Fated Mates and How to Woo Them

Fated Mates #1

by A.J. Sherwood

Chase is crazy busy behind the scenes at the fraternity get together, so when an alumni comes in, he just notes a hot man in his vicinity and goes right back to work.

When Ronan gets hurt, and Chase feeds him, Chase’s reaction opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Ones that Ronan wants to explore.

Is Chase compatible with vampires? Or could he possibly be something more?

Tags:
Vampire story, same universe as Max and Zander, because yes the plot bunnies absolutely ran wild with this one, I am not in charge of this trainwreck, just along for the ride like you are, Chase has his airheaded moments, there is absolutely no chill where Ronan is concerned, bad guys have human sacrifice written all over them, whole story is mindless violence and fluff, sorry not sorry for this

Genres: Vampires, M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, College, Urban Fantasy

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2023

About the author

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.

Reviews

[Melissa Mcatee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute but literally taken material

I am a BL aficionado and have read many books by this author before and loved them. This is the very first time that I have a huge criticism. Love in the air is my absolute favorite BL series of all time And this is basically a vampire rip off of the entire story. A slightly flighty boy? And he's architect student? An older man who is the god of the architecture department? A friend named sig? The older has a motorcycle and a Range Rover? The scene in the rain where the older holds his hand out while the younger one cries? The BMW with all the car problems? The architect happens to also be a mechanic? And he's also a fraternal twin? The fact that the main character is in love with a girl who happens to be in love with the older guy and she happens to have a twin brother who's also crushing on said guy? But then just make Phayu a vampire named Ronan and Rain a student named Chase. If I didn't love Love in the air so much? I would have definitely given this book a better review. But as it is? It's basically a rip off.

[Lisa Tobleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

so hear me out

I am a huge fan of Thai BLs. One of my favorites is Love in the Air staring Boss, Noelle, Fort and Pete. This entire book is basically a retelling of the first half of that story. It’s fun for what it is. It’s not poorly written, it’s just Everything from Chase (Rain) and Ronan (Payu). chase’s best friend Max (Sky)…the cars they drove (Chase dives a BMW, Ronan drives a Rover) Ronan has a twin brother Raiden (Saifah) and they own a garage and work on super bikes… there is even a friend with the Same name as one of the characters (Sig). Even some scenes are Straight out of the TV show that is based off an actual book by MAME. The only difference is adding Vampires. Even the hair color and hair style is the same. Please, there are so many cool stories out there, don’t copy someone else’s.

[rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Fair warning here: this will be more a “not to my taste” kind of review. I know this is otherwise not a bad book but the plot just didn’t do anything for me.

Let me explain.

For me personally there was too little context to actually get into the story. That might be because of the length of this book but then again I’ve read shorter books with more context and more depth than this one.

I liked the idea and the plot well enough though. I should point that out I think because otherwise this review will get too negative. And I also liked the characters just fine though like I said I was also kinda missing some more background.

The plot was rather predictable but I didn’t mind that too much. There was some excitement/action in here but it was overall a pretty fluffy read. And also very insta-love but that was to be expected from a “true mates” kind of romance.

I guess I shouldn’t be so harsh on this book but at the same time I rate how I feel and well, two stars is as high as my rating can go. Sorry.

— — —

Will I start book two right now even though I wasn’t a big fan of book one? You bet your ass I will. I’m not even gonna pretend otherwise.

[Kerri Clifford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too close to blatent plagiarism for me.

The hard thing for me? I love AJ. But I am also a massive fan of the Thai BL Love in the air. I could tell you what was going to happen almost from the start, and the only differences were the country of origin, the names of the two main characters, (Sig? Really? Architect student, tick. Highly thought of past Architect student who is 30 and works as a mechanic on the side, in the bike races, and whooo, has a twin brother? Tick, tick, tick!) And the fact that there are Vampires. Really disappointing, as I have been a fan of AJ's work for years. But to read this? Yeah. That's a really bad, shitty thing to do.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Low stress/angst.

[Audi♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wooed.

Instead of being fated to one person, they're compatible with all vampires. I kinda hate that.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, this one wasn't as good as the first one (or 2nd one?) Book 2 was the first one released, followed by this one, which takes place before the other one chronologically, which is already weird. Another thing I didn't understand were some of the phrases. So of them were just an overabundance of random slang, but some of the words that were used had me going, "WTF does this mean? Translation please." Also, everyone says "thank Buddha" instead of "thank God" but it's never explained why this is. Are they in a country where Buddhism is the dominant language? Do vampires in this world worship the Buddha? Very confusing. Despite the weird dialogue and spelling/grammatical errors, I did enjoy the story. There were a few plot holes, but I think at least some of them were answered in the other book. Wondering if there's going to be more in this series and if they're going to continue to go back in time to Fernando and Noel, or move forward.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was honestly so cute. When I first started reading it was like ehh idk if it’s for me but I kept reading and I really enjoyed it. The banter between the two MCs is hilarious. Especially since Ronan had a one track mind and that’s getting Chase to be his in any way that he can.

This was a little different from other vampire/human and fated mates books I’ve read where the people in this world know about vampires. Also Chase is a true mate but not necessarily Ronans true mate, he’s able to be with any vampire but he chooses Ronan. I loved how Ronan pursued Chase relentlessly. Chase pushed back a little which is where it was so funny and then once he gave in it was so cute.

This read was short and easy so I’ll definitely be reading the next one.

NO CHEATING
NO TRUE OP DRAMA (just some jealousy)
NO SEPARATION
VIRGIN MMC
NO MANWHORES
MURDER (because you don’t try and bite Ronan’s mate)

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a short book that suffered from everything being rushed. It just didn’t seem realistic how quickly things were happening so it just felt poorly written and cringy. Dnf at around 50%

[William Kibler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd and awkward

From the beginning of reading this book, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of something ongoing. There was no real background information on the characters, their relationships with each other, or introduction to the world in which the story takes place. The writing was very straightforward and felt like we (the readers) should know much more about everything the author is writing about, than what we do. The story felt insubstantial without more background. How and why is vampirism so acceptable? It's treated like an everyday thing. While the main characters were likable and quirky, we didn't know much about them. We didn't know much of anything, actually. No explanations were given as to why vampire mates were so revered. We don't know why a human family would readily renounce their familial obligations to their children to a vampire family. We don't know what happens to a key player in a conflict introduced in the later chapters of the book. There were so many questions left unanswered. I have read several books by this author and enjoyed them very much. The characters are light and breezy, witty and clever. But, there was always a storyline. This book felt haphazard and pointless.

[Lizzy (reviewsshewrote) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as cute as the first one but still fun

*one of my friends told me this is a rip off of a Thai drama series with no mention of that being the inspo and that’s gross!!!

[Sabrina Morissette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase + Ronan
•An architecture student with a vampire architect
•An offered feeding leads to a true mate
•Vampire bureaucracy
•Bi-awakening and virgin MC
A short and entertaining read. There was some cut corners, but overall a very enjoyable paranormal story. I like that Chase was so feisty and willing to make his point across.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Danny_reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... Interesting. It was extremely readable, but also not my favorite.

I like the concept of vampires being known to the human world, and the idea that fated mates aren't fated to a singular person (but rather just people who are extremely compatible with the vampire species as a whole).

Sadly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters. I didn't hate them or anything, but I did find them super inconsistent, and had a hard time nailing down their personalities. The author did a lot of telling and little showing, so it felt like the romance escalated from 0 to 100 really quickly.

I will be continuing on with the series, though, because I do find the 2nd book's premise enticing.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a day to finish a book on potentially problematic relationships tropes.

It's April 20th 2024! An highly interesting arrangement of numbers. It's 4/20/2024 forwards and backwards.

On this date social media sites decided to come after ya Mama's and grandparents, " how they meet" story.

This one hear! Yet short and oh so tasty. Could have had so many red flags. Especially when ya Boi had his fiancee password unprotected cell phone. (That's ended a many of relationships)

What did happen...well read for yourself. It gives cinnamon roll...until it doesn't

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I know this is a prequel written later of fated mates and where to find them, but now I also need a prequel of Fernando and Noel. It was so sweet.

[Mohamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronan is the ultimate book boyfriend and this had all the tropes I live for + vampire society???? It also had some of the best scenes.

[trice (exams ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

aj sherwood once again manages to deliver a humorous, wholesome novel :D (literally chase is so sassy he's my new fav character in this universe)

this book is pretty fun and lighthearted, with the bits of vampire protectiveness sprinkled on top. i love how chase is kinda absentminded and ronan is always so caring and concerned about him. and chase gradually grows from being totally confused about his sexuality after his first encounter with ronan to being ronansexual only. vanessa and the vsb returns as the story's main villain once again, its never old seeing her corner the true mates only to be beaten back by them and their possessive vampires.

although this book is listed as the first book in this series its definitely not (at least in terms of characters and worldbuilding) since everything's basically been introduced in the second book (fated mates and where to find them). i think people who read this book first would be very confused since the main stuff about mates and vampires are explained very briefly here soooo 4 stars.

[Leanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

1) I’ve just decided AJ Sherwood’s sense of humor is not for me.

2) The use of “fated mates” in these titles are so weird because they are NOT fated mates. The humans are uniquely physically compatible with vampires compared to other humans but they can mate with any vampire (or human) like there’s nothing fated about it. I take my soulmate tropes very seriously, I feel ripped off.

3) Yes, this is a fluffy vampire romance. No, weird age gaps are not required for the genre. But tbh my favorite part of any vampire romance is when the vampire who has lived a miserable, lonely existence for at least a couple decades meets their soulmate and experiences joy for the first time. A 30 year old vampire (as in, he was 23 when he was turned, 7 years ago) meeting like a 20 year old and not even having to work a little bit to find his mate? Ripped off, I tell you.

[Luz Rivas · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read: December 09, 2023

I need a Ronan in my life, asap

Second read: August 20, 2024

As I said before, I need a Ronan in my life as quickly as possible 😍😍😍

I had forgotten that Ronan has a twin 🤔🤔🤔

Why Noel doesn't appear in the book. I don't think it appeared in Zander's book either 🤔🤔

I can't wait for Vanesaa to get her comeuppance for being a B-I-T-C-H

Third read: September 27, 2025

At this point is obvious I love this series. These books are exactly what I need after reading a particularly dark mafia romance.

I still hate Vanessa like the first time.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was weak. Everything happened too easily and after half of the book the dialogue got ridiculous (bish, fuck etc.) .
Also, apparently the entire plot and some characters are stolen from a Thai TV series that was based on a book.

[Dawn Siemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1?

Okay, this is weird. Book 2 came out before Book 1. Book 1 is chronologically first, but some things are explained better in Book 2. So, which one should you read first?

I read Book 2 first and absolutely do not regret it, but it probably doesn't matter that much. Just know Book 2 has more world building, if you didn't understand something in this book. If you read Book 2 first, it does have some spoilers.

The conflict here is mostly that Chase isn't sure he wants a guy, let alone a vampire. There's also a little bit of action because of how rare and valuable mates are. The romance is sweet and sexy, and there are some funny or ridiculous moments, but it isn't as funny as Book 2.

The world building leaves something to be desired for me, and I don't prefer this sort of power imbalance in a relationship, but I'm also not a fan of vampires, so if you are, you'll probably love this story.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seemed like this book was more concerned about setting up the world and the rules than it was with being a vampire romance, and in the end it did neither very well. Neither Chase nor Ronan feel three-dimensional, although they're both pretty sweet. It's hard to root for their romance when they don't feel like real people. And I'm still confused about the vampire-y bits of the story. I still have so many questions.

The writing style is still solid, like most things from this author, but this one is all style and no substance.

[isthisakink · Rating 4 out of 5]

*So what’s the deal with the whole “rip-off of a BL” thing? Did that ever get addressed? I wanna know the teaaaa.


I loved the first one enough to read it again after the anthology, and I loved this one just as much. They’re such a good choice for when you want all of the good things and none of the angst or high stakes of something heavier.

4.25/5. It was just really messy. A lot of places where sentences seemed to stop themselves in the middle with a period and no fucks, which was the biggest head-scratcher. Doesn’t matter, still loved it.

[Yackie]

I usually enjoy Sherwoods books, mostly because they’re silly and entertaining, but they always, ALWAYS, have characters calling women bitches. And the thing is, there’s never many women characters to begin with (most MM romances that I actually enjoy for more than just dumb entertainment have very strong female characters that strengthen the plot) but the ones she does have are usually the central conflict and called a bitch. It’s so weird and so icky.

[She Who Shall Remain Nameless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely addition to the series

This book was another great addition to this fun little vampire series. Chase and Ronan made a lovely couple, but I think that I liked Max and Zander’s story just a smidge better. Still, this was an entertaining story which I can definitely recommend.

[Leslie Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75⭐️ I wish I liked this more and I never really liked chase

[Kiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

if any man treated me how ronan treats chase i would never leave him

[Sheena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

[Morgan Espich · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️
3/5🌶️

Tropes:
MM
Fantastical world
Vampire 🩸
Fate mates
Insta-love
Protective, Obsessive MMC
Puppy Dog, college student (other) MMC

This was a really short and sweet cute little fated mates MM vampire romance 🧛‍♂️! It had everything that I wanted/expected from a short light hearted book. If you dislike insta-love this book probably isn’t for you, but I don’t mind it 😏