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The Alpha Council Chronicles #3
Alpha Lover
Starved for blood, vampire, Nicholai Peterhof is greatly relieved when two tourists decide to grace his restaurant, but one sip from the pretty brunette and his world is forever turned upside down. Juliette Staint-John is everything he could have asked for in a heartmate; pretty, smart, built with curves in all the right places…and totally unavailable.
Juliette doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome, young-looking Nicholai. As if their differences aren’t enough, the acute grief over the loss of loved ones keeps her heart guarded. He may be her fantasy, but that’s all he can ever be.
To get past Juliette’s defenses and in order to keep her safe, Nicholai must prove himself worthy of her love and trust. Unbeknownst to the couple, her personal demons are not the only ones threatening their relationship. Hiding virtually unseen by the vampires, Demon Royalty plots to destroy not only the couple but the entire vampire breed. Luckily, Nicholai will do anything for Juliette—even if it means sacrificing himself.
Juliette doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome, young-looking Nicholai. As if their differences aren’t enough, the acute grief over the loss of loved ones keeps her heart guarded. He may be her fantasy, but that’s all he can ever be.
To get past Juliette’s defenses and in order to keep her safe, Nicholai must prove himself worthy of her love and trust. Unbeknownst to the couple, her personal demons are not the only ones threatening their relationship. Hiding virtually unseen by the vampires, Demon Royalty plots to destroy not only the couple but the entire vampire breed. Luckily, Nicholai will do anything for Juliette—even if it means sacrificing himself.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2016
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Sparks
12 books211 followersBrenda Sparks has always loved all things spooky and enjoys incorporating paranormal elements in her writing. She refuses to allow pesky human constraints to get in the way of telling the story. Luckily the only thing limiting her stories is her imagination. Her characters are strong, courageous, and she adores spending time with them in their imaginary world.
Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.
Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 1, 2017
This book really grabbed my attention. With a blurb that boasted paranormal love, vamps and demons, I couldn't turn away, and I am sure glad I listened to myself. This was a sweet, yet exciting read.
I liked both of the main characters. They were tough, loving and honest. Plus, as they grew to know each other and we got closer to the characters they had a lot of depth and personality that really added to the story. I liked just how passionate they were and how dedicated our leading lad was to protecting his love.
The action that the defense against the demons raised was exciting and added a good, extra spark to the story. I found it sped the pace up just that little bit, here and there through the story, to keep you guessing, as well as falling for the main characters.
Overall, the story flowed really well and truly kept me entertained and wholly engrossed throughout. Whether you are a paranormal fan or not, you will likely really enjoy this read.
** Arc received and I chose to provide my honest review.
I liked both of the main characters. They were tough, loving and honest. Plus, as they grew to know each other and we got closer to the characters they had a lot of depth and personality that really added to the story. I liked just how passionate they were and how dedicated our leading lad was to protecting his love.
The action that the defense against the demons raised was exciting and added a good, extra spark to the story. I found it sped the pace up just that little bit, here and there through the story, to keep you guessing, as well as falling for the main characters.
Overall, the story flowed really well and truly kept me entertained and wholly engrossed throughout. Whether you are a paranormal fan or not, you will likely really enjoy this read.
** Arc received and I chose to provide my honest review.
February 19, 2017
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
A woman's vacation leads to the discovery of her heartmate.
Juliette has taken a holiday trip with her best friend and the two women are hitting every tourist spot that they can. A stop into a restaurant for a bite to eat leads them directly into the path of a man with secrets that neither of the women could have ever predicted.
Nicholai is a vampire in need of a feeding. When strangers come into his restaurant, he sees an opportunity and plans to get his fix of fresh blood and then send them on their way, none the wiser. However, one of the women turns out to be his heartmate, the one person in the entire world that he has been waiting for. His other half.
After this new discovery, Nicholai sets off to win Julie over with romantic gestures and thoughtful dates. At the same time, he uses his vampire abilities to learn more about the woman of his dreams. Their whirlwind romance leads Julie to thinking that her perfect new beau is too good to be true.
While our couple try to sort out their uncertain future, demons are plotting their revenge against vampires. Unfortunately, they've set their sights on Julie and it will take all of Nicholai's attention to keep his unsuspecting mate safe.
This book was a pretty good read. It's the third of the series and the paranormal world is a bit complex with supernatural councils and royalty. But I think there was enough backstory that I was able to understand where we were in the story without having read the first two books.
I liked our main characters but I did feel a bit of a disconnect between our couple in the beginning. I would have liked to see Julie become more suspicious of Nicholai's strange behavior and intentions instead of simply swooning over him. It would have been more believable if she had stopped to wonder why abnormal things were happening. Being able to hear someone's thoughts? Yeah, that's not normal.
On the other hand, the love scenes were plenty spicy and the tension did grow steadily before the fireworks ensued. By the time I reached the last quarter of the book, I was definitely rooting for our couple.
In closing...
The ending does set things up for the next book. I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger, really, but there are plots unfinished and questions left to be answered. For this installment, four suns!
Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/review-tour-alpha-lover-by-brenda-sparks.html
March 18, 2017
Nicholai is a Russian vampire. He mostly controls his bloodlust by using bags from the blood bank. He will not feed off the local people and Nicholai is happy when two tourists walk into his restaurant. He’s starved for fresh blood and he takes the women to his office, so he can drink their blood. When he drinks Julie’s blood he knows instantly that he has found his heartmate. Every vampire has a partner who’s fated to complete them. For him the other half of his soul is Julie. Now that he’s found her he’ll do anything for her and he can’t stay away. The only problem is that Julie is a human, so Nicholai has to use the old fashioned way to make her fall in love with him. Will he be able to sweep Julie off her feet and will Julie be able to accept her fate? What will she do when she finds out that there’s a whole other world out there?
Julie is on a vacation in Russia with her friend Penny. She’s very excited to explore the city. Julie has no idea that she’s fated to be with Nicholai for the rest of eternity. She’s had a tough time and she’s still struggling with this. Julie is a sweet friend and she has a sassy personality. She’s enthusiastic about Russia and I really liked that she takes the time and effort to know more about the country. I’m also a true tourist when I visit a place and I loved it that Julie is the same. I did find her a bit naïve because she accepts lots of things without questioning them. Julie is attracted to Nicholai but she’s not a person to jump into a relationship. I couldn't wait to find out if she'd fall for Nicholai or not.
Nicholai is not used to being turned down. I like the idea of having a heartmate a lot and it was heartwarming to read about the things that Nicholai does to make Julie notice him. Nicholai is a gorgeous and determined man. He’ll do anything for Julie and I found it endearing that a powerful vampire turns into a lovesick puppy because of a 'mere' human. Nicholai can’t stay away from Julie and he stays with her in her hotel room without her knowing. He lies next to her and takes over her dreams. How long will Nicholai be able to keep Julie safe when demons are coming for her?
Alpha Lover is an entertaining read about finding your other half in life. I love to read about unconditional love and Alpha Lover was a perfect story for me. Because of the fact that the relationship between Nicholai and Julie is being built up slowly it gave me the time to really get to know the characters and connect with them. Besides Nicholai and Julie's love story Alpha Lover is also packed with action and suspense. I found myself on the edge of my seat because of the thrilling battle between vampires and demons. I also loved the amazing chemistry between the main characters. Brenda Sparks has written a fantastic sexy book. I'm looking forward to the other books in The Alpha Council Chronicles.
Julie is on a vacation in Russia with her friend Penny. She’s very excited to explore the city. Julie has no idea that she’s fated to be with Nicholai for the rest of eternity. She’s had a tough time and she’s still struggling with this. Julie is a sweet friend and she has a sassy personality. She’s enthusiastic about Russia and I really liked that she takes the time and effort to know more about the country. I’m also a true tourist when I visit a place and I loved it that Julie is the same. I did find her a bit naïve because she accepts lots of things without questioning them. Julie is attracted to Nicholai but she’s not a person to jump into a relationship. I couldn't wait to find out if she'd fall for Nicholai or not.
Nicholai is not used to being turned down. I like the idea of having a heartmate a lot and it was heartwarming to read about the things that Nicholai does to make Julie notice him. Nicholai is a gorgeous and determined man. He’ll do anything for Julie and I found it endearing that a powerful vampire turns into a lovesick puppy because of a 'mere' human. Nicholai can’t stay away from Julie and he stays with her in her hotel room without her knowing. He lies next to her and takes over her dreams. How long will Nicholai be able to keep Julie safe when demons are coming for her?
Alpha Lover is an entertaining read about finding your other half in life. I love to read about unconditional love and Alpha Lover was a perfect story for me. Because of the fact that the relationship between Nicholai and Julie is being built up slowly it gave me the time to really get to know the characters and connect with them. Besides Nicholai and Julie's love story Alpha Lover is also packed with action and suspense. I found myself on the edge of my seat because of the thrilling battle between vampires and demons. I also loved the amazing chemistry between the main characters. Brenda Sparks has written a fantastic sexy book. I'm looking forward to the other books in The Alpha Council Chronicles.
February 13, 2017
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Nicholai meets Juliette when she and her friend eat at his restaurant. He knows immediately who she is, what she is. She is his heartmate, his one true love. He just needs to win her heart before he tells her his secret, that he is a vampire. But there are darker forces at work, that could cost them both their lives.
And it's those darker forces I'm left wondering about! Do the demons appear in books one and two?? Is there an on-going story line between the three books??
Because I'm left thinking there is, and I've not read book one, Alpha Mine, or book two, Deadly Alpha. So I'm thinking I missed something, something important, something I NEEDED!
I did like that the aforementioned darker forces have their say. And even if I didn't like what they said or indeed, did, you all know how much I love hearing from the bad guys!
I find these reviews the hardest to write, the three star ones that leave me feeling kinda meh about a book. And I'm sorry this is short.
Because everyone gets a say, and because I DID finish it (it was touch and go for a while!)
3 stars
**same worded review will appear on Goodread, Booklikes, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble**
Nicholai meets Juliette when she and her friend eat at his restaurant. He knows immediately who she is, what she is. She is his heartmate, his one true love. He just needs to win her heart before he tells her his secret, that he is a vampire. But there are darker forces at work, that could cost them both their lives.
And it's those darker forces I'm left wondering about! Do the demons appear in books one and two?? Is there an on-going story line between the three books??
Because I'm left thinking there is, and I've not read book one, Alpha Mine, or book two, Deadly Alpha. So I'm thinking I missed something, something important, something I NEEDED!
I did like that the aforementioned darker forces have their say. And even if I didn't like what they said or indeed, did, you all know how much I love hearing from the bad guys!
I find these reviews the hardest to write, the three star ones that leave me feeling kinda meh about a book. And I'm sorry this is short.
Because everyone gets a say, and because I DID finish it (it was touch and go for a while!)
3 stars
**same worded review will appear on Goodread, Booklikes, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble**
December 31, 2020
Alpha Lover was the first book I've got to read from the author.
It was a great read and I do love vampire stories. In the middle of the story it was a bit slow-paced for me, but overall I did enjoy the setting in Russia, the story itself and what the author made out of the idea.
Yes, it is a steamy vampire romance read, so don't expect anything groundbraking new, however, it was great, exciting and quite adventurous.
I did not read book 1 and 2, however, this was not an issue. The author made it quite nice and you were able to easily catch-up.
If you do like a good vampire read, then the series is for you.
***
Alpha Lover war mein erstes Buch der Autorin.
Es war ein gutes Buch, die Vampir-Liebesgeschichte war gut, nichts komplett neues, aber das erwartet man von solch einer Reihe auch nicht.
Es ist Buch 3 in der Reihe, und ich habe 1 & 2 nicht gelesen, aber das war kein Problem. Man kommt schnell in die Geschichte rein und ist in der Welt gefangen. Das russische Setting fand ich ganz besonders schön.
Wenn man gerne Vampir-Liebesgeschichten liest, ist die Reihe es wert, sie sich anzusehen.
It was a great read and I do love vampire stories. In the middle of the story it was a bit slow-paced for me, but overall I did enjoy the setting in Russia, the story itself and what the author made out of the idea.
Yes, it is a steamy vampire romance read, so don't expect anything groundbraking new, however, it was great, exciting and quite adventurous.
I did not read book 1 and 2, however, this was not an issue. The author made it quite nice and you were able to easily catch-up.
If you do like a good vampire read, then the series is for you.
***
Alpha Lover war mein erstes Buch der Autorin.
Es war ein gutes Buch, die Vampir-Liebesgeschichte war gut, nichts komplett neues, aber das erwartet man von solch einer Reihe auch nicht.
Es ist Buch 3 in der Reihe, und ich habe 1 & 2 nicht gelesen, aber das war kein Problem. Man kommt schnell in die Geschichte rein und ist in der Welt gefangen. Das russische Setting fand ich ganz besonders schön.
Wenn man gerne Vampir-Liebesgeschichten liest, ist die Reihe es wert, sie sich anzusehen.
May 11, 2021
Oops - I haven't read any of the other books in this series before starting this one. That being said, I think diving in at this book is totally OK and didn't have any trouble with catching up.
Juliette is on holiday in Russia with her friend when she meets Nicholai in a pretty unconventional way. He is a starving vampire who desperately needs blood but doesn't like to feed off of locals. The tourists become his "meal" and he discovers that Juliette is his heartmate. In this world, that essentially means fated mate. In typical paranormal romance, though, he hides his vampire nature and decides to try to "woo" her first.
In parallel, there's a group of demons causing trouble for Nicholai's "alpha council" friends who are investigating killings. This particular element of the story is pretty gruesome and dark, so be warned. This is, however, nicely balanced with the smutty romantic storyline of Juliette and Nicholai. Does it go smoothly? Of course not! There are some dangerous situations, some missed communication, and emotional baggage to be handled, but we get to a HEA (and lead in to another book).
Juliette is on holiday in Russia with her friend when she meets Nicholai in a pretty unconventional way. He is a starving vampire who desperately needs blood but doesn't like to feed off of locals. The tourists become his "meal" and he discovers that Juliette is his heartmate. In this world, that essentially means fated mate. In typical paranormal romance, though, he hides his vampire nature and decides to try to "woo" her first.
In parallel, there's a group of demons causing trouble for Nicholai's "alpha council" friends who are investigating killings. This particular element of the story is pretty gruesome and dark, so be warned. This is, however, nicely balanced with the smutty romantic storyline of Juliette and Nicholai. Does it go smoothly? Of course not! There are some dangerous situations, some missed communication, and emotional baggage to be handled, but we get to a HEA (and lead in to another book).
December 27, 2020
Destiny and romance lead the way in this third installment of the Alpha Council Chronicles series. I admit this is the first book I had read in the series and do feel like a reader could benefit from having read the previous books. It stands alone and is definitely engaging and draws you in but, I think some history found in the other books would enrich the story. I read this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2021
This was a super cute, fun and sexy read. I truly enjoyed the characters, the build up moved well and the characters were developed well.... That being said I did not read the previous books in the series, this is listed as a stand alone which for the most part yes I agree, but knowing there are previous books does make you feel like your missing out on something. All in all this was a great sexy read with a setting and location that was imaginative to read about.
April 15, 2021
This book was really good. It grabbed my attention from page 1 and I really enjoyed the characters. Alpha Lover was the first book that I had the opportunity to read from this author and I am really glad that I gave her the chance. It was well worth it!
Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review from NetGalley.
Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review from NetGalley.
April 7, 2017
Man, a hot Russian and he’s a vampire. I know, I don’t typically read PNR but this one got my attention. Plus, I liked the fact that his mate is human. I love when the “mates” aren’t the same species. *giggle* I know, I said species but it’s the truth. I also liked that Nicholai had to romance Julie, too. He had to this while keeping her safe from the demons that wanted to destroy the vampires.
Okay, backing up. I loved the world building in the story and no, I didn’t read the first two books. Sure, did I think that I was missing some things but I felt that Ms. Sparks gave me enough information to be able to follow the subplot in the book? There are vampire councils, royalty, demons (*swoon*) and the fact that this is a series and with the ending of the book, there are still unanswered questions from the overall arc of the book. There is enough intrigue to keep me engage in the story. The pacing is slow in the beginning but it picks up quickly and never let’s go.
Julie is breath of fresh air. I liked the fact that she was a normal looking woman. The connection that I felt for her was instant and even though she was dealing with her own demons, her connection to Nicholai is quick. I know, sounds like instant love but for me, it’s not. But again, he had to romance her. Sure the smexy times are hot but that’s not the point of their relationship. Julie had a lot of things to work out and Nicholai had to NOT get her killed. They had to grow up apart from each other, to make their relationship work.
Overall, I really liked the story. Did I feel like I was missing something? Not really but I will definitely be on the look out for the next book in series. Yes, I’m hooked.
Okay, backing up. I loved the world building in the story and no, I didn’t read the first two books. Sure, did I think that I was missing some things but I felt that Ms. Sparks gave me enough information to be able to follow the subplot in the book? There are vampire councils, royalty, demons (*swoon*) and the fact that this is a series and with the ending of the book, there are still unanswered questions from the overall arc of the book. There is enough intrigue to keep me engage in the story. The pacing is slow in the beginning but it picks up quickly and never let’s go.
Julie is breath of fresh air. I liked the fact that she was a normal looking woman. The connection that I felt for her was instant and even though she was dealing with her own demons, her connection to Nicholai is quick. I know, sounds like instant love but for me, it’s not. But again, he had to romance her. Sure the smexy times are hot but that’s not the point of their relationship. Julie had a lot of things to work out and Nicholai had to NOT get her killed. They had to grow up apart from each other, to make their relationship work.
Overall, I really liked the story. Did I feel like I was missing something? Not really but I will definitely be on the look out for the next book in series. Yes, I’m hooked.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews