Review of In Your Eyes by Cardeno C.

In Your Eyes by Cardeno C.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I do believe that In Your Eyes may be my favorite of the Mates series. As much as I enjoyed the previous books in the series, I think that Samuel's story is my favorite because he undergoes so much personal growth and flourishes in the face of all the challenges he meets. That his social awkwardness reminded me of myself at the same age helped me to connect with him more than the characters in the rest of the series and likely contributes to his being my favorite character thus far.

Samuel is a book learner. He has been groomed for the position of Alpha since childhood and has immersed himself in studying all that he could regarding shifters in general and his pack specifically. While his intelligence and learning is well known and respected by others, his aloofness and inability to connect with his pack emotionally concerns both him and his parents. When circumstances force him to take over as Alpha long before he is ready, he does the best he can in an unbelievably difficult situation. When things yet again do not go according to plan, Samuel finds himself face to face with his true mate ... his MALE true mate. To say that Samuel was shocked to learn who his true mate was would be an understatement, but he was absolutely devastated by the way in which he learned the truth. But as is the case with true mates, tying with Korban completed Samuel in such a way that he was finally able to understand the lessons his father tried to teach him about connecting with his pack. It is the strength of Korban’s love and humanity that gives him the frame of reference he was sorely lacking.

The character development that Samuel undergoes is astounding. It should have felt rushed because so much happened in such a short time, yet the author wrote the scenes in such a way that they felt perfectly paced. As expected, the sex scenes were hot and I swear I could feel Samuel's enthusiasm pouring off the pages once he embraced his sexuality and his mate. In Your Eyes has such a great balance of romance, sexual heat, action and intrigue that I was engrossed from beginning to end. Cardeno C. has written yet another great installment in the Mates series and I can only hope there are more to come.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Mates Series by Cardeno C blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


View all my reviews

Review of Until Forever Comes by Cardeno C.

Until Forever Comes by Cardeno C.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Another beautiful story from Cardeno C. Having met Miguel and Ethan in Wake Me Up Inside, I was excited to read their story and learn how they became mates, especially considering the animosity that shifters have for vampires in this series. Until Forever Comes did not disappoint as the author weaves a romance that is distinctly different than any I've ever read before.

The book opens with Ethan facing death via suicide by vampire as he can no longer bear his painful existence, both physically and emotionally. Much to his disappointment, he wakes the next morning still alive, but having finally shifted – about a decade later than he should have. His relief at the situation is short-lived and he soon seeks out Miguel, the vampire who spared his life, and who seems to be the star of some rather erotic dreams. It turns out that Ethan isn't the only one feeling the pull and when Miguel finally responds to the draw between them it is hot.

But as with other books I have read by Cardeno C., it is the romance and building of the relationship between Ethan and Miguel that makes this such an enjoyable read. As someone who grew up in a small rural town, I have to say that the author writes redneck well. There were so many phrases used that I grew up hearing. Even more impressive is that Miguel's voice was distinctly different than Ethan's and his pack members and I never noticed a slip in the characters' language. I find that with each of the author's books I read, I become more and more of a fan and Until Forever Comes is no exception. I'm looking forward to starting the next book in the series momentarily.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Mates Series by Cardeno C blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


View all my reviews

Review of Wake Me Up Inside by Cardeno C.

Wake Me Up Inside by Cardeno C.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



My introduction to Cardeno C’s writing came after reading Perfect Imperfections, so I was quite excited by the opportunity to read the Mates series. I find m/m paranormal romances to be more of a miss than a hit for me as opposed to their contemporary romances counterparts, but I was hopeful that this one would be a hit. Fortunately CC’s talent for crafting a beautiful m/m romance transcends genres and Wake Me Up Inside was even better than I expected.

Zev is his pack’s Alpha. He’s strong. He’s intelligent. He’s dominant. He’s gay. And his true mate is human. Yep, those last two are where Zev’s problems lie. Not because he’s fighting his nature and refuses to acknowledge his homosexuality, but rather because he knows some of his pack members are not going to be accepting of his sexuality or of Jonah. Being human, Jonah has no understanding of why Zev professes his love yet refuses to consummate their relationship. Although frustrating for Jonah, Zev’s refusal leads to years of foreplay that was so freaking hot to read. Even though they were friends during middle school and high school, Zev’s refusal to have sex also meant that their relationship deepened emotionally. This is where the beauty of CC’s writing comes in. Rather than relying upon the mating instinct of shifters as the driving force for their relationship development, Wake Me Up Inside focuses on the building of the emotional relationship between Zev and Jonah. With Zev actively ignoring his mating instinct to insure that Jonah is able to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor, Zev’s sacrifice is just one example of the love the men share and just one of many reasons why I absolutely adored Zev and Jonah.

As much as I loved this book, I do have one teeny, tiny little complaint about it. In the beginning third or so of the book, the past experiences of and between Zev and Jonah are relayed via recalling of memories. While I liked reading about their experiences and how they got to where they are in their relationship, it wasn’t always immediately clear that the passage I was reading was a memory and not in the present. While ultimately it didn’t affect my enjoyment of Wake Me Up Inside, I fear that there are readers who are going to find the writing confusing and give up on the book, thus missing out on a truly entertaining read; the addition of time line headers (e.g., 2 years ago) would benefit the book greatly. Other than that, I loved it and was engaged from beginning to end. I found the twist about Jonah fascinating and am looking forward to starting book 2, Until Forever Comes, next.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Mates Series by Cardeno C blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


View all my reviews