ARC Review: Deadlock by Moira Rogers

Description:
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.

Review:
After what felt like a never ending wait we finally get the chance to dive into the wonderful world of the Southern Arcana series again. I loved the first  books and Deadlock didn't disappoint at all. I just say Alec. *insert swoony voice*

Carmen Mendoza is an empath working as a doctor in the local independent hospital. She knows how the shapeshifter politics work first hand because her ambitious father left her and her family to secure his political station. She put her back on everything connected to this prejudiced and discriminating system and tries her best to stay out of it. But her family just won't let it go. Her uncle and father are working together to right the "wrong" he did by marrying her mother. They want her to accept an "appropriate" husband who had the right position in the werewolf society. But Carmen won't budge. She's a strong woman and won't give in. I love her- Carmen is compassionate, strong and won't back down even from the strongest alpha. Being an empath makes her better at her job and improves the way she understands and helps people.  I really liked her. She's a good person but her character didn't stand out enough.

But then we have Alec. *swoons* That guy makes my knees weak. He's the big bad alpha- possesive and protective of what he sees as his. Stubborn but also very sexy. He's a caretaker and sets everyone else's needs over his own. His past is branded with heartbreak and betrayal and he keeps his heart behind tons of shields to avoid being hurt again. I loved him to pieces. He's my kind of alpha hero. Strong, passionate, dirty but not overbearing or too stubborn. He always said the right things to make my toes curl and I really start to swoon again every time I think about him. He's in my top 5 heroes of 2010- and all mine. ;)

As always the worldbuilding and pace of this book was masterly done. I was drawn into the story from the start. This world is one of this rare gems that makes you think- it combines a paranormal world with a political system based on prejudices and intolerance that make you think about the world we live in. I love when a book makes me think. But the best thing about the Southern Arcana series for me is the way Moira Rogers includes the sidecast. Each story doesn't focus 100% on our couple but we also see the characters we loved in the previous books. And I so can't wait to read about Kat and Andrew- and I swear to god these two deserve a HEA. I so can't wait.

Deadlock is a great addition to this series. It's an action packed paranormal romance with a swoon worthy hero and a lovable heroine. Moira Rogers writes in a way that draws you in and won't let you go till you read the last word. For me her books are going on top of my tbr pile as soon as I get them. If you haven't started this series yet: what are you waiting for? Get your hands on Crux and believe me you won't regret it for one second. Great book in an awesome series.
 
To learn more about Donna and Bree (the author duo behind Moira Rogers) and their books please visit the Moira Rogers website here.

The Southern Arcana Series:
1. Crux: my review, reviews @goodreads
2. Crossroads: my review, reviews @goodreads
3. Deadlock: reviews @goodreads release date: January 4th
4. Cipher (Andrews book *g*) September 2011 ebook release / print release in 2012