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It was July and he was sitting outside the Lobster Smack , a crooked clapboard relic from the days when Canvey Island was a marshy backwater populated by grazing sheep and the occasional smuggler. So I walked up to them and said: The men told Chris that they were from Stamford Hill and they were looking to relocate. Phone numbers were swapped and the foundations of an unlikely friendship were laid. In fact, what had brought the men to this island in the Thames estuary was something far more prosaic.

Like many Londoners, the Orthodox Jewish community is being priced out of the capital. House prices, crime statistics and traffic levels were scrutinised. Canvey came out on top. Joel has become the spokesman for the Canvey Haredis and currently has the unenviable task of juggling a steady stream of media requests for access to a community which is fiercely private.

He agrees to meet me at the Jcoci Educational Foundation, the school and synagogue they established earlier this year on the site of a derelict school. Joel tells us they are preparing for Sukkot, a religious festival in which Jews commemorate the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering the desert on their way to the Promised Land by building wooden shelters covered with palm leaves.

Starting over somewhere new. These people have been doing it for centuries. Pinned to the school office wall is a small map of the island with red dots showing where the Haredi families are living: A group of the men were recently invited to attend a Rotary Club dinner where, Joel recounts with a flicker of amusement, the most pressing question of the night was: And Joel says he keeps an eye on local social media groups to make sure any outlandish rumours are nipped in the bud.

People in our community are not used to exposure in any sense or form. They just want to live and let live. The Haredis were not the only ones taking a risk by agreeing to be filmed. In recent years Canvey Island has become the go-to place for TV researchers looking for an angry Ukipper, or Brexiteer.

With its surreal mix of oil silos and caravan parks, amusement arcades and nature reserves, it makes for great television, but often for all the wrong reasons. When Channel 4 wanted to film a one-off Brexit special of Wife Swap , they headed straight to Canvey. The assumption was that Canvey Island was about to get another kicking. Both sides feel they are misrepresented, ridiculed even. But Grant's character needed to be explored more.

The Guardian Pack Series

He felt a bit secondary to me. Also, too bad that the grammar totally sucked. The book desperately needed the expert touch of an editor: They really took away my complete joy in the plot. Dec 09, Nic rated it really liked it. I enjoyed this story. It was packed with a lot of events but thought the author did a great job of bringing everything to forefront. The story was filled with severe abuse both physical and sexual and the MC is a bit broken emotionally - -self-esteem is shot and so is his belief in himself.

He is conflicted with protecting his younger brother all the while enduring severe abuse. His brother however, is exposed to the physical abuse that his older brother endures and he sees the results of the ph I enjoyed this story. His brother however, is exposed to the physical abuse that his older brother endures and he sees the results of the physical abuse.

The other MC Grant appears to be conflicted at times with trying to maintain his responsibilities as the pack alpha and at the same trying to reconcile that he be both an alpha and a lover. I enjoyed the supporting cast - - David, Jason and Sparky. I also liked the Blaze's rogues. I did not necessarily like how it ended but understand that this was in preparation for the next installation that I plan on reading. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the book.

Look forward to reading more books by this author. Jun 17, Lauren rated it did not like it. The really sad thing is, it could have been good, too. The plot was interesting, if a little cliche for this genre, and I really liked the idea that the 'Rare Omega' wasn't part of the relationship but was instead the younger brother. Unfortunately, absolutely none of it worked, mainly because the writing was terrible.

Here's a list of all the nope, for your enjoyment: I mean, it says something that I cringed when the two characters finally got around to having sex, and none of what it says is good. Please don't bother, guys, sorry. Oct 29, Shibumi rated it liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

more on this story

To view it, click here. I can't say I agree with the one written review I read. But they are shifters.

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It was a good but typical, to the point I had to check if I had already read it. Nov 07, Melody rated it did not like it Shelves: The story was all over the place - adding all kinds of elements - such as wolf shifters, magic users, omegas, destined protectors, torture, rape, bdsm, and the navy seals. Character reactions and behaviors weren't consistent and reactions to specific plot developments didn't make sense.

The ending was abrupt; making book two a necessity if you want any type of resolution.

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Dec 19, Kristy Maitz rated it did not like it Shelves: Maybe author "Raven Darkwing" had some interesting ideas about a shape-shifter story, but the end result is disappointing. From my point of view we have to many: All in all, very bad shape-shifter story. Dec 19, Meggie rated it liked it Shelves: I simply can't rate this story higher because of a blah storyline. The main plot circles around a mad Alpha, who is to strong for everyone.

To evil and can do everything and no one can stop him. Dec 16, Carol Miller rated it it was amazing. It has it ALL! This is the only book on Amazon for this author. I am so glad I found it. It has everything a a really good shifter story should have and then some. It's the first time that I've read that Omegas are feared. They had been thought to have been killed off. The Omega has a Protector that is bound to him through magic. Very original concept to me. This story grabbed me from the page and would not let go til the end and I am craving for more!

There is so much to story, I don't even know where to begin. There is Ricky, the Protector. Sandy his 6 year old brother, the Omega. Before Ricky's stepmother died she told him to contact an Alpha Clifton. This Alpha took them in and treated them like his own. Until he found out Sandy was an Omega.


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That was when Ricky's life became a nightmare. He became the whipping boy and sex slave.

The Alpha's Promise (The Guardian Pack #1) by Raven Darkwing

After hearing something the Alpha said in regards to his brother's future, Ricky grabbed Sandy and ran away. He made his way to a Pack known to give sanctuary to those in need. Due to his injuries from the latest beating he almost doesn't make it to safety. They do get there and complications arise. The allegations that they are both Rogue, which means immediate death, and then it just so happens that he is Alpha Grant's Semme, fated mate. Even though Alpha Clifton states they are Rogues, he wants them returned to his lands for punishment. That didn't sit right with Alpha Grant before he met the boys and most certainly didn't once he found who Ricky was to him.

Ricky has a very hard time trusting Alpha Grant when promises to protect them because that is what the other Alpha said too. Ricky was also being trained as a sex slave so his immediate reaction to anything he perceived as bad behavior was to go into a panic attack or cower.

He believes he is too damaged to be the fated mate of strong Alpha like Grant. With his brother safe and happy, he decides he should just take off and disappear. Only he is caught by the Beta from his old pack. Of course, like all stories, there's a rescue mission and reunion. But like I said, there is so much more to this story. The fact that Omegas are feared and why. The role of the Protector. The insidious lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. The great use of technology, for once, in a modern world that lives alot of the old traditions. This may not be my best review but it all comes down to me not wanting to recap a whole story and there being so many exciting things I want relay.

Nov 07, Bkwyrm rated it liked it. Good Bones, Needs Editing I like the story, the characters are sympathetic, the plot rolls along steadily. You know you'll get your happily ever after, but there's some good dramatic tension. There's parts that need cutting, a confusing cluster of characters that need to be trimmed down or combined, and the author seems to be allergic to commas.

Like I said in the title if the review - the book has good bones, but it's not professional quality work. It's a draft in need of an editor. Apr 15, Isha rated it really liked it Shelves: Great start to the series. Ricky, a human, has been chosen to be his younger brother guardian, after his stepmother dies. Feeling he's going to need help raising the young shifter, he joins the pack his step mother mentioned.

And that turned out to be a big mistake.

No on the run, he and his brother need to find sanctuary and when they do, they find more than they ever expected Alpha Grant, who just happens to be Ricky's mate. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what the next bo Great start to the series. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what the next book will entail. Oct 25, C rated it did not like it Shelves: Biggest issues for me centered around the things a six year old was being exposed to.