Reviewed by: Sue Eaton
TITLE: Fated Mates Charity Anthology (Segment 4)
AUTHOR: Sheena Jolie, Michele Notaro, Chloe Archer, JP Sayle, AJ Sherwood
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 1692 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2023
BLURB:
Fated Mates is a Paranormal Romance Charity Anthology from some of your
favorite MM authors!
It features new, exclusive stories from Kiki Clark, Mia Monroe, Louisa Masters, Kelly Fox, Sheena Jolie, Jennifer Cody, Nikole Knight, Vinni George, Chloe Archer, Meghan Maslow, Lee Colgin, Kelex, H.L Day, Grae Bryan, AJ Sherwood, Michele Notaro, Lisa Oliver, Ariana Nash, Michelle
Frost, and JP Sayle.
All royalties will be donated to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund and the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund.
REVIEW:
I loved this anthology, this segment had 5 novellas, from some of my favourite authors and they didn’t disappoint, in fact, they left me wanting more. If you love paranormal fated mates, then this is a must-read anthology. They might be shorter novellas, but they still pack a punch with great storylines and intriguing characters.
Curse of Silver & Blood by Sheena Jolie
Alec was sold by his stepfather to a drug cartel, to make drugs for them in an lab. Little do they know but as a fae alchemist, Alec can make something from nothing, and he blows up the lab and escapes into the woods. Desperately trying to stay ahead of his captors, he knows it’s just a matter of time before he is captured. Drug cartels are not a forgiving bunch.
Leif is alone, a lone wolf, who has been cursed with killing his own kind and any pack he might belong to. He has separated himself from his own kind for their protection and to protect his own heart. He has been alive a long time and thinks his curse also means he will never find his mate.
These two unlikely people meet in the woods and destiny takes over. The threats to Alec remain and Leif will do anything to protect him. This is a wonderful tale of love overcoming adversity and that the strength of the mate bond conquers all.
There’s a Bat in My Room by Michele Notaro
This was a lovely tale, a welcome return to Ellwood and Brinnswick world and great to see much loved characters pop up again. It made me laugh especially at the beginning, Tennis Assassin was so funny and speaks to anyone who has ever been terrified of something flying around in a room and the lengths we would go to capture or kill it. The whole chapter of Jett and Ward meeting for the first time was brilliant and Jett’s certainty that Ward was a vampire was hilarious. Ward is such a naïve cute guy, who has been turfed out of his colony. He is struggling on his own and misses his family so much, but the price they want to let him come back is staggeringly high. Jett is practical and so set on Ward being a vampire, he feels the pull to Ward but is confused by it. Seeking help and advice from his best friend Hugo, Jett and Ward find themselves protected by Hugo’s mates’ powerful grandparents, parents and siblings.
Jett and Ward are a cute couple who fight for their love and to make sure that each of them is protected and safe.
The Demon and the Librarian: A Cozy M/M Monster Romance by Chloe Archer
This novella is set in the Monster Hollows universe. It is a sassy, funny tale of a librarian who inadvertently summons a demon and thinks he needs to send him back. Yuki is your typical librarian, geek, who loves the new soap opera The Young and the Monstrous, loves it so much he’s part of an online forum which discusses all things The Young and the Monstrous. He is very attracted to the Demon in the soap opera but when he summons his very own demon, he is suspicious and wants him gone as soon as possible before his feelings get involved.
Kassiel is only 200 years old, which in demon terms is young, he is ecstatic to get the summons from his fated mate, he thinks it will be so easy to connect with Yuki, but Yuki has other ideas. This is a wonderfully sweet tale, the acronym of the online forum is brilliant, as is all the advice Yuki gets. Kassiel is determined to woo his mate, and showers him with gifts of all shapes and sizes. The story is light and upbeat, but you are conscious of the clock ticking in the background as Kassiel only has 2 weeks to convince Yuki they are meant to be together forever.
A Scent Like No Other by JP Sayle
What a brilliant story, I absolutely loved it. Pierre is an outcast skunk shifter, shunned because he has no control over his scent glands, resulting in a misfiring ass, so he’s always being asked to leave as he stinks out everywhere. Eliphas is a witch who ends up in Salem at Enchanted Ink, where not only will they give you a tattoo, but they will incorporate a spell into it, beauty, protection it can all be had at Enchanted Ink. Pierre and Eliphas meet and discover they are mates, but Pierre knows he is destined to have a third, which shocks Eliphas as it’s not something he has ever considered. He is frightened to rock the boat and the happiness he has with Pierre. Pierre has given Eliphas time to get used to the idea of a third, but is desperate to find him, plunging all of them into peril and heartbreak. The ending was so unexpected and left me desperate to find out what happened next. I really enjoyed this novella and will be getting the book that carries on this story.
True Mates and Where to Find Them by AJ Sherwood
What do you do, when you are really desperate for money to pay your Father’s hospital bills? Max offers himself up as Blood Slave at an auction. He knows it is risky but he has no other options, he’ll grit his teeth, and get himself through the year of hell he is expecting once he has been bought.
Zander never frequents Blood Slave auctions, he is only there to get a contract signed, but then he sees Max and he knows he must have him. They enter into a contract together and Max is bemused to find himself in the lap of luxury, no forced feeding, no bodily harm, no forced sexual contact.
This is a very sweet tale, of finding your mate and keeping him safe and finding that what starts as a business contract turns into so much more.
RATING: 
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