Smash Attack Reads...Where Smash Attacks Books!

If you haven’t read the rest of the series, I’d skip this review. I don’t give away anything in the book, but it might spoil you to things in previous books.And when the first cat lunged, I leaped up to meet him.Another way to put it would be: The shit hath hitteth the fan.All of the issues and conflicts from previous books have come to a head in Alpha. Not only were there physical throw downs, one right after another, but there was also some serious emotional turmoil to be had by Faythe and gang. No one was left unscathed and they all had everything to lose…But you know what? You just gotta have Faythe! That’s right, I said it. Faythe has been through one hell of a personal, tumultuous journey in a very short time, but no longer do we see the whiney, naive, spoiled tabby. Instead, we see a young woman who is still very unsure of herself, but takes risks that are fueled by her compassion for life, equality, and those she loves. She stands up for what she believes in, regardless if it will get her a swift punch in the face. She fights with the indignation of a 1,000 soldiers, and she loves with the fiercest passion. She may not always think things through thoroughly, but she learns from her mistakes. The great thing about Faythe though, is that she turns her doubts into actions. She might be scared as hell to take a step, but she takes it, regardless. She doesn’t stick her tale between her legs and run for the hills. She stands, tall and trembling, determined to see her way through any given scenario, dead or alive.I absolutely loved the opener. It was fantastic and had me giggling, but then it got sad real quick. Yes. Now I remember. Faythe had a serious decision to make. Marc or Jace? Honestly, I can’t imagine having such a decision to make in real life. My mind can’t even fathom it. *sigh* Especially, on top of the insurmountable pile of cat poop a pride has ever found themselves in!As suspected, both men were severely hurting throughout this book. Marc showed it more, being the hothead that he is. His heart broke over and over, right in front of us, throughout the entire book. The amount of pain he felt was so severe that I thought he might not ever recover. He did a major transfer of emotion though, and it left Faythe even more somber and hopeless than before. I wanted to scream at him for that stunt he pulled, it felt so childish and utterly cruel! But then again, the guy was in such pain and he lashed out with the most embarrassing scenario he could think of, because she surely embarrassed him…And then there’s Jace. Sweet, adorable, breath-of-fresh-air Jace. He had my heart the minute we met him when he and Faythe spent time in her room, lightly flirting. He doesn’t share the history that Marc shares with her but represents everything Marc is not. He challenges Faythe to be true to herself, Faythe likes herself better when she’s with him, he’s funny and easy-going, and there’s that serious heat between them…I always root for the underdog, but this decision had much more riding on it than pure charm and a sexy name. (The name Jace is sooooooo sexy.) Faythe needed to choose the one man she couldn’t live without, but she also had to choose the right man to help her lead the pride. So what’s a girl to do? Jump off a cliff is likely the decision I’d choose! Faythe would never take the easy way out though. In the end, her choice is as it should be. Faythe made the decision because it was the right one for her and her pride.In short, this was an intense, violent, passionate end to a series that has held a serious place in my heart as one of the best of the best. I’m a sentimental fool, but I don’t openly cry while reading very many books. RV is one of the few authors that brings the sobs. She is a master at eliciting emotion from her readers, and it makes me wonder how damn hard it was to write these books! I will miss Faythe, Marc, Jace and the South-central Pride SO much, but all is well that ends with Faythe as Alpha. Thanks to Rachel Vincent for this masterpiece of a series. It will forever remain on my ultimate awesomeness list.QuotesMarc didn’t want to win by default. He wanted to win for real. Forever.“In the end, it only comes down to one thing: choosing the one you can’t live without.”“You’re a bitch.”“Yeah, I’m thinking of having that put on some business cards.” “Um, Faythe?” Marc reached for my arm, and a small grin turned up one corner of his beautiful mouth. “As my first official piece of advice to the new Alpha, let me suggest that you put on some pants. And maybe a shirt.” His grin grew and pulled me closer to whisper in my ear, while Jace watched us stiffly from across the room. “While the look definitely works for me, I’m thinking the other Alphas might take you more seriously if you dress the part.” Check out thsi review over at Smash Attack Reads! http://smashattackreads.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-alpha-by-rachel-vincent.html