REVIEWED BY CINDY
TITLE: Chosen Pride
SERIES: L’Ange: Book Three
AUTHOR: Mary Calmes
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 240 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 26, 2016
Blurb:
Jon Slade finally met his mate, but instead of it being the happiest day of his life, it became the saddest when wolf shifter Kelvin MacCurdy chose his obligations over their fated bond, leaving Jon to pick up the pieces of his shattered dreams. Lucky for him, Roman Howell, his boss and the owner of L’Ange, saw promise in the forlorn lion and put him to work so he wouldn’t have time to sit around and lick his wounds while he waited for his wounded spirit to heal.
Then the wolves make an official visit to L’Ange, and Jon finds out Kelvin’s pining for him is taking its toll on his position as the king’s champion. Though Kelvin’s training and the expectations of others steer him toward an intended mate, Jon has an unbreakable hold on his heart, and it’s no longer possible for Kelvin to keep himself from where he truly belongs.
But the conclave brings more than Kelvin to the château. It also brings a challenge to jackal alpha Quade Danas, a threat that Quade and Roman, Arman and Linus, and Jon and Kelvin may have to fight in order to keep L’Ange’s family intact. Jon never wanted to lead a pride, but the loyalty and devotion to one is ingrained in him. Kelvin was raised to punish anyone who questioned his king, but the calling to protect others runs through his veins just as deeply. To come out on the other side of the battle together, Jon and Kelvin will have to hold the darkness of solitary pride and broken hearts at bay—and find strength in belonging to something bigger than themselves.
Review:
I’ve been waiting for this story for a while now and it was certainly worth the wait.
Jon Slade is a lion shifter who needed a home and L’Ange is certainly not what he was expecting, but it is exactly what he needed. Now he belongs somewhere, but he’s still lost, mostly because his heart is being torn out by the loss of his mate. The man Jon loves chose duty over love and as hard as Jon tries he can’t escape the pain it’s causing him.
But Kelvin isn’t doing much better. He lives a lonely life, where duty is all he knows, but meeting Jon awoke something in him he can’t bear to lose so he knows it’s time to take his chance.
Both of these men as so good and kind and decent that as a reader, you can’t help fall for them both. They are trying to do the right thing but in the end, the heart wants what the heart needs and their bond is too strong to ignore.
This book falls straight into the story and while I suppose you could read it without reading the others, you would lose a lot of the story. Knowing the history behind L’Ange and the amazing people who call it home brings a wonderful depth to the tale and made me feel like I was visiting old friends as I read.
Quade and Roman from the first book and Arman and Linus from the second make more than a token appearance and I love that we get to see that their happily-ever-afters are still so strong and inspiring.
Sheridan and Enoch are a new couple that make a memorable appearance and I love what a good friend to Jon Sheridan turns out to be.
I was completely swept away by this story. Ms. Calmes paints a beautiful picture with her words that I could see…and hear in my head. I was enraptured with Kelvin’s Scottish heritage and I could hear his accent clear as day as I read along.
The angst in this story comes from the outside, and the struggle Jon and Kelvin have to overcome is a big one but the get through it with a little (a lot) of help from their friends, some of whom have big changes in store for them as well.
I highly recommend this book…indeed this whole series, if you, like me, love shifters, thrills aplenty, a lot of angst and some kick ass hero’s. It has everything to keep you enthralled from start to finish.
On a bit of a side note, I love how the author brings together shifters who seem to be polar opposites and sometimes deadly enemies in their animal forms, but somehow manage to be the perfect pairs. Seems like a bit of a life lesson in there somehow.
Rating: 
Buy Links: