In the previous one we met Ethan and Miguel as "friends" of Leah who is actually Jonah's aunt. But there is also an interesting connection between Ethan and Leah, to be discovered in the ending of this one. It was closing a circle basically, because up until that point there was no apparent connection between the first and second installment. The setting of this one is 30+ years PRIOR to the first book, meaning, the MC in the first installment weren't even born yet.. I liked the way the thread connected. It made more sense when you realized the forces behind it all.
As with the previous one, I can also "complain" about the sex taking too much space in the story. Not only that, there is no "fade to black" so we experience with them the OTT sexual connection - which is fine! Great for them! But the way I see it, it didn't move the plot, or the general connection between the MC so there was no need for so much of it. I DID like that even though Ethan is much smaller it didn't necessary mean he will be the bottom. Also there was a surprising detail about their sexual encounters than wasn't mentioned in the first one. I don't want to say what it was, but I'll "hint" by saying it has to do with the fact Ethan is a wolf shifter.
The story was mostly told from Ethan's POV so his life was more clear to us, but near the end of the book we also got Miguel's story which was unexpected and very interesting. I like the world Cardeno built in this series. I also liked the special condition Ethan had that allowed him to be what Miguel needs and by that being the perfect match for his own needs as well.
I'm still not sure about the rating of this one though I finished reading it last night. I guess because of my issue with Ethan the story was less engaging as I wanted it to be which is why I'm hesitant of giving it a full 4 star rating. My issue is I felt a bit disconnected from Ethan, I didn't really like him or feel he was a "worthy hero". I wonder how I would have perceived the book from Miguel's POV..
Well then, off to start the next one :)
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Mates is a MM Paranormal Romance Series by C. Cardeno. Cardeno built a beautiful world with not only humans but shifters ("half wolves") and vampires which is a bit different from the usual way I was used to these two supernatural being portrayed.
Each installment brings a new couple together, the first being Zed and Jonah, the second of Miguel and Ethan is a sort of "explanation" to the occurrence prior to the first book and the third is mentioned the MCs from the previous books but like the other ones can be read as a stand alone.
I really enjoyed this series. Though you could call the whole "True Mate" concept an "insta-love" which I usually don't enjoy that much, the connection between the couple and the way it is build is truly a joy to read. Cardeno has a special tender way of bringing two opposites together, totally completing one another. My only complaint is there is too much sex in all three installments. I wish we would have gotten more "couple time" in a different way. That being said, I never reduced any rating to all three of them on this account.
Books:
1. Wake Me Up Inside [Zev Hassick & Jonah Marvel] (published 14 August 2012) ★★★★★
2. Until Forever Comes [Ethan Abbatt & Miguel Rodriguez] (published 19 May 2013) ★★★½
3. In Your Eyes [Samuel Goodwin & Korbin Keller] (published 13 July 2014) ★★★★★
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