First off, this book it SO damn sweet, the romance was heart warming in a way, honestly, I'm surprised wasn't a bit too much for me. I was just hooked from the first chapter to Zev and Jonah's love story, I couldn't wait to get to the point when Zev and Jonah are finally connected as mates.
The story is mostly told from Zev's POV but we get quite a lot of Jonah as well. I should say that we get the two POVs together, not separated into chapter. This kind of structure is not my favorite because it can get a bit confusing but it wasn't like that in this one, it felt flawless and I really enjoyed moving from one to another in a specific scene.
We start when Zev and Jonah are 30 years old, Zev describes his life as the alpha of the pack and yet an un-mated one, not to mention mostly secretly gay and having a true-mate he can't introduce because he is a man - meaning, not only a guy.. he is also human while Zev is a (wolf) shifter. complicated.. Even more complicated is the physical situation he is in.. His body is in constant pain from craving his true mate. Shifters have to me mated at a certain age to help the wolf and man be able to live together without one over powering the other. Zev, being a VERY strong wolf is struggling to maintain his humanity and not being lost to his wolf. What he needs, or rather WHO he needs is Jonah.
From this point we go back in time to the first time Zev and Jonah meet when Jonah is a little toddler and Zev is a smallish wolf Jonah calls "Pup" affectionately. Later on they go to school together and become best friends. It was so sweet and beautiful seeing their relationship evolves over the years. The connection between them was so present in everything they did. It was so tender. Maybe that's the correct way to describe everything about these two - tender. The friendship, the love, the attraction, the connection. EVERYTHING.
At 18 Jonah decided to become a doctor. That's when things become complicated. Jonah leaves their small town and they have to see how and even if they can manage their relationship. Maybe "if" is not really the question.. it's just gets difficult for the both of them. While it's obvious to Zev what's going on with HIM mentally and physically, Jonah is confused by the whole thing. He doesn't know Zev is a shifter and he isn't aware of his past or the strange connection he and Zev has (like sensing Zev before he arrives).
Zev knows time is running short, but he won't confess to Jonah, and won't fully commit to him as a mate until Jonah returns home to their cabin (the one Zev built for them). But there is much to discuss, a lot of truths to be revealed before they can truly be together as a mated couple.
It worked beautifully in the end. I guess we could have gotten a bit more of how it truly works to live in the pack as a mated gay couple especially with Zev being the Alpha but I guess what he got was enough because it just felt so right! There was a very interesting story about Jonah's past and what it entailed, as well as a very interesting couple - a shifter and a vampire which will be the MC in the next installment.
Tender. Beautiful. Sensitive. Yeah, maybe a bit sticky at times but in truth - just RIGHT for the two of them. They were beautifully PERFECT for one another and though we are dealing with wolves, it never felt as though Zev is treating Jonah in a submissive way because he was the alpha, or is considered the more dominant one. My one complaint could be that there was a bit too much sex. It was hot! don't get me wrong! and it was very fitting, but I would have liked more interaction between them as a couple dealing with life together and not them grabbing one another whenever possible (which is great for them, but a bit over powering the general plot) - but as my rating shows, it's not enough to take away ANYTHING from how sweet and tender this love story was.
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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