My Shy Alpha

My Shy Alpha #1

by River Kai

With 10 enchanting illustrations, My Shy Alpha is the first book in an empowering, steamy fantasy series that leaves readers swooning for a shy Alpha Lycan while rooting for an abuse survivor as she rediscovers what it means to be loved.

Aliya Matsuoka meets “him” in her dreams - a regal yet unexpectedly shy man. But strangest of all, he always meets her in the forest, where their instant bond escalates into a sensual night beneath the stars.

In waking reality, a monstrous ex blurred Aliya’s judgment on whom to trust. She won’t even kiss most dates, let alone “get down and dirty in the leaves” with a gorgeous stranger.

When Aliya follows an uncontrollable urge to retrace her dream’s steps, reality surpasses her wildest imagination; she’s living amongst Lycans, shapeshifters who can morph into wolves at will.

Outspoken for his “untraditional values” that Lycan sexes should have equal rights, shy Alpha Noah Greenfield faces constant pushback from other Alphas who thrive on dominance. Aliya, however, finds his social defiance alluring. As Aliya and Noah’s fated love transcends all bonds, Aliya unleashes her desires.

But diving into this paranormal fairytale isn’t enough to erase Aliya’s trauma; there’s always a chance another monster could follow her home.

Equal parts heartfelt and steamy, the My Shy Alpha series follows an epic love story for both seasoned werewolf lovers and new readers dipping their paws into the shifter universe

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Adult, Queer, Shapeshifters, Contemporary

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2023

About the author

River Kai is a thriller webcomic author turned sweet-but-spicy romance author. As a bisexual and transgender creator with disabilities, he specializes in Romance, LGBTQ+, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy fiction with mental health and disability representation, creating stories for readers like him to see they’re not alone.

Reviews

[Evelyn Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All I want is to be here with you too. Thank you for finding me, Omega.”
“Thank you for waiting for me.”

Thank the dark lords, the goddess and whatever you want to call it, this author has blessed us with a shifter romance only dreams are made of. With such a strong and beautiful written world, we meet two beautiful souls and YOU DO NOT WANT TO STOP! You will start to gush and blush and kick your feet around. It is a PERFECT representation of Soul Mates with all the feels. This Book is THE long hug you have waited for!! I DEMAND all of you to get yourself in for the best thing that can ever happen in your life. This book will get new special places not only in your heart but in your mind as well. *goes outside in a forest to write on a beautiful tree, Aliya and Noah 4-ever! *

[Heidi Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The spice in this book was 10/10. Everything else came across as especially cringy to me. The dialogue was very forced, especially scenes that involved kids. It just did not hit as realistic at all. Also, I felt like this book could not decide what it wanted to be. Was it an Abby Jiminez novel where we have complex characters with complicated pasts that find a way to move forward? Uhhh, not quite. Was it a wat pad novel? Sort of. Did I want to die every time I saw that the protagonist was crying yet again? Yep. Do I ever want to see the phrase “my sweet Omega” ever again? Absolutely not. 2.5 stars because the smut seriously brought the score of .5 for everything else up.

[Diiana Parra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Está en mi lista de favoritos
Ps: léelo de nuevo

[Ninosleah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow just wow sweet and romantic but spicy as hell

Wow just wow sweet and romantic but spicy as hell absolutely loved every moment of this book and cannot wait to read more

[Savanna Hamrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah and Aliyas first book was very adorable and spicy. From the wolf/Lycan books I’ve read this is my favorite because I’ve never read about a shy alpha before and it’s so heartwarming to read about. How they both dreamed about each other for years but have never met or never knew there dads were best friends Alpha and Beta who got killed together on a full moon. It’s nice to see a MMC cry in books because it makes the story more real and he never got upset at her and how Aliya supports him and gets him to open up about how he feels and he understands her OCD and PTSD is amazing. River Kai I’m excited to read the next book🥰

[Julia Aniella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I talk about this book I cannot stop gushing about it. It's a perfect dose of steamy but sensual romance/erotica balanced with touching and important topics. Aliya, the main character, has a hurtful past that led her to OCD and PTSD. Thankfully she got the courage to seek professional help and we are meeting her while she visits her therapist. Getting better and seeing progress with her disorder encourages her to try to find love and happiness. But dating seems to suck when no one is close enough to the man who appears in her dreams. Yes! She has a picture-perfect example of a partner. Only he is nowhere to be seen in real life. Or maybe he is somewhere and she just has to get the courage to look for him? But getting into the world of her dream partner will also bring some consequences and unexpected revelations about herself.
River Kai's ability to paint with words let me fully immerse in a paranormal world that is not so far away from ours. His attention to detail makes the story deep and emotional. This book is definitely moving the imagination but what makes it more special is that the author included beautiful illustrations drawn by himself. They are not only perfectly touching (how he captures emotions in stares is just beyond me), but also they are wisely presented in the best possible moments of the plot. I loved them. Just look at this beautiful cover and imagine you will be treated with more of that. This story will be continued as the author already announced. And this is the best news because you won't be ready to say goodbye to a strong protagonist and her shy, goofy, but powerful Alpha.

[M.L. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely book, and honestly? A breath of fresh air from your typical shifter romance. The characters are great and relatable. Alpha Noah is a sweet cinnamon roll MMC who isn't afraid to be the Alpha when needed, and he is also just the right person to love Aliya unconditionally as she copes with trauma from a previous situation. She's reserved when we first meet her (for good reason), but I love that she is willing to step out of her comfort zone to be the kind of mate that Noah needs, and I equally love that he is content to let her come into his life at her own pace. He is a consent KING and that checked so many boxes I didn't even know I had until I read this.

I love that this book isn't afraid to delve into mental health struggles or trauma that stems from abuse, and I love that we, as readers, are there to witness this couple blossom and grow together, and most of all, work on healing. I found this story to be heartwarming and wonderful, like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket and drinking a cup of hot cocoa on a winter day while a fire was roaring in the background.

It's well written, the spice is SPICY and the romance is sweet, mixed together with beautiful illustrations throughout the book!

I loved it so much I bought the hardback, I'm just waiting for it to arrive :)

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a refreshing story about a healthy alpha and omega relationship.

Noah and Aliya (both about 30 year old) are fully committed to making their relationship work. There are no rejections or misunderstandings. They both have traumatic histories, but they work through all issues with open communication.

What I love is that every single time Noah or Aliya has a problem, the other helps them talk about it and work through it. The conflict of this story isn’t within the relationship, it’s about them working though their issues together.

This book has many illustrations drawn by the author. I love the artwork in the book because each picture conveys the emotions of the scene perfectly.

This is part one of a three part series about Noah and Aliya, but it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.

Spiciness is 5/5.

[CrazyGal609 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fresh, wonderful & sweet story that's focused on Noah & Aliya 🖤🤍❤️🤍🖤
🐺True Love, great friends, Open & Honest Talks, tears and laughter from past pains to future joys🐺
🔥Sweet & Yummy Sexcapades Too🔥
💙💋🐾💋💙
And if you give it time, any questions you think of are answered in the storyline, the writer didn't forget anything!!😁 It's great how there isn't any other side stories that take the book to some bizarre place.

[Ashley Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Such a refreshing shifter romance, redefining what it means to be a "alpha" in these types of stories. I loved how accepting the main characters were of each others trauma and differences. Also, this book really captures PTSD and OCD with a lot of sensitivity. I highly recommend this story and can't wait to read the next one!

[Laurie Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very emotional. Feels like the PTSD and OCD are well written. I'm embedded in the story and the shy alpha thing is very well done. One caveat: I wouldn't call this steamy. I'd call it erotic. Oh, and the artwork is really great!

[Tayler]

Not rating. I might come back to this one, but it's a DNF for now at 13%.

[Cris]

Dnf. I’m sure this is sweet and all but being reminded of how small she is every second is very annoying. Wdym you have to hold basketball shorts in two hands???

[Maria]

DNF at 6%. The emotional tone is all over the place, and I can’t settle into the story.

[Eel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus Christ

I agree with another reviewer that this reads like a Wattpad novel. The cringeworthy self-indulgence of this book about a perfect boyfriend hits all my guilty pleasure buttons. Knocking off a star for the sheer repetitiveness in the last half though.

[Caroline]

DNF @ p139

I like the concept of a sweet, shy alpha, but I'm not invested in the story and I'm not enjoying reading it so I'm not finishing it for now.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Some spots can be rough if you have had traumatic relationships.
The FMC also cries nearly every chapter, which threw me off a bit.
The sexy scenes were hot, but one thing kept coming up that turned me off: Having a dick hit your cervix is not a pleasant experience.

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/3.5 ⭐

Very enjoyable overall, with emotional and vulnerable moments, and some seriously hot spice. The illustrations included throughout the book were so beautiful too.

But plot-wise, some things were questionable and just made little sense, like Aliya saying "All my life, I've been fighting against my wolf" - but she only just found out she's a wolf/hybrid like 10 minutes ago. So how can this make sense?

There was also one spicy scene where the MMC was licking the FMC over her jeans, which I had trouble getting my head around tbh. Also, not the biggest fan of the excessive use of "fluid" to describe the FMCs... fluids, I guess.

What I loved most was the progression of Aliya and Noah's relationship. It was all very sensual, the way they opened up to the other and supported each other after experiencing different types of trauma was beautiful. Noah being truly vulnerable and free to cry with Aliya was great, and the themes of questioning & tackling toxic masculinity and misogyny were handled well too.

So overall, a very decent story, and I will definitely be picking up the next book to find out how it all progresses.