Book Review: The Arrangement by Alex Jane

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Arrangement
Author: Alex Jane
Series: Homestead Legacy #1
Heroes: Gabriel & Nathaniel
Genre: M/M Historical Paranormal
Length: 194 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 30, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: 1895. New York.

Gabriel Webster’s pack is in trouble. His father’s failing health and his mother’s untimely death mean that the vultures are circling. It won’t be long before his family’s assets are stripped and his pack disbanded. When an offer of help arrives in the form of a marriage of convenience, he has little choice but to accept.

The arrangement would be the perfect solution, if not for one thing. Gabriel is to marry Nathaniel Hayward, the Alpha who was badly injured in the accident that killed his brother ten years before—and the man Gabriel has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

Trapped in a business arrangement masquerading as a marriage — in a strange, empty house with a damaged husband who barely tolerates him — isn’t what Gabriel expected from life.

But sometimes the last thing we want is the beginning of something more.
And an ending can be the start of something beautiful.

…

56k words
A standalone story set in the Homestead universe.

Review:

Holy moly! I did not expect this book when I picked it up! For one, I’m always hesitant to try new-to-me-authors but I couldn’t pass up this one when I read the blurb and I’m so glad I gave it a try because this novel was definitely intriguing. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down and I really enjoyed the fact that while this one had to deal with wolves, only the alpha could shift. It was interesting to see the different dynamics of the pack but also to see Nathaniel as the alpha and how sweet he was. I mean, I loved the fact that Nathaniel stepped in to help Gabriel but also the fact that he tried so hard to show his interest in Gabriel without pushing Gabriel into anything. I loved the chemistry between them because Gabriel was definitely frustrated with Nathaniel’s hot and cold personality but I enjoyed the slow development between them and how they actually built a relationship together. Gah, I just loved these two as characters but also as a couple! And I really enjoyed the world they were in.

While I adored this book, I had two little niggles. For one, even though this is labeled as a standalone in the Homestead universe, I felt at times I was missing something with other characters because they were written as if we already knew them. Add to that, I really loved the sexual tension but felt the ending was too rushed to give all that build up real justice especially since we didn’t get to see what happened right after they finally got together. They spent a majority of the book at a distance and then when they finally get together, it skips to a year later. I wanted to see more of the ‘honeymoon’ phase where they’re actually embracing their marriage.

All in all, I really loved this book. I loved Gabriel and Nathaniel as characters and I really loved their chemistry. I wished we had gotten to see them right after they got together instead of a year later but I still really adored their story and can’t wait to see what happens next in this series and really hope it’s not the last we see of these two. I’ll definitely be going back through this author’s other works and seeing what else she has to offer!

Overall Impression: I loved it!

*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*