Marked by the Alpha Wolf, Part 1

Braving Darkness #0.1

by Scarlett Grove

Cassandra Kline is taken in by Pyramid Corporation in the midst of global nuclear war. For the next five years, she lives safely inside a protective domed city.

Working in The Program, a virtual reality simulation, she is confronted by her dead mother who tells Cassie she is in danger. After a shocking revelation about the people who she believed had saved her, the hologram of her mother leads her out of the dome and into a toxic, dead world.

Rafe, the alpha of a mutant werewolf pack, takes her in and helps her come to terms with the new world they share.

With zombie attacks, alien spaceships paroling the skies, and the ever-present struggle to survive, will Cassie and Rafe realize their budding attraction? Or will they be torn apart, body and soul.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Zombies, Paranormal Romance, Aliens

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2014

About the author

Scarlett Grove is a USA Today Bestselling Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance Author. Scarlett started publishing her adventurous, sexy stories in 2014 and now has dozens of titles spanning multiple worlds.

Her Best Selling Series Include:
Fate Mountain Shifters
Braving Darkness
Draconians and Elemental Dragons
The White Queen

She is currently obsessed with reverse harems, all things paranormal, and super steamy space operas.

Sign up for her mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/bURRZz

www.scarlettgrove.com

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this book last year and I've no idea why it's taken me so long to actually get round to reading it.
The world as we know it was destroyed five years ago by a nuclear war, huge domes run by the Pyramid Corporation protect the survivors. Cassie lives in one of these domes and spends a lot of time working in The Program, a virtual reality simulation where she unexpectedly sees her dead mother who warns her she's in danger and helps her escape.
Once outside the dome Cassie has no idea what to do except run, she's absolutely no idea what's outside and continues to be surprised as she encounters werewolves, zombies, witches etc
Even after reading the synopsis this book still surprised me, not only was the story way more interesting than I expected but I figured a serial book with alpha in the title would be littered with hot sex, sometimes this comes at the expense of the story this was not the case here and I'm starting the next book as soon as I've finished this review.

[Chappy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I liked Cassie and Rafe was OK, but a bit hot and cold.

This book had a bit of everything in it...aliens, werewolves, witches, zombies, cougar shifters. It was almost a little too much.

I found it strange that Cassie just starts getting all these abilities and is so accepting of them. Her mother's appearances in "The Program" (or the Matrix as I call it) were kind of weird. Your mother would not be giving you all these cryptic messages!!!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Great new series. Paranormal storyline was intriguing and held my attention making me want to read more. Loved the different characters from humans, shifters, aliens, etc.. introduced in this book. Definitely want to read more to see what happens.

[Sakshi Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read!!!!.....making weres, witches, dragons a result of mutation due to nuclear radiations is not a very interesting theory but the organization of these parts in a story is good.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/19/2022)! 🎁

[Delta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the PNR I typically read. I usually skip over books that mention zombies in the blurb, so when the zombies popped up near the beginning, I almost put the book aside. I'm glad that I stayed with it, because Braving Darkness is an entertaining story. (The zombies are minor players.)

Not your usual werewolf romance...

Set in the very near future (2020), only five percent of the population survived the nukes of World War III. Almost all of the human survivors were somehow changed into shifters by the radiation. A small remnant of children were sheltered by the mysterious Pyramid Corporation in biospheres that protected them from the radiation and kept them fully human.

I don't think we're in Kansa anymore, Toto...

When Cassandra Kline becomes aware that the Pyramid Corporation has insidious plans for their kept humans (no spoilers), she escapes to the world outside of the biosphere. Cassie has psychic powers that enable her to see some of the preternatural creatures in the forest. From her dreams and from the creatures in the forest, she learns that she is a psychic warrior.

Cassie encounters and evades zombies while trying to find a safe place. The zombies in this story seem very similar to the Wendigos of Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. Cassie finds that (relatively) safe place in the form of an alpha werewolf and his pack. As you might expect, she and the alpha are strangely attracted to one another.

Enjoy the ride...

The throwing together so early in the story of so many elements (shifters, dragons, aliens, zombies, dryids, holograms, psychic powers, survivalists, witches, etc.) gives the tale a campy vibe that allows you suspend the need for any kind of realism and just enjoy the ride!

At the time of this review, you can get this book free on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Marked-Alpha-Wo...
-------------
Still free 11-29-15

[Meiwilli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clinical and bland. There was no heat whatsoever to this story. No urgency, suspense, nothing. The idea of the story is great. The delivery fell flat. I wasn't optimistic when zombies were mentioned in the synopsis and with good reason. The presence of zombies, in a paranormal story, is just plain WRONG! Zombies have become too commonplace today to be "paranormal". The vampires/aliens were bad enough. The witches appearance, much too brief. Could be MUCH better...Best thing about this book is the price...FREE! On my Were Scale of Hotness, 1.5 stars.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but I felt the 'romance' aspect of the book fell flat.

[Ronnae Stately · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being marked for good

Cassie doesn’t know it yet but her life is about to change when she escapes the dome to get away from blood sucking aliens. Once she gets out of the dome she runs into all kinds of crazies. The old man who tries to rape her, zombies who eat on flesh, and finally a set of werewolves. They take her in and she falls for their leader, Rafe. As she starts to realize she has powers of her own and that they can help bring down the Anu but she also falls in love with the pack leader. Unbeknownst to her he falls in love with her but things can’t escalate between the two of them because of the pack rules. But eventually she gets what she wants and he does too after they are chased away from their community in the woods.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi fantasy

This book mixes werewolves, zombies (I could have done without them) dryads, and aliens, etc. Too many to cohesively keep the story linked well. The story started on an upbeat manner in a military type environment where children were indoctrinated by the people and soldiers who ran the dome cities. She receives a message supposedly from her mother while under some type of medication and computer simulation and runs away. Afterwards she realizes humans outside the dome were changed to other types of beings. No real flow from one section to the next. A better ending for section one would have been nice as well. No real romance either.

[Kasey Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A window into a complex post-apocalyptic world

Cassie has lived in the dome since her parents did in the war. Part of her education involved The Program, a virtual world. Her mother appears to her and warns her of danger.She is awakened at night and led out of the dome, where she finds shifters zombies and witches. Cassie finds shelter with a pack of wolf shifters and begins to explore her own strange powers. Will she find her place in the pack and learn to fight back against the terrors in this strange world?

[Michele Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a different shifter story

This is such a good story. Shifters humans and aliens. This story has a unique plot and great characters. It's a quick read but full of action, suspense and some steamy romance scenes. A girl living in a dome after WW3 is content until one day the girl or really young women are told they are going to have special tests done and Cassie's life changes forever. Her life wasn't what she thought it was. Read this book to find the adventure.

[Denise Ditmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf Pack and the Apocalypse

First I’ve read where there are wolf shifters, witches, zombies, vampires and a dragon. There are humans who were safe from the apocalypse by way of domes. One female escapes from the dome when she’s led by her dead mother to escape promptly Cassie comes across a dirty old man who wants sex and escapes him to run straight into wolf shifter pack. I cannot wait to find out about the pack, Cassie and fallout shelter.

[Jeanie's Kindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunted

When you have been saved from the apocalypse only to discover there is a plan for your life that is evil, you run. When you run, you find a entire new world. A world where everything is different and everything you thought you knew was a lie. Now you have to discover the truth and adapt.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent series

First book, it was good but the ending wasn't my favorite. I liked the different "groups" but the characters could have been developed more. I will be reading book two, hopefully the biggest question will be answered.

[Cheshire Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the world created, but not the characters. While they were developed enough, they just weren't that likeable. It also seemed to have an abrupt ending.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read. I didn't like the start but it got so much better. Loved Cassie and Rafe and it was romantic the way he went about marking her.

[Anne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to a series.loved it

[Myra Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I have found a good book in this story. I found it hard to put it down until the end.

[michelle loucks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marked by the alpha wolf

Started out a little strange but ended up a very good book can't wait to start the next one. That I am going to put on my kindle now.

[Jane Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

KU Edition reader

This is a dystopian story with some amazing scenarios and twists. It is riveting and filled with elements of danger, and mystery.

[Beatrice Gleaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying the series

[MARIE-CLAIRE DEBONVILLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Really good 👍 story Relaxing intriguing and suspenseful Could not put it down Looking forward to the next story Thank you

[Debra Johnson]

Purch Amazon April 30, 2018

[Jennette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never judge a book by its price. I picked this up for free(what seems like a long time ago). I have read too many formulaic werewolf books lately and wasn't in the mood for another "I just met you. mmmm you smell good; let's be together forever right after we survive this deadly evil person's master plan." This story was different.
First it takes place in a post WWIII North America. The supernatural beings everything from werewolves to witches are a result of mutation not some overlooked species or magical beings that we ignorant human know nothing about. This concept alone was almost enough for me to give this story 5 stars.
Another thing in the plus column is how the author lets Cassie's lack of knowledge of the world explain to me the world that they are now in. I am usually annoyed by completing clueless female characters but in this case it worked. Cassie is aware that everything she thought that she knew is not the truth. She wishes she could wallow in her feelings and she does have a few melt downs but she doesn't let that stop her. Her feelings make her seem real not superhuman or cold.
The love story part of this seems almost like backseat passenger. I knew it there and was interested, but it didn't have that candy sweet destiny love bit that I see all too often in shifter stories. That lack of predestined mate stuff help build the tension between Cassie and Rafe and kept me wondering.
So if I loved it so much what held me up with that 5th star? The ending, there are too many unanswered questions. The end comes on so fast that I was irritated. This is clearly just a piece of a much bigger story. I prefer to skip the waiting around for the next little bit and just wait for the whole story. I know there are others that like the smaller more manageable parts but I am not a fan. I will read the next book or several books because I am intrigued by the world this author has created.

[Erienne Theis · Rating 3 out of 5]

After World War III ravages the world, a handful of lucky people are taken to live in "the domes", where they will be safe from the inhospitable outside world with its radiation. Inside the dome, Cassie participates in The Program, a virtual reality simulation; however, when an image of her dead mother appears and helps her escape the dome, she realizes that not all is what it seems.

After the Twilight saga became popular and was followed by all the hype and annoying teenage girls with an over obsession of the paranormal, I've tried to avoid both vampire and werewolf stories. However, I have a weakness for books, especially free ones so this particular book ended up on my kindle. Getting bored with a book I was reading, I selected this one to read as a sort of intermission. Three hours later, I had the book finished and was feeling pleasantly surprised. Although this book isn't the most amazing thing I've ever read, it was pretty good.

Radiation from the war has caused humans to turn into mutants; so we have werewolves, vampires, aliens, zombies, and witches all running about. I found it interesting, new, and intriguing. Like I said, pleasantly surprising. It had romance (no love triangles thank god), some action, puns. The one thing I got irritated with was Cassie's tendency to say or act really dumb or really corny throughout the story. All in all, I found it an enjoyable read; and a quick one.

[Cindy Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed the spin on the paranormal that Scarlett Grove employed for Marked by the Alpha Wolf. It is always a pleasant surprise to find a new version of how a paranormal came to exist, and this is definately a new one. Cassie is a young woman who has survived World War 3 and has been living under a dome that is protecting the people from the radioactive fallout. She has never had a reason to doubt this protection until a virtual test reveals some inconsistency to her beliefs. Where is the real danger, outside the dome or in?
Outside the dome she finds zombies, werewolves, witches and druids. She also finds spaceships that seem to be able to find her wherever she goes. She also finds out that she is not as weak as she thought she was. Along with a pack of wolves led by Rafe, the alpha, she sets out to destroy the evil lurking and free her friends.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marked By The Alpha is a great beginning I fell in love with the characters. Cassandra is on of the best heroines I have ever read she strong and determined to survive in a world she no longer knows. She was kept in a drome among others not knowing what was really going on in the outside world. The only things Cassie know is what they tell them that the outside is still contaminated from the World War III. Cassie soon finds out that not everything is what it seems to be when her mother comes into the program to let her know she needs to leave soon. When she leaves she meet the Alpha of a wolf pack Rafe takes her in ever though she is human. That's when everything seems to go wrong and Cassie blames her self for endangering the wolfves she come to like. This books has adventure, drama, and a hot Alpha couple finding their way to each other!!!!

[Haley Whitehall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book actually 3 1/2 stars. This book is hard to describe it is a shifter post-apocalyptic romance with aliens and magic and zombies. Cassie has lived in the Dome since World War III ended leaving the world outside unsafe due to radiation. After dreaming about her deceased mother she escapes the dome and realizes that the outside air is safe to breathe but the zombies and vampires are dangerous. Quite by accident she is given shelter with a wolf shifter pack and starts falling in love with the bossy alpha. Sometimes the random turn of events had me rolling my eyes, but even then I was always on the edge of my seat.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one in a three part novella that has so many different scenarios in it. The author is still writing and there's seven books now with another still to come. Normally, I don't read these types of books....knowing there's a cliffhanger ending. But the author does well to not leave it on a cliff hanger. I've already started the second and it picks up like when she was writing decided to say...oh hey....wouldn't it be cool if I made these separate books that people had to pay for! Luckily I have kindle unlimited or this author wouldn't be worth taking my time. I will finish out Cassie's story...but if it doesn't get better...I won't continue on to the Dragons.