Title:
Brian’s Mate
Author: Hollis Shiloh
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Narrator: Stone Cannon
Length: 4 hours and 32 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press through Audible (05-12-14)
Heat Level: Mild
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: Brian is the alpha of the least impressive pack of wolves at the whole Moon Ceremony. When a human is discovered uninvited in their midst, he bonds with the man to save his life.
Luke doesn’t know about all this wolf stuff, but he’s starting to develop feelings for the gentle man who rescued him. Both Brian and Luke expect to quietly dissolve the bond later. But feelings intervene, and some bonds are not so easy to cast aside.
Building a life together as alphas will take love and hard work—especially when new wolves keep inviting themselves into their lives.
Purchase Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Brians-Mate-Audiobook/B00K7PMSQC/ref=a_search_c4_1_3_srTtl?qid=1409414732&sr=1-3
Review: Brian is probably the most unassuming Alpha wolf ever. He inherited his pack upon his father’s death as the eldest son, and the pack still holds to small numbers. Just Brian, his brother, sister-in-law and nephews. Brian is an artist, a sort of free-spirited loner who makes good money, but gives the majority of it to support wolves that don’t have a pack or a home. He would love to find a mate and have a family, increase his pack, but as a gay shifter, he realizes that probably isn’t in the cards for him. That is, until he meets Luke.
During the annual Moon ceremony, Luke unknowingly stumbles onto pack land and, by law, is about to be killed. To save the adorable, sad man with scared eyes, Brian claims him as his mate. What starts out as an arrangement of sorts quickly becomes something more for both the Alpha and his new human mate. Luke is scared, defiant and sexy all at the same time and Brian enjoys nearly every minute of it. But will Luke want to stay mated to him once the ceremony ends, and the threat on his life is no longer hanging over their heads?
This story was totally cheesy, slightly predictable and yet, absolutely adorable and so much fun! Brian and Luke become the Alpha’s of one of the strongest packs there is, a pack full of misfits and outcasts. They have half wolves, gay wolves, homeless wolves… any wolf that either doesn’t have a home or isn’t wanted or treated right in their current pack for any number of reasons, including being gay, is accepted and fully embraced into their pack. This unlikely coupling of Alpha wolf and human, two gay men that thought they’d never find a husband, much less a family, become the head of a large and loving pack. And in a lovely little twist, Luke the only full human member of the pack becomes the heart of them all, his spirit holds them together.
This is my first audible with Stone Cannon, and while I’ve heard better, I’ve heard worse as well. At times, it seemed like he was just reading off his grocery list, completely void of emotion. But other times he would dive right into the character and the situation at the time. I think he has promise to become a great narrator, he just needs to find his niche. Overall, though this was just a fast, fun listen that I’ll probably listen to again.
If you are a fan of lighthearted romance, shifters and cheesy love stories then grab a copy of this one. It will leave you with a smile on your face.