Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: Riding the Whirlwind
Author: Joy Lynn Fielding
Series: Strength of the Pack #5
Heroes: Dave Mitchell/Christian Taylor
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 141 Pages
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Available at: Siren Bookstrand and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Five years undone in just five days.
Dave Mitchell and Christian Taylor are on a mission from their alpha—to discover what happened to a pack of Argent shifters thirteen years ago. Away from their pack and out of their usual routine, they find underlying tensions in their relationship coming to the surface.
When their investigation leads them to the resident pack, Christian seeks respite from his demons by throwing himself eagerly into the cage-fighting ring the pack runs. He knows Dave hates him to fight, but he also knows Dave will understand. Dave always understands.
But when Dave meets a kindred spirit among the pack members, all Christian’s certainties come crashing down around him. It becomes clear that their relationship might not survive this. And when things between them reach crisis point and the local pack gets involved, it may prove to be the death of more than just their relationship.
Review:
In search of some answers about Jesse’s old pack, Dave and Christian are sent to New Mexico to see if they can find out anything new. While there, they’re led to a local pack that run a cage-fighting ring. Thinking that’s the best way to get answers and eager to let loose some tension, Christian throws himself into the fights. When Christian’s fighting skills gets him noticed by the alpha, Christian’s given an opportunity he can’t refuse, one that pushes a wedge between Christian and Dave. Can these two work through their problems and get back on good terms? And if they do, will it be too late to avoid the consequences of being involved with the local pack?
Ahhh, Dave and Christian! Do you know how long I’ve wanted to read their story? Ever since the first book, An Impossible Mate, I’ve been eager to get their story and FINALLY I got it! Let me just say, I was not disappointed! In this book, Christian is the same antagonistic, hostile shifter who’s restless and not exactly nice to anyone. Dave is his opposite; he’s calm and collected and even passive. They are like the sun and the moon and when Christian becomes too volatile, Dave is always there to soothe the way. In this one, we see them at their most vulnerable and actually get to understand why they act the way they do. I loved that because it gave some depth into why Christian is so aggressive and mean while Dave is always so eager to fade to the background.
As with the other books in this series, my biggest issue was that there was too much smut for my tastes. I loved that this one dealt with an existing couple (although, until I started this book, I honestly thought Dave and Christian were ‘just friends’, I had no idea they were mates this whole time!) so it was interesting to see the different dynamics compared to the other stories in this series. With that, though, I will say I’m even more curious about Dave and Christian as a couple but mainly, I felt like there were still a lot of open-ended questions about them as a couple and about Jesse’s old pack. I didn’t feel like the trip they made was all that informative and kind of just led to many more questions but I won’t deny that I liked the conflicts they had to deal with in this one.
Overall, this was still a good book. I enjoyed it a lot and I loved being able to see Dave and Christian away from the other packmates and seeing who they really were. This one deals with much more than just finding out about Jesse’s old pack. In fact, it delves into Dave and Christian’s insecurities and fears and how even as mates, things can get difficult. If you’ve been enjoying the Strength of the Pack series, then you’ll definitely like this book, I know I did and now I can’t wait for the next book 🙂
Overall Impression: I really liked it!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
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