A classic tale of species racism and fated mates, Wolf's Mate by Celia Kyle kicks off her new Shifters Rogues series with a bang. Abby, a cougar shifter with a tragic past, finds herself embroiled in a battle she wasn't prepared for. She is just an accountant after all. Declan is all about death and destruction, so he was fully prepared for the battle. He was NOT expecting to meet his mate.
The plot had potential. I liked the racist angle about the United Humanity group attempting to kill all shifters. It kind of reminded me of the old school PNR books and TV shows with hunters who killed the vampires, shifters, and demons. Abby's job as an accountant was a plus as well because I love heroines who have math or science related jobs. It shows women as smart and capable. The danger is certainly ever present once Abby realizes she caught her boss in a big accounting lie since he was funneling money to United Humanity. Now they want her and SHOC, the group Declan works for, also want her. No one seems to care if they get her alive though. Well, no one but Declan.
I like the idea of SHOC. These are not good guys out to save the world. The men and women of SHOC were 'encouraged' to use their talents for hunting and killing to help the shifter community, less they be put in shifter prison for their crimes. None of them are bleeding hearts who are standing up for shifters because they want to help. It was refreshing to have a group of bad boys doing good for bad reasons. Of course, Declan's reasons change when his wolf falls for Abby.
A little creepy, a hint psychotic, but beneath it all was an instinctual need to simply have. All of her.
One thing I love about shifter stories is the fated mates trope. I just have always loved the idea. Declan and Abby both resist the idea for a time, which I appreciate because it shows that they are at least partially human!
You have lots of supporting characters and quite frankly, you are never quite sure who you can trust. I really enjoyed that aspect because it adds even more tension to the plot. You have the obvious danger from the United Humanity group, but then there is the hidden possible dangers from other characters. Pike and Cole both gave me a untrustworthy vibe that had me questioning their motives!
I think what bothered me the most was the constant bickering with their shifter half. Both Abby and Declan spend a LOT of time arguing and fighting with their animal and it just made the book drag for me. I understand the need to show that the human and the animal are 2 separate entities in a body, but the constant 'talk' between human and beast was disruptive to the flow of the plot in my opinion. However, this is me being very nit-picky. I am not sure it would have bothered me so much if I wasn't feeling a bit cranky. And honestly, that was really the only thing I didn't love about the story.
I think the Shifters Rogue series has potential. While there was a thing or two I didn't like with Wolf's Mate, I do think I will continue with the series because I am interested in how Kyle will play out all the characters. Cole's story is next and I am very interested in who will catch this tiger!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: shifters, fated mates
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: yes
Drakon's Promise by NJ Walters, Buck Naked by Evangeline Anderson, Dark Alpha's Lover...then you will probably like Wolf's Mate!
Wolf's Mate
Celia Kyle tells The Book Disciple....
Top 5 reasons shifter romances rock!
- Growly, over the top alpha heroes.
- Possessive heroes who refuse to let their ladies go once they find them.
- A shifter’s bone-deep desire to protect those they love. No one is going to hurt a shifter’s family or loved ones!
- Mating for life. I love that a shifter finds their mate and then that’s it for them.
- The dual nature of a shifter and how the human half interacts with the animal half. It definitely makes for some fun internal “conversations” between the two.
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