Clay

Mate Match #2

by Taylor Rylan

Can a dating app actually match you with your fated mate?

Clay Thompson was perfectly content with his life as it was. Then his older brother found his fated mate and Clay started thinking that life would be more fulfilling if he too had that perfect someone to spend his life with. He spent more time paying attention to others around him, but after no luck, he tried the Mate Match app. It worked for his brother, so it could work for him, right?

Duncan Smith has never had much of anything in his life. Abandoned as an infant, he grew up without a family or any of the perks of being in one. He struggles working two jobs but gets by. Watching his coworker find pure happiness with his newfound mate has him longing for more in life than working every spare moment. Will the Mate Match app work and help him find his own fated mate?

There is a vast difference between Clay and Duncan, but both accept that they are fated mates and are willing to work on building a life together. Will they both get what they want?

Clay is book two in the Mate Match Series. It is a full-length novel that is filled with fluffy sweetness. There is no angst and no ongoing backstory in this series. This book is in an mpreg world, and there will be a baby eventually, but not necessarily in this book. If you’re looking for a sweet, fluffy fated mates story, you’ve found it.

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2026

About the author

M/M PNR Romance Author 📖
Multitasker
Coffee addict ☕️☕️☕️
Loves unicorns, dragons, pets, and HEAs 🦄🐱🐶🐱🐱🩷

Reviews

[Julie Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clay by Taylor Rylan is the second book in her Mate Match series. It is the story of two men who grew up under extremely different circumstances, met through a dating app and realized they were fated mates, and how they slowly combined their worlds to find the love fate guaranteed them. Duncan Smith is a red panda shifter. He was abandoned at a fire station when he was born, grew up in foster care, and was barely scraping by working 2 jobs, one at the zoo restaurant and the other at a somewhat seedy bar, trying to make money for the rent of his apartment and to save a little as he could. But things got in the way of needing fixed, like his car, and he often found himself back at square one, but he always kept working to try to make things better for himself. He lived in an apartment with 3 other men, another shifter who was his roommate, and two humans but things weren’t good there. He had never had anyone and hoped for a mate so he signed up on the Mate Match App but his roommates heckled him when he didn’t get matched, so he deleted the app. Clay Thompson was a gorilla shifter who worked at Silverback Securities with his brothers. They had a good life and did well for themselves and their jobs kept them busy. His mother had signed his brother Silver up for Mate Match and he had found Charlie who he dearly loved. Clay found himself lonely and after seeing Silver and Charlie’s relationship he wanted one like theirs, so he signed up for the app also. Duncan knew Charlie because they had worked together and he was visiting him when he saw Clay and knew he was something special. But he was socially awkward and didn’t think he had anything to offer him, so he left. Clay had realized he was his fated mate and the app affirmed this conclusion. So with Silver and Charlie’s help he contacted Duncan and picked him up outside a burger place to take him to dinner to talk. He knew Duncan was skittish and didn’t feel good about himself so he had to go slowly. As they talked, he learned his story and where he lived as well as what was going on there and being the very protective alpha that he was knew he had to convince him to move in with him. He was able to do this and that started them getting to know each other and their attraction grew. Clay thought Duncan was adorable but he had a lot of convincing to do to show him he belonged in his world and that he could adapt and be happy. They talked more and shifted and played in the back yard and this led to an earth shattering kiss and more exploration. Clay realized that Duncan would probably go into heat soon and Duncan wanted more so they had some hot love scenes and mated and claimed each other. This led to the usual result and Duncan was quite sick which led him to lose his bar job, but the zoo restaurant allowed him to take some time off before he returned. Clay was happy with this because he really didn’t want him to work but he also offered him a job as an office assistant at their company, but Duncan didn’t know anything about that. The story ends as they are well on their way to a very happy ending, especially as they know they love each other and say it often. I really enjoyed this very sweet story. Both men came from very different backgrounds and it took some time for their lives to come together. Knowing they were fated mates helped this along and they both compromised to make their lives complete. Duncan had been through so much during his life and didn’t think he was worthy of Clay and his family. But Clay was strong and patient and only wanted to protect and take care of him and once he allowed this, they were very happy. Silver and Charlie played a big part in helping them understand each other and get together and the rest of the family were involved too. It was really wonderful to see how their love developed and how Duncan got what he always wanted in Clay and his family. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like sweet and fluffy stories about 2 men who grew up very differently, found out they were fated mates by using an app, and figured out how to be happy together as they meshed their lives and fell in love.

[Elaine Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clay is a warm, full‑length entry in the Mate Match series that leans hard into sweetness. The plot is simple and satisfying: a content, forty‑year‑old Clay decides he wants more after watching his brother find a mate, signs up for the Mate Match app, and is matched with Duncan, a shy, hard‑working man with a difficult past. It moves at an easy, deliberate pace as the two men discover their bond and choose to build a life together. The novel is deliberately fluffy and low‑conflict. There is no angst and no sprawling backstory to untangle, which will delight readers who want comfort rather than drama. Scenes are cozy and intimate, and the author takes time to savor small, affectionate moments

[Demetra Roussakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story. Clay is the brother of Silver and he realized, now at 40, he would like to have a mate of his own. He signed up with Mate Match and got matched at 99%. We met Duncan, who worked as a waiter at the zoo restaurant and he also put up his profile with Mate Match. When a few months went by, he deleted it as he didn’t match anyone. He met Clay when he went to visit Charlie, but was too shy. They both realized they were mates, and decided to date and take it slow. I loved these books way Clay was with Duncan, treating him as a special treasure. This book was a fated mates series and I cannot wait to see who is next.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers of any kind included.
So this will be all that I say about Clay and that is I absolutely loved this book.
So it is yes I most definitely do recommend it, but so you don’t get confused it’s best to read Silver first if you haven’t because there are some familiar faces from it that appears in Clay.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the series is about clay and Duncan. Oh my, I didn’t think I could read this any quicker if I’d have tried! I devoured it all in one sitting because it was soooo good! I absolutely fell in love with Duncan and his story and how they overcame the challenges presented to them. Amazing read!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Clay finding his mate Duncan. Though Duncan had deleted the mate match app so he didn’t realise that he had been matched with Clay, when they see each other at Charlie’s and struggles with not being a burden to Clay as they slowly start to date.

[Ashley D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Mate Match series, and it didn't disappoint. I enjoyed both Clay and Duncan; I loved their communication. They were a sweet couple. I will say definitely read book 1 first, just so you know who all the secondary characters are, since they will show up in both books.

[Jennifer H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Quick read. Clay and Duncan are sweet couple. I like that there is a lot of communication happening between the characters.

[P Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay and Duncan were so incredibly sweet together.

Poor Duncan needed some serious TLC and Clay was perfect for him. I wanted to hug Duncan so freaking badly - it broke my heart every time he spoke about working and not being a burden. The poor guy couldn’t catch a break, he wasn’t really living, but merely surviving in a cruel harsh world.

Fantastic addition to the series! I’m really liking this series - it’s different, unique with amazing characters.

*I voluntarily read this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*