Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel
Jed is the enforcer for the newly established Timber Pack. Segueing from the first novel, Timber Pack Chronicles, we discover that the silver poisoning Jed sustained while trying to protect Parker has been slow to leave his system. Even though he manages to still shift, the enforcer experiences debilitating pain each time and an overriding weakness that leaves him questioning whether or not he can still be effective in his job. As the annual conclave approaches, Jed is at an all time emotional low. So, he is shocked when he senses the tantalizing scent of his mate at the opening meet and greet.
Buzz has long questioned why his older brother named him as one of his betas. His sibling’s obvious contempt for gay wolves, along with numerous lies Buzz has been fed by both his siblings, leaves him not only desperately alone but feeling inadequate as well. When he finds out that he is to be mated to a dominant she-wolf as a means of binding a newly conquered pack to his own, Buzz is absolutely devastated to realize he will never be able to live as he desires. Instead he must hide his real desires for a male mate and do his brother’s bidding or be exiled and even possibly killed. Imagine his surprise when he is confronted by his mate, who is not only male, but also openly gay and an enforcer to an openly gay alpha and an accepting pack.
Now these two men must face the fact that if Buzz’s mating is to actually take place, it will sever their own tenuous bond and leave Jed alone the rest of his life, pining over his lost mate. Can Buzz really turn his back on a future where he can be free at last? Or will he somehow manage to break free from the tyranny of his older brothers and find his way back into Jed’s arms?
Enforcer, the second book in the Timber Pack Chronicles series by Rob Colton, solidifies for me that this author knows how to write a strong dramatic romance story that flows easily and does not hinge on a series of sex scenes to further the plot line. This was a tighter novel overall than the first, with a fascinating story that alternately made me wring my hands in despair for poor Buzz and cheer as he stepped out from under his heartless and cruel older brother and claimed the life that was his to live. I really enjoyed the idea that Jed actually had to experience slower healing—a plot point rarely pursued in paranormal stories where a shift or time or two in animal form usually heals a shifter completely. It allowed for Jed to wrestle with his how he views himself and the idea that a weakened enforcer could not serve his alpha or his pack effectively. I felt that Jed’s very definition of how he fit into this newly formed pack was in crisis and it pulled me into the story immediately. From that point on I was hooked and invested in how Jed and Buzz would manage to carry their own personal burdens.
Enforcer was by far a much stronger novel then its predecessor. Where the first installment in this series seemed to flounder plot wise and rely way too heavily on sex to keep the story moving, this sequel hinged all its development on the unfolding story surrounding Jed and Buzz and also managed to reveal a threat by outside sources that I feel may loom larger in future books. Overall, I felt this was a much improved narrative and a more tightly woven story overall. I look forward to the next installment in this series!
