Reviewed by Caroline and Cinnamon
TITLE: To Touch You
SERIES: Mates Collection Book 4
AUTHOR: Cardeno C
PUBLISHER: The Romance Authors, LLC (self published)
LENGTH: 66,181 words
RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2017
BLURB:
“His name is Salvatore Rossi. He’s a vampire. And he’s my true mate.”
By not relying on anyone except himself, Salvatore Rossi escaped a dead-end existence and reached the height of corporate success. But just when he has everything he always wanted, fate throws Salvatore a challenge he can’t solve alone and a young wolf shifter comes to his rescue.
Since childhood, Yoram Smith’s family was certain he would grow to become Alpha and save their beloved pack from its slow demise. When the time comes for a new leader, Yoram is forced to juggle his duty to care for a splintering pack with his duty to care for an absent mate, and his own strength suffers.
Being turned into a vampire didn’t alter Salvatore’s life philosophy: if you don’t rely on anyone, nobody can let you down. But when the boy who saved his life becomes a man who needs his help, the icy vampire must find his humanity.
CAROLINE’S REVIEW:
Book 4 in the Mates series has been a long time coming but proved in the end to be well worth the wait. To Touch You is Yoram and Salvatore’s story and you have to put your faith in the author initially as these two men, one soon to be a vampire and one wolf who are destined to be true mates, first meet when Yoram is only seven years old and Sal is in this thirties. Yoram is a werewolf and his family have high hopes that he will one day be alpha and help turn around the fortunes of their ailing pack. Sal is going to become a vampire to save him from a terminal illness – a fortunate meeting with Yoram who declares Sal his ‘friend’ saves his life but puts both these men on a road that doesn’t initially lead either one to happiness.
The story is like a snapshot into both these men’s lives as they grow up apart and the downside to this is the romance doesn’t kick in until almost the end so you don’t get a lot of on page time with the men as a couple. Sal is a difficult character to like and he doesn’t really redeem himself until the end. He is selfish, uncaring and oblivious to the pain he causes Yoram for many years until suddenly, again at the end, he realizes how important true mates are, finally gets over the fact that Yoram is a man and gives him what he deserves.
Where Sal is difficult to like Yoram is very easy to love. He has a huge weight resting on his shoulders with the responsibility he feels towards the pack and he never ever puts himself or his own needs first. He is quick, possibly too quick, to forgive Sal for all the years of hurt but in the end all he wants is his mate and his HEA. To Touch You has moved forward many years since the first book but the characters from the previous stories are still around and play quite a big part in Yoram’s eventual happiness. This is a great addition to the Mates series and I think Cardeno fans will be left with happy smiles on their faces and will be looking forward to more in the future.
CAROLINE’S RATING: 
CINNAMON’S REVIEW:
To Touch You caught me in the best possible time. It soothed my soul and filled my heart with all the great feels Cardeno C is the master of. Yoram is a sweetheart and I was rooting for him all along. Believe it or not although CC is one of my favorite writers and the creator of some of my favorite comfort reads, I haven’t read any of the Mate Collection books yet. Big mistake. I know. To Touch You is the fourth book in the series and although it runs partly parallel with the third book (In Your Eyes), it can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone. If you are a fan of this series you will not be disappointed as all three couples from the previous books are present and have great scenes together. If you are new, like me, you will have fun getting to know everyone and learning about life in CC’s shifter/vampire universe.
I really enjoyed the story and you will too if you like shifters, vampires, and crave the mystery of the true mate bond.
This is an entertaining, heartwarming comfort read with some excitement and a bit of heartache added to the mix. I enjoyed the build-up and the pages just flew by. I love paranormal stories and I am always excited to see what kind of fantasy world the writers come up with.
I had so many questions during the first half of the book about both of our MCs but especially Salvatore Rossi. I didn’t get him at all at first, but luckily all my questions got answered, all my doubts disappeared during the second part as we could get to know them better. Salvatore’s 180 was a bit sudden but I accept that it goes with the mate bond and was happy to see how perfect Yoram and Sal truly are together.
We got all the right feels, all the great emotions and all the hot sexy-time. This is a truly fun and entertaining read. Highly recommended.
RATING:
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