktails

*****Spoiler Alert******

I have mixed feelings about this book. The concept was original and the story was good but I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

Kat was attacked seven years ago by vampires and Marcus, a vampire, saved her. We move to the present where Marcus and Kat are living together. She knows about vampires but is sworn to secrecy. Marcus and Kat are the best of friends, living together while Kat dances at a club Marcus owns.

Then all of a sudden, Marcus’s sire Stephan, a vampire he hasn’t seen in decades, comes home. Turns out it’s Stephan’s condo and he wants to know why Marcus has invited a human to live there and how she knows about the existence of vampires. Marcus explains what happened seven years ago but Stephan doesn’t think Kat can be trusted. Marcus diligently defends Kat and she ends up staying at Stephan’s condo and keeping her memories intact, for now.

That same night Kat has a horrible migraine and Stephan is the only one that can sooth it. Turns out they both are hot for each other but Stephan doesn’t know what he wants more, her body or her blood. But Stephan made a promise to Marcus that he wouldn’t bite Kat, because of her attack all those years ago she is adamantly against being a “donor.”

So the three spend lots of time together and it feels like this really awkward love triangle. Marcus loves her but is jealous of Stephan’s feelings for her. Kat loves Marcus as a friend but imagines her, Marcus and Stephan having a threesome, which I thought was odd. If she has feelings for Stephan and only friend feelings for Marcus, why does she want them both? Turns out she only wants Stephan.

The story goes along and to make a longer story short, Kat doesn’t want to be turned into a vampire and Stephan, being a vampire enforcer for their kind, is forced to make the decision to scrub her memories rather than let a human, such as Kat, live with the knowledge of vampires.

The story is pretty good but I just wasn’t sold on the characters. Call me crazy, but I felt the psychology behind Kat, Marcus and Stephan’s actions had me more confused than entertained. Please don’t let my view on the characters dissuade anyone from picking up the book. The plot was unique but it just wasn’t for me.