Alpha Scorned

A Shadow Sentinels World Novel #1

by Karen Tomlinson

Owen

I was handed a miracle. I found my soulmate. Only I never thought that she would reject me.

Selina is mine. She is my future. My everything. Until she rips my heart out. Now I spend my life in vicious fights, or in strangers’ beds, using my body to dull the never-ending agony she left behind. I know I’ve neglected my pack, my duty, even my brothers. When the inevitable death challenge comes for my position as Beta, it’s from someone I trusted. But it never happens. Instead, I’m ordered to take over as Alpha to the Canadian pack, to hunt and kill whoever is suicidal enough to kidnap and threaten our kind. But Fate, bitch that she is, throws my soulmate into my path once again. This time, though, I’m ready. This time I have armoured my heart against her.

At least, that’s what I tell myself—until I’m staring into those beautiful eyes.

While hunting the missing shifters, I discover there is more to this mission than any of us realised. The stink of evil permeates the town and danger appears at every turn. But I am a Shadow Sentinel, a warrior, an Alpha, and above all else, I am a shifter with a mate who needs me. I will protect her. This time she will not push me away. She is mine. This time there will be no running. For either of us. Because this time I will win her.

Selina

My name is Selina. And I am a wolf-shifter with a damning secret.

The scars I carry are a testament to my violent past. But the worst one is on the inside. And I can never reveal it, especially not to the sinfully sexy and powerful alpha, who is my soulmate.

Four years ago, I watched Owen Brady leave to fight in the demon war with the Shifter King. Now he’s back, and he’s the King’s Beta, one of the Shadow Sentinels, the most powerful shifters in our world. And he’s made it clear he wants me.

But if I stay with him, my secret could shatter his life and undo all I’ve done to protect my son. I won’t do that. I can’t. Not to my soulmate and not to my son. So, with my heart in tatters, I walk away.

But Fate is a cruel bitch. After a year of living with my actions, she throws him right back into my life. Only this time, he’s battle-hardened and cold as hell.

No matter his hate for me, I can’t walk away, not when danger lurks so close. Protecting my soulmate and my son is everything. My secret might ruin my life, but I won’t let it ruin theirs. Ever.

*This series is for 18+ readers only.

This is book 1 in the standalone paranormal romance series set in the Shadow Sentinels World. It is not necessary to read the Shadow Sentinels before Alpha Scorned, however, there are some crossover characters that you might want to know more about.

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Fantasy, Romance, Fae, Demons

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2021

About the author

Karen Tomlinson is a USA Today Bestselling author of action-packed, spicy romantic fantasy and paranormal romance books.

You can keep up with Karen's writing by joining her mailing list & grab a FREE BOOK!

(Please see karentomlinson.com/books for all books)

Karen writes a mix of M/M, M/F, and M/M/F books. If you love strong female leads, kickass heroines, swoon-worthy, powerful Alpha heroes, magic, action, battles, bloodshed, hot scenes, and a HEA then look no further! Come and meet strong characters who will destroy worlds for those they love.


Like you, Karen adores books and likes nothing better than to lose herself in a spicy romance with amazing characters and a HEA! She lives in Derbyshire, England, (think Mr. Darcy territory) with her husband, twin girls, and her gorgeous dalmatian. As well as reading and writing books, she loves keeping fit, walking in the hills with her family, and dancing around with her earbuds in while singing badly! You can find all her books on her website: karentomlinson.com

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Reviews

[Sweet and Salty Reviews by DD · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am on a roller coaster of 3 star reads....I need it to stop! Something please blow my mind soon!!!

Good read. Storyline felt basic for a rejected mate scenario. Was predictable at times. The FMC and MC were annoying. The saving grace was Devon by far.

Happy reading,
DD 🥂

[Jen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant addition to the Shadow Sentinels world. Owen gets his story and it's a stoater!
Going into the story, it difficult to see how Selina could be a sympathetic heroine after she broke poor Owen's heart during Connor and Ember's story arc, but Karen Tomlinson does an amazing job of rounding out her character and making the reader fall in love with her, until you find yourself rooting for her and getting annoyed at Owen for not working out something else was going on.

The story is captivating right from the outset, as with all stories from this author. There's adventure, mystery, gruesome violence, swoon worthy steam, new characters to either love or loathe, betrayals, heartbreak and joyous reunions. I was enthralled and stayed up far later than I should have to finish.

Despite all this goodness, the star of the show for me is Devon. I cannot wait to see what happens with him in future books and am already in love with his relationship with Zander and the rest of the men.

Karen Tomlinson has easily become a must read author for me. If you haven't yet given her a go, then you are missing out!

[Readsby-K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read.

I felt like there could’ve been more to their story. Some things are left assumed, and some things are left hanging. like what really happened in prison? I need all the details not scraps that i can take and move on! who did that to her and specifically, devon? who sired him? And what about the long forged alliance, why the sudden introduction?? what about the counts? How many are there? Why are demons experimenting? you keep introducing these new things and i felt like it needed an indepth delve 😭 but thats just me ig.

if you want a quick read, this should be something for you

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gods.
Soooo freaking good!
I stayed up all night reading!
I couldn’t put it down!

I really didn’t want to like Selina. I came in not liking her from Connor and Ember’s series but after reading her side and pov…I love her! She’s so freaking fierce! She’s my total female character package. Momma bear goin’ to mess you up…I guess momma wolf in this case but 🤷‍♀️.

Of course I loved Owen, even though I wanted to take him by his ear and shake him but his brothers did a good job of it. Him with Devon just makes me melt in a puddle.

Speaking of which I freaking love how much page time Devon got. His…ah…’power’ was a great twist and totally engaging. He’s just a great character and super sweet kid. I was busting a gut laughing at the whole scene where he lets his mom know he knew what her and Owen were doing but was cool with it. Isn’t that every parents worst nightmare? 🤣

Overall I freaking loved it and CAN NOT WAIT for more of the brothers’ stories. Karen is an amazing story teller and draws a reader in.

[Samie Rood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Scorned had me enthralled the whole time. I was a little nervous of Selina at first but man did she prove me wrong. I love the woman that she turned out to be despite her background and everything that happened with her and little Devon. Owen turned out amazing as well. He is a little rough at first and what he was going through in his mind made it a rough start for the two of them, but I love how strong they'll became by the end of the book and the love he has for Devon despite Devons heritage. And the ending was so worth it. It definitely didn't end the way I thought it would but it was so much better than I could've imagined. I absolutely love this book, and highly recommend it to anybody that loves a good PNR.

[Jill Gauger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I loved coming back into this world, getting to reconnect with old friends.
This story focuses on Owen and Selina taking place after everyone is out of the Demon prison. Owen and Selina are soulmates but Selina still decided to stay in Canada with Shane. Selina has a secret that keeps her from going to Owen who she loves with every fiber of her being but is afraid she is not good enough for Owen. She needs to keep herself and her son Devon safe.
A turn of events brings Owen and his brothers back to the Canadian pack when Shane and a bunch of his Alphas go missing and Owen needs to come face to face with Selina again. There are many obstacles to overcome between them along with solving the disappearance of Shane and the Alphas.
The characters are strong and the story will keep you mesmerized.

[abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and middle of this book were great but it fell off at the end, so much so that I couldn’t give it 4 stars.

[Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG get ready for a wild ride!! Selina and Owen's story blew me away. This book has it all, action, twists and turns, passion, tenderness, a kid you'll fall in love with and much more, it will keep you glued to the pages experiencing a huge spectrum of emotions. Can't wait to read more on this world

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Owen. I loved Owen since we first met him in Beginnings when he was framed along with Connor for the death of an SBI agent, Miss X. He was screwed back then and has had that same awful luck ever since.

Here we finally get to see where his life is going with Selina, the female he saved, along with her baby, from the demons and the demon general, Berith, during the Demon War fought in the Shadow Sentinels series. We saw the instant connection he had with this female shifter, and I, for one, have wondered where this would go, considering he took enough interest that he even named her infant son Devon.

Well, apparently, Selina had issues with his attentions. Those issues, which I won't name since that would be telling, caused poor Owen more grief than one shifter should have to deal with in one lifetime. And it darn near broke him.

And, Selina, one of the many females stolen by those denizens of the underworld to procreate so their children's souls could feed the demon hordes, has suffered so much that her spirit might never recover. She has her half-demon son to love and raise, which keeps her going, but the psychological damage that was done to her during her internment might ruin her for any future mating.

Put these two together, and you have a recipe for disaster. How can these apparent soulmates possibly work through all these deep-seated issues and hope to come out whole on the other side? And what is to become of poor little Devon while they are busy trying to pull themselves together?

Karen has woven quite the storyline here, giving us tragedy, comedy, action, intrigue, love, hate, death, and maybe, just maybe, a happy ending. That remains to be seen. In the meantime, getting to that possible ending is one heck of a thrilling ride. In her own special way, Karen has taken a love story and incorporated so much more into it that we know for certain there is more to come, that Owen's and Selina's stories aren't the last she has to tell.

And with that in mind, I can honestly say she's on a roll here! And I'm going along for the ride!

Excellently done, as usual, Karen Tomlinson! Excellently done, indeed!

[Margaret Bloodworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Shadow Sentinels World, a spinoff of the Shadow Sentinels series. We first met Owen in Wrecked, Book One of the Shadow Sentinels. He is a partner to Connor, a member of the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation (SBI). He has found his mate in Selina, a woman who was rescued, along with Devon, her baby son, but she has chosen to be with Shane, the Canadian alpha who we also met in the Shadow Sentinals books. They have moved back to Canada with Shane's pack, leaving Owen to continue as Connor's beta. Owen has become surly and easily riled because of his longing to have Selina and Devon by his side. He has been going on missions to close the remaining portals and kill any demons who had escaped, when he is ordered to take a team to Canada, to Shane's pack. Shane had been missing for a couple of weeks, disappearing while investigating the disappearance of several pack members. Owen has to fight his connection to Selina while trying to determine the reason for the missing pack members, making his job much more difficult. Will he solve the mystery of the missing pack members? Will Selina retract her rejection of Owen, accepting him as her mate? I recommend reading the Shadow Sentinels series before you dive into this first book in the Shadow Sentinels World series, to better understand the back story of Owen, Selina, and Shane, although this can be read as a stand-alone. It's an exciting continuation of the Shadow Sentinel's story, with lots of twists and turns before we have all the answers.

[Caprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Tomlinson always writes such heartfelt love stories, and Alpha Scorned is no exception. In addition to her always-excellent character development, she has again created a story with a number of unexpected developments throughout which flows smoothly from beginning to end.

Selina is the character that really makes this book shine. Going into the book, the reader who has been following the Shadow Sentinels series knows very little about her. However, this is the book where you will find out what really happened to her in the demon prison. What did their experimentation program entail? You will also find out why she ran from Owen and became Shane's Beta. How many and how high are the walls that Selina has built to protect her heart? Can Owen coax her into lowering them? How hard will he have to work to gain her trust?

This is hands down my favorite Shadow Sentinels book, and an amazing start to the Shadow Sentinels World! You absolutely HAVE to read it if you enjoy hot shifter romance.

However if you are sensitive to flashback scenes of rapes, physical abuse, and mental abuse you may have problems with the experiences Selina had in the prison. Please don't cause yourself harm in order to read this book. I know the author would not want that for you.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lina had become my everything, yet in reality was my nothing at all.

5 stars

I'm so glad I decided to give this series a chance as I just loved this story so much! Selina was such an amazing heroine; after everything she has survived her focus remained on protecting her son and Owen, sacrificing her happiness for their safety. Owen was so charming and carefree, but I loved seeing a more vulnerable and heartbroken side to him that Lina's rejection created. The progression of their relationship was beautiful, intimate, and so sexy, and I adored how both Lina and Owen fought for their little family. The mystery and drama was well-executed and kept me reading, and I cannot wait for Rawson's book🖤

Tropes: rejected mates, touch her and die, obsessed and charming hero, heroine with dark past, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, single mom, mystery-to-solve, found family, STEAMY🔥

[Kristin E. Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alpha scorned

Standalone off shoot from the Shadow sentinels world, mf, shifters, other one creatures, rejected fated mates. This was my first foray into this world, so I had to speculate about much of the world structure. That's on me though because I knew I was deep into the series. I was quite able to enjoy this volume. The characters are mostly those who have escaped from a horrendous demon prison and who all carry lots of trauma. Luna also has a young mixed breed son from her experience, who she loves deeply. Unfortunately due to torture, her wolf has hidden away from her and she cannot connect or shift. Because of such a stigma she rejects her fated mate so as to not shame him. Of course he doesn't know that and responds badly. There's adventure, violence and mystery along with the romance.

[Adriannleigh717 · Rating 4 out of 5]

between a 3 & 4 - need to read previous books?

The story was okay, but it left a LOT of room for development of the characters and relationship, and there were also a lot of long descriptions of past events. It read largely like a sequel, with all the pertinent information from an entire previous book or series shivved into this on. So, while it says it's a standalone, maybe there's another series before this one that should be read first? There was a lot of attempted world building and extended universe building shoved into a single, relatively short book, and a lot of that was delivered as POV character internal monologue, often in the middle of a an action or conversation, so it was very disruptive to the flow of the story.

[Rikki Pulfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't lie. I read this in one day. I found the characters interesting, the storyline interesting, although frustrating.

The FMC goes through massive emotional growth. I started out disliking her, but once we were given insight into her past and struggles, I found her to be a strong FMC. The MMC sounds like a strong alpha, and I wished at times he held me in his arms like he did in the books.

There were some points in the book where the story felt rushed, but overall, it was a good read.

I give it a 4 star rating and 2 spice level.

[Raveen Vann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Scorned is book 1 in the new Shadown Sentinels series and I am completely addicted. From start to end I honestly could not put down and really, really loved these characters Selina and Owen so dang much! She rejected him and left to protect him from her secret .now he is back and will do absolutely everything to protect her and make her his. The author has done such a fantastic job writing this and being able to keep my attention. Can not wait for from this author for sure.

[The Caffeinated Grimoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read!!!

After reading the shadow sentinels books I couldn't wait to read Owen's story I loved him in that series... Lina and Owen's story was really sweet and I loved that they found their way back to eachother... Devon is such a cutie 💓
I can't wait for Rawson's book and I really hope their will be one about Stone and Shannon I'd like to know what the big hesitation is about there.
Definitely recommend reading 📚

[Vicki Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow totally loved stone from the shadow sentinels a. Couldn’t wait to read more about him Lina an little Devin who was such a cutie. This had lots of twists an turns that has you in the edge of your seat like the rest of the series but has you drawn right in an couldn’t put this down read in a few hours. Hope we’re going to get more from the other brothers as was gutted this was the last one for now.

[Annette Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mine

An exciting, bewitching tale that sucks you in as you struggle trying to figure out the clues to the mysterious secrets. There are awesome characters with unique and interesting powers, betrayal, anger, heartbreak, tragedy, also love, hope, forgiveness and friendship that refuses to let anyone down. Will evil win, or will chaos destroy all hope of a future. A miracle is needed!

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Scorned

Action-packed and sexy! I was hooked from the start. I loved the characters and the twists and turns throughout the story left me on the edge of my seat. A great story full of plenty of steam, action, and suspense.
I can’t wait to read more from all the various characters from this world and their stories as well.

[Noxwitchbooklife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the original Shadow Sentinels series with it's multi-dimensional and multi-supernatural greatness.

This carries on the story from the POVs of Owen and Selina serveral years later with all the fast paced drama Karen is great at writing.

I'm glad we get to see some of the HEA of Ember and Connor from the first series.

[2TNWalkers · Rating 3 out of 5]

World verse book, you don’t need to read main verse novels, this book rehashes all of them with Owen story, started skimming over rehashed portions(about 40% of book), just to read about Owen and Lina. Preview of next book is all the rehashing again. Will not purchase next book, unless it’s on KU or free.

[Purpleallison Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was obviously a lot of back story that I hadn't read, but it was explained well enough within this book. Although the down side of that is it made some of the reading slow going. Interesting story, interesting characters, but I just wasn't getting invested in it. Spicy rating 2, overall rating 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Chris Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love werewolves, vampires and demons with lots of fighting, love and sex you will love this book. It's stand alone and will make want to read more Karen Tomlinson books because she is a wonderful writer that doesn't need to hold you hostage with cliffhangers.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and Owen and Selina’s love story. It was a real roller coaster of a ride, I cried, laughed, yelled at the them, was scared for them and angry. But I have to say I am in love with Devon. I just want to hug him. I love the way he reacts with Lyss and Ash, I can see another story with those three. I received an arc and the views and opinions are my own.

[michelle mc grath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want an Owen of my own💖

I could write an amazing review about how ASSUME this story was!! But instead I'm going to give the best Advice👌 Download And Read It Now. Trust me you won't be dissapointed!! 💯😍❤

[Aily Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a good read

I am glad to see other characters get their stories. I loved Owen and Lina and their chemistry and devotion to each. It was a wild ride to get to the end and well worth it. Keep writing on all the characters. I love them

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The scorn is rough

I love Lina and Devon and Owen. Some of the triggers are a bit intense, but I did okay and this group of characters won my heart in no time. The discomfort is worth the outcome. This is a well written and highly entertaining read.

[Rachel Joi Maples · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book! ... pulled me right in & i couldn't put it down ... need the next!!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the feels!
TW:Mentions of prior sexual assault, torture, and PSTD.