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Familiar Mates #9

The Firefighter's Familiar

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Callum and Nas have a perfect life until Callum rescues a man who turns out to be his familiar. How does he tell his boyfriend about witches and magic and fated mates?

Leopard seal shifter Rikar has been travelling alone, trying to find a place to belong since being forced out of home. He has convinced himself it’s not that bad and that he’s a free spirit. Just as he thought he’d found his feet, his world explodes.

When Callum hauls a man out of a burning bar, he doesn’t expect the kiss of life to lead to the familiar bond. Then he freaks out because he has a human fiancé and a life he likes very much. He doesn’t want a familiar or a mate.

For Nas, finding out that witches and shifters are real—and that he was about to marry one—is almost enough for him to walk away. But there’s something about Rikar that makes him stay long enough to listen…to consider that his heart might be big enough for his witch and his witch’s familiar.

Dive into The Firefighter’s Familiar for a steamy MMM fated mates romance with a touch of danger, a leopard seal whose bite is definitely worse than his bark, and a relationship that’s strong enough to take whatever magic throws at it.

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2022

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About the author

T.J. Nichols

97 books352 followers
TJ Nichols (they/them) is the author of the Studies in Demonology and Familiar Mates series. They write mostly gay fantasy and paranormal romance, but sometimes gay action/horror as Toby J. Nichols.

After traveling all over the world and Australia, TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

Free gay shifter novella when you join TJ's newsletter: http://tjnichols-author.com/lp/

You can find TJ on
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TJNichols
Ream: https://reamstories.com/tjnichols
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
Profile Image for Janet (iamltr).
1,234 reviews94 followers
August 28, 2022
Ok, if you are reading any of my reviews, you should know that I prefer mmm+ love stories. The more the merrier. But even in these, there are things one must do to make them work, just like any other 2 mc story. This one did the one thing I cannot agree with.

There will be spoilers - lots of them.

So in poly romance, be it 3 people in a throuple or 9 people in a polycule, each person in the relationship has to have a relationship outside the group. So something like this:

Throuple
A+B+C - the group

Individual Couples
A+B
A+C
B+A
B+C
C+A
A+C

It should never be an established couple who make the rules and a third who is just there for sexytimes. This was that sort of story. I am not talking about the fact that a good 50% of the story is the fact that we are told over and over that they cannot touch each other without Nas being there. Or Callum being there. They could however, sex each other up as much as they wanted, Rikar be damned.

So in here we have Callum and Nas, who have been a couple so long, they both decided to propose to each other. Callum is a firefighter who also happens to be a witch and Nas is a professor who apparently can never take a day off. Callum has never told Nas that he is a witch.

They are basically paper thin as characters. I know next to nothing about them except that I really did not like either of them.

Rikar is a very young leopard seal shifter who was thrown out on his own when he was 17 because his mother was a loner. He has been alone ever since. Rikar arrives in this town and starts his life. Unbeknownst to him, his boss is married to a shark shifter who has really bad brothers. Things happen and the sharks beat Riker up and leave him to die. Callum sees the fire and saves Rikar. After giving him mouth to mouth, they find out that they are fated mates. A bond forms.

Of course since Callum is in love with another man, Rikar is pretty much treated really badly. Oh these two say the words and have sex with this much younger guy, but they don't care for him.

I mean Rikar can FEEL EVERYTHING THROUGH THE BOND including sex.

Speaking of sex, there is only sex between the couple until around 76%. Rikar is shown jacking off cause he cannot help that his bond makes him have to live through that.

I did not buy not one iota that the couple cared for Rikar, bond or not. At one point after dealing with a shark shifter emergency (to which Nas's response was to send a message that he didn't care and would not be coming down) and going back to bed, someone casually mentions dinner with Nas's sister. Nas does not want to tell anyone about Rikar and Callum is right there with him. In fact, it goes down that whole track of "Oh but what will the neighbors think!" track for Callum, while Rikar runs away hurting. Callum knows he is hurting BECAUSE OF THE BOND! Doesn't matter though for these two and it's not until Nas tells him to go after him so he can get some sleep that he moves.

I seriously wanted Rikar to find happiness, like with Jude, the agent from the coven that came to town. But alas, it was not written that way. There were some sort of storyline about the sharks but that whole thing could have been left out and this story would have been fine.

I got this one from GRR.
Profile Image for Nina Diab.
5,418 reviews51 followers
September 5, 2022
I was fascinated by the premise of this book and had to read it. I've read a few others of this author's work and enjoyed them- though none in this series. Great world building. The witch and shifter familiars aspect was refreshing and unique. I loved the dynamic between the men here- a witch and a human who are engaged, when the human knows nothing of the paranormal world around him. Now add in a seal shifter familiar to one of the established couple and what will happen? As excited as I was to see all that play out, my heart really went out to shifter Rikar, who pretty much got the short end of the stick here. He was lonely with no family or home and just wanted love and acceptance. I understand it was a difficult situation to be in love with someone enough to marry them and to suddenly find oneself bonded, but it wasn't Rikar's fault. I felt that even though he engaged with Callum and Nas, he wasn't really accepted by the couple and was more of an afterthought. Which is shitty in and of itself, but more so because the bond let them feel the others' emotions. It made it hard to me to like Callum and Nas, and I would have preferred a different more deserved happy ending for Rikar. The danger with the shark shifters was interesting but not integral. 3 stars.
Profile Image for Aimee .
1,217 reviews13 followers
September 1, 2022
I liked the premise of this story and was curious how a fated mate would fit with an engaged couple, however I was a bit disappointed. The story seemed to revolve more around the shark shifters & dealing with them then it did the three in the relationship. I was glad to see that Rikar wasn't just automatically accepted & loved because he was fated & that Callum & Nas had some issues with it as well. I just would have liked more about how they made it work and less about the other stuff in the story.
Profile Image for Janet Hunt.
3,542 reviews46 followers
September 1, 2022
Loved, loved, loved Callum, Nas and Rykar!! Callum and Nas are a couple, engaged to be married. Callum, a witch and firefighter rescues Rikar who is a Leopard Seal shifter. Rikar and Callum ended up bonded when Callum saves him and gives him the kiss of life. Nas’s world shifts when he finds out about the paranormal world, that shifters and witches exist. There is some drama, danger and action. Overall, a fantastic story. Well written with nice pacing. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Elaine White.
Author 45 books263 followers
September 11, 2022
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine

~

The Firefighter's Familiar, by T.J. Nichols
Familiar Mates, Book 9
★★★★★

283 Pages
3rd person, multi-character POV
Themes: MMM, menage, fated mates, shifters, witches, alpha male
Triggers: mild violence, mentions hazards of being a firefighter (seeing loss, threat and danger), mentions parental cheating leading to mistrust, threat from family, homophobic family
Genre: MMM, Urban Fantasy, Series, Contemporary, Shifter

~

World-Building: ★★★★☆
Heat: ★★★★☆
Chemistry: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★☆
Romance: ★★★★☆

~

The Firefighter's Familiar is an interesting and unique addition to the Familiar Mates series, in that it's both the first MMM story, and the first with a non-kiss provoked bond. Both made this super interesting to read, right from page one. Then there was the addition of being another first in the series – the first with an established couple, who have to deal with an outside bonded familiar.

The story starts with a bang. Rikar is new in town, has just got a new job, and while celebrating in the local bar, he's attacked by a group of nasty shark shifters. Not only do they take exception to a leopard seal in their town, but they burn down the bar and the tattoo parlour across the road, in a beef with the owner. Leaving Rikar not just injured, with a huge medical bill he can't pay, but his new job at the tattoo parlour is in jeopardy, and his only home – a rusty old van with all his possessions – is caught up in the blaze.
Callum's night isn't going much better. While covering an extra shift for a firefighter coworker, he sees smoke on his way to work, and stops to help. When he finds out someone never made it out of the bar, he goes in to find an unconscious man and does his job – he resuscitates the man. Accidentally sparking off a familiar mate bond.
Meanwhile, Callum's long-term human boyfriend, Nas, is at home, unsuspecting and unaware that his life is about to be thrown into turmoil. Not only by an unwanted familiar mate bond between his boyfriend and a stranger, but also by the fact Callum must tell him about magic and shifters, if he wants to save their relationship.

The dynamics of the relationship that brews between Nas, Callum and Rikar, begins fraught with tension. Callum gives Rikar mouth-to-mouth, with no idea that Rikar is a shifter until Rikar's seal snaps at him, inside his head. Which is an awesome and explosive way to discover what's just happened. The fact that Callum and Nas are a years-long established couple, both on the cusp of proposing, only complicates matters. As is the fact that Rikar is at least 10-years their junior, and has a chip on his shoulder.

How they navigate the bond is interesting, and another first for the series, as the instinct for both Callum and Rikar is to let the bond fade, while Nas is practical and stoic, about letting Rikar stay and even potentially becoming part of their lives. I loved how Rikar's first thought of Nas was “daddy material”, and how he and Callum come together to help Nas learn about and understand the intricacies of a familiar bond, and magic and shifters.

It's not an instant fix, once Nas learns the truth. He even doubts it, at first, and has to work through a lot of confusion and uncertainties to find his feet. Rikar is resistant to the bond for his own reasons, primarily that he's always been taught leopard seals are lone, solitary creatures and he'll always be tossed aside eventually, because of it. Callum, meanwhile, is so terrified of losing Nas that he'll do anything to break the bond with Rikar – except surrender his magic, which is more than just a part of him, but a part of how he does his job. Together, they have a lot to work through, but they do it in a realistic, human way that adds just a little drama and some serious UST.

Though the bond draws Callum to Rikar with lust and need, it's actually easier for Nas and Rikar, who feel an intense mutual attraction, and have more opportunity to spend time together. While this could leave Callum on the outside, despite it being his familiar bond, the bond gives him a deeper insight into Rikar, that means they all eventually feel equal to each other, at least in terms of connection.

There are few outside characters from the main trio, besides the threat of the shark shifters. Though Jude makes an appearance as a Coven agent, and there are one or two other characters of note, the story is quite isolated in their relationship for about 80% of the story.
I did like that we'd been introduced to Beau, who is the main protag of the next short story. I always love when the stories link, even if it's only in a small way.

Then comes the attempt to resolve the dangerous shark issue, and that's where I have problems. While it was interesting that the sharks targeted Rikar just for being a leopard seal associating with someone they hated, it was a little too convenient that Callum knew about their illegal activities. That Rikar's association with his boss would lead to a shark child coming to him for help. Maybe if Rikar had met the shark kid or if the human father had brought them to him, it might have felt a bit more realistic. Only, I question how the kid knew where to find him, why they dared trust him, and how the mother even knew about him if she and her husband were keeping up appearances to make her brothers think they'd separated.
I found the convenience a little much, and it was used to further the story towards the end goal of getting rid of the sharks so Rikar could stay in town. Then, when that was resolved, it was one big action moment, then wink-wink, the Coven's taken care of it. It left me feeling a touch anticlimactic about it.

I'm also of two minds about whether I needed that Epilogue or not. On one hand, it's always nice to see a HFN/HEA ending. But, on the other, there is so much these three have to work through – the fact Rikar is attracted to both, but romantic only with Nas and lusting over Callum; Nas' insecurities over being in a poly relationship etc – that it might have been better just left at “they have more work to do, to reach their HEA”. I'm not sure. Maybe it was the right call, maybe it wasn't. I'm definitely on the fence, right now.

~

OVERALL

While I loved everything about the relationship and that aspect of the story, I felt the shark threat was well handled until the end, and then it felt rushed. It felt quite easily resolved, and a little convenient. Normally, I find the Coven's involvement a quick, logical resolution to the problems, but this one felt quick and not so well balanced. And while it does give us a snippet of an Epilogue, I felt that suffered the same fate, being a little rushed and quick to resolve.

However, the overall story was great, and I'd rate this a 4.5 rounded up to a 5, because the relationship was so strong. I LOVED everything about Rikar, Nas and Callum finding each other, learning about each other, and trying to navigate each of their own personal problems to find a way to work together. In fact, I think the story might have been stronger without the final shark resolution part, if it had just focused on the relationship.

~

Favourite Quote

“That's what he did. Nas did the future planning and the big picture stuff, and Callum made sure the wheels didn't fall off on the way.
He glanced at his familiar. Rikar had no plan and no wheels.”

“He didn't know what he was doing, only that they were dancing on knives, and it was only a matter of time until one of them slipped.
They were all mortal. And they would all get hurt.”
Profile Image for Ali.
2,100 reviews18 followers
September 7, 2022
This was an enjoyable story. It was nice to see Callum, Nas and Rikar were able to find a way to make a relationship work. I wish we were able to see more of how they worked after all the drama with the sharks was wrapped up. The book just felt like it got finished very quickly after that.
3,480 reviews28 followers
September 4, 2022
Firstly let me say this book I got from gay romance reviews and this is me leaving my honest review.
Callum had thought his life was near enough perfect. He had a boyfriend called Nas who made his life complete. The only problem he had, was the fact that he hadn’t been honest to tell him that he was a water witch. He worked as a firefighter and his powers helped him rescue people and put out the worst of the fires. He had the night off but ended up going in to cover for somebody and on his way to work he noticed smoke. As he made his way to the bar he was told the kid was still inside. As he entered the smoke filled bar that was on fire he sensed a pulse and quickly made his way over pulling the young man out. But he wasn’t breathing he quickly gave mouth to mouth but something happened he felt a bolt of energy, electric. This couldn’t be happening. Because even though he had the man of his dream, by putting his lips on this man to save his life had resulted in him finding his familiar, his fated mate. What an earth was Callum going to do now???. He knew straight away the man was a shifter. But how unearth was he going to explain this to Nas??
Rikar Is a leopard Seal shifter. And he had lived most of his life by himself. It was known that leopard seals were quite solitary and as he got older his mother made it clear he couldn’t stay, she give him money so he could cope but it didn’t end well. So he didn’t really stay anywhere for long but he really like this town he’d found a job as a tattoo artist and he really got along with the guys at work so when they invited him out to celebrate his bosses divorce he agreed. It wasn’t long before he was drunk the shots just kept coming but then three men came in and he knew straight away there was going to be trouble. They were shark shifters and they were enemy to the leopard seals. But it seems like they had it in for him when one of them beat him and kicked him in the head leaving him unconscious. He woke up after feeling a bolt of electricity, a witch had just claimed him as his mate. Then quickly lost consciousness again. When he woke next he was in the hospital he had found that the shark shifters had set the bar on fire and it was thanks to the witch that he was alive right now. He didn’t think he could be claimed, he didn’t know what to do whether to leave or stick around to see what happened. But it quickly came apparent that it wasn’t going to be that simple.
Nas is a human who worked as a teacher. And he was getting ready to propose to his boyfriend the love of his life Callum. But he had scenes something was wrong after he had worked that shift but Callum wasn’t ready to talk just yet. They had been together for three years so he knew that he would come to him soon. When he agreed to be his fiance he was surprised to find that Callum had a ring for him too. They had one night of bliss together before everything changed. He found out his fiance was a witch and he had a fated mate. What was going to happen now??
That in self is a book but bring along the shark shifters that have got it in for Rikar. Could his mate keep him safe? Would Nas feel left out?? Could Rikar finally stay and find his family??
These are all really good questions and I tell you what This Book is just fantastic I could not put it down and had to read it in one sitting. I absolutely love the dynamics of these three people and how they worked to get the best out of each other. It is just electric. My heart really went out for Rikar, he basically felt abandoned for a lot of his life and nobody really wanted him so to find his mate who he would always have a bond with was hard to get his head around. But the attraction he had to Nas was just sizzling it was lust 100%. And it seemed that Nas felt the same. Oh my Goodness you know what I just want to tell you the whole book because I am so excited but I don’t wanna ruin it for anyone you will not be disappointed with this book there is so much going on it is just action packed full of drama full of emotion is full of passion oh my Goodness the passion and the connections oh la la, the chemistry is just sublime. I am so glad I found the sofa and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Pure Lush!
Profile Image for Diane.
4,078 reviews80 followers
August 30, 2022
So we have Callum & Nas who are in a committed relationship & are engaged to be married. Nas doesn't know anything about paranormal world & that Callum is a witch. Callum should have explained things to him before they moved in together. Callum responds to a fire at a bar where he finds a young man who isn't breathing. When he gives him mouth-to-mouth, the familiar bond snaps into place. This is not what Callum wanted as he is very happy with Nas. Riker is a leopard seal shifter & he has always known that they are meant to be alone, even his mother ran him off when he was 17. Nas doesn't stay in one place for very long. Nas takes a job in a tattoo parlor and unbeknownst to him, his boss is married to a shark shifter & her brothers are very bad news. They are the town dealers. So we have a story about Nas finding out about the paranormal world and our boys trying to figure out how they are going to fit in as a trouple. Also, we have the brothers out to kill Nas and they have to save the bad guy's sister. What I had a problem with is that they kind of treated Riker as a play thing & not really accept him. It is more like, well the bond is making us do this, not that we really want to or care about him. There are glimpses of real feelings, but they were fleeting & I would have liked more. I would have liked them maybe going on dates and really getting to know each other. I also would have liked that if the feelings warranted, no matter if it was just two of them cause the third is working or whatever, they just went with it. And also, they needed to make up to Riker because they were really hurting him, he felt it through the bond with Callum. It isn't necessary to read the books in order, the only person to pop up is Jude, who we met in the first book. He is sent by the coven to help deal with the brothers issue.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest opinion
Profile Image for Claudia.
3,058 reviews110 followers
September 5, 2022
hm ... I mostly like T.J. Nichols books but with this series the pacing is a bit of. in this book happened the same as in the last book.

the start and the beginning of the story was very well written and very well done. here i thought it was especially well done what it does to a couple to find a third - especially when it is not voluntary like in this case.
Callum and Nas have a great relationship and I loved the two of them together. That Callum is a witch and finds his mate is in that case more or less unfortunate
Riker is a seal shifter and was told his whole life that he has to live a solitary life. I felt for him and I loved that Nas also could take that into account.

I thought the suspense part was well done and I liked how it was solved.



this here felt a bit like T.J. Nichols just did not care enough for this triple to give them the page time to get their act together. I would love it when we got here more chapters.

nevertheless, a nice read in a good series

an ARC was provided by GRR and I am happy to give my honest opinion
Profile Image for Anne Barwell.
Author 23 books107 followers
September 4, 2022
I’m already a fan of this author and series. I loved the different perspectives of the three men, with Callum a witch, Rikar a shifter who has been brought up to believe he has to be alone, and Nas, a human who up to now has no clue the supernatural world exists. I loved how they all grew to love each other, but differently, and how they worked together to take down a threat.

I loved Callum’s magic, and how all the witches and familiars in this series are different. I liked how his magic works well with his chosen job, and complements Rikar’s leopard seal with the twist of too much raw power needing learned control. I thought the way these two bonded was nicely done, with the added complication of Callum already being in a relationship. I loved how the three fit together, and how Nas and Rikar connect romantically first. I liked Nas and how he adjusted to the idea of a paranormal world and was more upset by the fact Callum hadn’t been honest with him about something so intrinsically him.

I liked the showdown with the shark shifter, especially with Jude showing up to help out. The sharks come across as a very real threat, especially with what happens to Rikar. I liked the conclusion to that part of the story especially with their sister and her children.

The supporting cast are a great addition to the story. I loved Nas’ sister and her girlfriend, and very happy Beau has his own book. I liked him.

I’m looking forward to more in this series.
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,321 reviews527 followers
October 23, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars


The Firefighter’s Familiar is the latest installment in T.J. Nichols’ Familiar Mates series. Most of these books stand alone, tied together by a shared world, and that is the case for this story as well. In this book, we do have a quick cameo by one of the men from The Seahorse Prince’s Mate, and Jude from The Witch’s Familiar shows up here to help out with the fight against the shark shifters, but it’s not necessary to be familiar with either of those books to enjoy this one.

I have read lots of fated mates stories, but this is one of the few I have encountered where one of the pair already has a loving partner. In this case, Nas and Callum have a happy life together, a life each is hoping to soon build upon by getting engaged. And then, suddenly, Callum has this bond with Riker that throws their lives into upheaval. I think Nichols does such a nice job with this plot device, setting up some really interesting conflicts, as well as building some complex relationship dynamics among the three men.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
Profile Image for Tina.
2,701 reviews15 followers
September 15, 2022
The Firefighter’s Familiar is the ninth book in the Fated Mates series by author TJ Nichols. I will say I was feeling like I missed something by starting with this particular book. So I would advise reading the stories in order. I always felt like I was missing something.

MMM is very hard to do, making each man essential in the story is hard, but I love that it was well done in this story. Each person brings something the whole needs to the overall romance.

Callum, he is loving life. He has his perfect person that he loves and adores. He is a firefighter. Life is just good.

Except for a few minor details. Like his lover is human, and Callum is a witch, and ohh Nas has no idea about paranormals. You know the little things.

Riker, he is a Leopard Seal. I loved his strength. He is strong and wants to be his own person. I think he brings the excitement and courage to this relationship.

Nas, he loves Riker. He is kind, sweet, and loves his life with Callum. I think he brings the pure love to the group and that holds them all together.

Overall great story and I need to go back and read the stories I missed.



Five Shooting Stars
1,070 reviews28 followers
August 28, 2022
T. J. Nichols has brought us his latest book. Firefighter and water witch Callum attends a fire at a biker's hangout/bar. Someone mentions that "the kid" is still inside. Callum barges into the burning building after dousing himself with water and using his water witch magic is able to locate "the kid". Finding a faint heartbeat but no breathing He immediately starts mouth to mouth only to be hit with a WHAM!! Opps! Familiar! Callum's nicely organized life with his human boyfriend Nas is about to be tossed on it's head.
The antics, the honesty, the problems, the openness of those around him help Rikar to learn what it's like to be in a group of people who care. Rikar is a leopard seal shifter - brought up to believe leopard seals are solitary creatures. It isn't until human Nas realizes there's a flame there and encourages Rikar to stick around that Rikar learns what it's like to be part of a caring relationship where not one mate but two complete the trio.
This is an enchanting story and one I thoroughly recommend.
Profile Image for Fran.
1,066 reviews11 followers
August 25, 2022
An accidental triad to be sure. Here we have Familiar story involving three individuals, a theme not addressed in this series before and how Ms. Nichols treats the ins and outs is unique and amazing as well. How does a water witch firefighter, Callum, tell his about-to-be fiancé, Nas, that he's mistakenly created a bond with a leopard seal familiar, Rikar, after giving said familiar mouth-to-mouth to save his life. Boy, what a complication. Said almost fiancé has pragmatic and analytical personality so readily accepting the circumstances is pretty doubtful. Add to this are the White brother shark shifters who the human police suspect are involved in drugs & missing persons. Acceptance and love are achieved but at what cost? Secondary characters added to this book are Cassie, sister of the White brothers and Jude Sullivan, The Coven detective, who gives a lot of help to this budding triad.
5,055 reviews19 followers
September 5, 2022
Great read from beginning to end. Callum, a witch firefighter and Nas, a math Professor, are deeply in love and feel they are each other's 'one'. They are both ready for marriage. One night on a call, Callum rescues a man, Rikar and gives him the 'kiss of life'. He realizes too late, that he bonded with his 'familiar/fated mate'. What/how does he tell Nas who doesn't know about the paranormal world? How does he tell Rikar about Nas? Callum faces a dilemma from many directions. Nas upon hearing the info, has a decision to make with many options. Rikar, is as shocked and surprised as everyone else in addition to being targeted by shark shifters. While the reader digs through all these dilemmas, we get to meet three incredible guys and the people in their world. The author did an excellent job adding intrigue, conflicts and crisis while we get to know Callum, Nas and Rikar who are really nice men. Great story. Well done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Cheryl_cajun .
1,214 reviews31 followers
August 22, 2022
Thank you for arc read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. Callum had been living a simi normal life with his non the wiser human boyfriend Nas, that was until the misfortune of taking on another shifter being fate in to play. Rikar is a lonesome leopard seal. You can't help but feel bad for these three at the onset of what is happening but it's the poor humans that is dragged into the deep end and making the lessons plans.(which again) could be the worse or best idea to date.
 Was it truly lying or lying by omission? Becauses that is the focus point Nas is trying to make here. oh the heart pounding moments, after all we have a couple that have a history together for three years adding in the unseen drama that is just Callum's secrets that is enough to swipe a human for a loop but to now have a familiar that just begs to be held and loved but with an enemy on his scent. 
Profile Image for Joanne Mccorkell.
1,669 reviews15 followers
August 30, 2022
I definately enjoyed this story once I got over Rikars feelings of always being pushed out or of not being enough for others.

Rikar, was a loner that was never made welcome, of course his mate is in a commited relationship. Callum is attractive and he feels the pull for his water witch, but Nas, Callums human partner certainly gets his heart racing.

Callum loves Nas and doesnt want to hurt him. Being fated to a familiar ties his life to Rikars and he suddenly needs to let Nas in on a huge secret....
Nas loves and adores Callum, obviously... he asked the man to marry him, but he knows theres something holding Callum back. When he finds out about magic and Rikar, he decides to either accept it and them or lose Callum altogether.

Sometimes its the humans level head that keeps everything going
3,180 reviews21 followers
September 4, 2022
Callum and Nas are a committed couple and plan to marry. But Nas learns some things about his beloved that he did not know. Like the fact that Callum is a witch. Nas did not even realize that paranormal folks exist. And then there is the familiar that Callum becomes bonded with while on duty named Rikar. Suddenly they are having to navigate relationship logistics that include not just Callum and Nas but Riker as well. The author infuses suspense and danger in Nas' discovery about the paranormal world and some complicated relationship dynamics as two work through including the third, who is the bonded mate of one of the partners, into the mix. This one had a lot of feels which helped to keep me turning pages to see how these situations would resolve.
I received an ARC from GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.
193 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2022
I loved this book. I loved the established relationship between Nas and Callum. Somehow Callum meets his familiar and accidentally mates him. From there, there is a lot of conflict of these three finding their place together and Nas discovering the tie of magic. I loved the menage and how that dynamic worked. The conflict and resolution were all worth it. All in all I enjoyed the whole story and style of storytelling. I thought the end could have used some clarification and further resolution. It did end happily, but you don't know what was going to become of the three of them or how things will work in the long run. I do wish this was more clearly resolved. I also would have loved to see a tie between this and other stories in the book. So the story good, and enjoyable, but lacking for total resolution and completion. Still worth the time to check out.
Profile Image for FairyG.
401 reviews
September 10, 2022
Really good

I put off this one because of the MMM element, but the way the author handled this was excellent. In fact the initial situation was actually really awkward for all the MCs and that came across in the writing really well. They all struggled with what to do and how to relate to both of the others, they had their own differently unique insecurities and strengths. If anything it has made me realise how flat other MMM stories are or how they seem to focus on two MCs, the 3rd being a unicorn type.

I'd say in this book of the series the relationship had more focus than the action/drama arc, although there is real threat and action.

Recommend this series highly, you don't need to read in order for plot, but the world building is better if you do since it is a refreshing take on the trope.
Profile Image for Juniper.
3,466 reviews24 followers
August 28, 2022
This story weaves together some danger and intrigue (with shark shifters, no less) a fair amount of emotion, especially angst, and interesting relationship dynamics. For those wondering what would happen if one half of an established couple ended up with a fated mate bond to someone else, there’s an answer here, and it’s messy, intense, and sometimes painful as well as sometimes kind and hopeful. I would have liked to see more of Callum, Nas, and Rikar as they figured out how to make it work— my heart broke for Rikar in particular— and perhaps a bit less of the intrigue, but overall it’s an engaging story, easy to get caught up in.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Profile Image for Dixiecowgirl.
1,437 reviews25 followers
August 28, 2022
Terrific read!  I read this from cover to cover and stayed up way too late. I enjoyed the characters and how they were amazing men who talked and worked out their concerns and feelings.  Just awesome.  I also really thought the plot was solid and intriguing.  

Callum and Nas and Rikar are so steamy together!   I loved how the mate connection between Callum and Rikar had some special qualities and how Nas fit into the whole relationship so well.  

This is book nine of the Familiar Mates series and can be read as a stand-alone.  This was a unique and independent story.  I have read many of this series and they are all interesting and good. 

I was gifted this book from Gay Romance Reviews and i freely give my honest opinion and review.
Profile Image for Susan Anne.
863 reviews5 followers
August 29, 2022
I enjoyed the latest addition to TJ Nichols’ Familiar Mates series, The Firefighter’s Familiar. It differs from the rest by being a MMM story. I thought the author did an excellent job of making a need for there to be a threesome. Callum is a witch who has not disclosed this to his fiancé Nas. When Callum accidentally bonds with his familiar Rikar he doesn’t want to give up either man. How this all works out against the backdrop of some local bad guys and the need for some Coven action is an exciting book. A minor irritant for me was having US characters thinking and speaking Australian jargon. There were even two words that I could not find a translation for, but the meaning was sort of clear from the context. Still annoying. Not enough to lose a star though.
369 reviews4 followers
September 4, 2022
I enjoyed this story in some ways, but not so much in others. This is supposed to be a standalone with no cliffhangers, but it left me with a lot of questions about the characters' relationship and how everything would work out. I was also disappointed by the throuple. I love MMM relationships but this one never got fully there for me. I didn't feel that all three were equal in the relationship, which I feel is necessary for a successful poly relationship. To sum it up, I liked the characters and I liked the whole plot idea, but it felt like it needed a bit more work to make it complete and seamless and fulfilling (for me). YMMV

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
3,630 reviews38 followers
August 29, 2022
I think I'm going to stay away from the ocean!

Well you have 3 bad sharks.
And 2 good sharks.
And a leopard seal.
And a human.
And a male witch.
And some crimes.
And a lot of distrust.
As well as assaults and blood.

Toss them all together and you have a fast paced, romantic mystery with an HEA. Well, an HEA for all but some of the sharks.

Wouldn't life be more exciting if we had witches and shifters. Especially if you have to call in the coven and find out there are even more around you?

Such a neat twist to the 'normal' cat familiar!
213 reviews
August 29, 2022
This was an amazing story of love, understanding, and acceptance when Callum inadvertently bonds with Rikar while engaged to Nas. It’s a crazy situation where the three must figure out what works for them all the while trying to save a person in danger. This story pulled on your heartstrings and made me laugh and smile as the love deepened to include all three guys in their new normal. A wonderful read and I highly recommend you spend time immersed in a world of shifters, witches and the humans they love.
Profile Image for SFBookReviewer.
632 reviews3 followers
August 30, 2022
This is book nine of the Familiar Mates series and can be read as a stand-alone. This was a unique and independent story in the same universe with only one character overlapping. The book follows the story of Callum, Nas, & Rikar, a witch, human, and leopard seal shifter. The book has an interesting story, with many plot twists and turns, however, the book could use some help with the overall poly relationship. This was an ok read with a lot going for it, but not a fantastic read. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Kaila Karg.
288 reviews2 followers
September 7, 2022
this is between a 3 and 4 for me.. i loved it because seal shifter and mmm... but some spots area bit off.. most of the book i loved.. so much... but then the ending felt rushed and i feel like im missing so much with the ending.. idk what happens. i feel like we dont know what happens.. i love this series so maybe we will see them again in the next one and maybe we will find out how they all go? and what happens for sure? but overall this is amazing.. its wonderful.. it was mainly just the end
Profile Image for Bianca.
1,109 reviews7 followers
August 22, 2022
Callum, Nas and Rikar story was exquisite, with humour, danger and lot of love.
I loved the way they tried to make things work, their dynamic and the fireworks when they all connected.
It was interesting to see how a witch, shifter and human could a relationship make work and find happiness in it.
I also liked the rescue operation and the new friends acquired along the way.
I loved the story and I'm looking forward to see what happens next.
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