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Supernatural Mates #1
From Pack to Pride
Book one in the Supernatural Mates Series
When a wolf shifter joins a pride of lions, the fur flies.
When Adrian is sent to live with the lion pride for his own safety, little does he know that the pride alpha is already culling him from the pack. With one picture, Talan knew Adrian was his mate.
Now he has six months to persuade Adrian to stay in his pride forever and keep a psychotic wolf from killing him.
When a wolf shifter joins a pride of lions, the fur flies.
When Adrian is sent to live with the lion pride for his own safety, little does he know that the pride alpha is already culling him from the pack. With one picture, Talan knew Adrian was his mate.
Now he has six months to persuade Adrian to stay in his pride forever and keep a psychotic wolf from killing him.
69 pages, ebook
First published January 3, 2011
60 people are currently reading
935 people want to read
About the author
Amber Kell
179 books1,282 followersAmber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
January 5, 2013
You know what? Instead of reviewing every single book written by Kell, I'm just going to pick her most popular one and review it. How is it that fair, you ask, when every book is different? Well, that's the rub, isn't it?
They're all the same book.
And no, I'm not joking. I've read something like, 30 of Kell's books, and every one of it follows this exact same formula. Please, allow me to introduce you to everything you'll ever read in an Amber Kell book:
1. The Neanderthal
One of the MCs in Kell's books will be the Neanderthal - the alpha dog, the manly man who simply oozes manliness.
He will have a 100% chance of doing these: He will be pushy, either shoving phone numbers into your face, browbeating your number out of your friend, threaten to kill people, force you into a date with him, tell you you mean yes when you say no, appear mysteriously on your doorstep, roar in rage when you socially touch someone, move you into his house without your permission, and suggest locking you up permanently as a viable living arrangement.
He will always be more than six-feet tall, muscle-bound, incredibly handsome, very successful, very rich, and very powerful.
im too tired to explain further so here's some pictures that will explain everything. they say a picture will be like a thousand words so here's four thousand words just for you
2. The Girly Man
Here's a question that never comes into question in Kell's books:
Every book has a certified chick-with-dick. Nine out of ten books, he is below six feet, slim, skinny, and is gorgeous. He will be massively talented, usually in some artistic way. He will be very good, and very admired at what he does.
If he's an artist, he'll be good enough to earn everyone's admiration and be featured in a gallery now/some day. If he's a cook, he'll be good enough to appear on TV shows and have his own cookbook in the market. If he's a doctor... Well, you get the idea.
The Girly Man also has an 80% chance (depending on the length of the book) to be shot, beaten up, knocked out, kidnapped or be a target of hatred from a cartoon villain.
He will come with his own tragic backstory, traumatic experience, or apprehensions, all of which more often than not will disappear some time between the first kiss and the first time they have sex.
But whatever happens, you can be sure that he WILL be the victim, and he WILL be the one who has his heart broken (if anyone's heart was broken) and he WILL be the one who's all-powerful, or he WILL be mated to the one who's all-powerful. If he is the MC of the first book of a series, then the chance is even higher. Subsequent MCs in the series will be puny in comparison.
Everyone will love him, or come to love him before the end of the book. If someone doesn't like him, is rude to him, looked at him in a mean way, treated him lousily, tried to shortchange him, or otherwise behave as if he's not Kell's gift to mankind, they'll be subsequently brought out to the shooting ranged and be fired, killed, or exiled.
3. The Plot
I see you
Wow your hot
Omg you amazing 2
look at your art/ sculptures / wings / food / condo / car
so cool
sex
I love you 4ever, we married next month and have kids, ok?
CONFLICT
sex
author's note
4. The Verdict
... And yet despite everything, I'm still buying her books and reading this. What a sucker, you say. Yes I am. Yes I am a sucker, and I don't even know why.
Her books rate a strict 1-2 stars for me. I don't think they've ever hit the 3 star mark. Yet for some reason I'm compelled to continue reading it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Kell has cast a spell on me. Whatever the case, you can be sure that if like me, you're looking for a thrashy romance book full of Stus and cartoon villains to fill in a couple of hours, look no further.
This is it.
The book that goes on forever.
They're all the same book.
And no, I'm not joking. I've read something like, 30 of Kell's books, and every one of it follows this exact same formula. Please, allow me to introduce you to everything you'll ever read in an Amber Kell book:
1. The Neanderthal
One of the MCs in Kell's books will be the Neanderthal - the alpha dog, the manly man who simply oozes manliness.
He will have a 100% chance of doing these: He will be pushy, either shoving phone numbers into your face, browbeating your number out of your friend, threaten to kill people, force you into a date with him, tell you you mean yes when you say no, appear mysteriously on your doorstep, roar in rage when you socially touch someone, move you into his house without your permission, and suggest locking you up permanently as a viable living arrangement.
He will always be more than six-feet tall, muscle-bound, incredibly handsome, very successful, very rich, and very powerful.
im too tired to explain further so here's some pictures that will explain everything. they say a picture will be like a thousand words so here's four thousand words just for you
2. The Girly Man
Here's a question that never comes into question in Kell's books:
Every book has a certified chick-with-dick. Nine out of ten books, he is below six feet, slim, skinny, and is gorgeous. He will be massively talented, usually in some artistic way. He will be very good, and very admired at what he does.
If he's an artist, he'll be good enough to earn everyone's admiration and be featured in a gallery now/some day. If he's a cook, he'll be good enough to appear on TV shows and have his own cookbook in the market. If he's a doctor... Well, you get the idea.
The Girly Man also has an 80% chance (depending on the length of the book) to be shot, beaten up, knocked out, kidnapped or be a target of hatred from a cartoon villain.
He will come with his own tragic backstory, traumatic experience, or apprehensions, all of which more often than not will disappear some time between the first kiss and the first time they have sex.
But whatever happens, you can be sure that he WILL be the victim, and he WILL be the one who has his heart broken (if anyone's heart was broken) and he WILL be the one who's all-powerful, or he WILL be mated to the one who's all-powerful. If he is the MC of the first book of a series, then the chance is even higher. Subsequent MCs in the series will be puny in comparison.
Everyone will love him, or come to love him before the end of the book. If someone doesn't like him, is rude to him, looked at him in a mean way, treated him lousily, tried to shortchange him, or otherwise behave as if he's not Kell's gift to mankind, they'll be subsequently brought out to the shooting ranged and be fired, killed, or exiled.
3. The Plot
I see you
Wow your hot
Omg you amazing 2
look at your art/ sculptures / wings / food / condo / car
so cool
sex
I love you 4ever, we married next month and have kids, ok?
CONFLICT
sex
author's note
4. The Verdict
... And yet despite everything, I'm still buying her books and reading this. What a sucker, you say. Yes I am. Yes I am a sucker, and I don't even know why.
Her books rate a strict 1-2 stars for me. I don't think they've ever hit the 3 star mark. Yet for some reason I'm compelled to continue reading it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Kell has cast a spell on me. Whatever the case, you can be sure that if like me, you're looking for a thrashy romance book full of Stus and cartoon villains to fill in a couple of hours, look no further.
This is it.
The book that goes on forever.
October 7, 2014
*2.5 stars*
This is CLASSIC shifter stuff right here. I can summarize the book for you in just a few sentences:
Rawr! You're mine!
You're hot! You are my one true mate!
I want to bang you and bite you.
::minor separation interlude::
Rawr! I love you! I'm going to mark you.
Let's be together forever!
It basically went like that.
This book could have used some serious editing but it wasn't bad for a quick read. The head hopping was a killer, though. Totally not my taste, mainly because I hate insta-love, but I've read worse.
**Read for project GRL 2014- My quest to read authors that I've never tried before**
This is CLASSIC shifter stuff right here. I can summarize the book for you in just a few sentences:
Rawr! You're mine!
You're hot! You are my one true mate!
I want to bang you and bite you.
::minor separation interlude::
Rawr! I love you! I'm going to mark you.
Let's be together forever!
It basically went like that.
This book could have used some serious editing but it wasn't bad for a quick read. The head hopping was a killer, though. Totally not my taste, mainly because I hate insta-love, but I've read worse.
**Read for project GRL 2014- My quest to read authors that I've never tried before**
June 28, 2020
I'm changing my review to 4 stars because I've read this 5 times now. This is a very simple almost no angst shifter story. It's one I read for a light read. There's nothing extraordinary or amazing about it, but the simplicity is like a comfort.
December 5, 2014
My thought processes whilst reading this story ...
"Ewww ... unfounded angst in the first chapter ... take away a star - ★★★★ ... Relying on reader's knowledge of the shifter trope to fill in the plot holes ... take away a star - ★★★ ... Oh Christ on a kangaroo, insta-love ... I'm taking 2 stars for that! - ★ ... Really? You decided to call all the lions by similar names so I have to concentrate whilst reading fluff ... takin' a star for that 'cause that's just nasty ... I like the way the lion-shifters are lion-like ... I'll add a star for that ... ooooo inter-species conflict ... add a star ... WTF?! sooky alpha lion ... loose a star ... hang on, why did the inter-species conflict disappear??? ... loose a star! ... nice smexy sex with cat tongue action ... that's gotta be worth a couple of stars ... I wonder if the tail will be incorporated? Does thinking about that make me a sick fuck? *makes note in case I can use it in a story* ... hmmm ... weak angst plot that is resolved too easily ... loose a star ... OMG ... do we have to have the melodramatic "He doesn't respect me" plot line? Loose a star ... Oh fuck ... what the hell do I rate this story at??? ... I know, I'll do a bell curve *muttering* carry the 2 then divide by the ... fuckit ... it's average shifter trope ... ★★★"
"Ewww ... unfounded angst in the first chapter ... take away a star - ★★★★ ... Relying on reader's knowledge of the shifter trope to fill in the plot holes ... take away a star - ★★★ ... Oh Christ on a kangaroo, insta-love ... I'm taking 2 stars for that! - ★ ... Really? You decided to call all the lions by similar names so I have to concentrate whilst reading fluff ... takin' a star for that 'cause that's just nasty ... I like the way the lion-shifters are lion-like ... I'll add a star for that ... ooooo inter-species conflict ... add a star ... WTF?! sooky alpha lion ... loose a star ... hang on, why did the inter-species conflict disappear??? ... loose a star! ... nice smexy sex with cat tongue action ... that's gotta be worth a couple of stars ... I wonder if the tail will be incorporated? Does thinking about that make me a sick fuck? *makes note in case I can use it in a story* ... hmmm ... weak angst plot that is resolved too easily ... loose a star ... OMG ... do we have to have the melodramatic "He doesn't respect me" plot line? Loose a star ... Oh fuck ... what the hell do I rate this story at??? ... I know, I'll do a bell curve *muttering* carry the 2 then divide by the ... fuckit ... it's average shifter trope ... ★★★"
January 5, 2011
Adrian is sent to Lion's pride by his brother, the Wolf Alpha, to protect him from a threat from an older wolf, named Olson. The Lion Alpha, Talan, is looking for a mate and he is determined to make Adrian see that they are meant to be.
Personally, this is just like the rest of Amber Kell's stories that deal with shifters/mating. One smaller Alpha mate who is smart and sassy, One bigger Alpha who is VERY possessive, thrown in a bunch of humors, as well as an overused number of the word "mate", that you probably want to ban that word from your vocabulary forever. I do like the idea of computer expert wolf AND a video-games loving lions. The fight between Adrian and Olson is a joke, as it ends like in 2 seconds. For a fight whose hype is built throughout the story, it's a total disappointment.
Look, it's nice, light, quirky read ... But does it stand out? No. Is it forgettable? I believe so. Still, it's a guilty pleasure for a quick read.
Personally, this is just like the rest of Amber Kell's stories that deal with shifters/mating. One smaller Alpha mate who is smart and sassy, One bigger Alpha who is VERY possessive, thrown in a bunch of humors, as well as an overused number of the word "mate", that you probably want to ban that word from your vocabulary forever. I do like the idea of computer expert wolf AND a video-games loving lions. The fight between Adrian and Olson is a joke, as it ends like in 2 seconds. For a fight whose hype is built throughout the story, it's a total disappointment.
Look, it's nice, light, quirky read ... But does it stand out? No. Is it forgettable? I believe so. Still, it's a guilty pleasure for a quick read.
January 4, 2011
I thought this was a great start to a new series. It's a short, shallow read, perfect if you don't want to have to think much while reading it.
Adrian is the kind of character I love. Small and adorable but definitely not fragile and can easily hurt a man bigger than himself without any effort. Talan's possessiveness towards the little wolf was extremely hot and between the two, I was left laughing a few times.
I was a little disappointed with the fighting scene. It was over too quickly, in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a little longer than just a few paragraphs especially since it was made perfectly clear multiple times how much Olson hated Adrian and wanted to kill him.
Amber fans will definitely like this book, I know I do and I can't wait for the next one in the series. :D
Adrian is the kind of character I love. Small and adorable but definitely not fragile and can easily hurt a man bigger than himself without any effort. Talan's possessiveness towards the little wolf was extremely hot and between the two, I was left laughing a few times.
I was a little disappointed with the fighting scene. It was over too quickly, in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a little longer than just a few paragraphs especially since it was made perfectly clear multiple times how much Olson hated Adrian and wanted to kill him.
Amber fans will definitely like this book, I know I do and I can't wait for the next one in the series. :D
January 3, 2011
Short, cute, and happy very sweet story. Made me a laugh a few times too
January 11, 2011
Giving this a 4.5, upped to a 5 - I don't usually give 5s to shorties but I really loved this. A wolf in a lion's pack is so cool. Adrian is my hero - such a strong, powerful, self-assured big wolf in a small wolf's body, and Talan - just hot, hot, hot and so freaking unafraid of his emotions and wants. Together, they're a fabulous couple that I really would have liked to see more of. I know this is the first of a series and I'm assuming the next one will involve a new couple but hopefully we'll still get to see more of Talan and Adrian. On a side note, I completely adored how Talan's sisters could yank his chain so easily and did it on a regular basis. :P
April 10, 2018
Short, sweet, sexy, and with some interesting interspecies dynamics, this shifter story made me laugh several times as the characters found their way into each other's hearts. For me, this story is a very promising start for a new series.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
October 28, 2013
2.5 Stars
Honestly, I bought this because it was on sale at Totally Bound Books for $0.99. It was alright. It's short. It's pretty one-dimensional. The characters were entertaining but the author glossed over the main points: 1) the relationship development between the MCs and 2) the big showdown between Adrian and his nemesis, Olsen. These pillars of the story were either non-existent (for the former) or finished in a blink of an eye (latter) ... or swipe of a paw ... whatever.
Bottom line: Underwhelming. The first book in any series is rough, so I'll try book two before giving up.
Honestly, I bought this because it was on sale at Totally Bound Books for $0.99. It was alright. It's short. It's pretty one-dimensional. The characters were entertaining but the author glossed over the main points: 1) the relationship development between the MCs and 2) the big showdown between Adrian and his nemesis, Olsen. These pillars of the story were either non-existent (for the former) or finished in a blink of an eye (latter) ... or swipe of a paw ... whatever.
Bottom line: Underwhelming. The first book in any series is rough, so I'll try book two before giving up.
January 5, 2011
4.5. Adrian is a wolf, sent by the alpha of his pack to the lions pride in order to broker peace between the two, as well as keep Adrian safe from a wolf challenge. They also hope Adrian will find a mate. He does, right away, find a true mate in the form of Talan, the pack alpha. Talan has six months to convince Adrian to stay. Its a fun pack, amusing characters and they are a great couple. It introduces secondary characters who will be fun to read about.
February 24, 2017
2.5 stars
This was a very basic shifter story. Instant attraction, mating pull, the mating and lots of sex, a little conflict, more sex and then finished.
Not a lot of character development or storyline, except for one character who was sorta important as he is the reason our mates met..
This was a very basic shifter story. Instant attraction, mating pull, the mating and lots of sex, a little conflict, more sex and then finished.
Not a lot of character development or storyline, except for one character who was sorta important as he is the reason our mates met..
June 10, 2016
Volver a leer a Amber Kell ha sido todo un lujo, me gusta mucho esta autora. Sus historias son simples, con romance y drama a partes iguales.
En este caso, Adrian y Talan han resultado ser una pareja muy bonita, y me gustó mucho cómo se fue desarrollando su relación a lo largo de la historia. Además, ver cómo se comportaba la manada y sus formas cuando cambiaban ha sido un espectáculo. Recomendable.
Luego de una segunda lectura, puedo decir que la forma en que Amber crea las personalidades de los protagonistas es de lo más interesante, y más en este caso cuando el lado Alfa de Talan hace que la relación con su compañero, un tanto cabezadura, Adrian, sea mucho más entretenida y tenga muchos momentos de idas y vueltas que los hacen ser mucho más unidos.
En este caso, Adrian y Talan han resultado ser una pareja muy bonita, y me gustó mucho cómo se fue desarrollando su relación a lo largo de la historia. Además, ver cómo se comportaba la manada y sus formas cuando cambiaban ha sido un espectáculo. Recomendable.
Luego de una segunda lectura, puedo decir que la forma en que Amber crea las personalidades de los protagonistas es de lo más interesante, y más en este caso cuando el lado Alfa de Talan hace que la relación con su compañero, un tanto cabezadura, Adrian, sea mucho más entretenida y tenga muchos momentos de idas y vueltas que los hacen ser mucho más unidos.
January 4, 2011
4.5 Stars. Not terribly deep but very entertaining if you like a large, roaring alpha lion whose main focus is his mate. I'm looking forward to this series.
November 14, 2011
3.5
Cute short paranormal about Adrian a wolf shifter and Talan the alpha lion shifter!
This was a light read but fun and I did like the switch up at the end! ;)
Cute short paranormal about Adrian a wolf shifter and Talan the alpha lion shifter!
This was a light read but fun and I did like the switch up at the end! ;)
September 30, 2015
2.5 stars.
Predictable shifter story. Instalove, bad guy shows up, fight over in an instant, biting, claiming, mating, running away, etc etc. Nothing new here.
Predictable shifter story. Instalove, bad guy shows up, fight over in an instant, biting, claiming, mating, running away, etc etc. Nothing new here.
January 4, 2011
I enjoyed this rather short, sweet story by Amber Kell. The main characters worked for me and their relationship, while low on angst through the majority of the book, was nicely worked. There were a couple of chuckle worthy moments, which is always nice, and the writing was smooth and easy. Unfortunately, the ending left me a little disappointed - both the final fight scene and the sudden up and leave of one of the main characters from out of left field. I can certainly appreciate the sentiment behind it, but felt there wasn't enough build up to really satisfy. Overall, nice quick read and I will definitely be watching out for the next book in this series...I'd like to see Kevin get his man :)
January 20, 2018
Adrian is a wolf shifter whose brother (Kade) is the Alpha of his pack. Kade is concerned about a mean wolf in his pack and wants to keep Adrian safe once he turns of age, so he strikes a deal with the Alpha of a lion pride, Talan. Talan knows immediately after looking at Adrian's picture that he is his mate, and wants to do everything he can to make Adrian feel comfortable and welcome in his pride. Adrian doesn't want to leave his family, but has an immediate attraction to Talan. They have some things to work out, especially when Adrian wants to ensure Talan treats him like an equal who can take care of himself, but they work it out well and smoothly. Enjoyable story.
February 4, 2016
Read the whole series and loved it :)
July 13, 2019
3.5 Stars
July 8, 2011
The blurb here pretty much tells the whole story. Adrian’s brother offers him to the lion pack for two reasons, to cement shifter political relations as he realizes they are going to have to stop fighting amongst themselves to stave off human encroachment, and because the new wolf in the pack has a hate-on for Adrian. In a week, when Adrian turns 25, the other wolf can challenge him. Adrian actually took his lot in life rather well I thought, he agrees to go, especially when he finds out if he’s unhappy in six months, he gets to leave. He’s a bit nervous though, not having dealt with lions, and not having being away from his pack before.
Talan, the lion alpha can’t wait for him to get there, and is very clear about warning everyone off. Adrian is his, fated mates, end of story. Adrian’s not too upset about the concept, although being permanently mated makes him hesitant, and of course when the bad wolf comes looking for Adrian, all hell breaks loose, sort of.
This is a very typical shifter story with all of the standard tropes you see. Adrian is smaller, smart, feisty and likes to bake, Talan is your typical alpha male. You do get details about the different shifter cultures. In wolf culture everyone shares chores like hunting and cooking, and they live a very basic lifestyle. Whereas with lions, the girls (Talan’s 6 sisters) do all the hunting and cooking and the men … eat and play video games. OMG, they’re totally American. LOL
There is the usual misunderstanding, where Talan wants to protect Adrian, and he wants to fight his own battles and is able to do so, much to everyone’s surprise, but on the whole, this is a pretty typical shifter story with a few twists. It’s not high art, but when you are in the mood for some familiar tropes ,and an easy read with likable sexy characters, it’s a good choice. I know one of the lion shifters from this book, Kevin, gets his story next. I’ll definitely check it out, when I’m in the mood for pure entertainment.
Talan, the lion alpha can’t wait for him to get there, and is very clear about warning everyone off. Adrian is his, fated mates, end of story. Adrian’s not too upset about the concept, although being permanently mated makes him hesitant, and of course when the bad wolf comes looking for Adrian, all hell breaks loose, sort of.
This is a very typical shifter story with all of the standard tropes you see. Adrian is smaller, smart, feisty and likes to bake, Talan is your typical alpha male. You do get details about the different shifter cultures. In wolf culture everyone shares chores like hunting and cooking, and they live a very basic lifestyle. Whereas with lions, the girls (Talan’s 6 sisters) do all the hunting and cooking and the men … eat and play video games. OMG, they’re totally American. LOL
There is the usual misunderstanding, where Talan wants to protect Adrian, and he wants to fight his own battles and is able to do so, much to everyone’s surprise, but on the whole, this is a pretty typical shifter story with a few twists. It’s not high art, but when you are in the mood for some familiar tropes ,and an easy read with likable sexy characters, it’s a good choice. I know one of the lion shifters from this book, Kevin, gets his story next. I’ll definitely check it out, when I’m in the mood for pure entertainment.
June 24, 2018
[This is an old review I'm just now adding to GR. I rated it the same way I did when I originally reviewed it, but, looking my review over, I feel like I was probably more generous back then than I would be now.]
Adrian is outraged when he learns that his brother and pack alpha, Kade, has arranged for him to live with a lion-shifter pride in order to protect him from Olson, a wolf who hates him and plans to challenge him. For the next six months, Adrian's supposed to at least consider the possibility of mate bonding with one of the lions. If he doesn't find anyone suitable and isn't happy living with the pride, he can go home. He's sure that will be the final outcome, but then he meets Talan, the pride alpha, and is instantly attracted to him. He and Talan get along well, but then Olson arrives. Talan's over-protectiveness causes Adrian to question whether a mate bond with Talan would be a good idea.
This was better than Jaynell's Wolf , the other story by this author that I've read, but it still wasn't very good. I do think it could have been decent...if the author had been consistent with her world and character details and considered the ramifications of all of them. And if the editing had been better.
Okay, so readers were told that wolves were the more primal shifters, living simply and having sex with anyone they might potentially want to mate bond with. Lions, on the other hand, loved luxury and tended to take things more slowly where mating was concerned, because going too quickly could result in bloodshed if their inner lions accidentally started viewing their potential mates as prey.
That's all well and good, except that's not how Kell wrote Adrian and Talan's relationship. Talan's idea of taking things slow was kissing but no groping (sort of), for all of a couple days. Then he decided that his lion was fine with Adrian, and they should just go ahead and have sex. And here I thought they'd go on dates, talk about each other's lives, that sort of thing. At best, Talan asked Adrian a little about his job, and that was it. I have no clue what, if anything, Talan did when he wasn't roaring at the male members of his pride for looking at Adrian too long. While I liked the part at the end where Adrian told Talan that the two of them could only work out as a couple if Talan could learn to trust him and believe that he could take care of himself, it would have had much more power if he and Talan had actually known each other better.
Then there was the biting. Talan's pride freaked out when Adrian bit Talan to mark him (and made absolutely no effort to warn Talan before doing it, which seems like a supremely dumb thing for someone to do to a potentially volatile shifter). One of the pride members called it a “wolf sex thing,” so I figured that lions didn't do that sort of thing. But then Talan and Adrian had sex and Talan bit hard enough to draw a lot of blood (again, without giving any warning beforehand), leaving me really confused. Why had Adrian's bite been such a big deal? And, considering the whole “lions have to take things slowly so they don't accidentally eat their potential mates” thing, shouldn't Adrian have freaked out when Talan suddenly bit him that hard?
The story's entire setup was paper thin. Adrian's insistence that he couldn't live with lions and couldn't imagine mating with one of them didn't last longer than it took for him to drive to Talan's home. The next bit of “conflict” that Kell introduced was Adrian's fear that he'd never get to run with his pack again, but even I could have told him that probably wasn't the case. Sure enough, that problem evaporated after he mentioned his fear to Talan. Then there was Olson.
Now we're entering spoiler territory: I have to wonder how someone could be
I'll wrap this up by talking about the editing. There wasn't much in the way of misspellings - I noticed one instance of Talan's name being spelled “Talon” - but there were issues with repetitiveness. A character would walk in and say something, and a moment later another character would come and say basically the same thing. Kell's naming decisions were also unfortunate, unless the plan was to make all the lions indistinguishable from each other (which may have been the case, since even Adrian found himself thinking that he couldn't tell them apart). Talan and all six of his sisters had names starting with T.
There were instances of incorrect punctuation (“'Yeah, but how does teaching little girls karate translate into ripping a man’s throat out.'” (47) – needs a question mark), and Kell's usage of commas bugged me. One example: “The thought that the man was hedging his bets about leaving, rubbed Talan wrong.” (21) As far as I know, that didn't need a comma. Also, after such a big deal was made about lions being in prides, not packs, it was a little odd when Talan thought about the lions' mansion being the “pride of the pack” (14).
I could go on, but I'll stop there. All in all, this wasn't great, but I've read worse, and it helped that I went into it not expecting much more than some fluff with a bit of sex in it. I don't plan on reading more in this series, however, and I'm happy that I'm now finished with everything by Kell that I own.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Adrian is outraged when he learns that his brother and pack alpha, Kade, has arranged for him to live with a lion-shifter pride in order to protect him from Olson, a wolf who hates him and plans to challenge him. For the next six months, Adrian's supposed to at least consider the possibility of mate bonding with one of the lions. If he doesn't find anyone suitable and isn't happy living with the pride, he can go home. He's sure that will be the final outcome, but then he meets Talan, the pride alpha, and is instantly attracted to him. He and Talan get along well, but then Olson arrives. Talan's over-protectiveness causes Adrian to question whether a mate bond with Talan would be a good idea.
This was better than Jaynell's Wolf , the other story by this author that I've read, but it still wasn't very good. I do think it could have been decent...if the author had been consistent with her world and character details and considered the ramifications of all of them. And if the editing had been better.
Okay, so readers were told that wolves were the more primal shifters, living simply and having sex with anyone they might potentially want to mate bond with. Lions, on the other hand, loved luxury and tended to take things more slowly where mating was concerned, because going too quickly could result in bloodshed if their inner lions accidentally started viewing their potential mates as prey.
That's all well and good, except that's not how Kell wrote Adrian and Talan's relationship. Talan's idea of taking things slow was kissing but no groping (sort of), for all of a couple days. Then he decided that his lion was fine with Adrian, and they should just go ahead and have sex. And here I thought they'd go on dates, talk about each other's lives, that sort of thing. At best, Talan asked Adrian a little about his job, and that was it. I have no clue what, if anything, Talan did when he wasn't roaring at the male members of his pride for looking at Adrian too long. While I liked the part at the end where Adrian told Talan that the two of them could only work out as a couple if Talan could learn to trust him and believe that he could take care of himself, it would have had much more power if he and Talan had actually known each other better.
Then there was the biting. Talan's pride freaked out when Adrian bit Talan to mark him (and made absolutely no effort to warn Talan before doing it, which seems like a supremely dumb thing for someone to do to a potentially volatile shifter). One of the pride members called it a “wolf sex thing,” so I figured that lions didn't do that sort of thing. But then Talan and Adrian had sex and Talan bit hard enough to draw a lot of blood (again, without giving any warning beforehand), leaving me really confused. Why had Adrian's bite been such a big deal? And, considering the whole “lions have to take things slowly so they don't accidentally eat their potential mates” thing, shouldn't Adrian have freaked out when Talan suddenly bit him that hard?
The story's entire setup was paper thin. Adrian's insistence that he couldn't live with lions and couldn't imagine mating with one of them didn't last longer than it took for him to drive to Talan's home. The next bit of “conflict” that Kell introduced was Adrian's fear that he'd never get to run with his pack again, but even I could have told him that probably wasn't the case. Sure enough, that problem evaporated after he mentioned his fear to Talan. Then there was Olson.
Now we're entering spoiler territory: I have to wonder how someone could be
I'll wrap this up by talking about the editing. There wasn't much in the way of misspellings - I noticed one instance of Talan's name being spelled “Talon” - but there were issues with repetitiveness. A character would walk in and say something, and a moment later another character would come and say basically the same thing. Kell's naming decisions were also unfortunate, unless the plan was to make all the lions indistinguishable from each other (which may have been the case, since even Adrian found himself thinking that he couldn't tell them apart). Talan and all six of his sisters had names starting with T.
There were instances of incorrect punctuation (“'Yeah, but how does teaching little girls karate translate into ripping a man’s throat out.'” (47) – needs a question mark), and Kell's usage of commas bugged me. One example: “The thought that the man was hedging his bets about leaving, rubbed Talan wrong.” (21) As far as I know, that didn't need a comma. Also, after such a big deal was made about lions being in prides, not packs, it was a little odd when Talan thought about the lions' mansion being the “pride of the pack” (14).
I could go on, but I'll stop there. All in all, this wasn't great, but I've read worse, and it helped that I went into it not expecting much more than some fluff with a bit of sex in it. I don't plan on reading more in this series, however, and I'm happy that I'm now finished with everything by Kell that I own.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 18, 2015
REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
3.5 Stars
This is the first book in the Supernatural Mates Series and it’s a short and easy read. It’s the sort of book I like to read when I don’t want to think too hard, when I want a bit of fun and a nice and easy HEA.
Talan is the alpha of his Lion pride and hasn’t had much success finding a mate. When a local werewolf pack offers one of their own Talan immediately recognises his fated mate from just a picture. That picture is of Adrian, brother of the alpha, and as the alpha fears for his brother’s life he sees this as the perfect opportunity to keep him safe.
Talan is used to having his own way and that’s not exactly what happens when Adrian moves into the pride house although there is a serious dose of insta love. The fight with Olsen was a bit of a let-down given that it was the reason Adrian had to leave his pack in the first place but the result certainly proved a point!
Adrian might be small but he is also pretty tough and until his mate recognises this and treats him as an equal things are a bit rocky.
3.5 Stars
This is the first book in the Supernatural Mates Series and it’s a short and easy read. It’s the sort of book I like to read when I don’t want to think too hard, when I want a bit of fun and a nice and easy HEA.
Talan is the alpha of his Lion pride and hasn’t had much success finding a mate. When a local werewolf pack offers one of their own Talan immediately recognises his fated mate from just a picture. That picture is of Adrian, brother of the alpha, and as the alpha fears for his brother’s life he sees this as the perfect opportunity to keep him safe.
Talan is used to having his own way and that’s not exactly what happens when Adrian moves into the pride house although there is a serious dose of insta love. The fight with Olsen was a bit of a let-down given that it was the reason Adrian had to leave his pack in the first place but the result certainly proved a point!
Adrian might be small but he is also pretty tough and until his mate recognises this and treats him as an equal things are a bit rocky.
January 14, 2011
Is it just me or are all of Total-e-bound books too short lately? It starts of amazing, funny, interesting and usually adorable. But then you get to the middle where suddenly everything starts to rush. The fights are a joke, the conversations get mushy and very unrealistic and all the magic from the beginning of the book disappears only to be replaced by a cliche. It's like all the authors write the minimum acceptable word count and just stop there. Is it that hard to write 20 more pages? I don't know. I liked this story so much that the ending and the development of the situation left a real shitty taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2013
Read on 10-5-13
Eh. I think this was the first inter-species I have read and I liked it up until the they said hell with the inter-species rules. Really?
The "battle" was ummm....what battle?
The conflict, ummm...melodramatic much, Adrian? Seriously.
Eh. I think this was the first inter-species I have read and I liked it up until the they said hell with the inter-species rules. Really?
The "battle" was ummm....what battle?
The conflict, ummm...melodramatic much, Adrian? Seriously.
November 12, 2013
A wolf in a lion pride - say it ain't so! My two favorite types of shifters, wolf and large cat......hmmmmm....I was in Heaven. This was a great start to a new series and I loved every minute of it. I really want to see more of Talan's pride because, if nothing else, his sisters are a riot. Adrian and Talan were pretty hot together and I liked Adrian, a lot!
Looking forward to the next story.
Looking forward to the next story.
November 5, 2018
This wasn't bad for an instant "I love you, be my mate and let's be together forever" when you've just met. It also wasn't bad for the typical roar, I want you, need to mark you and I'll go insane if you even think about touching another man. Not a lot of depth but somehow I found myself enjoying it anyway.
March 22, 2013
This is an amusing MM romance between a wolf and lion shifter with a side-serve of external vengeance. I have to admit to smiling most of my way through this. But it is very light and straight-forward; don't expect the unexpected. Good if you need a quick hit :)
July 11, 2011
Good paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shifter whose alpha brother sends him to stay with a pride of lions in order to keep him safe from a hostile wolf who wants to kill him.
September 25, 2023
It was okay. Things happened way to quickly, which I understand since it was a short story. The fight scene was way too short. It ended in a blink. The reasoning behind the challenge was stupid.
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