Title: Challenge the Darkness
Series: Yellowstone Wolves, #1
Author: Dirk Greyson
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novel (234 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (August 31st 2015)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: When alpha shifter Mikael Volokov is called to witness a challenge, he learns the evil and power-hungry Anton Gregor will stop at nothing to attain victory. Knowing he will need alliances to keep his pack together, Mikael requests a congress with the nearby Evergreen pack and meets Denton Arguson, Evergreen alpha, to ask for his help. Fate has a strange twist for both of them, though, and Mikael and Denton soon realize they’re destined mates.
Denton resists the pull between them—he has his own pack and his own responsibilities. But Mikael isn’t willing to give up. The Mother has promised Mikael his mate, told him he must fight for him, and that only together can they defeat the coming darkness. When Anton casts his sights on Denton’s pack, attacks and sabotage follow, pulling Denton and Mikael together to defeat a common enemy.
But Anton’s threats sow seeds of destruction enough to break any bond, and the mates’ determination to challenge the darkness may be their only saving grace.
ISBN: 9781634764827
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6793
Reviewer: Tams
Review: Mikael Volokov is the Alpha of the Yellowstone pack. He’s strong, fierce and commanding. Mikael doesn’t tolerate dissention or anyone questioning his authority, it’s why his pack is so strong and united.
That being said, he’s not a brutal bastard, unless you go after something or someone he holds dear. He listens to his pack, considers their concerns and does everything possible to ensure their safety and happiness. When he’s called to witness a challenge and winds up witnessing something more dark and sinister than expected, he lands in the crosshairs of that darkness.
Denton Arguson is the Alpha of the neighboring pack, Evergreen. He is nearly as fierce as Mikael and definitely as loyal to his pack. When the two realize they are fated mates, Mikael couldn’t be happier. He’s dreamed about his mate since he was a boy, but Denton is less than pleased. He fights the bond and tries to ignore the connection he has with Mikael, but fate won’t be ignored. It will take a lot of patience, understanding and communication if these two are going to fulfill the destiny that was created for them before they were even born.
I have to say, I knew this was going to be a good book, I love everything from this Author. I was literally blown away by how good it was though. Greyson took the mythology that circles shifters and tweaked it just enough to give us something fresh and new.
I loved the references to the Mother and giving things back to the earth so they would be rewarded in return. ‘As ye sow so shall ye reap’ is the moto these wolves live by. But everything in life has to have balance. Where there is light, there is darkness, and when the darkness tries to destroy the land, the packs, and most of all, the wolves spirits, it will take a lot of love, life and trust to defeat it.
A must read for shifter fans, but there is also the added element of what almost reads as earth magic in this story. The relationship between Mikael and Denton is electric, passionate and turbulent. After all, they are both Alphas and while the world Greyson has created doesn’t even blink an eye at two men being mates, two Alphas being mated is unheard of. They have to find their balance as well not only to defeat the darkness, but to find their happiness.
Wonderful story, the flow and pace is perfect and kept me enthralled from beginning to end, and I cannot wait to see where this new series will take several wolves in particular with more books down the road.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *