Plagued by pain and weakness all his life, Ethan Abbatt is a wolf shifter who can't shift. Hoping to find an honorable death by joining his packmates in a vampire attack, Ethan instead learns two things: Draining his blood releases his pain and his wolf, and he has a true mate: a vampire named Miguel.
More than four centuries old, strong, powerful, and vicious, Miguel Rodriguez walks through life as a shadow, without happiness or affection. When a young shifter tells Miguel they're true mates, destined to be together, Miguel sends him away. But Ethan is persistent, and being together comes so naturally that Miguel can't resist for long. The challenge is keeping themselves alive so they can stay by each other's side until forever comes.
Narrated by: Charlie David
Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
I read/listened to this series out of order. I first met Miguel and Ethan in To Touch You when Yoram needed a bit of mentoring about his blood situation from his favorite uncles. When Yoram meets Salvatore and realizes there is a solution to his blood problem as well as Salvatore being Yoram’s true mate, Miguel and Ethan were front and center giving guidance to the new couple and how to navigate their shifter/vampire mating. I knew then I needed to meet Ethan and Miguel and was not disappointed in their story at all.
“I’ve been alone for a long time, even before I was turned. Why, all of a sudden, did I feel like something was missing just because you weren’t in my bed?”
I loved this. Know that now so you won’t be surprised when I fangirl all over this review. I love the way Cardeno C. writes shifters and when you pair that with the talent of Charlie David as a narrator you are given one hell of a romantic story.
Knowing a bit of who Ethan and Miguel were, I was excited to start this book. I had to know how they met and how they figured out Ethan - and his blood - were made for Miguel and how Miguel would handle being mated/bonded to a shifter. The way they met was action packed and held so much emotion. It was great that they had chemistry instantly and simply being around Miguel changed Ethan’s life forever.
Poor Ethan. He’s lived his life thinking he was always less than and that something was wrong with him because he couldn’t shift into his wolf like everyone else. Top that with his body seeming to make too much blood that he had to resort to cutting to relieve the pressure on his body and his heart was so sad to read but Ethan just needed the one thing, the one man to change his life…
Miguel. Goodness but I’ve always had a soft sport for a vampire with a conscience. I blame Buffy for giving me Angel and I love it when they have this moral compass they have created and live by. Miguel has been through so much in his 400 years as a vampire and learning how he was turned broke my heart. He needs someone to take care of, he needs someone to be his and his only and he needs someone who can not only match his hunger but satiate it in every way.
These two were super swoony. This focuses more on the couple than the pack or vampire dynamics so we get a lot of time spent with Miguel and Ethan together and it really allows the intimacy to be felt. We know through Ethan they are true mates and later learn what it means for a vampire to be bonded to the one who give them blood and that is where the title comes in. I have a thing about titles and what they mean to the book and this one, it means everything.
“Heaven help me, but I want you to stay with me. But, Ethan, I will let you go if you say the word. I will never harm you.” He paused, looking deeply into my eyes. “You don’t need to run away from me. Just say the word and I’ll return you safely to your pack.”
“I wasn’t running away,”
“Okay,” he mumbled against my mouth and then nibbled on my lower lip. “I’m glad, But if you change your mind, wolf, it’s an open-ended offer. I’ll get you where you want to be safely, even—” His voice cracked, and could feel his heart racing. “Even if it isn’t with me.”
This is the first romance I have listened to and not read before and I had a blast with it and no trouble following along. Charlie David is an amazing narrator, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. As a young girl, I used to listen to mysteries and detective stories on the radio with my late father and loved the differential voices between characters. Sure, back then there were numerous actors bring the characters to life with nothing but their voice but Charlie David accomplishes that with his alone. Miguel came to life in this book and Ethan right along with him. I adored their voices and honestly, Miguel whispering in my/Ethan’s ear was so sexy. There is something so organic with Charlie David’s delivery of this characters that allows a deep intimacy with the romance. You’re not just listening to a story being told, you are part of that story. David isn’t just a narrator, he’s a true voice actor and that makes a difference.
The back and forth between Ethan’s pack and Miguel, the shifters distrust of Vampires and Miguel's knowledge of what shifters have been doing for hundreds of years brings the drama to this book as Ethan’s pack fights to keep their land in Kfarkattan. That gives us a good deal of pack relations within the story as well as some dealings with vampires that becomes action packed, violent and bloody which was perfect for this story. People, shifters, vampires just everyone needs to learn, you don’t separate mates. Goodnes.
That epilogue was exactly what I needed to wrap this story up even though I met Ethan and Miguel around that time in book four, it was still swoony and perfect.
This was so much fun and so super romantic. Cardeno C and Charlie David are a fantastic match when it comes to romance authors and narrators. I have enjoyed listening to the first two books in this series now and am eager to move on to book three.
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