He’s a perfect disaster. She’s a perfect escape.

River Baker has traded his failed marriage, a social media disaster, and his modeling career in LA for his hometown of Epson. Awaiting him is the notorious Baker reputation, a job at his brother’s tattoo shop, Serpent’s Tongue Ink, and there’s no escaping the judgment over why he couldn’t keep his ‘perfect life’ together. But when he meets a businesswoman who sees past his handsome façade to the scars he hides, River finds the true escape he seeks.

Angelina Watson owns Wholly Yours and strives to live a quiet life of balance. A free spirit who never felt like she belonged, Angelina has created her own peaceful world of candles, essential oils, and trinkets as unique as she is. The broken, conflicted River sets her passion and her bed on fire, but she wants to be his partner, not his crutch.

Torn between perfection, expectation, and love, River has a choice to make before Angelina makes it for him and walks away for good.

Titles in the Serpent’s Tongue Ink series include: Bad Boy in Her Bed ~ Breaking the Alpha ~ 

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Breaking the Alpha
Series:  Serpent’s Tongue Ink #2
Author:  Katja Desjarlais
Published:  August 19, 2025
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4 stars

Breaking the Alpha is the second title in the Serpent’s Tongue Ink series, and brings us the sizzling romance between Angelina and River.  If you love your romances hot and spicy, then you’re going to love this one.

River, a well-known model, has returned home, for a while, laying low and licking his wounds after his ex-wife, a social media influencer, trashed him on social media.  She and her followers are making his life a living nightmare.  Angelina dances to her own drummer; she’s independent, focused on her shop, and living her own good life.  She met River at a local bar, neither acknowledging that they lived in this town, and they had what she believed was a sizzling, hot one-night stand.  Surprise!  Angelina’s shop is just a few doors away from River’s brother’s tattoo shop, where he’s currently working.

I have not yet read the first story in this series.  Yet, I didn’t feel completely lost, as what I really needed to know was found in either the dialogue or the narrative.  I will go back and get caught up since I now need to know what happened.

I enjoyed Breaking the Alpha by Katja Desjarlais.  It’s a well-written, emotional, and very steamy romance between two somewhat broken souls who find far more than a one-night relationship.  Oh, it’s not going to be an easy road for them, but watching them work through the doubts and the questions was an enjoyable journey to their eventual happy ending.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)