I have been wanting to hear River’s story, and this is it! This is the first book to the second spin-off series from Team Alpha, and I can’t wait for more.
This is not your typical fated mates story, which is part of the reason why I really enjoyed it. River caught a whiff of Vasily, part of the Russian mob and his brother’s new in-laws, and ran. He doesn’t want a mate; he doesn’t even seem to want to be an Omega. But, he sure does love little Petey, the young boy they saved and found out was Vasily’s son; enough to let him get away with calling him “pretty kitty.”
Vasily doesn’t know about having a mate until an unexpected meeting when River is working for STAUP, and Vasily is at the party with Petey. River runs away, but Vasily will be patient for a while. When Petey is taken, River shows up to help with the search. That’s when things get fun.
Vasily and River make an incredible team, and as neither are necessarily “the good guys,” they use whatever means necessary to get the information they need to find Petey. Their interrogation methods are unique, but they flow so smoothy that it seems that they have been working together for years, not a day or so. I personally enjoyed the questioning of the “Butcher.” I don’t know exactly what that says about me. LOL.
After taking the crime world apart like a tornado, the Don and the family have to get involved to avoid a full-blown war. River is in a bit of a situation by this point, but he’s still feisty as ever. But, everything works out in the end, and at least for now, River and his new family have their happily ever after.
I really enjoyed Kirt Graves’ narration. I recently listened to a fluke, where I had a hard time getting into his voicing. But, he portrays a wonderful Russian accent and kept the story going at just the right pace. His character differentiation was perfect, even if characters from the other series didn’t sound exactly the same. His performance was spot on!