Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Bad Mate

SERIES: Saint Lakes #10

AUTHOR: April Kelley

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 231 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 15, 2023

BLURB:

Keaton finally has a family. Nothing good has happened in his life until he’s able to call Saint Lakes home. Meeting his fated mate should be good as well, but the shadows of his past come back to haunt him.

Tim Pyke has turned over a new leaf. Since his son mated with a Somerset, it’s not like he has much of a choice. He’s part of the family, after all. He still doesn’t intend to mate with anyone who isn’t a cougar shifter like himself. When he meets the prettiest vampire he’s ever seen, his instincts toward his fated mate are too strong to ignore.

Keaton is the only one who can save the clan from a dangerous human, but he must get past his fated mate to do it.

Bad Mate is the sweet yet action-packed tenth book of the MM Paranormal Romance Saint Lakes Series. If you like sassy vampires and cougar shifter farmers with some very strong ideals, then you’ll love this romantic novel.

REVIEW:

Keaton was part of a brothel and flipped sides to the Saint Lakes clan a few books ago. Jaded about love and everything it stood for, Keaton never expected to meet his fated mate, for he’d used then discarded for most of his life. When Tim saw Keaton, everything from his past came to haunt him. Karma could be a bitch – and he wanted to love the hell out of it.

Bad Mate is the tenth book in the Saint Lakes series. In a previous book, Tim has been a judgmental ass; therefore, I expected to endure this tale instead of liking it. However, I more than liked it – I truly enjoyed it. Gone were the laboratories and familiar scenarios from other manuscripts. In their place was a farm of animals, a cougar shifter who’d had his childhood upbringing turned on its head, and an orphan vampire finding something he’d never had – a home. The story was a delight to read.

The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Tim and Keaton. It was lovely to have the world-building stay in Saint Lakes but expand to include Tim’s farm, the land, and its animals – especially the pigs. Everything felt homely. I couldn’t help smiling at Keaton’s reactions to the animals through to his thoughts on driving lessons. The whole scenario was a nice break from the family going away on missions. Oh – some bad comes to town, furthering the overall plot a notch or two. Still, this story was about acknowledging and re-evaluating past perceptions, new values, and a broken family coming together.

Keaton has grown up street savvy, able to take care of himself, and doesn’t take bullshit from anyone. He is intelligent, able to strategize, and see the bigger picture. When Keaton and Fane are in the same room – plans come thick and fast.

Tim is a father who bears the brunt of his own father’s prejudices, which resulted in his family being broken and Tim being forced to see life differently. He’s a man who tends to speak before he thinks, unable to articulate his actual meanings, which gets him into plenty of trouble. Keaton, being on the scene, furthers the new outlook and solidifies it – especially as Keaton calls Tim out on his actions, which can sometimes be hurtful. However, upsetting, and anguished scenes in these stories never last long and are often followed by some spicy comfort. These men can indulge in a blink-of-the-eye quickie.

Bad Mate was a lovely story about family while still managing to further the series arc.

RATING:

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