Title: Wake Me Up Inside
Series: Mates 01
Author: Cardeno C.
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novel (250pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (15th August 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Zev Hassick is surprised and confused when he finds himself attracted to his best friend. His very human, very male best friend. Zev is the son of the pack Alpha, regarded as the strongest wolf in generations, born to lead. And everyone knows a male shifter has to mate with a female of his own kind to keep his humanity. So shifters can’t be gay, right?
Jonah Marvel wants a relationship with Zev, his best friend, the man he has loved since childhood. It wasn’t easy to maintain that relationship over years spent living apart while Jonah studied to become a doctor. And then things grow more difficult when Jonah becomes his own patient. Before he can make a life with Zev, he has to understand his past and cure the unexplained ailments that plague him.
Zev and Jonah know they’re destined for each other, but they’re facing traditions ingrained over generations and long-buried secrets that may threaten any future together.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3154
Review: Zev can’t believe that what he feels for his best friend, Jonah, is more than just friendship. Jonah is human and male and Zev has always been told that he will tie to a shifter female or lose his humanity, so Jonah can’t be his true mate… can he? Jonah has loved Zev for years and he has lived with the limited relationship that they have had while he was studying to become a doctor. But, Jonah becomes convinced there is something wrong with him and has to look to his mother’s past to discover secrets long buried. Together Zev and Jonah have to challenge generations of belief and prejudice to be together.
This is a great shifter story that gives a new view on shifters and the world they live in. Zev and Jonah are a fantastic couple. They first meet when they are still babies, Zev in wolf form tracks down a smell that he can’t resist and comes across a baby Jonah. From there they meet through the years as wolf and boy before meeting finally as two seven-year old boys. They become best friends and when they reach eighteen they admit how they feel for each other. But, Zev has had to get his father and pack to start seeing humans in a different light, rather than as half-souls who are beneath them. But still, bringing a human home as a mate will be hard. Bringing a human male as a mate, will be harder.
I loved this story. it was perfect, going from childhood best friends to adult lovers. Zev refusing to take that final step until Jonah could be all his. A perfect sweet romance with a twist of mystery. I loved how we had flashbacks to Zev and Jonah’s past, seeing them together as they grow up and develop a great friendship. It would have been nice to have a clearer sign that we were about to delve into a flashback, but it was still well done. Another thing I loved was that although Zev and Jonah had a clear feeling that they were meant to be together, Zev managed to hold out for years before completing the bond. So yeah. Instant mate connection. but far from an instant mating.
Cardeno C. has written a story that keeps your interest. It has an interesting shifter element and has woven bigotry, prejudice, love, overcoming circumstances, friendships and secrets together to bring us a story that is sweet with a tinge of mystery and danger. Neither Zev nor Jonah has it easy, though, because the longer they are apart the harder it is for them to cope with the separation and as Jonah still hasn’t got a clue about shifters. The stress and strain drive him to nearly cheat… so you have been warned. I personally feel that Zev should have explained things earlier to Jonah, at least then Jonah might have had a clue as to what was happening to him.
I will recommend this to those who love shifters, hot loving, sacrifice, strong and enduring love, mysterious happenings, a touch of danger and a very happy ending. Grabbing a cuppa and snuggling with this book is a great way to spend an evening.