Relentless

By Bailey Bradford

Zane Mitchell is about to learn that you can't outrun your destiny—especially not when that destiny is wrapped up in the form of one big, sexy, relentless shapeshifter, Aidan Criswell.

Zane is the alpha of the Gila National Forest pack of shifters. He's been forced to make some very bad choices—like kicking out Mika Blackwell, a gay shifter who was once Zane's friend. The elders demanded it, and Zane gave in to them rather than stand up to them.

When he and all other alphas of Southwestern packs are called to a mandatory meeting with the Dux Ducis—Aidan Criswell, the man in charge of all shifter packs in the Southwest U.S.—something happens that sends Zane fleeing in panic. He's found his mate, the one person who can complete him—and the one person Zane knows could never want him because of his past actions.

Aidan Criswell is as shocked to discover the man he'd been ordered to investigate—a man who'd had a pack member banned for being gay—is his mate. But destined mates are always exactly perfectly matched, and once Aidan accepts that fact, he believes there is more to Zane's story than meets the eye—and as Zane is soon to discover, Aidan Criswell is one relentless son of a bitch.

Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Aug 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9780857152619

Bailey Bradford

A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn't happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey's brain demanding to be let out. Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey's office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey's presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

Reviews for Relentless

[serenayates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

‘Relentless’, the second book in the Southwestern Shifters series, packs a very hard punch, in the best possible way, while delivering a scorching romance. The continuation of the overall story satisfied my need to know what happens to all the characters and the fact they get to play a fairly substantial role in this second book delighted me. This volume picks up where the first book left off, and gives us the story of Zane, the pack alpha who kicked out Mika, and Aidan, the new regional alpha, or Dux Ducis, who is in charge of ‘modernizing’ shifter society.

Discovering the real reasons for Zane’s behavior was fascinating. His story and the way he deals with his past show what a strong character he is. The suffering he went through would drive anyone to their knees, but, luckily, he has Aidan to help him through it all. I loved the emotional intensity behind his situation, as well as the sizzling heat between him and his newfound mate.

Aidan starts out as a bit of an arrogant idiot. He assumes all kinds of things about Zane, which I thought was interesting because it sums up what I bet a lot of readers (including myself) thought about Zane after the first book. In a way, I learned with Aidan and that made the book very interesting. The attitude adjustment Aidan makes is substantial, and while it starts out in his head (needing to at least hear the other side of the story before making a final judgment), his heart quickly gets involved as well.

If you like shifter stories with more than just pack politics, a gripping plot which deals with some pretty serious issues at the same time, and a scorching hot romance, you will probably like this book. It does contain some pretty graphic references to emotional abuse, so if that bothers you, this may not be for you. However, the focus is more on the aftermath and recovery, which mitigated its effect on me. I was enthralled from the beginning and loved reading the book.

[penny01-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick summer-like read. Likable, but not original. 2.75 stars

[tala2cubs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More Gabe from the first book and love Zane.

[macyj_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than Rescued, the first book in the series. I liked the fact that these two MC's didn't immediately profess their love for one another the moment they laid eyes on each other. I think this is the best book in the series, the next book fell a little short to me as well as the first.