Review: 3.5 stars for Southern Arcana, book 5
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 4, 2012
Sera has fought to stand on her own after escaping a repressive marriage.  She's happy to have supportive people around but as a submissive coyote, she feels suffocated by all the alpha shifters.  When asked to go on vacation with the sexy Julio Mendoza, a wolf shifter who is on the Southeast council, Sera jumps at the change to get out of town. Julio never wanted the power that came with the Mendoza name but he's set on righting the wrongs committed by his family.  He likes Sera and couldn't care less of what others think of a wolf and coyote having a relationship.  Whether it's a crazy ex or his own flesh and blood, Julio will fight anyone who thinks they can take Sera away from him.I've enjoyed this series since the beginning and all the mated pairs in it but the relationship between Julio and Sera didn't work for me.  Sera's a submissive coyote that needs the right alpha to make both the woman and the animal roll over and beg.  Julio dominates Sera in bed, which was very hot, but beyond that it felt like he said and did all the right things too easily.  I thought there would be more of fight to be together but there really wasn't when compared to past couples and I missed that because it made those endings much more satisfying.Sera's ex has followed her to New Orleans and he wants her back.  For me, Josh was never the big threat.  Julio's father and uncle are the callous ones and anything Josh did, or threatened to do, pale in comparison to them so I didn't invest much into this story.Julio, Alec, Andrew and their allies are trying to make things better in the Southeast territory after being ruled by the abusive Mendozas (excluding Julio and his siblings) whose main concern was gaining power and wealth. Not that Julio's uncle and father plan to back away peacefully.  I loved getting back to this story arc because it brought all my favorite characters and the great chemistry they have with it.  This group of shifters is looking to make a real difference and though they didn't cause any of the problems, they're putting everything they have into making life better.  They're all really fantastic.I didn't like the romance but individually, Sera and Julio have great depth and manage to make their mark in a series that has an excellent cast of characters.  The Southern Arcana world opens up more in this book to add new conflicts and people while including all the ones I've come to love.  After 5 books, Moira Rogers still manages to keep things fresh and interesting and I look forward to seeing what happens next.