Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Forgiving Thayne
SERIES: True Mates, Book 2
AUTHOR: J. R. Loveless
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 290 Pages
BLURB:
A True Mates Novel
Nicholas Cartwright has done everything in his power to forget that night six months ago in Senaka, when his true mate rejected him, leaving him shattered and disillusioned. Burying himself in his work, he pushes himself to the point of exhaustion while finding the touch of another unbearable. Suddenly his mate needs his help, and he may be asking for more than Nicholas can find it in himself to give.
Thayne Whitedove has always been a wanderer, spending his days on the road and his nights wrapped in the arms of whatever random hookup he meets, until a fateful mistake sends him rushing for the comforts of home. To his utter dismay, the only way to correct his error in judgment is to accept the one thing he’s never wanted… his mate. Thayne must decide whether to keep running or to stay and fight for Nick’s forgiveness.
REVIEW:
Poor Nick, he’s been shattered. He meets his mate and has an AMAZING time with him and by amazing, I mean they shagged outside of a bar and when he tells Thayne that they are mates, Thayne lets him know in no uncertain terms that he’s not looking for that and never will be. Nick is this wonderful guy who has always done his very best to be there for Seth (whom we met in Chasing Seth). Being the big brother/best friend and most importantly…his bodyguard. To Nick, who grew up being told that having a mate was the very best thing that any shifter could possibly attain, this is disheartening. Nick is a great guy. He works hard, loves hard and just wants to be happy with his True Mate. He’s got a great job, a best friend/business partner that he’s known since college. He’s got Seth still in his life. All that is missing is his True Mate.
Thayne Whitedove is a young man whose life is all about being free. He never wanted to find his true mate as he’d made a oath with a friend as a teenager. Thayne has truly kept on the move in an effort to make sure that didn’t happen. However, Thayne is on the run. A Created One is on his trail. He knows the only way to remove the bond between him and the Created One is to be claimed by his True Mate. Thayne knows that asking for help is going to suck all around. He knows that by asking help from his father, the Alpha has consequences. But the worst part…he’s going to be bound to his True Mate, Nick. Thayne isn’t a bad guy…even though he’s kind of hardheaded and really stubborn. Thayne is just a poor misguided young man who is trying to stay true to the oath he made to his best friend from childhood. He’s let one incident blind him from the wonders of having a True Mate.
The secondary characters in this story were really great. I loved being able to catch up with Seth and Kasey. It was nice to see how their relationship is progressing and watch Seth become much more than even he knew. Ryan, Nick’s business partner and friend…well, I like him and yet, I feel for him. Ryan’s burden that he bears in one that he’s got to deal with. I assume that if there is a 3rd book, it would be his. I liked the little bit of Thayne and Kasey’s parents. They are good parents and showed their children that love is important. That finding your True Mate and honoring them is important. They also showed them that there are consequences to your actions and that you must pay them in order to make amends. I liked the Alpha of Nick’s pack, Elijah and Sara, his TM. They were a wonderful couple who loved their Pack and do what is necessary to protect all that they hold dear. They were just a great couple. Matt Anderson…well, my heart went out to Matt. You’ll know when you read the book.
There was a bit of sex in the book. It wasn’t really explicit, but it was there in order for you to see how it changed from just sex to the building of intimacy between our MC’s. It’s always a really talented author who can truly show the difference in the way the characters view from the first time they sleep together until they realize that there is love between them and the way that they even have sex changes. J. R. did a wonderful job showing the evolution of their intimate scenes.
I have to say that this book had so many themes going on in this book. I like that there is a True Mate bond, however, it’s not insta-love. That Fate gives you the person who is made for you, but you both have to do the work in making it into a truly bonding, loving relationship. I liked that it was different in that respect. I liked the bonds of friendships and family that was on display throughout the book. That you can love in many different ways. I liked seeing that each character has bonds of love and friendship as well as family that bind and hold them. That allows them to wander and yet, know that they are welcomed back. That you can fall and know that they will be there to pick you up again. Of keeping an oath that you made as a teenager to a friend and even though you’ve changed, that you will go and face that friend.
This was a really good story. I liked how information was parceled out and you actually had to read and find out what was going on. I like that this book wasn’t insta-love but showed that love can and does grow the more you get to know someone. My favorite part was watching each character grow as individuals. That neither character was completely right or wrong…that they were people who had issues that they needed to work out.
RATING: 
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