A decent book with an interesting premise

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was my first introduction to Sara Noffke and her Dream Traveler series. I found the premise of engineered weres pretty interesting. I felt like I was missing a lot of back story, though, when it comes to the Lucidites. It wasn't completely distracting, but I felt it worth pointing out. Anyway, the narrator was great, and I did rather enjoy the book.

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The Lucidites are back!

The Lucidites are large and in charge once more attempting a new feat to save the world! The new threat now is a team of researchers that have created werewolves, and not the sexy shifter kind ;) The person in charge of this level 5 investigation is none other than our beloved Adelaide, the infamous Ren Lewis's daughter. With still trying to get a grip on her father's recent passing, Adelaide is forced to dig deep and swallow her grief in order to find the loose cannons that are ripping the citizens to shreds. With help from an FBI agent, can Adelaide and the Lucidites stop the beasts before it's too late?

Alpha Wolf is the start of a new series, but with familiar characters from the authors previous works. Incorporating Adelaide (from the Ren series) was bloody brilliant! She is most definitely a character I love to love for her straight forward, no nonsense talk. She is a tough cookie having inherited her fathers super duper powers and giving no cares in the world what anyone thinks. The Lucidites are back in action with this new series as well, guiding Adelaide every step of the way while she is chained with a partner not of her choosing. Roxy, a dream traveler as well and FBI to boot, joins the team with a few tricks up her sleeve as well. Together, the banter between the two ladies is comical to say the least. My heart breaks for the emotional struggle Adelaide is going through right now with her father and now her own son frightened of her. I couldn't help but wonder if she doesn't come to terms with recent events, what will become of her son!

The werewolves were a nasty twist to the story, and brings Adelaide up short because her Jedi mind tricks don't work on them and until she unlocks her other super powers she is just as helpless as the humans they prey on. However, bringing Roxy into the picture balances that out, and creates a friend/enemy for Adalain, and also some entertaining moments for us the readers/listeners. I was glued from beginning to end, and I can't wait to get started on the next book, Lone Wolf.

Narrator Review
Elizabeth Klett entertains us with this new and exciting adventure! I have had previous experience with this narrator from the Lucidites Series, and I absolutely enjoy her! Her tone, her timing and her accents bring life to an already riveting story. The only thing I have left to say is please don't ever leave us Elizabeth, I would just die without you!
**Audiobook provided by the author for an honest review**

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Dream traveler fans unite!

*I was provided a free copy of this book by the author for review purposes*

If you are a fan of Sarah Noffke and her Dream Traveler series', then her new series is definitely for you!
Talk about putting a new twist on the dream traveler race .... with Werewolves!

Sarah has knocked it out of the park once again with what I think might just be one of her best yet!
If you love the her dream travelers as much as I do then what are you waiting for? Pick up Apha Wolf now, you won't be disappointed!


The narration was once again spot on as well. Sarah welcomes back Elizabeth Klett as the narrator in her Werewolf series and I for one couldn't be happier. When I think dream travelers, I think the only voice that fits perfectly is Elizabeths!

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Snarky!

I loved Ren so much! I am glad that Adalae* (forgive me if that's spelled wrong) has his attitude towards things! I love the Lucedites*. A new adventure in this world. The writing is superb, story line is a perfect paranormal/scifi. I can't wait to listen to the rest of this series.

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Good book but checkout the Lucidite series 1st...

I think I should start by clarifying, this is a great story on its own, a promising start to a new series. However, it is linked to the Lucidite series and a big part of the storyline about dream traveling is explained in the Lucidite books. As a fan of Sarah Nofke and Elizabeth Klett, I had already started the Lucidite series prior to listening to this book, but I've not completed the series. If I hadnt already listened to the first Lucidite book, I don't think I would've been able to understand the dream travel concept as well. Also, since I haven't finished the Lucidite series, there were several spoilers in this book as it refers to some of the Lucidite characters and their completed storyline. Thus, reading the Lucidite series is not a prerequisite, but IMO, this story is a lot more enjoyable if you have Lucidite knowledge. :)

As always, Elizabeth Klett's narration is excellent!

I received a free review audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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highly recommended if you enjoy action, banter

This is the first book in the four-books Olento Research series by Sarah Noffke. Although set in the same world of dream travelers as Noffke's other series and featuring several well-known characters from other books, it works perfectly well even if you are not familiar with Noffke's previous works, as plenty of history is provided. However, if you've listened to/read at least the Ren series in the past, you may feel a greater connection to the story right from the start.

Ren's daughter, Adelaide, is one of the protagonists who needs to find twelve men who were abducted and genetically modified by a scrupulous corporation to be part wolf, part human. Snarky Adelaide is teamed up with sassy FBI agent Rox. Two assertive, abrasive women make for plenty of banter back and forth, as Adelaide thoroughly loathes Rox. The storyline is intriguing and nothing like the usual werewolves' sagas. As it is the first in a new series, it isn't terribly fast-paced as characters are introduced and background is provided, making sure all the characters are fully fleshed out. But there were still plenty of suspenseful as well as very emotional moments. The male characters were really interesting, too, but the limelight was definitely stolen by Adelaide and Rox. The story certainly kept my attention throughout and I can't wait to find out where this story will be heading in book 2, Lone Wolf.

Elizabeth Klett narrates the story in a nice pace and with a pleasant, clear tone that is easy to listen to. Using a wide variety of accents and easily distinguishable voices she covers a large number of characters effortlessly and really brings the story to life. There were no issues with the production of the audiobook.

A great mix of science fiction and paranormal / fantasy and highly recommended if you enjoy action, banter, characters to root for, nasty villains, suspense and very emotional moments. Basically, there's something here for everybody.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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Thrilling story

This is a great start to the Orlento Research series. The introduction of engineered werewolves adds a interesting and different spin to Noffke's amazing Dream Traveler world. These wolves are not like any other were's you have read about, they are the first of their kind and are on the run from their creators. The Lucidites need to get to them first and figure out who created them and why. Noffke's excellent descriptive writing and Kemp’s great narration lets you feel their struggles, fears, aggression and yearnings, and the exciting plot keeps you totally enthralled. The story and its characters easily captures your imagination; from Mika's ruthlessness, to Rox's sass, Conner's self-deprecation and Adelaide's sarcastic repartee. The narrator does a good job of the different accents in the story, and she even managed to throw in a few glottal stops into Adelaide’s cockney accent. This is a thrilling tale full of intrigue, humour, loss and strife. Rox is an interesting character and you have to wonder what her sassy, sexy bravado is really hiding. Adelaide's sarcasm and abrasive nature highlights her relation to Ren, and your heart goes out to her as she walks in his shadow. Conner is my favourite "wolf" so far, he is damaged, torn, but has an intelligence and empathy that draws you to him. In Noffke's usual fashion, she has created a storyline and characters that pull at your imagination as well as your heart. It's a compelling tale, with links that tie into her other books, once again weaving more depth into an already great world and yet can still be read as a stand alone series. I loved this story and look forward to listening to the next audiobook

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I was not able to connect to the characters

Twelve men were kidnapped by the Olento Research to experiment with them. They were transformed in werewolves and given powers only possessed by the Lucidites. These men get to escape, and the Lucidite Institute will try to find a cure for them and try to catch the men behind Olento Research.

First of all, let me clarify that having read ‘The Lucidites’ is a prerequisite for reading this book. Maybe also the ‘Ren’ series, but this is optional. The reader needs to have a previous knowledge about the Lucidites to fully understand and enjoy this book.

I am a total fan of Sarah Noffke. I have listened to ‘The Reverians’, ‘The Lucidites’, and the ‘Vagabond Circus’ series, and also the first book in the ‘Ren’ series. Sarah is able to give soul to a book and its characters, and I think this is why her books are so loved by many.

So I was looking forward to this new series, ready to have my breath taken away again. But hard as I tried, this book did not click with me. It is not a bad book, it is in fact quite good, and it has great characters and lots of action; but somehow there was something missing. I am not usually a fan of werewolves stories, but I am also not a circus fan, and I loved the ‘Vagabond Circus’ series. I think that, despite how well the characters were built, I missed a central character to whom I could connect. It seemed Adelaide was this character, but there were not enough insights that got me attached to this character. It is true that most of Sarah’s books are written in first person from and the point of view of the main character. I think the same could be achieved writing in third person, but somehow it did not work here. It is true that Adelaide was an important character but after a while it did not feel like the main one, and in some of the scenes she was not even present, so the writing in third person made perfect sense. I wish I would have cared for the characters more than I did.

For the rest it was a very enjoyable book with very vivid characters. It is clear that it is just the beginning of a series and a mere introduction to the real thing. I believe the next books will fill the void this one left me.

I was really happy to listen to another book narrated by Elizabeth Klett. One of my first audiobooks was ‘Defects’, from ‘The Reverians’, and I completely fell in love with Elizabeth’s soothing style back then. She is really good with voices and especially accents, making it seem effortless.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

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Great start to another series!

Olento Research has been experimenting on humans and their latest endeavor is turning a particular set of men into a group of werewolves. After the wolves somehow escape and news of terrible attacks get out, the Lucidites step in to protect the midlings and round up the wolves. But who did this, and why? The Lucidites are on the case! I didn't really care for the narrator but enjoyed the story.

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IT WAS JUST OK FOR ME!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

I have listened to many many many of this authors books and have really loved them, until this one..It just didn't do it for me...I was excited by the title and subject matter...but it was really 3rd person..and I am normally ok with it, even if it isn't my fave writing style...and it never really took off for me...Ymmv...I still love this author though!!!

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3 people found this helpful