Review: Deadlock (Southern Arcana #3) by Moira Rogers

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Carmen Mendoza's shapeshifter father abandoned her. Raised by her psychic mother, Carmen ignored her paternal family's political machinations--until the day they decided to use her in their bid for power. Trapped between two worlds and snared by a vicious spell meant to wake her inner wolf, Carmen's only hope is to trust the one man strong enough to soothe her darkest instincts.

Born a pureblood wolf, Alec Jacobson lives as a rebel, the black sheep alpha who protects the supernatural residents of New Orleans from wolf politics. Too bad he can't protect himself from his need for Carmen. Staking a claim on his enemy's niece will turn his city into a battleground, unless he can find a way to stop breaking the rules--and start making them.

My Thoughts: I think at this point it's no secret that I adore Moira Rogers and the worlds she creates.  Oh, man!  Does she know how to write those swoon-worthy Alpha males.  Yum.  Beyond the hotness of her main characters, though, the secondary characters come off so beautifully.  They're alive and the world they live in moves with them in a very real and organic sense.  It's not narrow and limited to the here and now of what you're reading, it's vast and it stretches across states and boundaries.

Alec is everything that wolves should be- he has honor, he protects those that need it, he keeps his city safe even though he's not the "official" Alpha of New Orleans.   He's learned that he works better with a group of people he trusts at his back, regardless of what supernatural species they are: Shifter, wizard, or psychic.  He's still dealing with the tragedy of his wife's murder and the role his family played in it.  Throwing Carmen into the mix, a half-blood shifter with a psychic bent, brings out all his protective instincts.

I love that characters that we met in previous books get face time in later books.  Jackson and Mackenzie didn't crawl under a rock after books 1 and 2, they're still working hard to keep the supernatural community safe and sane.  They're still a big part of Alec's life.  I adore the familial connections that bind everyone to one another.  Cousins, sisters, best friends, mentors- they deepen the story and make it feel whole.

So, yeah.  I pretty much loved this book. The sex was hot, the story moved the overall arc forward tremendously, the characters are fantastic.

More books by Moira Rogers

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