Janine: His True Alpha

Wolves Of West Texas #1

by Chencia C. Higgins

Janine was raised to be a passive and obedient wolf shifter and to always put the will of The Elders before her own—a will that she never questioned until the one day she was instructed to become the mate of a man she didn’t love, and who didn’t love her. Fed up with rules and obligations, she left everything she knew behind and headed out west. She arrived in West Texas with the expectation of getting a fresh start as a new woman with no one to answer to but herself. What she didn’t expect was to discover secrets big enough to tilt her world and people she would be willing to kill for because of them.

Langston always knew he would be the next True Alpha of his pack, but when his father died, Langston’s premature promotion had him unsure about his path. With the weight of the pack on his shoulders and a thriving urban ranching community in West Texas to oversee, the last thing on Langston’s mind is finding a mate. Of course, trouble always finds you when you’re not looking for it, and in blows a woman who shakes up his pack and knocks him off his feet. Her zeal amazes him and soon the pull between them is undeniable. Will succumbing to the desires of his wolf prove to be the right move or turn out to be fruitless?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Werewolves

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2018

About the author

Chencia C. Higgins is just a girl from Texas who has made it her mission to create stories in which sassy, southern Black women are loved out loud. Her Carina Adores debut, D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding, was a New York Times best romance of 2022. When she isn't hunkered down in her writing cave, Chencia can be found with her nose in a book, saving recipes on Pinterest for things she’ll never make, and dreaming about travelling even further south for the winter.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janine: His True Alpha by Chencia C Higgins
Wolves of West Texas series #1. Paranormal wolf shifter romance novella. Diverse.
After Janine is told by her Elders that she will be forced to mate with a specific wolf whom she doesn’t like or respect, she runs away to find a better future. She finds a new pack in West Texas where there is freedom, respect and a thriving community.
Langston has always known he will be the alpha of the urban ranching community where he lives. When Janine joins his pack, he knows there is something special about her. Neither can deny their attraction.
Danger is coming. Janine’s old pack has found her and they aren’t willing to let her go so easily.

A short shifter novella with romance, a bit of suspense and a surprising twist. Family dynamics that are casual, loving and supportive.
Intriguing concept with the twist.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I absolutely inhaled this werewolf romance! I’ve meant to read Chencia C. Higgins for a while now and I’m mad I didn’t read this sooner. Her world-building choices were compelling, starting with the werewolf origin story. A formerly enslaved woman was left 2000 acres in Texas by her enslaver so she moved there, along with her 11 children, after his death. She noticed that the 7 children she’d born for him had unique abilities and Madow became a werewolf colony and safe haven as a result, still thriving all these years later. But not all packs operate this way, as we learn through Janine who essentially grew up in a cult that repressed her abilities and manipulated her. She’s freshly arrived in Madow and it was heartbreaking to see her realize her old pack was not normal and that she’d been missing out on so much.

Janine and Langston were both wonderful characters and it was quite the treat to watch them resist the initial connection. There’s no resisting your mate though! I loved watching them slowly draw closer and especially enjoyed them frolicking in the woods together as wolves. There were so many thoughtful details that rounded out the story. I was utterly delighted!

I really truly loved this story but it also falls into the mysterious category of books where I have questions and I see issues but I really don’t care. It was really strong right up until the end when a few things didn’t entirely hold up for me. I didn’t understand what happened to Janine's father but maybe it’s intentionally unclear because he’s going to reappear later in the series. I didn't like that Langston made the arrangement for her mom to come out without seeing if that's something Janine would even want, especially since her mom was the one who turned her over to the Elders in the first place. However, Janine was glad to see her mom and she accepted her mom’s explanation of why things happened the way they did so at least there’s that. I also wished the ending would have been a bit longer so we could see how it will work for both Janine and Langston to be alphas. But in the grand scheme of things, those questions didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book, which is a testament to the author’s skill.

I’m excited to see where the series goes from here! Lenora and Adrian are such sequel bait. I rarely binge read a series but I have got to read their story so I’m starting it next.

Character notes: Janine is a 26 year old Black werewolf and daycare worker. Langston is a 30 year old Black Alpha werewolf and rancher. This is set in Madow, TX

CW: death of father 9 months ago, grief, heroine’s pack resembles a cult, heroine’s mother turned her over to cult leaders when she was a teen, misogyny (countered), physical fight, blood from wounds, ableism (calling another woman insane/crazy), ableist language, references to enslaved ancestors, reference to enslaved ancestor who was raped by her enslaver

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, a true matriarchy. Plus a black werewolf society. I think this may be one of the only romance novels I’ve ever read where both the protagonists’ mothers are alive, healthy, warm and wise. It was also a pleasure to see the heroine’s relationships - both friendships and prickly colleagues - with other women are as important to the story as her romance with the handsome man whose talents include thick thighs, changing diapers and nursing the wounded.

Also, human race disappears in wolf form, because a wolf is a wolf. And gender isn’t relevant to alpha status. So many other books have a separate kind of alpha for men and women, wherein men get to rule everyone but women only get to rule women.

Lastly, I appreciated the pack’s origin story in which a white slave owner was infatuated with a slave, but she never saw his attentions as anything other than rape. No slaves falling for masters in this book!

I only wish the book had been even more fleshed out and detail. This felt like a novel which was fully outlined, but not as fully written...a skim version if you will. Switching first person narrators didn’t help in this instance.

Finally, there’s a scene where the hero moves the heroine to his place - a giant home with many rooms, yet he moves all her stuff to his room. That made me uncomfortable. They are too new a couple, plus I think every woman deserves space of her own.

[Ntokozo M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gimme More!

I love when a tried and true trope gets characters I can relate to. I love when the book is full of descriptions of things I have to remember to do everyday like tame the Afro or use some moisturizer. I really loved the characters and how they knew they were meant for each other but were patient enough to deal with other obstacles facing them before getting together. I could have used more steam during the couple scenes but overall I am keen to carry on with a series that has certainly managed to grab my attention with its fun take on werewolves!

[aarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

2022 Fall Bingo (#FallInLoveBingo🍂): Black Love

The best shifter trope is “vulnerable heroine leaves toxic/abusive pack and starts anew in a loving community.” I think the werewolf worldbuilding could’ve been explained better. Like how do they operate as a secret species from the outside world if Janine is able to Google info? How is a “true alpha” different from a normal alpha in terms of the Summit politics? There was just a lot of alphas with different packs in the small town and I was confused. Still, Janine’s journey was super compelling and I will check out Lenora’s story.

[Victoria (Eve's Alexandria) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* An intriguing and beguiling werewolf romance, centred around a Texas community of wolves founded by a freed woman and now a thriving cooperative of shifters. I loved the world-building for this, and the central couple were compelling, but some of the plot points jarred me, especially at the end. I’ll be reading more of the series though!

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janine moves to Madow, Texas hoping to join a new werewolf pack and find a sense of family she’s always lacked. She grew up in a cult-like environment where a group of men called the Elders controlled everything. She can tell immediately that Madow is different, as she quickly makes friends with the pack omega and finds a job she loves at the pupcare (the most adorable name for a werewolf daycare I’ve ever heard). She also has an instant connection with Langston, the pack alpha, but that’s complicated because he’s still getting over his father’s death and figuring out how to fulfill his new role in the pack. It took me a few days to read this one, but I think it was mainly because I was reading it at the height of some personal uncertainty last week. Ordinarily I would have raced through a fun fantasy romance like this. My favorite part was Janine’s strength--shifter romances can be heavy on the alpha male dynamics for my taste, but Janine is no submissive. I also loved the worldbuilding behind how Madow was founded and how werewolves came to be (hint: it dates back to slavery).

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐺

This was a great setup for this series. A little of history (origins of shifters) from slavery and how power and misogynior have impacted packs. I live the idea of collective mentality in a pack can be used for god or showing ways it can be abused. Nothing is all good or bad but nuanced. Janine having the freedom to grow into her wolf in the right dynamic was chefs kiss and Langston falling in line was even better.

CN: slavery, abuse/manipulation, sexism, violence,

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a shorter story this one packs a lot in. I loved the history of the town and how welcoming they were to people. I esepcially loved the career center and how they helped people find a job. I thought it funny that Janine immediately wanted to help at the pupcenter and spent her time with the babies. I really liked how Janine learned so much about herself and wolves and realized how bad her old pack was. She's in the right place now and being with Langston is the best reward for her.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Janine: His True Alpha" is book one in the "Wolves of West Texas" series by Chencia C. Higgins. I really enjoyed this book, and finding out about Janine was a new to me read (I don't want to spoil the book, so I will leave it at that). Janine is such a powerful character, and I loved that she was strong enough to pick up and start over in a new place. I enjoyed Langston's character and felt that he was the perfect fit for this story. Chencia did such a wonderful job with this first in a series book, and I liked the wolf shifters aspect of the story. I can't wait to read the second book in the "Wolves of West Texas" series and see where the story goes.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/22/2021)! 🎁

[S.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars--the worldbuilding is great, and it's such a satisfying ending.

[Tori - Novel Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars - Paranormal Romance

I did enjoy this paranormal romance. I liked that it was a wolf paranormal. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I enjoyed it

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janine was raised to obey the elders. Before she is forced to marry, she runs away. I love the strength and courage that Janine shows. Langston is dealing with the death of his father and becoming alpha of the pack. I loved how their relationship grows.

I listen to the audiobook. The narrator, Malik Rashad, did a great job.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a fair entry into the shifter genre. I was left a little unclear about the FMC's abilities as she was raised in a dysfunctional pack not understanding that she was an Alpha. Her relationship with the alpha of the pack she ran away to was very flat. He had issues because his father died and he was reluctant to take up the mantle of leadership. It was a quick read but confusing and not particularly memorable.

[KH]

DNF. I like werewolves when they're in fun and silly books, or the Changlings in Nalini Singh's series. I find this version of werewolf society, with rigidly specific rules and biological determinism, kinda creepy. I don't know why it's good that Janine leaves the cult she grew up in for a different cult.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really innovative PNR read, I loved that the author avoided info dumps, she really integrated the worldbuilding into the story. It's set in Texas! And lord knows the PNR genre is ready for some Black shifters. Definitely interested in reading more by this author.

[Dandridge Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love to see a great African-American paranormal romance! This one was excellent! Seeing the definition of ALPHA not be defined by sex was excellent!

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd read 2022/03/13

1st read 2021/02/26:
What a delightful read!
I might still don't know what a true alpha is in comparison to a regular alpha lol but I still enjoyed this short romance a lot.

[Kemkais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book

It is great to see a black heroin but I cannot in good conscience pass over the fact that this is a badly edited book. There are multiple continue issue (at one time they are at the h apartment and in the next sentence they are at the H home without any explanation in between), the universe is built on toothpicks. I still do not know if werewolves are out or not. The H is a spoiled child and I do not see what the h see in him... He is supposed to be an alpha but lacks in charisma, authority or just brain cells.
Not going to read the next book in the series.

[Mary L · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW i love how we started right where she was starting her new life but we see glimpses of her old life.
This book was amazingly written. I love the characters, the story, their background and how they live.
I think if this book had been longer the character could have more depth and more development with more pages for them to interact more and more but in general i love it.
I'm not sure if I'll keep reading more books by the author or the series but I have read some not so good reviews for the next ones.

[Jage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really quick read that had a lot of potential but fell flat for me. Interesting worldbuilding but there were bits of info-dumping that I think we could've done without or could've been sprinkled throughout if the book had been longer.

I didn't care about the hero and since this is a romance that's a key element lol. The heroine was interesting but she would've come across a lot better if we had been able to learn about her over a longer period of time and watched her come into her own.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super quick werewolf book whose blurb makes it clear the direction it was going to take. The voice acting was cool though, I liked the strong and distinct accents.

It's nice to have a book where the women are well respected both now and historically within their community. Also, I liked the different elements of the community and how although the focus was on one pack, the relationship between them and other packs was acknowledged and positive.

[Monique D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book about shifters and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The chemistry between Langston & Janine was off the hook!!! I was reminded that when it comes to passion, there is an inner wolf in us all. The story line was very good and was accompanied by great secondary characters. I am excited to see what's coming next from the Hurst pack. Great job sista author :)

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this origin story about shifters and appreciated a community that was built to give formerly enslaved shifters and humans a place to go. I thought that Janine was a strong character and liked seeing her grow confident in a new environment. Lenny and Leo were great, as were most people in their town. I saw this book recommended on twitter and am glad it is included in my scribd membership.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been sitting on this one for a bit. I've seen a lot of recommendations for it. For being a Harlequin length story, the world-building is nicely done. The world is really interesting. I liked how Janine handled the realization of her powers. I would have been happy with more on-page relationship building -with Janine and Langford. For a paranormal, this was a nice, soft read.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this combo of the realities of history (slavery in the US, breaking free) with a fresh take on paranormal werewolf shifters. I like how werewolves aren’t a secret, Janine was just raised in a pack that was essentially a cult so she had a lot to learn. Nice beginning to the series and a delightful novella, even with the serious topics.

[Jenica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really needs another 100 pages or so to flesh out some of the world-building and the romance. Maybe it's because I've been reading so much fantasy romance lately, but I just didn't find the way the plot or the romance developed because it felt like we were skipping around too much. That said, I'm glad to have finally read this one! And I would be interested in picking up other books in the series.

[Metris · Rating 4 out of 5]

His true alpha

I’m a wolf lover, and I enjoyed this cute book. These wolves were actually sweet and loving; not as aggressive as I’m use too but they held the community down. Good book

[Shelita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

Loved it! Saw it in a tweet from Beverly Jenkins and had to get it! Short read but such a good story! Strong women taking care of business! Love it! I highly recommend it. And now I have to get the sequel.