JD Tyler - Phoenix Reborn

Wolf shifter and Firewalker Phoenix “Nix” Monroe has finally met his ultimate Bondmate—Alpha Pack nurse Noah Brooks. Unable to accept his own sexual identity, Nix rejects Noah despite the intense attraction he feels towards him.
By the time Nix realizes he has cast aside the love of his life, it may be too late to save Noah from a terrifying enemy...

Comment: This novella is installment #7.5 in the Alpha Pack series by author JD Tyler.

I've been going through the series and this is the last story released since we don't even have a scheduled release date for the next one.

In this novella we have Phoenix's story, he was one of the alpha pack members rescued a few books ago and he has been recovering most of the time.

Nix, as he is called, has some psychic powers just like the rest of his team but his biggest struggle is actually recognizing his sexual identity and he has been in denial. This is a complicated situation because he has met his bondmate, the nurse Noah, a beloved element of the team as well.

Noah is more than ready to accept a relationship with Nix but he has been patient. However, it seems Nix won't admit anything and Noah starts to think he won't ever find happiness and wonders if it's all worth it. Will he wait for Nix to be ready?

I'll keep my comment short for this was a short story as well.

I liked the fact we get to go straight to the point and the author didn't waste much time with setting up. This means that for new readers, it can be quite confusing so it's better to read the stories in order. But at the same time it can put the fans right at the center of action.

I just think that the author, by summarizing a lot, also made things look a little too quick, especially since by reading the blurb one gets the idea the main couple doesn't hit it off. I assumed we would have a more angsty story, with more scenes where the protagonist dealt with their feelings.

Sadly for my personal tastes, this was not what happened. Yes, the story was shorter than usual, but most of the time Noah and Nix were getting along even if Nix showed dome reluctance to admit what he wanted.

I expected more emotional struggle to come to terms about everything and that this would be reason behind their lack of mating so far.

The reality is that the struggle is only obvious almost at the end and of course Nix has a change of heart pretty quick. He does say he has had issues for a long time but we don't see that, we only know of it. This means the emotional impact is not as big or heartfelt. Then Nix has to save the day and at the end all is well but... such a potentially great story was lost among clichés and missed opportunities. I wanted more emotion, not as much scenes with things we could guess anyway.

I think Nix's story well used could have been one of the strongest. All issues were solved too easily and too quickly.

Still, I feel happy this story exists and I hope the next ones can be amazing.

Grade: 6/10