The Love He Squirreled Away

Mate or Meal #3

by Scarlet Hyacinth

[Siren Classic Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, shape-shifters] Stew or spouse? It is the dilemma werewolf Soren fights upon taking squirrel-shifter Daniel as his mate. His duty as an Alpha forces him to keep his mate a secret while his heart and his beast demand to claim Daniel. Daniel has always feared getting too close to others since a lethal disease branded him as an outcast for his kind. He dares to make an exception for Soren, despite Soren's difficult situation. Surpassing his feelings of inadequacy is a challenge, even if he knows Soren would never betray their bond. But just as Daniel starts to make new friends within the pack, there are other forces at work that do not agree to the two men's mating. A vicious attack on Soren's loved ones is pinned on Daniel, and all loyalties begin to be questioned. How long will Daniel be allowed to keep his role as Soren's spouse? ** A Siren Erotic Romance

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Gay, Contemporary, Fantasy

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2011

About the author

Scarlet Hyacinth was born in 1986, in a Romania still struggling under the weight of the communist regime. As a young girl, she started studying the English language and fell in love with books.
After a childhood spent devouring hundreds of pages of fantasy literature, Scarlet found her calling. While at uni, she discovered with the help of a dear friend that she had a knack for writing. The rest, as they say, is history, or rather, lots of hard work and sleepless nights. Today, she can only say with a smile that nothing is impossible and that no matter what others say, you can achieve your dreams if you work hard enough.

Reviews

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions]

I am going to have to cacao this book. I read to 34% before giving up. I was bored mostly and the story was way too jumpy for me. Kept wondering how the story got here and feeling like I missed huge chunks of stuff and was confused. And the squirrel talking just drove me nuts (laugh at my pun, laugh at it!). Which I knew it would but LA made me try to read it anyway. And I hated the sex maybe if there would have been some tension I’d get into it but the squirrel goes from not wanting to mate and have sex but will do coffee then boom hotel sex, ready to mate have kids and he is determined they will make it work but the reader never sees why he changed his mind or anything. Since I didn’t finish maybe this is flash backed to? But I hate flashbacks so wouldn’t have liked it anyway…

The email addresses they used were super funny

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I am sad they have sex right away after magically going from "lets get coffee" to hotel sex. Alas no tension. On the plus side after the first time fucking Nutty the wolf runs back to his pack... why wait till right before he leaves to fuck Chirpy? Not sure. He mentions they talked about something but reader isn't told that information.

There were some other WTF's but I already forgot :(

Then at 16% he (nutty the squirrel) says he is also visiting family and will discuss his new mating/relationship with his family… … … Then at 21% you learn he lives with said family (so how was he visiting them?) and he is proud he has been able to keep the mating secret for the past few months. Wait, it’s been months? What did I miss? Why didn’t he tell them when he said he would months ago?

Then when he does tell his family they are all happy and want to meet his mate. It’s a long crazy conversation… while this is going on the wolf receives an email from friends about a party they are having and a guest list shows his mate and mates family all be. He immediately knows his mate told his family and this is about him meeting the family… um ok but how the hell did they do all that since when it flashes back to the squirrel he still with family? And wouldn’t it have been nice of Nutty to warn Wolfy first?

Then Nutty’s family is all happy he found mate but then they are talking to doctor and say stuff like he thinks he found his mate and all this stuff like he is delusional or something right in front of him.

I read to chapter 4 before it was just too much for me. I might have looked over the confusing and contradicting plot but I just don’t like Nutty





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[Serena Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun installment in this series, the third book adds yet another unlikely pair: a squirrel shifter and a wolf shifter. They don’t only have to figure out how to get along, but also how to provide cubs for the pack since Soren is the Alpha. When a friend helps out, everything seems as okay as it will get until the other wolves accept Daniel as Alpha mate. Since that isn’t the end of the story, though, all hell starts to break loose and the story becomes a LOT more interesting.

Daniel, the squirrel shifter, has had health issues for his entire life. They have made him more timid than he might be without them, but he doesn’t let that stop him. He is extremely loyal, loves Sorens’s kids as if they were his own and uses all his squirrel speed and cunning to protect his new family. I liked how his ‘squirrel nature’ came through when he was human as well; it added some great flavor to the story.

Soren, the wolf shifter, is hell bent on making things with his mate work. He has seen two other wolves succeed, and he will not accept less. His task is more difficult because he is the Alpha of his pack and can’t just go into hiding. But, with typical wolfish stubbornness, he doesn’t let that deter him in the least.

If you like shifter stories where opposites most definitely attract, if two characters struggling to defend their union to the outside world make you heart beat faster and if you want to see how these guys solve the problem of a pack of wolves accepting a squirrel in their midst, you will probably like this story.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I have really deep thinking to do here - Do I say it or not - But heck I have to - the book is shit.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wish more time was spent on developing the beginning of the romance. Their start was barely brushed upon before there were time jumps and we were suddenly plopped into drama. By the way, I really did not like that Carlie was so heavily involved in the beginning of their relationship. Her involvement came out of nowhere and that was almost enough for me to put this on the DNF shelf. But I'm even more disappointed that we never got to see how Daniel really processed and got used to the idea of someone else giving his mate children. I will say, though, that I am SO fucking relieved that Soren and Carlie never slept together and that they chose IVF to conceive. And I know this is mean, but I was even more relieved when Carlie died. She just did not belong there and her presence was kind of ruining the story for me. I really liked the pups, though, since they stayed in wolf form the whole time and they were very sweet.

Since I never saw the true development of Daniel and Soren's relationship OR the development of Daniel's friendship with Carlie, those two major parts of the story came across as very superficial. Suddenly telling the reader that certain people have become close NEVER works. Readers need more evidence to make the claim believable, and it's essential to show the beginning stages of those relationships to really cement their foundation.

I did enjoy the angst, however, and I will continue reading different books in this series.

[Pamela Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is turning out to be one of my guilty pleasure reads. Based just on the blurb, the cover and the title for each book in this series, the stories shouldn't appeal to me. It's really one of those moments where "don't judge a book by its cover" really applies.

The writing for this story is competent and the storyline isn't horrible. I didn't enjoy this as some of the other books in the series but I had no difficulties enjoying the romance between Daniel and Soren.

They're cute together but not one of my favorite shifter couples to read. Daniel's supposed to be some kind of chatterbox type personality but honestly, that didn't stand out to me.

As I'm finding out each time I read one of Scarlet Hyacinth's Mate or Meal books, there's always SOMETHING in the book that tempts me to continue with the next book in the series. I keep saying to myself, "Ok. Read this book and then I'm done!" but each time, I find myself intrigued enough to read about the next couple.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual... short, over-the-top insta-love and sex with almost every turn of the page... BUT, I can't help myself, I love these "little red books"! The scenes, characters and storyline all need to be more fleshed out... but, the kids are always adorable and no matter who the foe is, LOVE always wins! :D

Daniel and Soren had a major fight on their hands to overcome the bad guys and win their HEA... but, of course, with a little help from old and new friends (got to keep adding new carnivores and herbivores to the stories) they overpowered the bad guys and as we all know... love conquers all! *grin*

[adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

typical Scarlet Hyacinth serial romance. nothing fantastic, nothing so bad it can't be finished. what is typical Scarlet Hyacinth? imagine a shorter harlequin romance but with no t&a (see, i was going to write no surprise pregnancies, but... yeah.).

out of sheer laziness, i will be using this as my template for all serials by UNLESS motivated otherwise by markedly good/bad writing:
Scarlet Hyacinth
joyee flynn
sunny day
lynn hagen
stormy glenn
carol lynne
gabrielle evans

i'd apologize, but i'm not sorry.

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like I was missing so much :( It was jumpy, too. The others weren't like this, so I don't know what happened. I really liked Daniel, though.

[Ale Rivero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel es tan dulce, seguro tiene algo que ver conque es una ardillita XD Me ha gustado mucho esta tercera parte, aunque suceden algunos hechos bastante dramáticos. Es fantástico conocer al lobo Soren un poco más, junto con Dani hacen una pareja muy linda. Recomendado. 1era lectura: 5 estrellas

Me gustan Dani y Soren, creo que hacen una pareja interesante, y dentro de su historia podemos ver un gran desarrollo en la relación entre distintas clases de cambia-formas.
Conocer a los Cunnigham también es un punto a favor dentro de esta historia, espero mucho de Byron. También espero con ansias la historia de Nicolas.
Aquí el drama ha sido un poco más duro que en los anteriores libros, pero veo el punto de renovar un poco el tipo de situación, aunque me haya hecho sufrir.
Me gusta ver cada vez más niños en la historia, aunque siempre me quedo pensando en cómo serán de mayores, jaja.
Bueno, en general me ha gustado tanto como los dos primeros, y seguiré aquí leyendo la saga, así que la recomiendo sin duda.

[Shaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really have to say it again: what sounds like a silly concept, translates into a solid story.

These are not stories full of angst, bucket full of tears, heart-wrenching romances, but they are also not the silly little stories that you might believe. And it takes a rather talented author to be able to create this.

Yes, they are insta-love, but in a "fated mates" story, this is what is expected. But they don't live happily-ever-after immediately. There are issues and problems to sort out and overcome.

And while yes, I will agree, they are pure escapism... isn't that what so many of us are looking for when we read these stories?

[Arlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book more enjoyable than the first one in the series. It was nice, however, to see the MCs from book 1 make several appearances. This suggests to me that all the characters in the series will be featured at one point and will then take on suppoting roles in subsequent books. If I were more into shifters, I might follow along with a series. But alas, this still isn't the case. It is nice to know that if I come across future challenges calling Shifters, I can enjoy the experience.

[Ashley E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was precisely the type of fluffy goodness I was expecting. Nothing heavy or too angsty, no need to pay close attention to the action (which my headache appreciates), sexy times, cute puppies, and an adorable MC with a penchant for overly formal speech. It was cute and funny, with a few twists that surprised me, and was overall a nice way to pass a couple of hours. These series are my re-read crack.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the better entries I thought, the issues of Soren being alpha gave a fleshed out feeling to the story. One niggle though was the convenience of Carlie dying . It would've been more interesting if the character lived I think. Also the insta-stalker craziness. Sheesh.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun installment in this series and introduces a whole bunch of new characters and types of shifters! I don't want to give anything away, but I am REALLY looking forward to book 5! :D

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

the serie goes better and better.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this series so far. Unusual shifters and little details like the squirrel wandering into traffic make this really cute.

[Ely · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars... these are like freaking crack....

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that these two would be the worst in the series. But I enjoyed them a lot. Typically story based on the others. Awesome for a quick read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad it seems to be getting more acceptable for these mixed couples.

[Ashley Bellingar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful and sweet with a taste of spice

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emails in here are hilarious. Ahahaha. I had fun figuring out how they were created and why they were chosen. :p

[Lola · Rating 1 out of 5]

These books are quite repetitive and are either getting more ridiculous or I'm losing my tolerance. Whichever, this really irritated me.