Reviewed by Lesley
TITLE: His Needy Mate
SERIES: San Noctis #1
AUTHOR: A.W. Scott
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 204 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2026
BLURB:
A powerful royal dragon shifter. A clueless human. A mate bond powerful enough to change everything.
Archer Moore has spent his entire life being told he’s too much—too needy, too dependent, too easy to leave behind. When even the one man he trusted confirms it, Archer does the only thing he can: he runs. Across borders, across oceans, anywhere that doesn’t feel like right.
Then he stumbles into San Noctis.
Drawn to the town by something he can’t explain, Archer barely has time to wonder if he’s finally found home before a violent encounter in the surrounding woods leaves him injured, terrified, and certain he won’t survive the night.
Romilly Saint has waited decades for his mate. As King, he could choose anyone to stand at his side. Power-hungry suitors and political alliances mean nothing compared to the bond he’s been denied for far too long.
When Romilly finds a wounded human in the woods, he knows Fate is involved.
The bond is instant. Unchangeable. And Romilly knows one thing with absolute certainty: Archer was never too needy. He was only waiting for the right man to care for him. Romilly has no intention of letting his mate doubt his worth ever again.
His Needy Mate is an AU edition of A.W. Scott’s Bellport world, reimagined with a royal shifter family and the mates Fate binds to them. This MM paranormal romance includes fated mates, mating marks, scenting, nesting, and a consensual Daddy D/s dynamic. There is no mpreg in this world.
REVIEW:
I’ll be honest, I started reading this with a bit of trepidation. I love all A. W. Scott’s books set in Bellport and was really worried this was going to ruin it for me. I even re‑read Soft, the latest book set there, and there are references to Bellport being a magical place that draws Pete (Pops) in — so I thought I could see where this was going. I’m very pleased to say I WAS WRONG. It’s not set in Bellport, it doesn’t pretend to be Bellport, and the Bellports are not dragons in disguise. Phew.
Instead, this book is set in San Noctis, a small town that doesn’t even have a hotel or guest house, let alone a load of different sports teams. What it does have is a bus route that ends there — and that’s how Archer Moore ends up in San Noctis.
Romilly Saint’s dragon is restless, so after finishing his duties as King for the day, he flies out to the human part of town, where he finds an injured Archer who has been attacked by a wolf while sleeping in the woods. Romilly knows Fate is involved.
This book is a really good introduction to the Saint family, bringing us Romilly, the King; his parents, Silas and Mira; his brothers Eden (a Little) and Hadrian (a Middle); and his sibling Silas, who I think is going to turn out to be a Dominant in some guise. I’m not sure yet whether they’re a caregiver type, I guess time will tell. It also sets the scene for what’s happening in this universe, with an issue unfolding among factions of the Fae, which I’m sure will be a continuing storyline.
From reading just this first book, I think the similarity with Bellport is that there’s a powerful family with siblings who are Littles, a Daddy, and a non‑binary sibling. One of the siblings is also after two Daddies. But the feeling I have after finishing this is that the different setting, the fact the family are shifters, and the potential issues with the Fae make it distinct enough from the Bellport books that it doesn’t feel like A. W. Scott has simply rewritten the same story with different names. I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.
RATING: 
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