Since the first book in this series, I've been waiting for Cade to find his mate. With the tri-bond and having no mate, there were always be a strong connection with his brother's mate,Nina . Cade will be the anchor forever and that really strong connection will not lessen until he finds his mate.

If you're starting off with this book, you'll definitely be confused as to who is who and generally the way of the wolves that Lauren writes.

Cade wasn't my favorite in this and he let me down a bit especially when it came to his mate (soooo glad he finally found his) and going over constantly. With being Nina's anchor, she was being hostile towards Grace and Cade, more than once, catered to her. And Grace was not having anything of that. To be honest, that reason alone knocked down the rating because I would not be okay with that too.

Grace definitely made this book for me, when she gains the alpha title by mating with Cade. It wasn't going to be a smooth transition for her, but she is so strong and proved herself over and over.

Truly love this series and author, but this might be my least favorite in the series so far!

Cade found his mate and she is perfect for him!

I was waiting for Cade to find his mate and Grace really is his equal in every way. There was no messing about when they met – both recognized their mates and embraced that connection. Whew, the heat from these two was combustible and didn’t lessen one bit as they suffered the growing pains of a new relationship…

“In Cade Warden she hadn’t just found a mate, she’d rediscovered herself.”

Grace is the new alpha and she embraces that role, and Cade, as if she was born to both. She is bossy, yet balanced and fair, relishing her new family (most of them, anyway), and her responsibility to the pack. She is protective and never more so than with her mate. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to work hard to get the pack’s approval, given who her brother is….

Even with all the challenges these two face, they still found time for love and snark amidst the pack politics and the danger they all faced. Love is love regardless of your DNA and this series is all about that! ~Diane, 4.5 stars

Alpha’s challenge is Cade’s chance for a well deserved HEA. As the alpha for one of the strongest US packs, his path to finding his mate made for a great story. Living with his brother and his wife, his yearning for the bond a mate brings has been amplified and his need is becoming increasingly harder to ignore.

It was karma when he meets his mate while in Chicago checking on his sister, Tegan’s, wellbeing. The woman who triggers his mating instinct is Grace Pellini, the sister of the werewolf mafia’s main man. That alone heralds a bumpy courtship, but when you add in the fact she’s working to stop her brother’s nefarious plans the danger quotient goes up exponentially.

Grace was an impressive heroine. There is a lot of strong, alpha woman packed into a tiny little package. I loved that she didn’t need to be hard as nails or snarky to get her point across. She was quiet, even tempered and polite… well until she felt the need to bring out the big guns, then she was hell on wheels.

Because of who she was, she wasn’t immediately accepted by everyone but she understood why. Instead of railing against the injustice of being judged by her crazy brother’s actions, she just quietly went about proving herself to be loyal and worthy of being the alpha female.

What I didn’t like was the issues with Nina which felt a bit like manufactured angst to me. I was also shaking my head a bit at a couple of the spats between Grace and Cade. There was enough going on that this kind of thing felt completely unneeded.

When they weren’t having stupid squabbles, Cade and Grace were dynamite together but in a very good way. The whole mate thing guaranteed some explosive chemistry and these two let it loose in all sorts of ways and in some fun places.

Almost better than the sexy action was the dangerous action. There were gun fights, poisonings, assassins, and even a one on one battle to the death to keep me entertained. Warren Pellini picked a fight with the wrong wolf when he took on Cade.

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed some quality time with the Cascadia wolves. Can’t wait for what gets re-rereleased next

Rating: 4 Love Conquers All Stars.

I love this Cascadia Wolves series! I loved the slow burn of Cade and Grace's romance. And how FINALLY Cade had a love of his own! Grace had so much to overcome too--she'd been packless for so long. But with love and patience, Cade broke through Grace's resistance and they're Alpha mating bond is so solid. Can't wait for more in this series.

This is a fast paced and hot story.This was a new to me series but there was no problem following the stories.Cade finally finds his mate, Grace, and she's the sister of his greatest enemy. I loved the story in this one!

I had high hopes for this book. Alpha shifter romances can be super-sexy. And in this case, it also seemed like it might be a forbidden love kind of deal because the Alpha in question, Cade, is falling for the sister of his greatest enemy. He’s a guy who has always put his pack first and now finally has something for himself in Grace, the selfless doctor who is willing to put herself on the line to go against her family and do the right thing.

Unfortunately, I had so many problems here. First off, I was dumb enough to jump into book four in the Cascadia Wolves series without ever having read books 1-3. With some PNR series, you could do that and be totally fine. Not so much with this one. The first 10-15% is stuffed full of characters and backstory that made my head spin. But what it didn’t do was explain one of the core world-building tenets until about the 30% mark. The part where there have to be “anchors” in the relationship. Basically that means that once a woman finds her mate, she also has to have sex with another dude to build a back-up bond in case her mate dies. I’m going to be honest here and tell you that had I known about that on the front end, I would have never picked this up. So not only do Cade and Grace have to do it with some other random guy, Cade himself is an anchor to his brother’s wife, who sort of thinks about him as a second husband. But without the sex. Except, of course, for that one time. And she is jealous and horrible to Grace. I wanted to quit the book several times reading this entire thread.

That was my biggest issue, but not my only one. The dialogue was repetitive…. I think Cade declared that he was an Alpha about 872 different times in the book. (I get it! The title gives it away.) The love was too instant. (I’m down with an instant-bond for shifters, but that is not the same as instant love.) There were too many characters, too much pack politics. And nothing that really made me care about any of it. The sex was moderately hot, but it wasn’t strong enough to make up for all the things that didn’t work for me.

Maybe this would be a better fit for people who have read the series from the beginning or those who aren’t bothered by extra people in the core relationship. It’s got more than a 4-star average with 1000+ reviews on Goodreads. But it wasn’t for me.

I had been waiting to read Cade's book since I started this series. Wow. While trying to find Warren Pellini and his group of rogue wolves, Dr. Grade Pellini comes into his life to deliver some information they need to know, on what Warren has been doing. Who is she to Warren? What sort of contact has she had with him? When Grace walks into the room to meet with Maxwell, Cade, and the others, wha happens? When Cade takes Grace back to Cascadia, what happens? What is going on that more humans and wolves start dying? What does Agent Benoit say about all of this? What does Grace do that almost gets her killed once, an attempted murder a second time, and with Warren trying to just kill everyone? What ace in the hole does Grace come up with for Cade before his Challenge in Boston? You're going to have to read to see what happens in this book.

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

This was a great book and I could hardly put it down. I loved all of the characters especially our main couple. I loved how sassy she was even though she was petite. I loved how caring he was even though the was the alpha! Great read!

Be aware up front that this book is a re-issue and was published under another title. Alpha's Challenge and the Cascadia Wolves series is well worth the purchase price. It has Ms. Dane's signature relateable layered characters, which carry from book to book. Though each can stand alone, the series is better read in total. Ms. Dane has created a fantastic world and populated it with engaging characters, add that to well crafted stories and you have a winner. Enjoy!

I feel like this book was a long time coming. We met Cade early in this series and he’s sort of gotten the short end of the stick. Sure, he’s the anchor bond for his brother and his wife, but he’s never really gotten to live a life of his own. What isn’t already claimed by the pack, is eaten up by his pseudo-family life, living with a married couple. This, obviously, is not healthy for anyone. I’ve been dying to see Cade finally find his mate, and this book totally delivers.

The larger story with Warren Pellini is still ramping up. The “good wolves” get a massive break when they find out that someone working in his evil labs is willing to come forward. This “someone” ends up being Warren Pellini’s sister, and… Cade’s mate. Of course, Cade couldn’t really have it that easy. He gets a mate who is instantly in danger, related to the enemy, and an immediate enemy of his brother’s mate.

It was *amazing* to watch Nina get put in her place, so that alone makes this book worth reading. Sure, their relationship isn’t easy, but Cade really earns his HEA here. Oh, and there’s a super duper mega battle that helps resolve a lot of things. Change is on the horizon for all these characters, and its great fun to watch.

Grace reached out and read the screen the low level pack member had tried to hide. Then Grace said she had said that wasn’t to be tested . but the wolf said Warren had told him to pass the reports on the lab to Nashville.But Grace knew now was not the time to lose it or draw attention to herself. Then Grace called Warren herself. Grace told warren he had to be sure that he was having the data sent else she needed to be alerted. Grace told her brother she thought he brought her back to do research. How could she make any accurate predictions of efficiency? Then Grace told Warren to let her do her job or not to waste her time. said that he was was to let her on everything. She couldn’t be an effective researcher if she didn’t know everything that was going on. But she did know that none of them would do anything Warren didn’t authorize. Grace knew she needed to move soon just a couple more days until she could get more information and then get out. She couldn’t risk much longer . Warrens spies were everywhere and Grace trusted no one not even her parents. Warren said that Grace would be alerted . Warren wanted the Nashville lab to have the data They had some subjects at the Nashville lab that Warren had been told were perfect for the trials. Then Warren told Grace she would have full access and no to disappoint him. Grace felt sick as she knew what would happen to the homeless humans the pack would use. When Grace seen the first body come into the E R seven months earlier she had known Warren was responsible. Even if no one in her family or pack knew right from wrong Grace did. Cade was Alpha of the Cascadian Wolves . Lex was his enforcer but also his brother. But Lex had to stay home with his pregnant wife Nina while Cade went to Chicago for a war meeting also to meet a female who said she had information and wanted to talk . The insider turned out to be Grace. Then Cade and Grace figured out they were mates and bond then do the tribond with Jack he was the Enforcer - and second from the National pack. Cade is so happy he found his mate even if she was Warren Pelleni’s sister he would do anything to keep her safe. Teegan welcomes Grace to their family. Grace had been alone with no pack or family for so long she was very happy to at least have someone. Cade and the higher up wolves met with the human F BI agent Benoit to tell him about Warren. Forty eight bodies had already been racked up Benoit was not happy the wolves had waited so long to go to the F B I. Then they asked Grace what she needed from her condo as the security would pack what she wanted that night and they would be leaving for Cascadia territory the next afternoon. Grace was greeted tenderly by Cade’s mother Beth. but Nina acted out but then after some breakfast the next morning Grace and Nina were ok. Some wolves in the pack accepted grace some didn’t because of her last name it would just take time.
I absolutely love this story. The plot was great . The whole story was awesome and held my attention from the first page until the last. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this story . Lauren you did again I am so glad I started reading your books. I love this series. I loved how Grace was so alone but braved what her brother warren would do if hr found out what she was really up to. I loved Cade and his yearning to find his mate and to have what his brother Lex and Nina have. Then suddenly and totally unexpectedly finding Grace. I loved all the action and suspense and all that went into this story in this story. I adored the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

If you are a fan of this series, you have been waiting for Cade's story. As I have only read the previous book, I didn't know much about Cade. That said I enjoyed learning about him and his relationship with his brother, and his being his brother's wife "anchor"
When he is ask to meet a mysterious woman with info about the virus that is killing wolfs and human alike. He meets Grace who it turns out is the sister of the enemy. Of course it is love and lust immediately as they both realize they are meant to be mates. This is where I wish I had read the other books in the series, which I plan to.
Cade has been Nina's anchor since she married his brother. This is meant to help if you lose your mate, which is devastating and your anchor helps you through it. Ok there is more to it than that but you get the point. It creates a closeness and bond itself. Grace is unsure of this bond and wonders if he loves her and she isn't sure if she can handle it. But thank goodness the author Lauren Dane gave Grace a backbone and her alpha women came out and set Nina straight. I loved how Cade had to figure out how not to be all alpha all the time with his women. It made me giggle and laugh several times. The sex was hot and the action of the storyline built to a climax.

Lauren Dane is not a new author to me but I've only recently started reading her paranormal romances. I believe her Cascadia Wolves series is being re-released by Carina Press and when each book comes out, I snatch it up. Like other paranormal series, Dane's wolves mate for life and seem to find their mates at first scent. What's different is that the female of the pair needs to mate with another male wolf after the Mate Bond is in place. The Tri-Bond, as it's called, helps calm the female's hormones and allows the female to survive if her mate dies. Honestly, I have a bit of a problem with the reasoning behind the Tri-Bond but by the fifth book in the series, I was okay with it. And it adds an erotic edge to the story.

Needless to say, I've been waiting for Cade's book for a while. He was first introduced as the stern and protective alpha. In his brother Lex's book, he performed the Tri-Bond with Lex's mate, Nina, and with the three of them living together, he has a tight relationship with them. That proved an issue when Cade meets his mate, Grace. Since Grace and Cade were both wolves and immediately accepted that they were mates and loved each other, there needed to outside forces effecting their relationship or this would have been a short and boring book. Luckily, Grace is the sister of Warren Pellini, the main villain in this series. This, on top of Cade's relationship with Nina, provided some of the conflict in the book.

Grace and Cade were introduced when she offered information about her brother's research with the werewolf virus to Cade and his allied packs. They had the instant love at first scent of a Mate-Bond. What I really liked about the book was watching Cade and Grace learn to live with each other. The bond means they are in love but that doesn't mean their relationship is smooth sailing. Grace had to cope with Cade's Alpha nature and over-protectiveness. Cade had to learn to discuss things with his new mate and to make time for each other outside of the pack.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It flowed well with the previous books in the series in terms of the war with Warren Pellini. Cade and Grace were both interesting and complex characters. While there was the instant love plot, there were plenty of internal and external pressures on their relationship which made the book compelling. Both the Tri-Bond scene and the passion between Cade and Grace provided the book with a steaminess. This was a satisfying paranormal romance with an edge of eroticism.

I have enjoyed the slow evolution of the Cascadia Wolves series. The writing has gotten better; the storyline has gotten stronger; the characters have been better drawn.

This is especially true of Cade in this book. While there is still a bit too much tell and not enough show, Cade's need to find a mate came through loud and clear. It made him a much better character because he was a bit two dimensional in previous books. Seeing him yearn and then mess up was fun.

Grace is every bit the alpha female. I loved how she gave Nina (Nina!) the smackdown and how she did what needed to be done. Grace, in my opinion, is more alpha than Cade. She steps up when necessary and steps back when needed. She doesn't take stuff from anyone and she works hard and knows her own worth.

I liked this book better than others in this series for it's additional focus on plot and better characterization. I also liked the ending a great deal.

4.5 stars - Another great read from Lauren Dane. Each book is a stand alone, but the series is all connected. This is the second book in the series that I've read. If you haven't read this series from the beginning, this book gives an explanation of the "anchoring process" that wasn't in the previous book I read.

Cade finally finds his mate, Grace, and she's the sister of his greatest enemy. The challenge the title speaks to is actually a blimp in the book, although the outcome is critical. The major focus is on the Alpha of Cascadia pack meeting, bonding and embracing his mate. She's a petite doctor who packs a punch and is perfect for him.

Whether you’ve been reading this series from the beginning or just stumbled across this read and thinking to give it a go, you wanted be disappointed.

I received an ARC of this book, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Just could not get into this book I don't understand this Anchor mate crap. It feels like it is just there to have a threesome in the book and not for any meaning what's so ever. I didn't like Grace and I don't like Cade.

Summary

Cade has waited so many years to find his mate. He doesn’t know if he will ever find her. But when he is called to travel to meet up with a young woman who is their greatest enemy’s sister, who has information about a serum that kills werewolves he never expected that Grace would be his mate, one he has been waiting for years to find and will do anything to protect. Grace, is a skilled doctor and scientist. After being kicked out of her own pack because of the crimes of her evil brother, she stayed far far away from him. She knew what he was capable of and didn’t want any part of it. But then she realized that she could help, if she could gain his trust and get the information the other packs needed to find a vaccine for the killing serum that kills their people. But there is opposition to their union and their mating will lead them to a future neither expected…
Plot and Story Line

What a story and boy did I fall in love with Cade and Grace and so very quickly too. The story does start out a bit slow however but I feel it just builds up on the background of our characters so we understand where either of them are coming from. Cade is a character we have seen from the very beginning. He is the alpha of the pack, and even though he is an anchor for his brother and his mate he still hasn’t found a mate. I did like seeing him and how his responsibilities weigh on him so you understand him better. Then we switch over to our heroine, Dr. Grace Pellini. She hasn’t had the best experience with wolf packs at all. But somehow she isn’t too bitter about it. She is a heroine I became so endeared to. She is strong, intelligent, does have a temper at times, but she also is kind and caring. We see how well of a match that Cade and Grace make for each other. The only downside I felt was Lex and Nina. Nina especially was so bitter against Grace, like really jealous and it just didn’t make too much sense to me. Especially since Nina is one of my favorite characters of the series. I didn’t like seeing such a negative side to her. She does get her act together but it can be a turn off. But boy Grace really straightens her out. Love a strong heroine who can be understanding and kind but still firm and all badass too!! Definitely having a blast with this series.

“Love isn’t enough so you have to work your tail off to make up that last twenty percent. Don’t rely on love, rely on your head and your heart and the knowledge that working and being in love is way better than slacking off and having it all fall apart later.”

The Cover

I like the blue and the lovely abs on top!! Never can get enough of them.
Overall View

Alpha’s Challenge is a thrilling roller coaster of a romance that sizzles, inspires and warms your heart!!

Another winning story by Ms. Dane. Hot and good. Well-written.

A little bit boring even if I was looking forward to read Cade's story. Cascadia wolves are not so interesting anymore in my opinion, but Lauren Dane is, as usual, a very good writer and good to read.

Un po' noioso anche se non vedevo l'ora di leggere la storia di Cade. Finita la guerra i lupi di Cascadia non sono piú tanto interessanti secondo me, ma Lauren Dane resta una scrittrice di quelle che valgono la pena.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Boy have I been pinning for Cades story ever since Lex and Nina's story.
For awhile my perverse side was kinda hoping that there was more to Nina and Cade than just an anchor bond. Yes, yes I know I'm a perv but still I really thought they had a little somein somein.

Still.. I'm very glad now that that is not the case.

I do try to keep my reviews spoiler free so if this doesn't make a lot of sense I do apologise.

Grace surprised the shit outta me throughout this story. She started like this timid little kitty and I just woah lady your about to be chewed up and spat out right to the wolves... literally.
However she turned my opinion round and shoved it up my ass by the end. Kitty? No that's way off the mark. More along the lines of a tiger.

The poor women has been up shit creep without a paddle trying her hardest to fight her way out. Finding what was her best solution even though it came with high risks. She showed up as a inside informant and ending up finding a whole new life for herself.
I really loved her character growth. It was believable and very entertaining seeing her grow into her new place with film but gentle hands. She definitely is by far my favourite lead from the series thus far.

Now Cade is a different story. He is a alpha through and through so I found my self biting my tongue in certain parts because he has that mind set of it's my way or the high way. Now I give some leeway because you can't help your personality and something that you've done independently for 12 plus years is hard to just kick out of. I did really find his nervous cooking and arse licking very endearing and he was good at it. I liked that even though he hated to admit he was wrong he did and his love for Grace definitely shone through.

I really enjoyed them together. They're chemistry was smoking hot. The constant sarcastic remarks has me sniggering to myself often. The power play between them was intense and interesting to read because you are never sure what way it would go between them. They for sure make and interesting read, especially when Cade was facing Grace's mighty wrath!(I was totally shouting you go girllll! Through that part.)

Another interesting part was learning how him being an anchor affects his new mating and how Nina reacts. That was equally frustrating/annoying as it was understandable. You get to see other sides of past characters that you don't expect and more of other characters that you haven't heard much of in the past.

All round the story is pretty seemless with a few unexpected surprises thrown in as well as a rollercoaster of emotions to finish you off. I enjoyed most of this story. My only complaints are that the ending is so abrupt that it feels unfinished though I will say this one is better than the others, you do get a little insight of them further on. Also some of the things in the story pissed me off enough to stick with my till the end. But that's minor all round I really enjoyed this story and can't wait for what's next.

Megan and jack maybe? I'm hoping so... either way I can't wait for what's next.

<b>I kindly received this ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b>